leaders 2012

DR GARETH MORGANBike-riding benefactor 4

In this issue• A CONVERSATION ACROSS THE GENERATIONS Fostering constructive interaction P21 • JUSTICE JOSEPH WILLIAMS Leadership that spans generations P24

• LEADERSHIP WITH HEART Alumni step forward to lead change P26

ISSUE 8 WINTER 2012

VISION

Enriching New Zealand through active

leadership in a connected community.

MISSION

Growing, celebrating and weaving together

New Zealand’s leaders through conversation.

VALUES

Courageous

Generous of spirit

Inclusive

Acting with integrity

Innovative

Apolitical

Celebrate diversity

LEADERSHIP NEW ZEALAND

PO Box 5061, Wellesley St, Auckland 1141

T: +64 9 309 3749

E: [email protected]

W: www.leadershipnz.co.nz

LEADERSHIP NEW ZEALAND STAFF

Russell Little – CEO (Alumnus 2011)

Louise Marra – Leadership Programme Director

Manu Keung – Leadership Programme Leader

(Alumnus 2008)

Judy Whiteman – SkillsBank Director

(Alumnus Leadership Victoria)

Mark Herring – Marketing Coordinator

Vijaya Nory – Administrator

Vicky Pond Dunlop – Events Coordinator

DISCLAIMER

The opinions expressed in this publication do

not necessarily reflect the views of Leadership

New Zealand, its members or the publishers.

While every effort has been made to ensure the

accuracy of the information, no responsibility

can be accepted by the publisher for omissions,

typographical or printer’s errors, inaccuracies

or changes that may have taken place after

publication. All rights reserved.

Leaders is published by Leadership

New Zealand. Copyright © 2012: All material

appearing in Leaders is copyright and cannot

be reproduced without prior permission of

Leadership New Zealand.

ISSUE 8 WINTER 2012

Leadership New ZealandTHE PEOPLE

We thank the following people for their generous support of Leadership New Zealand.

LEADERSHIP NEW ZEALAND TRUSTEES• Jo Brosnahan – Chair, Leadership New Zealand; Chair, Director & Advisor

• Tony Nowell – Deputy Chair, Leadership New Zealand; Chair & Director

• Mark Otten – Financial Trustee, Leadership New Zealand; CFO Ezibuy Ltd

• Sina Wendt-Moore – Principal Director, Ola Consulting; Alumnus 2008

• Teresa Tepania-Ashton – CEO, Maori Women’s Development Inc; Alumnus 2006

• Toni Myers – Director, Mediaweb

• Grant Bunting – Group Manager Operations, Scott Technology Ltd; Alumnus 2009

• Karam Meuli – Employment Consultant, Workwise Employment Agency; Alumnus 2009; ARG Chair 2012

• Nick Astwick – Group Manager Personal Markets, Kiwibank; Alumnus 2010

• Sean Hughes – Chief Executive, Financial Market Authority (FMA);

Alumnus Leadership Victoria

LEADERSHIP NEW ZEALAND ADVISORY TRUSTEES• Bob Harvey – Chair Advisory Trustees; Chair Waterfront Auckland

• Tony Carter – Co-Chair, The New Zealand Institute Initiative;

Chair, F&P Healthcare; Corporate Director

• David McGregor – Senior Partner, Bell Gully

• Louise Marra – Director (Auckland), Ministry of Economic Development;

Leadership NZ Programme Director

• John Hinchcliff – Emeritus Vice-Chancellor, AUT University; President, Peace Foundation

• Fran O’Sullivan – Journalist

• Dr Morgan Williams – Chair, WWF New Zealand

• Suzanne Snively – Managing Director, More Media Enterprises;

Chair Agri-Women Development Trust; Company Director

• Lady Beverley Reeves

• Peter Kerridge – Director, Kerridge & Partners Ltd

• Jennifer Gill – Chief Executive, ASB Community Trust

• Tim Miles – Company Director

• Maureen Crombie – Manager Corporate Strategy & Policy, New Plymouth District Council; Chair, ECPAT International; Leadership NZ Alumnus 2006

• Rob Fenwick – Founding Director, Living Earth

• Brian Roche – Chief Executive, New Zealand Post Group

• Reg Birchfield – Publisher, RJMedia; Chair Abilities Inc, Auckland

• Chris Laidlaw – National Radio Host; Wellington Regional Councillor

• Dame Cheryll Sotheran – Director Creative and Tourism, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

EDITORIAL TEAMReg Birchfield, Jo Brosnahan, Gill Prentice, Jan Michael David, Hilary Sumpter, Michelle Jurgens, Russell Little, Mark Herring

ALUMNI REPRESENTATIVE COMMITTEEKaram Meuli (2009) – ARG Chair, Richard Llewellyn (2011), Alison Taylor (2011), Hilary Sumpter (2010), Beth Houston (2009), Manu Keung (2008), Sina Moore (2008), Jenny Vickers (2007), Neville Pulman (2006)

Anyone who has attended a Leadership New Zealand event will

tell you that they are unique because of the diversity of people,

entertainment and conversation. We are a cross section of the

whole community of New Zealand – which is our special point

of difference. And that brings an energy that is rare.

While we normally think of diversity as being around gender,

race, sector or geography, there is another essential element

of diversity, that of age. Our current theme is Intergenerational

Leadership, which provides an opportunity to capture the vitality that comes

from new and creative conversations.

Within this magazine, I have written of a conversation with three generations.

We all finished energised and wanting to meet again to pursue different aspects

in more depth.

Some of the feedback received from the Younger Gen Y participants was so

insightful that I thought it appropriate for Mark Herring (Gen Y) to leave you

with his thoughts.

“One of the challenges discussed was the decline of intergenerational learning

within families, and countering this with extra-familial intergenerational learning

(and leadership). I feel that there is a strong need for both of these.

“Our family ties and communication have been weakened. Everyone is taught

to look outwards for learning, leadership, success and happiness – but we never

look inwards to understand why we want these things, and how our own

situation and value-set are different to all of the people whom we are trying

to learn from. Families are one of the strongest shaping forces in our lives, and

therefore often have the most in common with us – hence, are an important

place to look when trying to figure out what is important to us.

“Transfer of wisdom within the family lets you understand where you came

from – to understand the paradigms within which you were raised, the reasons

for these, and how they have affected those who have gone before you. Wisdom

from outside of the family gives you the diversity of perspective necessary to

think differently, to question your own way of viewing the world and acting. It

leads to change and innovation. With only the former, people tend to become

prejudiced to anyone who is different to themselves. With only the latter, people

become sheep without direction – they want to take on the learning and lessons

of everyone else without any idea of how this wisdom could, or should be,

applied to their own situation.

“Nationally, we don’t have a strong and unified identity or set of values. There

are very few things that will unite the majority of New Zealanders. We try to

compare ourselves with Australia – the closest thing that our country has to

family – in order to define what we want to be. Until we clarify this ourselves,

and why, we will not be able to lead ourselves effectively, or to learn from the

lessons of others.

“What does this mean in reality? At the individual level, we need to reconnect

across the generations within families (I remember Grandparents Day at

intermediate school) and outside (community activities, sports etc). At the

national level, we need more than news programme soundbites; we need the

depth about what is important to New Zealanders, and why. Comparisons to

similar countries (our nation’s “family”), and our own past, will be useful here.

We need a set of values and an identity that goes beyond electoral cycles – and

even lifetimes.”

We have a lot to learn from these younger generations; let the conversation

continue.

Jo Brosnahan

Chair

Contents

ISSUE 8 WINTER 2012

Chair’s Foreword 1

Intergenerational leadership

Jo Brosnahan

Key Partner’s Message 2

A gift to future generations

Toni Myers

Chief Executive’s Letter 3

Letter to self

Russell Little

Dr Gareth Morgan 4

Bike-riding benefactor

leads by example

Reg Birchfield

2011 Graduation Photos 7

A celebration

2012 Programme Launch 8

A photo essay

Having their Say 10

Thoughts from the

class of 2012

A conversation across 21

the generations

Jo Brosnahan

Justice Joseph Williams 24

Leadership that

spans generations

Hilary Sumpter

Alumni Message 26

Leadership with heart

Hilary Sumpter

Acknowledgements 28

CHAIR’S FOREWORD

2 www.leadershipnz.co.nz

KEY PARTNER’S MESSAGE

Bishop Sir Paul Reeves Memorial Lecture

Event: The Inaugural Memorial Lecture

Speaker: Dame Anne Salmond

Date: 7.30pm, Friday 17th August

Venue: Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell, Auckland

THE LEGACY OF NEW ZEALAND THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTINUES

It has never been more important to have the conversations about the New Zealand we

want to gift to future gen-erations; the conversations

that Leadership New Zealand creates the opportunities for.

Those, like me, from the baby-boom-er generation, grew up in a largely egalitarian New Zealand, with the ex-pectation that prosperity would con-tinue the upward trajectory from the 1950s. But in a few short decades we’ve seen deterioration in key ‘health of the nation’ statistics, most particularly in the dramatic growth in disparity be-tween rich and poor. That signals a fu-ture New Zealand I don’t think many of us want.

In our constrained fiscal environ-ment, with the drive to shrink central government control and funding, there is a growing dependence on the not-for-profit sector to provide social and

community support and leadership. I believe Leadership New Zealand plays a very important role in facilitating cross-sectoral and cross-community conversations and understanding that help build a vision for the future and precipitate action.

I feel privileged to work with Jo Brosnahan whose foresight and drive gave birth to Leadership New Zealand and have played a huge part in keep-ing the vision alive in a challenging environment for not-for-profits; and to follow in the steps of those including Reg Birchfield, Bob Harvey and Tony Nowell who also had the prescience to see the need for this organisation.

One look at the list of patrons, ad-visory trustees, speakers and support-ers, illustrates how Leadership New Zealand attracts the ‘good and the great’ to the undeniably critical cause of facilitating leadership development and communication within and across New Zealand’s sectors.

I join a newer cohort of Leadership New Zealand trustees, several of whom are LNZ alumni, and all impressive leaders in their own fields. As a ‘boom-er’ I’m one of the older age group and it’s heartening to see the refreshing and vibrant influence of the next generation at board level.

