About Inaivu
Connection. Inclusion. Coming Together.
Who we are
Inaivu (இணைவு) is a Tamil word meaning connection, inclusion and coming together.
At Inaivu, we believe diversity, equity and inclusion is not a compliance exercise. It is the foundation that makes all other work possible. When done with intention, it strengthens teams, reduces conflict, deepens trust, and allows local governments to serve their communities with clarity and confidence.
Our story begins long before Inaivu existed. We are two former refugee kids whose first real jobs were in local government, navigating systems never designed with us in mind. A combined 35 years later, we have worked across multiple councils and shires, community organisations, businesses and academic institutions, and through this journey a simple truth has emerged: our futures are tied together.
Whether you’re embedded in Youth Services, Community Development, Community Health, Social Inclusion and Wellbeing, Organisational Development or Regulatory Services, our work has seen how genuine cultural inclusion and anti-racism does not create more work. Done well, inclusion makes work easier, more effective, and more fair.
What's Our Story
Inaivu was born from the quiet, complicated truth of our childhoods.
We grew up in migrant and refugee families who arrived in Australia and New Zealand carrying deep wells of knowledge. Teachers, community leaders, problem-solvers. Back home, our parents were the people others turned to for wisdom. But here, in a new country with unfamiliar systems, we watched the most capable people we knew begin again from the margins.
We saw qualifications dismissed. Accents mistaken for inability. Experience overwritten by assumption.
Some of this exclusion was systemic. Forms, processes, and structures that made belonging feel like a test. Some of it was painfully personal: sharp words on the street, a slur at a bus stop, a physical assault on a tram home. Each moment chipped away at the confidence of people who had once held entire communities together.
As children, we learned early that talent is not the problem; recognition is.
Inclusion is not extra work; it is the work that makes community possible.
This is where Inaivu begins. Two kids who watched their parents reinvent themselves in countries that did not always see them; kids who later found their own first jobs inside local government, trying to understand how belonging is built, protected, and strengthened.
From those beginnings, a purpose emerged: to help councils create environments where no one’s wisdom becomes smaller, where cultural safety is everyday practice, and where communities, old and new, can thrive together.
Inaivu exists because we have lived the cost of exclusion, and because we believe in the opposite: systems where every story is recognised and every contribution is allowed to matter.
Why we do this work
We grew up watching people we love carry knowledge, leadership and care, yet move through systems that did not recognise them. We learned early that exclusion is rarely about ability. It is about whose knowledge is trusted, whose voice is welcomed and who feels safe enough to speak.
Local government was the first place where doors opened for us. It was where we saw how systems could either narrow people’s lives or expand them. We have also seen the quiet courage of council staff who want to do the right thing but are navigating complexity, pressure and responsibility every day.
We hold close the words of Murri artist Lilla Watson:
“If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is tied up with mine, then let us work together.”
This captures how we approach our work. We do not work for communities. We work alongside them, because our futures are shared. When staff feel safe, respected and supported, communities feel it too. When communities are trusted and included, councils become stronger places to work.
Our Approach
Our programs are guided by a framework shaped by the everyday realities, priorities and responsibilities of Local Government. The framework sets out the five elements that guide the learning journey: (1) What informs the training? (2) How people learn? (3) How learning is applied? (4) How change takes shape in the workplace? (5) How support continues over time? Our methodology brings this framework into practical action. It reflects the priorities Councils hold, including supporting diverse communities, strengthening workplaces where safety, respect and belonging are central, and responding to complex expectations with confidence and care. Through community insight, lived experience, experiential learning, practical tools and sustained support, staff are able to understand the issues, learn through real experience, apply new skills and continue growing with structured guidance.
Co-design
We work with you, not for you. Every program is developed in partnership with your team, informed by your workforce data, community feedback and organisational goals.
Lived Experience
Our training is shaped by people who have walked the path. We centre the voices of those most affected by exclusion, not as case studies, but as contributors and co-creators.
Cultural Safety
We create environments where people feel safe to reflect, question and grow. Safety is not about avoiding discomfort. It is about holding space for honest, respectful learning.
Practical Application
Our programs are grounded in reality. We offer tools, frameworks and strategies that your teams can use immediately, not theory that stays on the shelf.
Sustainable Change
We are not interested in quick fixes. Our work is designed to embed new ways of thinking and acting into the culture of your organisation, so the change lasts.
Ready to start the conversation?
If you feel our work may support yours, we welcome the opportunity to connect. Every organisation's journey is different, and we would love to explore how we can walk alongside yours.