Take Up Space is growing!
Take Up Space started as a flexi-space in Auckland.
A beautiful spot where women gathered, connected, learnt and grew.
But the kaupapa was always bigger than four walls.
From 2026 onward, Take Up Space becomes a movement — a nationwide and Pacific-wide activation of confidence, community, leadership and identity.
We show up where we’re needed.
We create experiences that shift people.
We build spaces that help wāhine rise, no matter where they are.
The Kaupapa
-
Confidence as cultural capital
-
Wāhine leadership
-
Removing tall-poppy syndrome
-
Real connections without fakery
-
Mindset-first development
-
Access, visibility and opportunity
-
Take Up Space exists so women can claim more — more voice, more power, more belief, more momentum.
We see a future where wāhine no longer wait for permission.
Where women build businesses, lead teams, earn well and take up space — without shrinking, apologising, or second-guessing themselves.
Take Up Space exists because too many women are still navigating systems that weren’t designed for them.
Systems that reward confidence in theory, but punish it in practice.
Systems that celebrate ambition — until it comes from a woman.
Our vision is to change that.
Not with one programme.
Not with one event.
And definitely not from one building.
We are building a movement that meets wāhine where they are — across Aotearoa and the Pacific — and gives them access to what actually creates change: confidence, capability, community and opportunity.
We envision:
-
wāhine backing themselves and each other
-
businesses led by women who know their worth
-
leadership that looks and sounds like us
-
capital flowing to women with ideas and courage
-
communities where success is celebrated, not cut down
-
the next generation growing up seeing powerful women as normal
Take Up Space is designed to move.
To adapt.
To scale without losing its soul.
It’s not about fitting women into existing systems.
It’s about reshaping the landscape so women can thrive on their own terms.
This is the long game.
The legacy work.
The future we’re building — together.
And we’re just getting started.
Our Vision
Meet the Team
Belinda Jane
Founder
Afakasi - Samoan, Pakeha
Nanci Ona-Murphy
BDM
Rarotongan
Belinda is the founder and movement leader behind Take Up Space — a national and Pacific initiative focused on growing wāhine in business, leadership and identity.
A respected mindset strategist, entrepreneur and coach, Belinda is known for creating transformative environments where women build confidence, capability and the inner certainty to back themselves.
With a background spanning mindset transformation, employment pathways, leadership development, public speaking and women-centred community building, Belinda’s work bridges government, industry and grassroots networks.
Her delivery is direct, grounded and deeply people-focused, resonating strongly with Māori and Pacific wāhine navigating business, leadership and visibility barriers.
A single mother, cancer survivor and unwavering advocate for confidence as a resource that changes lives, Belinda brings lived experience, business acumen and a clear sense of purpose to everything she builds. Take Up Space the Movement is the next chapter of her mission: removing the limits, gatekeeping and tall-poppy conditioning that hold wāhine back, and replacing them with connection, courage and real opportunity.
Belinda is also the founder of D7 People, creator of Rise & Thrive, and the force behind Empower & Elevate retreats — positioning her as a leading voice in transformative leadership for wāhine across Aotearoa and the Pacific.
Text/Call
Nanci has been the Community Manager of Take Up Space since day one.
Now in our growth phase, Nanci will be focusing on partnerships and sales, building relationships with sponsors and organisations, and coordinating The Hype Room and Sisterhood events as the movement grows.
Belinda & Nanci have been best mates since they were 18 and working together has only made that bond stronger.
After participating in Belinda's mindset transformation programmes including Empower & Elevate 5 Day Retreat in Raro, Nanci is the best testimonial on the transformational shifts you experience when you Take Up Space!