This Leadership Week is a good op-portunity to reflect on what we feel are critical issues for New Zealand’s future and how we can all contribute to the conversation and the development and promotion – across all our various com-munities – of a vision for a future New Zealand we will want our children and grandchildren to inherit.

A gift to future generations

There is a growing dependence on the not-

for-profit sector to provide social and community

support and leadership.

3WINTER 2012

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S LETTER

Letter to Self

Dear Self,

I hope this letter finds you well. Thought I’d put pen to paper to see how you were doing. The old style

letter felt right; a way to slow things down a bit, to give each other a chance to reflect, to listen

and to be heard.

What I wanted to talk about was you; you the leader. Now please don’t think of me as your conscience, I

am after all just you – that voice that sits deep inside, always with you but not, so to speak.

Anyway, in getting back to topic, do you remember when we were growing up? We were still kids. Mum, Dad,

Grandma and Grandpa called us the next generation. We didn’t really get it back then but you know what,

we say much the same thing now, the next generation.

Seems strange to think we are walking the same road as those who have been before us. It is now us

who are the parents and grandparents. In the blink of an eye we have grown from being kids, teenagers,

youths, young adults, adults and whatever it is that we are now. What is it they call us? The ‘Elders’, the

‘Grey Hairs’, the ‘Wise Ones’, the ‘Matriarchs’. Labels that acknowledge our years and experience but

also bestow a sense of responsibility and mortality. Perhaps that is what has prompted this letter, the

realisation of our own mortality. Makes you a bit reflective don’t you think; contemplating your own place in the

transcendence of generations. It also raises some questions. What is our legacy? Have we done enough?

Have we time to do more?

Isn’t it interesting that when you take a moment to consider your place in the present you find yourself

drawn to the future. Who is the ‘have I done enough’ and ‘could I do more’ question for? Surely not

ourselves? If not for us, then who? Maybe the question is for someone beyond our self. Yes, yes, that is it.

It is for the next generation; for our children and their children and their children after them. How far

forward should we be thinking? How many generations does our legacy count for? Perhaps all.

It’s a bit overwhelming really. If our generation gets it wrong and leaves nothing in the bank – community

wise, culturally, economically, environmentally – then what will life for our children’s children be like? What

about their children? Sobering isn’t it; thinking about how busy we are in our day-to-day lives taking care of

ourselves and our children and our communities. So much of our energy goes into self-gratification, filling in

our busy lives with more busyness, worrying ourselves with the mortgage, the orthodontist, university fees, the

holiday we haven’t had for a while. Or is it? I wonder if we are really that self-serving?

Perhaps we are leading beyond ourselves more than we give ourselves credit for. Perhaps just under

the surface of our busy lives, just out of sight and hidden inside the words we use, we are already thinking

and acting for the next generation, and the generation after that. Perhaps we talk and think more about

future generations than we realise.

Maybe we are more like our Nana, our family matriarch, than we thought. Her reverence for the elders

of the past almost drove us crazy back then but you know what; she was right. The wisdom of the elders,

of the generations that have preceded us, is the wisdom we are now growing into. It is easier for us now to

see how often we use the wise words of the elders. They are now our words. They are words we use to calm

the bounding energy of youth, to temper the invincibility of young adults, to nurture the promise of new families,

and to sagely pass the baton of leadership to the next generation. They are words that speak of hope,

promise, peace and prosperity. They are words of leaders. They are your words.

Wow! Look at the time. Where did it go? I swear the older I get the faster things go!

Thank you for being present, for listening. It was good to put pen to paper and connect with you again. I

really do hope you are doing well. Please write back soon. I’d love to hear your own reflections.

Until next time. Take care.

With the kindest of thoughts,

Self • 'Letter to Self’ was crafted by Russell Little after reflecting

on the wisdom of intergenerational leadership.


Dr Gareth Morgan

Bike-riding benefactor leads

by example

Gareth Morgan has a doctorate in economics, is an entrepreneur turned philanthropist and believes in the positive influences of the market. Whether or not he is also a leader is, to his mind, a call best left to others to make. By Reg Birchfield.

5WINTER 2012

Dr Gareth Morgan undoubtedly exhibits the personal values and qualities that define authentic leaders. But he doesn’t aspire to be known as a leader, preferring instead to do his own thing and live his life to the full.

“I like to initiate stuff,” he says. “And I’m interested in many con-temporary New Zealand issues. I’m not sure whether that consti-tutes leadership.”

Morgan has, on more than one occasion, suggested that managing large teams is “not his thing”. He is stimulated more by ideas and doing. And he has never been attracted to leading a team on any mission he wasn’t “absolutely enthusiastic” about.

“If I am intensely interested in an issue then, yes I have the energy to lead and organise – but personal interest is a major condition,” he adds. Morgan prefers to create and, once established, pass things on to others he considers best equipped to run the established enterprise.

The career of the former Reserve Bank employee who established New Zealand’s most respected independent economic consultancy Infometrics; created and punted a not quite so successful horserac-ing guide to Independent Newspapers; built personal investment management company Gareth Morgan Investments which, along with the high profile Gareth Morgan KiwiSaver Scheme, he sold to Kiwibank, is all well documented.

As he said at the time, his decision to sell his investment compa-ny was driven by the need to provide a solid and credible succession plan for the business; one that would provide certainty to its clients over the long term. And he wanted his clients’ savings to be managed by a Kiwi business. “And you can’t get any more Kiwi than Kiwibank,” he said.

Morgan’s seed funding, advice and encouragement helped son Sam build TradeMe. When it was sold to Australian publisher Fairfax Group for around $700 million, Morgan and his wife Joanne picked up close to $50 million. They donated their windfall to their charitable trust, the Morgan Foundation, and set about using it to administer their life’s philanthropic work, both at home and abroad.

The Morgans are active UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors. They chose to deliver their global largesse through the UN organisation because “it is not religious and getting foreign aid through false pre-tences”. It also gave the Morgans the scale they felt they wanted to “make a real difference”. And visiting the remotely located projects they fund around the world provides the intrepid and fanatical mo-torcycling Morgans with opportunities to indulge both their hobby and be personally involved in their sponsored programmes. “We see people who work unbelievably hard and their only reward is to eat that day. You have to pinch yourself sometimes.”

Morgan’s advocacy of ethical enterprise and transparent, true-market capitalism has him rubbing up against both sides of the right/left political divide. He’s happy to engage with political lead-ers on points of principle but eschews the thought of any leadership role in politics.

Similarly, he has been consistently critical of unethical practices and investor abuse by the financial services industry. As North and South magazine said when it chose him as its New Zealander of the Year, “the Wellington economist has been blowtorching industries,

institutions and policies he considers immoral, illegal, lazy or self serving”.

So, has he ever given much thought to what constitutes effective leadership?

“None whatsoever,” he says. “And I have never set out in search of a leadership role. As I said, I like being able to do stuff and nowadays I can do stuff that interests me deeply. Like getting to grips with climate change.

“I had no idea which view on that topic was right or wrong so I set myself the task of finding out.” Morgan devoted an “enormous amount of time, energy and money” pursuing the truth. “I got to where I wanted to be on the subject, knowledgeable but not emi-nently expert.”

The upshot of his efforts to understand the environmental debate is his book Poles Apart, which he published in 2009. He consulted some of the world’s best scientific minds on both sides of the de-bate to weigh the evidence on the hypothesis that human-induced climate change is present and impacting our world. The book won a Royal Society prize for excellence.

Morgan has since tackled the state of our public health system, the state of world fish stocks and considered the contribution “un-paid” work makes to New Zealand society. The three books that re-sulted from these in-depth investigations are Health Cheque; Hook, Line and Blinkers and The Big Kahuna.

The commentaries are designed to raise awareness and improve the quality of New Zealand’s response to what Morgan believes are

critically important public issues. They also reflect his approach to taking a lead on important issues without having to personally enter the political arena.

He has, he told Radio New Zealand earlier this year, been asked to stand for “public office leadership roles including

politics” but, he’s not interested. “Politics is a team game. That’s why for an anarchist like me it is impossible. I know my limitations.”

Morgan thinks he can be more effective focusing on the issues and pulling the arguments together to make valid assessments. “That’s what is behind the book-writing phase I am going through at the moment.” It is also part of the Morgans’ home and away philanthropic strategy. Funding projects through UNICEF is their offshore focus. Their home-based approach is more about provid-ing public education on critical issues.

Morgan may not personally want to lead but, what are the particular qualities or values he associates with good leadership? “Integrity, energy, inspiration and never asking of others what you wouldn’t do yourself,” he says.

His most important personal leadership lessons include his appre-ciation of respect for people. He’s also learned that it is important to “get rid of those who don’t pull their weight; to support star per-formers; to welcome criticism; and, to be tough on non-performers”.

He doesn’t see organisational leadership as essential. “As a rule, I can’t stand large organisations. I like small intimate teams where people can share a vision and where the energy is infectious. Big shops that write business plans, budgets and strategic visions revolt me,” he adds. “We had one vision in the firm I’ve just sold: ‘Don’t lose the bloody stuff’. It was a sign on the wall that everybody had to look at.”

Leaders simply rise to the top – leadership cannot be learned at university or from a manual.


COVER STORY

His view of organisations extends to community leadership which he likens to “herding” cats. “If you like ‘doey’ as opposed to ‘hui’ you wouldn’t go near these,” he proffers.

Barbara Kellerman’s recently published book The End of Leadership would undoubtedly fit more comfortably on Morgan’s bookshelves than other texts on the topic. Harvard-based leader-ship guru Kellerman takes issue with the less than inspirational role and response of leaders to our fast-changing world. She also criticises what she calls the “leadership industry” which, despite the millions spent on it, is “less than meets the eye”.

“Leaders simply rise to the top,” says Morgan. “Leadership cannot be learned at university or from a manual. If you don’t have the energy, respect for others and the ability to enthuse people, then do something else.”

Morgan’s view of economics reflects his obvious care and con-cern for people and where he thinks the world is headed. He took economics at university because it “looked easier” than other op-tions, but he was soon captivated by the subject.

“Economics is about people and how they make choices and express their preferences,” he told Chris Laidlaw’s Sunday morn-ing radio programme. “Economics is a branch of philosophy. It is certainly not about accounting and finance, though that is a part of it. It is about human behaviour.” And while he is cap-tivated by the way in which John Maynard Keynes argues his particular economic theories, Morgan doesn’t describe himself as a Keynesian economist.

