Hi, Kia ora, Malo a lelei, and welcome!

The Middle Space is a collective of people, working and journeying together in leadership, equity and change.

We connect with others to learn, co-design and lead for personal, professional and organisational transformation.

With decades of experience in leadership, change management and equity, we are committed to amplifying the brilliance of others leading for change.

Our aim is to co-create a more equitable future for all through the power of the collective. We believe we’re stronger together.

Our Approach

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to grow your awareness about equity and understand the contribution you can make to creating a more equitable world. Maybe you want to build a toolkit that helps you place equity at the centre of your practice. Or maybe you have a change or transformation to deliver.

Understand Equity

We explore storying to understand equity as it relates to ourselves and others. An ancient form of communication, present in all cultures, stories provide us with opportunities to hear, share and connect through differences. Then we can create more equitable outcomes - together.

Build Capacity

Develop your leadership capability. Grow your capacity for working through change. We work at individual, team and organisation-wide level.

Create Change

Effective and sustainable change centres people. We apply human-centred design thinking to collaborate for transformative change.

Who We Are

We’re the four founders of the Middle Space: a diverse group of women energised by our shared purpose: the creation of a collective where we can all journey together in leadership, equity and change.

  • Indigenous change agent from Aotearoa | New Zealand on a mission to transform lives through reciprocal partnering, learning and development.

    International coach and facilitator, Hiria activates hearts and minds for equity, catalyzes collective potential and leads for the co-creation of solutions to enduring problems. Strategy, Leadership and Change are her favourite playgrounds for co-design.

    Equity is the expert lens she brings to all spaces and her superpowers are curiosity and compassion. Hiria’s holistic practice offers opportunities for exploration, adaptation, innovation and wellness - in any arena.

  • Karen Fraser is a 4th generation pākeha with ancestral roots from the Scottish highlands, and England. Growing up on a dairy farm in Tauwhare in rural Waikato, the land and nature are deeply woven into her values and what grounds her.

    Karen believes that we each hold unique potential and through bringing our diverse talents, voices and perspectives together, we enable the greatest opportunity for growth and change - collectively.

    As a pākeha, building her equity awareness, Karen is actively learning her way in The Middle Space. With her working career centred in Organisational Capability, Change and Learning, Karen brings this knowledge into The Middle Space as part of her contribution.

  • A Pākeha New Zealander, Katherine has spent her career developing people and places. She’s been a storyteller her whole life and believes deeply that understanding our own and others’ stories is the place where healing begins.

    Katherine is a futurist, but also believes some of the answers to our questions of how to go forward, lie in looking back and re-connecting to what we’ve lost.

    Katherine combines her skills in leadership, change and communication with a deep background in people and human performance. She is interested in creating new conversations, deeper connections, and higher consciousness that allow new possibilities and outcomes.

  • Candice Daniels is a dynamic and diverse individual on a mission to make the world a better place while navigating her personal journey of healing. Proud of her South African Coloured heritage, which reflects a tapestry of European settlers, indigenous Khoi and San, Xhosa people, East Asian influences, and more, Candice's identity is deeply rooted in her rich ethnic background.

    As an immigrant to New Zealand, Candice made a bold move that went beyond geographical relocation; it marked a profound shift in her cultural identity and a commitment to creating change on her own terms. Fearless and unapologetic as a millennial, she actively shares her opinions and ideas, fearlessly challenges the status quo, and gracefully balances her roles as a wife, sister, daughter, niece, and mother with a unique blend of strength, empathy, and resilience.

    Candice's passion for justice and fairness drives her to dismantle pervasive myths that have shaped her life experiences. In the realm of Change and Learning, she strives to unlearn and relearn, challenging conventional Western models to embrace a more holistic approach. With a myriad of identities, from a woman of colour in South Africa to a proud New Zealander, Candice's journey embodies resilience, a quest for balance, a drive to define her own rules, and an unwavering dedication to creating a fairer and more just world for all.