Women urged to unleash potential
Connectedness, collaboration and openness were early and consistent themes of yesterday’s inaugural South Island Women’s Symposium in Twizel, entitled Unleash Your Potential.
‘‘There is a Maori proverb that says ‘what is the most important thing in the world? It is the people, it is the people, it is the people’,’’ cultural, diversity and women’s right’s activist Fatumata Bah, the event’s keynote speaker, said.
Bah came to New Zealand as a refugee from the Sierra Leone civil war and was granted citizenship in 2006.
She grew up to become known for her activism, receiving the Young Women in Public Affairs award in 2011, being chosen as a young leader for the Office of Ethnic Community’s inaugural Young Leaders Programme, representing New Zealand at the 33Sixty Commonwealth Young Leaders Programme in Scotland and undertaking an internship at the United Nations.
Earlier this year she was called upon as a spokesperson for the muslim community in the aftermath of the Christchurch shooting and said, while it was something she would rather have processed privately, she saw the importance of speaking and that she was in a position to do that.
‘‘We live in a society where we are boxed in and for us to unleash our potential we need to own the message behind the labels given us by society,’’ Bah said yesterday.
‘‘To be a refugee is to be a person who is resilient, who is living the dream of their ancestors who did not have that opportunity.’’
Bah said that being resilient and authentic does not mean doing it by yourself, by having a ‘‘village’’ of supporters you can create safe spaces to connect and collaborate.
She told the 60-strong audience that in order to unleash your potential you must acknowledge the power of your story, reclaim your narrative, take a moment to reflect, know your purpose and be authentic.
Connectedness was also the focus of a presentation by Kotahi Mano Ka¯ika senior adviser, Te Ru¯ nanga O Nga¯ i Tahu Victoria Campbell.
Traditional Ma¯ ori society and leadership is made up of iwi, connected through at least one common ancestor; ha¯pu, strong local ties; and wha¯nau, the members of the family and village.
Campbell said that true leadership is shown through an individual’s actions and aims, mentorship and succession planning.
‘‘Leadership can be strengthened through culture,’’ she said
‘‘Through identity and culture we will see humane-orientated behaviours that are value-based and team-orientated.’’
Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean closed the morning session by sharing her journey from actress to MP of the country’s third largest electorate via parent-school volunteer and local government representative.
In a talk entitled Balancing Peace, Power and Politics, Dean emphasised the need for openness in leadership.
‘‘When you’re in local government you have to stand for something, you have to defend your position but be open to opposing views,’’ she said.
‘‘You don’t sit in a corner and wait for people to come to you, you go and you listen to anyone and everyone.’’
Now in Parliament, she is always thinking about how to make herself look and be the most accessible, and how to balance speaking for constituents and having the integrity to defend your own values, she said.
‘‘Peace, for me, comes with integrity. That comes from your values, your world view and it is the touchstone you come back to.’’
The audience was made up of women from Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and across South Canterbury – including the ‘‘women of the future’’, the girls of the Twizel Area School.
Symposium organiser Sharon Blanchard hopes the symposium will become an annual event.
‘‘To be a refugee is to be a person who is resilient, who is living the dream of their ancestors who did not have that opportunity.’’
Fatumata Bah