He believes in the market. He calls it “a powerful mechanism through which people can express their preferences”. But he re-jects the term “free market” as interpreted and practised by Roger Douglas, Minister of Finance and New Zealand’s 1984-90 Labour government. “Right wingers and libertarians think the free market means a free-for-all and that the devil should take the hindmost and the law of the jungle prevail,” Morgan told Laidlaw. “I despise that kind of economic thinking.

“If you pursue that, all a nation ends up with is a police or security force to keep the barbarians at the gate. A free market is a market that has free entry and free exit and in which every-one can participate. There is only one thing worse than a state monopoly and that is a private monopoly. People must be able to participate.”

Morgan delivers a firm “no comment” response to an invitation

to comment on the current state of leadership in New Zealand generally.

Well, is political leadership as practised in democracies like ours keeping up with society’s many and complex needs? “It [democ-racy] is very inefficient but politics has to be by consensus,” he says. “Democracies are better for the citizenry than other options, but they can be woefully inadequate on many counts – take a look at India.

“Politics is the art of the possible,” he adds, and on that score the biggest challenge for our politicians is dealing with climate change. In his opinion, some real action is required if the world is to avoid a “crisis”.

Morgan is turned off by the “adversarial nature” of politics. “I am interested in problem solving. Party politics does not suit an ap-proach whereby the individual educates him or herself on an issue. I happen to believe that a well-informed public is incredibly rational and, if fully informed, will come up with answers.”

What about commercial leadership? Are boards and directors, for instance, more relevant to an organisation’s success than its managers?

“No! Management is primary. Boards are there to check compli-ance, be independent and advisory. If management doesn’t have the vision and the energy you’re buggered,” he says. Boards of com-panies, not-for-profits, local governments or whatever are, to his mind, less important than we think. “The importance [of directors] is mostly over emphasised,” he adds. “Management’s relevance is, on the other hand, grossly underestimated.”

Boards, according to Morgan, are generally populated by direc-tors of “highly variable” competency. “On the other hand, I’ve had the privilege of serving under some fantastic chairmen. The chair is hugely important. They can inspire all others to higher perform-ance. It’s that attribute that is important to real leadership.”

His concerns about political and organisational leadership not-withstanding, Dr Gareth Morgan is optimistic about the state of leadership in the SME sector. “There are plenty of can-do folk out there,” he says. “Large corporations are the real issue. They rely on economies of scale to make up for innovative inertia and opera-tional inefficiency. That’s why small to medium size enterprises are so important.”

Morgan mightn’t consider himself a leader, but we could do with more leaders like him.

It’s the ability to inspire that is important to real leadership.

Graduation

1. 2011 Leadership Programme Participants.

2. Programme Co-Director Christine Spicer with 2011 participant Elaine Wong, Programme Leader Manu Keung and participant Alison Taylor.

3. 2011 participants Henare Clark, Max Adler, Dave Harris and Dan Walker.

4. Programme participants Henare Clark, Dan Walker and Richard Llewellyn.

5. Chris Brosnahan with Toni Myers and John Clarke of Mediaweb.

6. 2011 Programme participant Dan Walker delivering his Whaikorero.

7. Wane Wharerau, 2008 alumnus, delivers the mihi whakatau.

8. Advisory Trustee Tony Carter of the New Zealand Initiative.

9. MC and 2009 alumnus Karam Meuli.

1

2 3

7

6

9

4 5

8

1

4 65

9 1110

1413

2012 Programme Launch

1. Leadership Programme participants for 2012.

2. Soprano Isabella Moore, accompanist Claire Caldwell, Vicky Pond-Dunlop, and Jenny Green of Southern Cross Hospital.

3. The Leadership NZ team: Vicky Pond-Dunlop, Louise Marra, Manu Keung, Julie Courtnell, Vijaya Nory and Russell Little.

4. Auckland Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse, alumnus 2088.

5. Leadership NZ CEO Russell Little welcomes the class of 2012.

6. Leadership NZ Chair, Jo Brosnahan.

7. Programme Director Louise Marra welcoming 2012’s participants.

8. Ngaroimata Reid and Rewi Spraggon, alumni of 2007 and 2005 respectively.

9. Isabella Moore performing.

10. Chair Jo Brosnahan with Auckland Deputy Mayor and 2008 alumnus Penny Hulse.

11. MC Dan Walker, alumnus of 2011.

12. Russell Little and Louise Marra introducing 2012 participants Makerita Makapelu, Lydia Sosene and Jon Neal.

13. Programme participant Anaru Marshall speaking on behalf of 2012 participants.

14. Rewi Spraggon’s welcome.

15. 2009 alumnus Mark Dunlop with Leadership NZ Deputy Chair, Tony Nowell.

2 3

7 8

12

15


CLAIRE BALFOUR National Training Manager, McIsaac Caregiving AucklandI studied a BSc (Hons) in Speech Pathology and Therapy in Edinburgh 1991-1995 and worked in England and New Zealand as a speech-language therapist in adult neurology. I now have New Zealand citizenship as well

as Scottish, and proudly call myself a Sciwi. I am based in Auckland and for the past four years I have worked as a train-er for staff of a national care giving agency which supports people living in their own homes who have a spinal cord and brain injury. I am also an NLP Master Practitioner and en-joy encouraging people to become more confident with their

Having Their SayThoughts from the class of 2012

FIONA ALLAN Chief Executive and Secretary General, Paralympics New ZealandI have worked within government and not-for-profit organisations for the past 17 years in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. I have been at Paralympics New Zealand since 2006 and dur-ing that time have seen tremendous

growth in the organisation. Belonging to the Paralympic family and working with a fantastic team of people that are all striving towards high performance is particularly satisfy-ing. I am also Secretary General of the Oceania Paralympic Committee and thrive on assisting Pacific nations to develop better communities.

The Leadership New Zealand programme has provided a medi-um for me to participate in an environment that offers an insight into the diversity of Aotearoa. Having only been in New Zealand for seven years, it is offering a depth and breadth of perspective to help deepen and broaden my understanding and learning. The greatest benefit to date has been the opportunity to take the time to stop and think and focus on key issues. I am enjoying feeling the experience of how these issues impact upon me as an indi-vidual and understanding the greater implications and impact on the community.

EWEN ANDERSON Commercial Manager, Building Products Division, Fletcher BuildingI grew up on a dairy farm in Northland where I still retain close links. My ca-reer since leaving university has taken me from investment banking, to a vari-ety of management roles at Carter Holt Harvey, and almost four years ago I joined

Fletcher Building. In my role at Fletchers I provide broad stra-tegic, commercial and financial support to the Chief Executive of the Building Products Division. The division is comprised of a portfolio of businesses focused on products used in residential house construction, including leading New Zealand, Australian and global businesses in plasterboard, insulation, metal roof tiles, high end sinkware and aluminium window and door frames.

When I heard about the Leadership New Zealand programme last year I recall being very excited that, as a passionate New Zealander, it was exactly in the space that interested me. And after being fortunate enough to be selected for the programme, it hasn’t disappointed. To date we have been privileged to hear from some great New Zealanders who have and continue to make a real difference to New Zealand. We have had our think-ing and our perceptions challenged, and have been offered many new insights. Some of these for me have been a greater apprecia-tion of Maori heritage, of Maori grievances and perspectives on the Treaty, of the significant social issues facing our country and that much of the solution must be led from within our communi-ties, and in leadership the importance of compassion, the power of storytelling, and the need to bring people with you on the journey. I am sure there will be many more learnings this year!

communication and presentation skills. I would like to enable people without a strong emotional voice to become more in-dependent with their communication to support their needs through improved self-expression.Leadership New Zealand is the vehicle that I see that can make this goal a reality by allowing me develop new insights and skills, and to integrate my skills with those of others in the wider com-munity to access community groups, social entrepreneurs and other skilled professionals to equip the more disenfranchised of our community with improved communication, confidence and emotional freedom. Already through meeting the diverse group of intelligent people in our 2012 group and hearing the amazing speakers, and with insightful readings and subsequent discus-sions, my thinking has shifted and deepened and I look forward to the journey the rest of the year will take me on.

PEN PORTRAITS

11WINTER 2012

CAROL BELLETTE Chief Financial Officer, Landcare ResearchIn 2007, I joined Landcare Research Manaaki Whenua as Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary. In my role, I lead the finance and property, procurement & sustainability teams. I value and enjoy working for an organisa-

tion with the purpose and vision to create a better New Zealand through sustainability and innovative research. I previously held senior finance roles in the corporate sector with General Cable and the Gough Group. I have nine years’ governance experience on the boards of commercial and community-based organisations and currently am a board member of the Christchurch Early

Intervention Trust. Trading as the Champion Centre, the Trust provides early intervention services for infants and young children with developmental delays. The Leadership New Zealand programme has challenged my views on diversity and opened my mind to look beyond any prejudices I previously held. I have been inspired by the stories the speakers have shared and their contributions to making a difference for New Zealand. Through the programme I have gained a depth of understanding on key issues facing New Zealand and seen effective leadership modelled in different styles. The programme has reinforced for me the need to clearly communicate ideas and inspire others to share the same vision and direction. I have enjoyed the opportunity to reflect on my life journey and how the challenges along the way have enabled me to grow as a leader. I now have increased confidence in my own leadership style and a different perspective in appreciating the leadership styles of others.

DION BLUNDELL Vicar, Papakura Parish, Anglican Diocese of AucklandIn my genes I’m an engineer. However, God calls and life is refocused. I now lead the Papakura Anglican ministry team. We meet diverse needs within a geographic area that has huge wealth, and huge poverty. The challenges and

rewards are both big as we walk alongside different people. My roles include being a part of the team, oversight of what is happening, and the drawing together of Anglicans with other denominations and the wider community. We concentrate on consensus building and team work. At a regional level I am in-volved in planning and running the annual ministry conference.

