About Us

Nō ngā iwi ō Tūhoe, Ngāti Whakaue,
Ngāti Kearoa, Ngāti Pikiao,
Kahungungu, Ngāti Porou 

Niwa Milroy is a Māori development specialist, media practitioner, and social entrepreneur with a Bachelor of Māori Development and extensive experience across broadcasting, community development, and business leadership. Her career in the television industry has included scripting, directing, acting, news anchoring, reporting, and providing expert guidance on te reo Māori and tikanga across a range of productions. She has also worked in iwi radio, strengthening her grounding in kaupapa Māori communication and community-based storytelling.

As a founder and business builder, Niwa has established and led ventures including an online clothing brand and Get Me Started Limited, delivering Ministry of Social Development–aligned programmes designed to support individuals receiving benefits to improve their health, wellbeing, confidence, and employment readiness. More recently, she has worked closely with rangatahi disengaged from education and employment, supporting their transition into further study, training, and meaningful work pathways. Her work spans suicide prevention programme delivery, youth development, and holistic wellbeing initiatives.

Niwa has played a key role in the development of Element Performance — an integrated wellbeing framework that brings together physical training, nutrition, neuroscience-informed profiling, and Māori cultural foundations to strengthen identity, resilience, and long-term performance. She is experienced in designing self-improvement journals, educational resources in te reo Māori and online platforms, and culturally grounded learning tools. Her expertise includes economic development, workforce readiness, industry capability building, and aligning community initiatives with government reporting and accountability requirements. She has developed structured templates for evaluation, consent, case management, and reflection to ensure measurable outcomes and system integrity.

With strengths in Māori cultural integration, educational resource design, brand development, visual identity creation, marketing strategy, staff standards development, proposal writing, and funding acquisition, Niwa brings strategic clarity and cultural depth to every initiative she leads. Her work consistently bridges community aspiration with structured, sustainable systems that create lasting impact for individuals, whānau, and wider communities.

Kia Ora, my name is Leigh Bristowe.

I Whakapapa to Ngati Maniapoto, Nga Puhi and Ngati Porou. 

High Performance Coach and elite athlete Leigh Bristowe brings 15 years of experience developing athletes from grassroots to international level. His work spans Olympians, professional fighters, swimmers, and team sport athletes, alongside managing a rehabilitation and recovery gym supporting post-stroke clients, brain injury recovery, and return-to-play athletes.

A dual-code athlete, Leigh has competed in track and field sprints, played professional rugby in New Zealand, represents the Cook Islands Men’s National Sevens team, and represented New Zealand Māori rugby league team in rugby league. He also holds a Kyokushin black belt, reflecting his lifelong commitment to discipline and performance.

Beyond sport, Leigh mentors youth into employment, education, and professional sporting opportunities, including helping athletes secure US college scholarships in basketball and athletics. He is also a strong advocate for men’s mental health, delivering suicide prevention programmes and developing structured journals focused on training, nutrition, and mindset growth. Passionate about Te Ao Māori and indigenous culture, Leigh ensures these values are at the forefront of his work, fostering a strong sense of connection to identity, heritage, and community in everything he does. 

Above all, Leigh is a proud father of two daughters and actively coaches their sports teams, reflecting his strong commitment to family, leadership, and community impact. 

“Knowing is not enough. We must apply. Willing is not enough. We must do.”

Kia Ora my name is Jeremy Te Paapa Murray.I descend from the Tainui and Mataatua waka.My iwi affiliations are with Tauranga Moana,Raukawa, Waikato/Maniapoto.My marae are Kutaroa and Opureora from Matakana Island, Tauranga Moana.Ngatira and Ukaipo Marae from Raukawa.Hiiona and Mangatoatoa Marae from Waikato/Maniapoto and I am researching my whakapapa to Ngahutoitoi Marae in Hauraki.I currently live in Ngaruawahia.My professional background has been in teaching, facilitating and program development, working with youth offenders, health and fitness, mental health, disabilities, employment placement.I am passionate about traditional Maori forms of healing and medicine along with traditional forms of exercise and Maori weaponry.I am excited about our unique family business where I am working with my wife and son to utilize our skills, experiences and expertise to help people over come challenges and learn tools to assist them in their wellbeing around mental, physical, emotional health and utilise these tools and apply them to their everyday life and pathways into career, education and personal and Whanau situations..By following our company motto this is how we do this

."Change your Mindset, Change Your Life."

Mentor | Cultural Connector | Community Leader

Te Kapua (Kups) Murray is a New Zealand-based leader, entrepreneur, and proud Māori man dedicated to serving community through mentorship, sport, and cultural connection.

With a background in leadership, youth development, and business, Te Kapua is passionate about helping young people and athletes feel supported, grounded, and empowered. He brings a calm, steady presence and strong relationship-building skills, creating environments where people feel welcomed and respected.

As co-founder of Ascend Assistants, an AI-driven company helping businesses optimize operations and accelerate growth, Te Kapua combines strategic insight with a commitment to intentional living. He champions discipline, growth, and service — principles that align closely with high-performing athletes. 

Beyond his entrepreneurial and consulting work, Te Kapua is a devoted father to a newborn and a two-year-old, balancing the demands of business with family life.