Dame Cindy Kiro on inspiring wahine

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Dame Cindy Kiro acknowledged the inspirational wahine who have been formative in her life and career, at the He Wahine Māori Ahau Series.

Dame Cindy talked about the impact of the past on all wahine and encouraged the wahine in the Public Service to stand proud and be changemakers for the future.

“All of us here today share some responsibility in helping to shape the lives of other women, and the generations that follow us.

We know that for some, the glass ceiling has yet to be shattered. Wherever possible, we can choose to be there for each other, helping our female colleagues reach their full potential.

I enjoyed mentoring younger women during my time in academia and the public service. To me, a major responsibility as a leader was to help the next generation of leaders develop their talent and experience. Plus, I knew that I could not achieve what I wanted on my own.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takatini.”

This was the final session hosted by Tūhono the Māori Public Servants Network. Heather Baggott, Deputy Public Service Commissioner, and Melanie Mark-Shadbolt, Deputy Secretary Tūmatakōkiri at Ministry for the Environment, special guest speakers, also talked about their lived experiences, wove personal reflections into their kōrero, and talked about hope and optimism for future leaders.

In the past two months, over 700 people participated in the series from across Aotearoa. 12 kāikōrero set out with a vision to connect and inspire wahine Māori in the Public Service, and the sessions, facilitated by five public servants, had more than 20 agencies involved.

Ngā mihi nui to the Social Wellbeing Agency, Ministry for Women, Tūhono and all those that have supported the He Wahine Māori Ahau series.