My leadership skills were enhanced when I completed a Graduate Diploma in Not For Profit Management. Leadership New Zealand is honing those tools and encouraging me to reflect on what I do, why I do it, and how it can be improved. I have met amazing people who are all very different, but there is a sense of togetherness as we embark on a journey of strengthening our leadership ability. We network with others so we can most effectively perform our roles when we return to our workplace. We have the opportunity to talk with and hear from the leading thinkers and practitioners. This enhances our outlook by chal-lenging what we could do better, and confirming what we are do-ing well. The biggest challenge is the cross-sector dialogue, where the starting points for dialogue are different. This leads to robust discussion, good insights and new understandings.

GRAHAM CAMERON Services Manager, Merivale Community IncOur wh nau of six live in Merivale, Tauranga. We moved our wh nau here from Wellington to offer our skills towards building a positive and healthy commu-nity. So for the past six years we have tried to be good neighbours, involved in the

Merivale Community Centre, our local k hanga reo and kura kau-papa M ori, and our marae. We are affiliated to Ng ti Ranginui. I lead the Merivale Community Centre, which supports local needs and aspirations through our youth work and wh nau support. Volunteers and passionate paid staff are the backbone of our ef-

forts. It’s a wonderful and independent centre that was set up by residents 16 years ago.The 2012 Leadership New Zealand programme has been just what the doctor ordered. I have been challenged to be a more conscious leader by seeking to understand my motivations, my intentions and my style. The programme has allowed me to examine whether I am modelling the healthy behaviours and lifestyle that I am promoting in my community. I have become more committed to finding balance! The most valuable aspects of the programme are the networks and friendships I have built. These people have spoken into the work I am doing and seeded ideas and offered practical assistance for the benefit of my community. I have experienced a huge generosity of spirit in the leaders across all sectors that is sadly lacking in the national dialogue. While I have been chal-lenged, I have been respected and cared for throughout.


Leadership New Zealand is providing a bounty of threads to weave into my existing fabric, with which I am yet to see what my cloak of leadership

can look like and where and how I am best suited to wear it.

Fiona Davies

FIONA DAVIES Regional Group Manager, NorthpowerWhangarei born and bred, my forma-tive business years began at the Marsden Point Oil Refinery where I completed my Accountancy qualifica-tions and then worked my way through a variety of roles in finance, IT projects, change management, and HR. As my

son approached school age, I realised being a corporate mum was not for me, so spent a year training to be a teacher. In hindsight, a great decision not only for my family, but for the discovery of a passion for education and teaching. After a decade of teaching, I have recently embarked on a new career with Northpower as Regional Group Manager, responsible for

TONY CATTON Property Development Executive, Foodstuffs AucklandMy professional career has concentrated in the property industry. I graduated from Massey University with a Bachelor of Business Studies and began my career at Housing New Zealand. I have held roles predominately in asset manage-

ment and property development and worked for government corporations, wholly New Zealand owned business and a multi-national organisation. Currently I am a development executive for Foodstuffs Auckland. The key focus of my role is to identify, acquire and develop sites for our retail formats to enable the business to exceed its growth targets. Foodstuffs is a wonderful

company to work for, it is centred on strong family values and as an organisation we continue to strive for excellence.Leadership New Zealand is a great opportunity for me for which I am very thankful. The programme to date has enabled and encour-aged me to reflect on my leadership qualities and style. Personal growth and development is obtained through self-reflection. Leadership New Zealand has provided inspirational speakers with diverse and challenging insights that have prompted my need to reflect. We have a very talented and diverse cohort who through colloquial debate also challenges my opinions on leadership and is-sues facing New Zealand. Good leaders take a holistic approach, with a clear direction that enables others to follow. Leadership New Zealand is providing me with a broad insight into all aspects of New Zealand society that enables me to better understand and commu-nicate my direction.

ADAM COOPER Manager, Strategy and Planning, Land Information New ZealandHaving ventured here from Africa in my late teens, it is a privilege to call this beautiful country home. The first part of my career was in marketing and strategy roles in the financial services sector. An interest in innovation and corporate en-

trepreneurship has underpinned many of my career and study choices, including a shift to the public sector. It has been as a public servant that I have most enjoyed the challenge of working across boundaries to see change happen. I’m fortunate to work

for Land Information New Zealand – an organisation that serves New Zealanders in surprisingly varied ways – from producing maps that keep people safe to managing land transactions and sensitive land. As leader of the Strategy and Planning team, my role is to support our people in shaping our future. The Leadership New Zealand programme is re-shaping my under-standing of what it means to live in this country. The chance to get to know a diverse group of leaders, to be challenged and to widen my horizons is not only a lot of fun, it is also very revealing. I’m gaining a deeper appreciation of the power of courage, authenticity, diversity and history. This is changing the nature of my perceptions and questions about this country, our future and how we might get there.

electrical contracting services in Northland and the Central North Island.The journey with Leadership New Zealand so far has been both inspiring and thought-provoking. The cumulative effect of absorb-ing nuggets of gold provided by fascinating speakers, engaging in valuable and insightful discussions with the diverse range of tal-ented individuals that make up our group, plus guided opportu-nities for introspection is indeed a unique experience. It has also challenged my views on a wide range of subjects that are relevant to me as a New Zealander, as a member of my local community, and in my role in industry. As a journey of personal discovery in leadership, it is as if Leadership New Zealand is providing a bounty of threads to weave into my existing fabric, with which I am yet to see what my cloak of leadership can look like and where and how I am best suited to wear it.

“”

PEN PORTRAITS

13WINTER 2012

Leadership New Zealand has reinforced my belief that we all, as individuals, have leadership qualities and it is up to each of us how we use these qualities to benefit and grow our communities and countries.

Duncan Fletcher

DUNCAN FLETCHER Regional Manager, Wairarapa/Tasman, PGG WrightsonI work for PGG Wrightson as the Regional Manager for the Wairarapa and Tasman regions. I am responsible for the Retail, Livestock, Real Estate and Fruitfed businesses within these regions, and am accountable for sales perform-

ance and strategy. I have been in my current role for six years having commenced with the company as a rural finance manager nine years ago. I have always had a passion for agriculture having been raised on a farm in West Otago before attending Lincoln University and graduating with a BCom (Agriculture) in 1996.

BERNIE GRANT Principal Staff Officer, New Zealand Defence ForceKia Ora. I have spent the first part of my working life in uniformed service with the New Zealand Army for 20-plus years. Most of my military career was within the logistics, human re-sources and resource management ar-

eas. The military has provided fantastic opportunities and I, as a single working mother, have benefited both as a military officer and as a strong Kiwi woman. Now entering my second working life, remaining with the military as a civilian member of the New Zealand Defence Force, I find the demands on my personal time have changed.

Leadership New Zealand has connected me with good people, doing good things. The ‘space’ being created has allowed me to re-examine/reignite/rediscover what being ‘Kiwi’ was always about. It’s up to us to make sure that there is a home to come back to. From the speakers and fellow participants, the following have resonated with me: “make whanau ora work”, “globalisa-tion is nothing new in the South Pacific”, “develop my patch of the country”, “leadership in the landscape”, “a fatherless generation”, “why bother?”, “come home”, “less hui, more do’ey”. These snip-pets have created opportunities to re-evaluate which step I want to take next.

FENELLA GRAY Chief Operating Officer, Investments, Accident Compensation CorporationI have always worked in the investment industry both in New Zealand and London; I joined the ACC investment team in 2005. ACC is one of the largest funds in New Zealand with approxi-mately $19 billion under management.

I have built an investment operations team that supports the governance, regulatory reporting and the internal fund man-agement team. I enjoy having the ability to develop the op-erational strategy for the ACC’s investment business. The role allows me to develop people within my team and build rela-tionships, both internally and externally, to deliver the best results for ACC.

Leadership New Zealand has reinforced my belief that we all, as individuals, have leadership qualities and it is up to each of us how we use these qualities to benefit and grow our communities and countries. To date, the programme has made me challenge some of my previous views on leadership, and what a good leader represents. Given my rural upbringing, I have been exposed to a number of issues in New Zealand society that I was unaware and previously naive to. It has opened my eyes to the leadership challenges that we face as a country. I have thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of our group along with the conversations and debates we have had. These different perspectives have given me a greater understanding and appreciation of many of the issues discussed, giving my own views a more rounded approach.

The Leadership New Zealand programme has provided me with the opportunity to engage with leaders from a variety of sectors in New Zealand, many of which I knew very little about prior to this programme. Having such a diverse group of people has challenged some of my thinking around the issues currently being faced in New Zealand. A number of the speakers have provided incredible insight into what it is and how it has been for them as a leader in New Zealand. To have these people speak so openly is a wonder-ful opportunity thanks to the “Chatham house” environment. This has provided plenty of thought-provoking moments about my own leadership journey to date and how I can be a more effective leader in the future in the New Zealand community.

“”


SARAH HIPKISS Partner, KPMG In my role within KPMG audit I have been fortunate to work across a broad variety of industries, specialising in prop-erty and construction, and in a variety of locations. I have lived and worked in both Belgium and the UK and have been happily settled back in Auckland for the

past three years. I am responsible for a number of client accounts as well as having staff responsibility for the Auckland team.

ANGELA GREEN Manager, Programming, Downstage TheatreI’m a Wellingtonian by choice, an Aucklander by birth, with a teenage stint in rural Waikato. I have been working in the performing arts sector since 2003. My responsibility is to programme and manage the diverse shows and events at

Wellington’s longest-running professional theatre. I work closely with artists through the creative process and provide them the space and practical expertise to produce the best work they can. I have a Bachelor of Social Science in Sociology and Women’s Studies from Waikato University and a Bachelor of Performing Arts (Acting) from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School.

Leadership is not a term bandied about in my circles and when I first considered it I felt like a fraud. I’m not leading a movement, turning a profit, brokering world peace, finding the cure for cancer... But artists and their producers have for centuries danced on the edge of what is acceptable or safe, in many instances providing the platform for massive social change. Other times creating an environ-ment for us to examine our lives. This journey has validated that I have skills as a creative thinker, I am comfortable with risk and the unknown – from where innovation grows. The programme speak-ers and colleagues have taught me that it’s okay not to know the answers if you are ruthless in your quest to discover them, and you don’t have to go it alone. I’m inspired by community-led initiatives and am determined to develop that practice in my sector.

