Tessa Mackenzie has facilitated over 700 collaborative planning meetings, forums, events, workshops, programmes, and social change projects over the last 22 years. She also provides individual and peer group supervision, career coaching, and presentations to governance groups, training and conferences.

As director at Natural Assets, she offers solution-focused, emotionally intelligent training workshops to harness the strengths of your team and create positive change and development.

Tessa’s unique and proven coaching methods are:

• Emotionally & Interpersonally Intelligent – Relationship development is key
• Strengths Based – Let’s engage and build on the existing skills and resources
• Solution Focused – It’s not win or lose, everyone gains from the experience

Tessa heads the company, and brings in other experienced colleagues from her professional network for specific projects and workshops.

Tessa has facilitated social development, and worked as a researcher, networker and inspirational collaborator for agencies, communities and individuals for over twenty years.

During that time she has worked across NGO, social and corporate sectors in New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, USA and England

Tessa has a passion for community-led change, and sees a need for a shift towards more equitable power sharing  between the community and government sectors to better meet the needs of people and the environment. Community are the experts and building on local strengths produces more effective and sustainable outcomes (in her experience). Her interest in social enterprise came through her own social history and ongoing involvement in community-led development.

Having worked from front line to governance positions in the social sector, including her role as a ‘Strengthening Families Coordinator’ for 12 years, she has an in depth knowledge of people and situations. Her skills in collaborative case management and bigger picture thinking have helped hundreds of people and organisations navigate diverse ranges of challenges. Her Strengths Based approach has been integral to successful outcomes.

She developed a specialist interest in Corporate Social Responsibility whilst participating in social impact research and coordinating social development for communities impacted by gold mining.

Tessa aims to always maintain a healthy balance between economic, social and environmental values in both her work and personal life.  Her role as a mother of 4 adult children and grandmother of 7 keeps her in touch with the joys and challenges of inter-generational society.

From a cultural perspective, although born in England, she has benefitted from having travelled, lived and worked in many different countries, but it is Aotearoa that she calls home.

Her clinical background in Homeopathy contributes to a holistic interconnected understanding of the world which enables her to relate to indigenous cultures including Te Ao Maori and concepts of Wairua and Mauri. Tessa has also been blessed with close relationships in the Cook Island community through personal ties, and brings an appreciation of the values that underpin cultural diversity.

She has also been heavily involved in the alternative, affordable housing scene, and has a particular passion for converting refrigerated shipping containers into off-grid homes.

Since 2020 she has run workshops on Creating Caring Communities out of Crisis. These are aimed at people and groups wanting to go back to traditional community values, including living on shared land and in harmonious balance with the environment.

Tessa is an innovative ‘do-er’, always willing to take on new challenges, meet new people and learn new things. So pick up the phone or send and email to discuss what you have in mind that you would like to change in your own life or work situation!