I am a policy advisor in the Intergenerational Change Team. The team’s role is to empower rangatahi (youth) to be part of decision-making at MfE.
This involves working with key partners of MfE, such as BLAKE and Inspiring Stories, and building relationships with other rangatahi organisations and groups.
I started with MfE as a Tupu Tai intern in 2021 and was placed with my current team. At the end of the intern programme, I went back to Otago Uni to finish my master’s research on decolonising climate change with a specific focus on how we incorporate Māori and Pacific perspectives into this space. I came back to MfE in February and am on a fixed-term contract (covering parental leave) until April 2024.
I work remotely from home in Ōtepoti Dunedin.
I love it. I was apprehensive at first. I was particularly worried about the lack of connection with my team. But I didn’t need to worry as my team checks in every day.
I love being able to start early or late, take a walk during my lunch break and not spending time travelling to and from work. It works well for me.
It was primarily because of the team I was in and secondly the work. Coming into the role I thought it would be intense policy work and that wasn’t what I wanted. I really wanted to be doing hands-on work with rangatahi and that is the key focus of the policy advisor role I am in.
Also the culture of MfE is ‘insane’ — it is such a great space to work in. The people are so lovely, everyone is so welcoming. And the added benefit is that I get to work flexibly.
When I started my intern role, Julie connected with me straight away. We bonded and she connected me to Tagata Moana the Pasifika network at MfE.
Once I finished interning, I stayed connected with the network through Facebook and LinkedIn. Everyone was so supportive of me coming back to the Ministry when I was making that decision. We connect each week, with most of us working remotely, it is nice to just pause and talanoa about work and life. I feel really close to them despite being apart physically.
It’s feeling like I’m contributing to what I’m passionate about.
My passion is the research I did for my ‘masters’. I feel so lucky that I can merge my passion with my work with rangatahi. I have the freedom in my role to explore different avenues for this mahi and to support rangatahi from all different backgrounds.