JULIAN INCH Business Development Consultant, Former Chief Executive, District Health Boards New Zealand I have just completed a long stint in the health sector leading collaboration across 20 District Health Boards through DHBNZ. The experience has taught me many lessons about how organisations

and sectors work (and don’t work), individual agendas and per-sonalities, politics versus sustainability, and the true power that well managed collaboration has to tap talent and focus this into sustained improvement. My drivers are social responsibility and challenge, so the health sector captured me early on. I have met many fantastic people, and find incredible satisfaction in work-ing with people passionate, talented and willing to get stuck into important problems to deliver lasting improvement. I love building businesses that work from mixed inputs.

I have decided to take some time in shorter-term contracting roles for a period until the next ‘mission’ grabs my attention. My focus is business development, strategic positioning and pur-poseful change management.Leadership New Zealand came along at a very good time for me. The diversity in the group and the programme is fantastic – its real strength. I identify strongly with this and believe that many of New Zealand’s complex problems would actually be much simpler if the debate drew from diverse inputs. We have the technology to do much better at this, rather than just tweeting or blogging. I have seen many leadership styles, all effective in different situations. The key thing in my view is to create a high trust environment through open com-munication, honesty, clear roles (limited hierarchy), and a two-way relationship between employee and organisation. Often our organi-sations miss the full talent and innovation of their staff and New Zealand is the poorer for it.

Leadership New Zealand has provided a unique opportunity to hear different perspectives on leadership; both from the fabulous speakers and my fellow participants. As a first generation New Zealander, the programme has provided insights to areas and ideas I haven’t encountered before, broadening my view of issues that leaders face today that are distinct to the New Zealand context. The variety of speakers and experiences we have are both challenging and chang-ing my views on leadership – sometimes placing me outside my com-fort zone but always providing a rewarding experience. The exposure to a range of exceptional New Zealand leaders (again both those acting as participants and speakers) has focused my views on what the key attributes of a leader are and the realisation that I need to be a leader in many aspects of my life – not just at work, but also within the wider community.

This journey has validated that I have skills as a creative thinker, I am comfortable with risk and the

unknown – from where innovation grows.

Angela Green

“”

PEN PORTRAITS

15WINTER 2012

TRACEY LONERGAN Senior Manager of Claims, SovereignMy role as Senior Manager of Claims within Sovereign is diverse and chal-lenging. I joined Sovereign 12 years ago as a Claims Manager. I now have the privilege of leading a wonderful management team, which consists of four line managers and five technical

support professionals. I am responsible for implementing the strategic direction of claims, which encompasses responsibil-ity to many stakeholders.

RICHARD KIBBLEWHITE Director, FreshFishAussie born to New Zealand parents, I met and married my teenage sweet-heart at 20 after completing a mechan-ics trade in Waipukurau. We travelled back to Aussie and after pearl diving in Broome for four years we came back to New Zealand. We joined the New

Zealand fishing industry from Masterton, through paua div-ing, crayfishing and wet fishing off the rugged east coast of the North Island. In our business, most years we develop, build or

create something. We created and sold a great fresh fish re-tail business over a four-year period, which was an awesome journey. The love of the inshore fishing industry is made up of the people that we work with each day. A good man once said to me “if you train someone well enough, then one day they will go and do it for themselves”. With this in mind, we have enjoyed training young people from school, giving a few the opportunities we had in the inshore fishing industry. Our next challenge is to build and create longevity, sustainability and profitability in our family business as we move to make it generational – hence taking the opportunity to be part of the Leadership New Zealand programme.

My participation in the Leadership New Zealand programme has given me a terrific opportunity to broaden my knowledge and understanding of the issues that face our community and our na-tion. The conversations inside and outside of our formal sessions are rich in diversity and insight. Some of my best learnings and insights have come from casual conversations over coffee with the range of participants on the programme.

ANARU MARSHALL Chief Executive, WISE Better HomesI work for a social enterprise situated in North Taranaki. Our organisation is a charitable trust with a focus on creating employment opportunities and initia-tives. We have three separate businesses that help us achieve this; the largest is our insulation operation which we have

been running since 1999. My background is in self-employment and managing my own businesses as well as extensive experi-ence working in the public and health sectors. This variety of experience has stood me in good stead running a social enter-prise today. My key roles are to develop and manage sustainable stakeholder relationships, people management and development and of course the profitability of our businesses.

To date I have enjoyed my participation in the Leadership New Zealand programme. The make-up of the cohort and diversity of participants is extreme to say the least; however it beautifully reflects the nature of the programme and the way in which it is delivered. I still think that leadership is essentially about con-necting with people. The challenge to connecting effectively must increase when there is a greater cross section of cultures and peo-ples from different backgrounds. A possible solution to this is con-sistently highlighted in the programme by the way the speakers have related their own experiences and achievements to us in the form of storytelling – the universal way to communicate across boundaries and differences.

The speakers have related their own experiences and achievements to us in the form of storytelling – the universal

way to communicate across boundaries and differences.

Anaru Marshall

“”


RACHEL NOBLE Chief Executive, Disabled Persons AssemblyMy varied career path involved many ca-reer (food technology, teaching, research/policy) transitions however, the sum of all these varied pathways brings me to my current role as the Chief Executive for the Disabled Persons Assembly today.

I came to this role from a similar one within Deaf Aotearoa, the highlight of my time there has to be the advent of New Zealand Sign Language Week (NZSL Week) which grew beyond our wildest dreams through community input, however the most exciting aspect of the week was changing the public perception of sign language in New Zealand.

JON NEAL General Manager Operations, Genetic TechnologiesI grew up in the North East of England and Tasmania. I moved to New Zealand in 2007 with my wife and two wonder-ful children after living in Germany for three years. I am the General Manager, Operations for Genetic Technologies-

Pioneer, a locally owned maize seed company. I have over 16 years of professional experience in global agribusiness in posi-tions of research, sales, marketing and general management. I have a degree in Agricultural Science and an MBA from MGSM (Sydney). My true passion is for the land and leading change and innovation in agriculture.

To summarise my thoughts on what the Leadership New Zealand journey has been for me so far I would say that it has been about multiple shared experiences. It is the shared experience of be-ing on this dynamic programme with inspirational speakers. It is also the sharing of our own diverse experiences, our thoughts and our emerging sense of where we are with our learning and our leadership roles. This also brings with it the stark realities of our shared responsibilities for the future of our country. As I begin my new role, the timing of this programme is fantastic as I reflect on the activities I have been involved with and to take stock of the current realities in a broader sense. Leadership New Zealand is helping to shape my thinking, my conversations, as I begin to work with my new community. I feel daunted. I feel excited.

The Leadership New Zealand journey has given me an insight into the real issues (challenges and opportunities) facing New Zealand society and about what truly effective leadership can achieve by engaging in the community. The programme has opened my eyes to a number of issues and has allowed time for personal reflection. I have been inspired by a group of fantastic speakers on a diverse range of topics. I have found in the rich-ness of our year group a new source of energy which allows me to share leadership thinking with a great group of people. My leadership passion is to make a difference in all that I do and to foster people to realise their full potential. I have wanted to give something back for some time, and Leadership New Zealand is allowing time for me to reflect and explore my circle of influence for truly effective leadership.

MAKERITA MAKAPELU Team Leader, Wesley Community Action I have a background in performing arts, community, youth and social work and a focus on community-led development. I have spent five years as the Team Leader for Wesley Community Action, Porirua. Prior to that, I held roles in a range of or-ganisations as Team Manager, Contracts

Manager and Course Facilitator. This range of experience has given me skills in managing staff and budgets, developing and managing projects and especially interpersonal skills with in-ternal and external stakeholders. I have demonstrated skills and

experience in motivating and leading my staff to achieve the de-sired outcomes. Two of my most recent endeavours have been to take the issue of crippling cycles of debt into a funded initiative called ‘Good Cents’ and a response to accessing healthy food into the ‘Community Pantry’ project. My participation in the 2012 Leadership New Zealand programme has broadened my understanding of effective leadership through exposure to initiatives delivered in different parts of the country, hearing established leaders in this country share their views on leadership and exposure to a diverse group of individuals that share and challenge each other’s ideas. This has given me a much broader view of the driving factors of leadership – the passion and conviction it takes to become a leader.

I have found in the richness of our year group a new source of energy which allows me to share leadership

thinking with a great group of people.

Jon Neal

“”

PEN PORTRAITS

17WINTER 2012

MIKE PLAYLE Policy Manager, Accident Compensation CorporationI grew up in Christchurch, but I now call Porirua home. My training is in psychol-ogy and health science, but my career has headed down the insurance road, specifically working for the Accident Compensation Corporation. Initially,

I worked as a case manager helping return injured people to work. However, over the past eight years my career has focused on the area of policy. In my current role as Policy Manager, I am responsible for providing strategic and operational policy advice to the board, executive and Minister for ACC.

PHILIP PATSTONManaging Director, Diversity New Zealand, Executive Director, Diversityworks Trust IncYou may recognise me from my 10-year career as a comedian and entertainer. I’m not as committed to comedy as I used to be (in fact I retired in 2010), but it was a great way to get known. I began my ca-

reer as a counsellor and social worker. Over the past 15 years I’ve combined working with people, entertaining and running a con-sulting business to create innovative ways to work with diversity, creativity and change. I am an alumnus of both the New Zealand Social Entrepreneur Fellowship (2007-09) and the Arts Regional Trust ArtVenture programme for creative entrepreneurs (2007).

Leadership is a journey and for me, it is a road less travelled. I am becoming clearer that accepting the role of leadership is no more lofty or important than any other. It merely requires a different suite of behaviours, responsibilities and accountabilities. My goal is to be-come an effective thought leader in the area of diversity, creativity and social change. My association with Leadership New Zealand to date has emphasised my challenge to engage with all sectors of New Zealand – business, government and community – by forming close, authentic and influential relationships with others in leader-ship roles. It is this dynamic – one-on-one, kanohi ki kanohi – that will effect the change that I believe New Zealand, indeed the world, needs in order to create a wiser, more civil society.

