Article | Supporting young Māori and Pacific peoples in leadership

Supporting young Māori and Pacific peoples in leadership

By Team Abletech.nz, 10 November 2021, 2 min read

TupuToa

When presented with some damning statistics on the presence of Māori and Pacific peoples in corporate-sector leadership positions, Abletech was delighted to join a campaign for change.

Addressing society inequities

Non-profit organisation TupuToa has a goal of ‘growing Māori and Pacific leaders for a greater Aotearoa’. Its focus is on addressing a shameful situation in which:

while Māori and Pacific peoples make up a quarter of our population, they’re largely invisible in corporate roles, especially leadership positions
no NZX listed company has a Māori or Pacific chief executive
only 17% of New Zealand’s top 60 firms have executives who identify as other than European/Pākehā.

To achieve its goal, TupuToa has developed a range of initiatives designed to:

reduce the entry and advancement barriers that are biased against Māori and Pacific communities
support organisations in successfully recruiting and onboarding Māori and Pacific peoples.

Working together to achieve results

Abletech has joined the drive for change as part of our commitment to being a good employer that offers equal opportunities to all and is striving to achieve greater diversity in our workforce.

We support TupuToa’s Internship Programme – a comprehensive employment pathway that, through 12-week paid internships, provides professional opportunities and personalised support for Māori and Pacific tertiary students in corporate, government and community organisations.

As the TupuToa website says, “Many of our interns are the first in their families to undertake tertiary study, and with the guidance and pastoral care of TupuToa Navigators [who provide personalised support during the internships], they are better equipped to succeed in a corporate environment.”

Together is better

“Our industry offers exciting employment opportunities for all young people,” says Michelle Harvey, Abletech’s CEO.

“We offer graduates who join us a great working environment, stimulating projects to work on, and a sound foundation for future growth and development – whether they stay with us or venture to pastures new.”