There are two things that stand out for me when reflecting on the 2012 Leadership New Zealand programme: diversity and energy. The combination of the different perspectives of the speakers coupled with the diverse backgrounds and values of the people who are part of this year’s programme has shown me that there is enormous breadth in terms of people’s values and perspectives; not only with regard to leadership but how people see themselves, their country, and the roles they play in growing the nation. Experiencing that diversity has helped me broaden my perspective on leadership and leadership within New Zealand. The other key feature of the programme has been the energy people have displayed for the work they do. Whether in the corporate or not-for-profit sector or within the wider community I always felt that there was a real sense of purpose in what people were doing and what they believed in. This has got me thinking about what it is in my life that gives me that same sort of energy and engagement.

CHRIS NORTHMORE Owner & Manager, James HenryAfter an almost 10-year stint in the cor-porate world I now find myself happier and better placed as an entrepreneur. In my early 20s I had a boat built, bought some fishing quota and spent a few years running a commercial fishing business catching paua in Marlborough and the

Wairarapa. Arguably the most fun a young chap can have, plenty of non-fishing time and when working it seemed like just an-other great day out. At a weak moment on a cold day I accepted a job with Colonial Assurance in their central office. I lasted four years and managed to complete a BCA at Victoria University at the same time. I spent two years at Rabobank and then three

years at Wrightson setting up and leading a new finance com-pany (which happens to still be in business today). I thoroughly enjoyed the rural sector, but found being a corporate-doer frus-trating. I vowed not to wear a suit again until one of my daugh-ters got married, at the time my eldest was five. Over the past eight years I’ve undertaken a number of land de-velopments; being party to the purchase of a farming business in Uruguay and 18 months later negotiated the sale to a New Zealand listed company; led the establishment of a luxury dog motel in Sydney, and after two years made the difficult decision to dispense with it. I now run a timber recycling and wooden flooring business based in Upper Hutt, providing the link be-tween demolition contractors and mid to upper market com-mercial and residential clients throughout New Zealand.

Forming close, authentic and influential relationships with others in leadership roles will effect the change that I believe New Zealand

needs in order to create a wiser, more civil society.

Philip Patston

“”


RACHEL PREBBLE Public Events Producer, Auckland MuseumI have a deep passion for museums. I worked at the Auckland War Memorial Museum within the education de-partment before heading overseas to England. From 2003-2011, I worked at the Natural History Museum in London

and my most recent role was managing a team of over 100 vol-unteers within the Department for Learning. In 2011 I returned home from London and am so fortunate to be working again at the AWMM. I feel I have returned home and am extremely keen to share my overseas knowledge and contribute to my home country. My role at the museum involves developing, coordinat-ing and producing events to a variety of audiences. I have also

managed projects which reflect and respond to the diversity of Auckland through inviting community groups within Auckland to connect with the museum’s exhibitions and collections; con-necting collections and audiences.The Leadership New Zealand programme has had a huge influ-ence on me from day one. It has been highly thought provoking and life changing. Meeting such fantastic individuals and discussing and sharing beliefs, ideas and thoughts with them, in a safe environment, has extended my understanding of what leadership is all about and the crucial role we play as future leaders. Having the time and space to focus and ‘be present’ throughout the year, when it’s so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of life, is essential and extremely ben-eficial. Opportunities for self-reflection, although challenging, have given me amazing insight into leadership qualities. It has increased my confidence to challenge my thoughts and enhance my under-standing of how I can develop and contribute as a future leader.

ZECHARIAH REUELU Founder, Hoe Mua Designs In 2003, I founded Hoe Mua Designs, a communication and creative design company. I saw a need for a number of non-Pacific public, private and voluntary sectors wanting to communicate with Pacific audiences in New Zealand to increase social and economic develop-

ments. I recognised the opportunity to offer cultural insights in their work to connect with ‘Pacific’ people. For the past eight years, Hoe Mua Designs has specialised in assisting the public and private sector in its creative and design communications to reach the minds of Pacific communities incorporated with Pacific value and practice. We have been able to capture the essence of

New Zealand’s Pacific cultures through creative and innovation services. It brings much joy and pleasure to these outcomes for all parties. However, we recognise the tensions when working cross culturally and within set regulatory guidelines.The opportunity to participate in the Leadership New Zealand programme will cultivate my untapped potential. I believe I will grow with maturity and have a better understanding of the di-verse perspectives of other participants. The best way to make a positive impact on the lives of Pacific peoples is bringing Pacific perspectives to the work of the decision-makers responsible for making, implementing and communicating policies that affect the lives of Pacific peoples. The Leadership New Zealand environ-ment will allow my unlimited potential to be tested with future movers and shakers of New Zealand.

ANDREW SHARP General Manager Sales & Marketing, SoanarSoanar is a specialist in power, intercon-nect and display solutions for the agri-cultural, mining, rail and HMI industries. I joined this industry through good for-tune rather than design. I studied Food Technology after playing rugby in the

UK, then went through Toyota’s graduate programme. While working for Fonterra’s sports supplements arm Horleys, my flatmate’s car was stolen. A couple of beers later I had started my first company – Blackhawk. I quit my job and started full-time (on no pay – thanks to my wife and parents) based in the IceHouse. We sold Blackhawk in 2009 and I started with Soanar after a brief golf break. Last year I put forward a new vision and strategy and was promoted to GM and relocated to Sydney.

The programme has given me deeper understanding on a number of topics, some great tools to unlock them and a level of security in myself that encourages open and synergistic conversations. I think effective leadership stems from this – the ability to be open, honest and authentic while discussing deep issues gives people safety to be the same. Leadership is the point where courage and consideration meet. This course has challenged me and shown me that while I have a good level of courage in my values, ability and beliefs, my consideration levels are relatively low. The amaz-ing speakers and tools combine with inspiring participants, their diverse views and ability to create a safe environment, to explore my paradigms and change the way I view myself, the world and my place in it.

PEN PORTRAITS

19WINTER 2012

LYDIA SOSENE Out of Parliament Support, Parliamentary Services My role has transformed as an Electorate Agent, Office Manager, Induction Advisor, as core tasks demand differ-ent skills when working in a Member of Parliament’s electorate office and to an increasingly diverse community in

Auckland. As a fluent Samoan speaker and translator, I have been able to utilise extensive knowledge and language skills when dealing with complex issues in the community. I am also a Local Board Member for Mangere-Otahuhu Local Board, under the new Auckland Council structure. This role equally demands

a vast array of skills in different portfolios when dealing with complex Council issues. A leader in the public sector for over 23 years, the leadership opportunities allow me to grow as New Zealand leaders become more efficient and effective when com-peting on the international stage.In being selected for the Leadership New Zealand programme, I look forward to even greater opportunities to challenge and to be challenged through different learning experiences. This year’s par-ticipants derive from non-profit and business sectors, providing as-sorted discussions. New Zealand demands future leaders to work in a strategic national framework and to gain international experience – with our obligation in setting future young New Zealanders to succeed in their own aspirations within New Zealand and in the global environment.

CLAIRE TEAL Programme Manager, Volunteering New ZealandA first generation New Zealander, my family hails from England and Scotland. I grew up in the Wairarapa, but since 1998 have called Wellington home. Passionate about social justice and com-munity-led development, I am fortunate

to have a career based in the social profit sector. My current role is Programme Manager at Volunteering New Zealand, where I focus on developing and supporting the capacity of managers of volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations. I volunteer as Deputy Chair of Volunteer Wellington, and on the leadership team of Women in Leadership Aotearoa, a Wellington-based group for women leaders in the social profit sector.

My participation in the Leadership New Zealand programme to date has broadened my perspective on what I think constitutes truly effective leadership. The programme has challenged me on many levels, but it has also affirmed my belief in the power of servant leadership – of leaders not seeking glory themselves, but instead guiding the people and processes that make change hap-pen. It’s about getting to know the strengths and stories of individ-uals and communities, building the vision with them, having the stamina to keep everyone inspired, and being humble enough to get out of the way when others are working to their strengths and bringing the vision alive. As a result of my participation in the programme thus far, I understand more fully that truly effective leadership is not only about being able to communicate a vision; it is also fundamentally about the ability to build relationships.

LINDA VAGANA General Manager, Duffy Books in Homes After 15 years of involvement in sport at a national and international level, plus a few years of tertiary study at University of Auckland, a coordinating position with North Shore Pasefika Youth work-ing in life skill education, followed by

a marketing role at Auckland University of Technology, my career journey seemed destined in the world of education. In 2004 I was very fortunate to be offered the position of General Manager at Duffy Books in Homes. This has been exciting and most rewarding promoting the importance of reading and a love of books to over 530 schools throughout the country. What I

enjoy most in my role is the opportunity to inspire a love of reading to thousands of children nationwide and engaging with such diverse communities and backgrounds, plus supporting children/family literacy needs. Leadership New Zealand has offered such great insight particu-larly in areas where I have felt I had the most understanding but have been challenged by the perspectives and knowledge presented by amazing inspirational speakers. Also the opportunities and pos-sibilities of what others, including myself, can achieve when there is passion and a will. Participating in LNZ I have witnessed some true leadership so far – the humility in which stories and journeys were shared and these leaders certainly have a purpose to influence posi-tive change. What a privilege to hear different leadership pathways and I have truly been challenged with how these insights relate to my own experiences and my place in the communities I serve.


ROBERT WIKAIRA Head of Support Services Centre & Information Technology Leader, Te Runanga A Iwi O NgapuhiIn my roles at Te Runanga A Iwi O Ngapuhi my responsibilities may be varied but I am focused on ensuring our strategy delivers enormous ben-efit. As Support Services Centre (SSC)

leader I’m responsible for planning, developing and leading a team to introduce service level agreements, deliver improved organisational efficiencies and outcomes to our customers. As the IT leader, I appropriately match IT solutions to our organi-sation’s needs that will support and strengthen core activities and help us achieve our aims more effectively. The vision “that the sacred house of Ngapuhi stand firm” along with our val-ues – Accountability, Vision, Ownership, Respect, Direction,

MURRAY WU Executive Adviser, KiwibankI am a Chinese New Zealander and my family has lived in New Zealand since the 1890s. My degrees are in chemical engineering and business, and for much of my career I worked in the United States performing a variety of leadership roles in the chemical industry. After rais-

ing a family in the US my wife and I thought we would never leave, but an opportunity to work at an exciting start-up called Kiwibank drew us back to New Zealand. At Kiwibank I have been on the executive team with responsibility for process im-provement, strategy execution, and corporate sustainability. In my current role as Executive Adviser, I work closely with the Chief Executive on strategic and operational matters.

ANIL VARMA Engineering and Emergency Services Manager, Auckland AirportI was born in Fiji, educated as an Electrical Engineer at Auckland University and mi-grated to New Zealand in 1988 after the first military coup in Fiji. My career has spanned a number of industries such as power distribution, steel manufacturing,

aluminium alloy manufacturing, pulp and paper manufactur-ing, and since August 2007, I have been working at Auckland Airport. I am currently the Engineering and Emergency Services Manager and this involves leading over 100 employees, union-

ised and non-unionised, in serving the functions of maintenance, engineering and project management, security and emergency services at the airport. The role is challenging and rewarding as we strive to meet regulatory standards and customer and pas-senger expectations at New Zealand’s premier gateway. Leadership New Zealand has given me an opportunity to pause and reflect about who I am as a leader and how I go about being more effective not only in my workplace but also in my community. It has challenged my thinking, my inhibitions, and has put me in with a group of people who are diverse and inspiring at the same time. The speakers have been thought provoking about key issues affecting the future of New Zealand. It is a journey which I know will impact me in a profound and positive way.

Communication, Integrity, Honesty and Commitment – are the guiding principles to which I adhere to, as I serve not just the organisation, but the people of Ngapuhi.Understanding truly effective leadership has changed me. I believe leadership is a mix of knowledge, skills, values, attributes, abilities and behaviours. I also believe it’s important for a leader to know these and how others may perceive them. By knowing my own strengths and weaknesses in each of these, it enables me to develop a plan for self-improvement. For me, the Leadership New Zealand programme is an excellent vehicle to collaborate, discuss, share and learn from a diverse cross-section of leaders throughout New Zealand. The highlights for me are the speakers – not only do they provide insight into their views, but invoke both thought and discus-sion on varied topics amongst peers. Although my understanding of truly effective leadership has changed me, I now await the next path, being challenged, as this will only inspire me to excel.

The inspiration to apply for a place in Leadership New Zealand came from a conference where participants were tasked with devel-oping a strategy for New Zealand. During this workshop it dawned on me that there are important sections of New Zealand society that I do not understand or interact with. This year I have had the privilege to spend quality time with a talented group of people to learn about diversity and leadership across society. An understand-ing of diversity is critical not only to expand my knowledge, but also to challenge my mindset. I am beginning to understand how the corporate context affects my leadership style and what changes I must make to make a bigger difference within my organisation and in the broader community. The speakers and participants have spurred me to consider my passions and my purpose, as well as who I am as a leader.

21WINTER 2012

A conversation across the generations

With some initial reading and over a glass of wine, we explored the space between the generations and just what we have to offer each other.

We are all a part of a cycle of growth, decay and renewal, within our families, communities and society. Youth brings curiosity, adventure, enthusiasm and creativity. With age comes a loss of some of those precious qualities, but we gain maturity and we hope a degree of wisdom. However, the opportunity to con-tinue to innovate and renew remains, if we can be challenged by new experiences and new conversations. These can be created out of diversity of thought and perspective, and particularly through continued interaction between the generations.

In traditional societies, it is most common to find a hierarchy of generations, each with their own place, and an assumption that wis-dom is transferred from the old to the young. But there has been a drastic change in demographics in the past 50 years, particularly in western cultures, where families are separated by geography.

An Oxford Institute of Aging Study (Newman and Hatton-Yeo) concluded that as families become disconnected, both the old and the young become more vulnerable as the opportunity for consist-ent intergenerational learning and support diminishes. The old are no longer around to “introduce values and offer wisdom, skills and unqualified love and understanding”. And older adults miss out on the vitality and social insights, as well as the love and support of young family members.

There are also implications for the way that we think. John Gardner, in his book Self-Renewal talks of how we progressively narrow the scope and variety of our lives as we mature, including relationships and experiences. Our thinking becomes restricted and more linear.

This is exacerbated if our colleagues whom we look to for advice and support are largely of the same generation and think in the same way. “Group think” becomes the norm, and we lose our ability to see through the lenses of others. Our ability to empathise and de-velop broad relationships diminishes and innovative thinking goes out the window. It is for this reason, more than any others, that we need diversity within our organisations and within our lives.

Intergenerational learning in a broader community context can do much to contribute to the social capital of a society, but requires leaders who understand the importance of these connections.

OUR CONVERSATION BEGINS…We gathered together to explore the opportunities in the space between the generations, aged from 25 to 65, comprising five Boomers (David, Tim, Toni, Warren and Jo) (1946-1964), five Gen Y (Natalie, Ellie, Sarah, Amy and Mark) (1981 onwards) and two Gen X (Sina and Sunil) (1965–1980) as the bridge. Backgrounds ranged from law to local government and media and roles from managing director to publisher to not for profit chair and marketing assistant and the conversation ranged widely.

The stereotypical Boomer, Gen X and Gen Y definitions created some debate (there were unfortunately no traditionals).

The Boomer sees the big picture, but wants systems in place, likes job status and symbols, is optimistic and team oriented, but un-comfortable with conflict, is sensitive to feedback and is focused on personal gratification.

Gen X is positive, impatient, goal and relationship orientated, resourceful, self-reliant and wanting flexibility. They are techno-lit-erate, question authority and are easy to recruit and hard to retain.

And finally Gen Y is defined as confident, sociable, and diverse, with street smarts. They have a heroic spirit and strong values, are technologically savvy, but lack skills for dealing with difficult people and need flexibility.

Of the group, some could see themselves clearly, while others

Jo Brosnahan talks with David McGregor, Sunil Unka, Toni Myers, Natalie Meech, Sarah Brosnahan, Amy Bourke, Tim Miles, Sina Wendt-Moore, Warren Maclennan, Ellie Cross and Mark Herring.

FEATURE


said they now understood why their partners or bosses were as there were. But there was also a concern at labels and the dangers of prejudice based upon stereotypes: “There is an expectation for behaviours and people do not see the whole person.” David: “I don’t put much by these stereotypes; I believe that each of us is a person and your own value set affects the way in which you interact with others.” Sunil: “Look around: the ‘igeneration’ in this room are the older generation” – and it was indeed the Boomers who were typing away on their iPads. “They’re stealing our stuff.”

So where did these generations come from? The Boomers were the generation with the cause: Vietnam, sexual liberation and the hippy movement. Their upbringing was more directive (and Boomers rebelled). “By contrast, Gen Y have had their lives looked after: they do not have a cause.” But some Gen X and Y have developed a cause; a group called Work in Progress, which evolved out of a wish to use their capabilities to give back.

It appeared to be a younger person’s Rotary, which did beg the question as to why Rotary, despite running worthwhile pro-grammes such as RYLA was not meeting the needs of younger members. It was agreed that unfortunately older organisations are not always changing quickly enough to accommodate the young-er generation. And so they are being reinvented; the process of renewal is underway. Sina Wendt-Moore, chair of PACIFICA Auckland, an intergen-erational organisation for nearly 40 years, had a different story: “Formerly, the younger leaders made the tea; now they are run-ning the movement. We have a different way of engaging young women; by being inclusive, we encourage them to step up, pro-viding the mentoring and support. At a recent conference, we honoured the older women, who celebrated that the younger women are running the organisation.” So there is a way if older leaders are ready to encourage change, and it would appear that Gen X are an important bridge to lead this process.

WORKPLACE DYNAMICSIn the workplace the generations often struggle to understand each other and to communicate. Hierarchical decision making does not sit well with Gen X or Gen Y.

Warren: “Gen Y tend to go straight to the leader; to jump the hierarchy. Their social life and work life is rolled into one: they come to work after the gym, shower and eat breakfast. So how many of you do that?” (All the Gen Ys put up their hands.)

“They are fast at getting to the point; there is no mucking around with reports.”

So how much assistance is needed to get young people to adapt to the workplace, or in perhaps a more realistic space, for the

workplaces to adapt to Gen Y?From the Gen Ys: “I am learning to stand up for my recommendations to senior ex-ecutives.” “Trust is really important to the younger generations – they need to be trusted, while the older generation sees that you need to earn that trust first.” “For a successful workplace, it is important that senior management should be open to un-derstanding – a little bit of freedom would

be wonderful.” A Gen Y might do something their boss thinks is weird. But as

Natalie indicated: “The key issue is understanding.” There was a consensus that an environment of trust was needed for a work-place flexible enough to accommodate the needs of each genera-tion. This requires active leadership within a culture of values.Sunil: “It is essential that values are at the core of the workplace and there is an understanding of just what we want to achieve; collaboration is then required to succeed.”

The nature of the workplace was also seen to be a key to ena-bling the conversations. Warren: “Influence can be applied through the work environ-ment – in an open plan environment, there is the opportunity to put the older staff with the younger staff – to create physi-cal presence. They start to communicate through work, and then socially.”

An innovative environment was described at Telecom, where staff can choose their seating each day around the office, provid-ing flexibility and the opportunity for communication. However, not all Gen Y’s will like a flexible environment; the danger of pigeon holing was stressed.

There is also a need for the younger generations to be able to articulate their views and their needs. “Encourage the Gen Ys to have the courage to step up and to work the politics.” From Gen Y: “I will go in with a bit more confidence and joke along with

FEATURE

Trust is reallyimportant to the younger generation ... The older

generation sees that you need to earn that trust.

23WINTER 2012

There was a richness of conversation, humour and

energy of ideas as the group listened to each other.

The future of our society is dependent upon a

respectful and constructive interaction between the

generations. We need many more such conversations

to grow in focus and diversity; this was just a

beginning. It is the intention of Leadership New

Zealand to foster such conversations in the future.

them, bringing them around to our way of thinking – it is impor-tant to back yourself.” Gen Y need people to invest in them – but it is also about what they can do for others.

There was the realisation that some of the stereotyping is true. Ellie talked as a younger Gen Y of wanting to have her cake and eat it, taking a number of interesting jobs over a few years, but she has now settled in one role. Sunil talked about the willingness of the younger generations to take risks, including changing jobs. Mark (Gen Y) in turn commented: “In our generation, there has not been a crisis – we can take risks. There are so many options to work for those with values aligned with our own.”

THE CONCEPT OF COMMUNITYFrom a community perspective, it was agreed that New Zealand has some major challenges. Tim: “It is comfortable to be able to talk in this room, but there are people who are hugely disenfranchised in the community; our discussion can only apply to certain subsets of the population. The importance is not to judge others by your own background. In the final event, we are a part of a community of people in NZ with problems to address, and the best way to deal with this is collaboratively.”Toni: “There are major critical issues to deal with – the haves and the have nots. We need collective strengths or we will not be able to deal with these major challenges. There is a need to harness the energy of the Gen Ys and the wisdom and knowledge of the Boomers: we need both.” Sina agreed: “And it is really important to have everyone in the conversation. In the Samoan community, everyone has a real sense of community responsibility, but trying to be an individual often has challenges and we have a very high rate of youth suicide. This is caused by the generations not being able to talk to each other. How do we help bridge the gap and have these conversations?” Sunil: “What is our value-set as a nation, and how do we sign up to that – we are dealing with the same issues? There are plenty of challenges – there are some where you can start at a community level and perhaps we should start there?” Sarah: “Facebook is our community, and email and text have replaced personal conversation, but they do not fill the gap of meaning and the importance of human connection.” Ellie: “The times that people really bond together are in times of crisis and celebration.”

The concept of New Zealand Day was suggested as a way that this can be manifest, with the challenge to recreate community connection.

THE ROLE OF THE CONNECTORTo encourage intergenerational connection, it was agreed that the way things are done is important and having the right people in-volved to create partnership. Examples were given of leadership from within – the role of the connector. It is important to build trust by storytelling: if leaders show vulnerability, younger leaders will be encouraged to be more open.

Tim: “The important thing is understanding how the different generations will do things; that is where we come unglued; a work-life balance between 8 and 5 might not be what Gen Y were expecting.”Sarah: “At an organisational level, it is important to have people from the younger generation on boards – they are a key part of the diversity of thinking that is required at a leadership level.” Toni: “If you can affect the culture at governance and senior man-agement level, the change will occur more rapidly.”

Some boards get into serious problems without such diversity because they don’t see what they are not seeing. Solutions are institutional as well and it is important to put appropriate policies in place: the YWCA has a policy that a minimum of 25% of its directors are young women (under 30). “It is important that there are champions for younger board members, particularly from the chair (who is likely to be a Boomer).”Sarah: “There is a whole generation that has done this before and can offer experience and skills – is it about creating the spaces where those conversations can happen.” Mark: “It is important to have people who can connect those people.” Sina: “Here is somewhere that positions of authority can be used in a good way – where those people can become the champions for change.”

Mentoring and coaching to assist young people to step up into board roles is required.

As a nation we don’t have enough board and executive roles for all of these young people. We need many more productive enterprises and perhaps the greatest gift the older generation can give is to help young people with great ideas to set them up. Amy, who is setting up her own business was enthusiastic that such a resource would be most useful. From David, the elder statesman, a final word: “Communication is key: as an individual we have a responsibility to remain cur-rent and relevant and listen to the silences. If you have good in-terpersonal skills and are a good communicator, that will help, whatever your age. You should also listen – if you want to go from a to z in one; where is the reflection and the judgment based on experience?”

The group agreed that wisdom of age combines well with the energy and creativity of youth if each can hear the other.


Justice Joseph Williams (Ngati Pukenga and Te Arawa – Waitaha, Tapuika) was appointed a Judge of the High Court on 10 September 2008 after graduating from

Victoria University with an LLB in 1986 and from the University of British Columbia, Canada,

with an LLM (Hons) in 1988. He then joined, and later became a partner of the law firm Kensington

Swan. After practising as a partner of Walters Williams & Co between 1994 and 1999, Justice Williams was appointed Chief Judge, Maori Land Court in December 1999. Shortly thereafter he was appointed as Deputy Chairperson of the Waitangi Tribunal and then its Chairperson in 2004.

As a leader in Aotearoa today, Justice Williams, Joe, impresses. He has made many sacrifices and has worked tremendously hard to be the leader he is. The authenticity of his journey strikes you immedi-ately upon meeting him. He is a man of presence, mana and grace. More than this though, he is a master orator who crafts stories that bring the music of the Maori language and mythology to life. You are invited into the story, you become part of our ancestors’ journey and you are challenged to take your place in the evolving story.

In spending time with Joe you start to see some of the layers that make up this very genuine of leaders. You see his pragmatism when he considers the harder moments of his profession – he is affirma-tive, decisive, hard, fair. And then there is the contrast. In his more reflective periods and moments of great oration, he is compassion-ate, heartfelt, enormously caring and possibly even a little sad. We explore his message.

Justice Williams, in talking about leadership that spans generations it is only appropriate for us to start at the start. Can we begin with your thoughts on New Zealand’s leadership past? A country’s history is a story of how its leaders have reacted to its people and the needs of its people. Those reactions can be short term and self-serving or they can be long term and visionary. There hasn’t really been much of the latter, but there has been some. An example being the extraordinarily powerful vision of the 19th

century Maori and British leaders who agreed to the principles for founding of a nation state and building a government.

And the present? The most important first step in leadership, real leadership, is to build the vision. Today New Zealand does not have a clearly articu-lated vision yet surely the vision for Aotearoa must be for a place of peace and prosperity for all peoples. Keeping people safe, well and prosperous across its generations is the obligation of all leaders.

Today Aotearoa is at a crossroads. There is a convergence of en-ergies massing. This energy could manifest into an explosive as-sembling opportunity where all peoples come together and the potential of current and future generations is realised. Or, it could manifest in an explosive disassembling. Today we are sitting on a powder keg where the demographics of New Zealand are pointing to the less positive of future scenarios. The disproportion of young Maori and Pacifica males who are over represented amongst those who are underachieving in our schooling system is a critical warn-ing to our leaders that we are not heading in the right direction.

I have seen a lot of squandered potential. People who may have made a huge contribution, but instead made a huge disruption. As a society we have not got our heads around how to solve the problems of our past. These problems have massive potential to be exacerbated by the demographics of the present.

To solve these problems our current-day leaders need to be armed with the realisation that solutions will only come from a partnership of communities, of tribal, urban, whatever and wher-ever they might be. The ingredient required to move us from explo-sive disassembling to explosive assembling is leadership; leadership that is visionary, heartfelt and intergenerational.

With a view to the future … where do you place the value of Leadership New Zealand Trust in the intergenerational leadership conversation? It has a place in building that ‘assembling future’; in building our nation’s future vision. Through its programmes and challenging conversations it is building our future leaders, our future naviga-

Justice Joseph Williams first spoke to Leadership New Zealand programme participants in 2008. In 2012 we invited him to speak twice, something rarely done. He has an important message, a message that needs to be heard. His words echo those of Nelson Mandela who said, “Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great; you can be that generation.” Justice Williams goes one step further and leaves us with a heartfelt sense of responsibility – it is the leaders of this generation who need to be great. By Hilary Sumpter.

Leadership that spans generations

Justice Williams

PROGRAMME SPEAKER

25WINTER 2012

with future and past with future. Even in current generations – the present – we find that society is sectioning off our young from our old from our productive. Today it is not common to see men mentoring boys and women mentoring girls as it was in the past. This is a challenge for current generations to overcome.

You spoke about a crossroads and concern about the numbers of young Maori and Pacifica underachieving in our schools. Can you expand on this?New Zealand has made great strides in moving to a more equal society. As a nation we have made significant progress through the settlement of treaty claims and are light years away from where we were at in the late ’70s. Maori culture back then was seen to be a handicap; that has changed for the better now. We have a growing national culture that is proud of its Maori heritage and identity.

This said, history has caught up with us demographically. Within the span of a generation Maori and Pacific Islanders will make up 40% of New Zealand’s working population. This de-mographic mix is a driver to urgency for leaders of all peoples in New Zealand.

We need to place the expectation upon ourselves that not just Maori and Pacifica youth, but all youth, are going to succeed. In doing this it is important to acknowledge the identity of all peo-ples in New Zealand and build as part of our future vision an expectation that all are going to succeed. For this to happen it is this generation of leaders who need to ensure all youth succeed. It is not a choice for our political, business and community lead-ers to allow another generation of Maori and Pacifica to be over represented in underachievement statistics.

tors – those who will guide all our people to a place of peace and prosperity. The programme plays its part in that it takes out ‘succession by accident’.

Getting to a new place will be achieved by nurturing our future leaders, our navigators, to see the vision and hold the vision. It is the responsibility of today’s leaders to be nurturing and develop-ing the leaders of our next generations.

Intergenerational leadership resonates powerfully with Maori culture because of its reverence for whakapapa and the idea of Maori acknowledging the legacy of the 40 generations that have been and the promise of the 40 generations that are to come.

It is a deeply held Maori ideal that leadership reflects respect for the dead and their legacy and hope for the not-yet born and the legacies they might build. This is the ideal of continuity in whakapapa. This is the ideal of leadership where leaders are not planning for the election cycle or the business cycle. Rather, lead-ers are planning for a cycle of a people, of a country, of history. They are planning for the cycle of generations. This is the sort of leadership New Zealand needs.

So for you, what is intergenerational leadership?The thread of generations is important to Maori. The thread of whakapapa is constantly repeated; it is almost an obsession. This tells you of the importance of your connection to generations that have been and the generations to come. There is a founding ideal in Maoridom that past, present and future generations exist in the same time and space. Einstein and quantum physics speak to this.

With this in mind there are two parts to intergenerational leadership. The first being acknowledgement and respect for the threads of leadership that have been and tending the thread, the wisdom, that has been passed to you. The second part is about caring for the generations to come. It is the burden of real leaders to know that the destination they envisage is not a destination they will see in their lifetime. Their job in part is to be patient, to wait, to serve the future generation. That is their role as a leader.

For all this, the way our communities are structured today makes it difficult for leaders to connect present with past, present

Our sincere thanks go to Justice Joseph Williams for

very graciously sharing his time and thoughts with us.

We acknowledge his message: “It is the leaders of this

generation who need to be great.”


Leadership with heart

Karyn McLeod is funding and operations manager for ASB Community Trust and Alumni 2007. She talks about the not-for-profit community service sector with a deep

sense of heart. You sense she belongs here. She cares for people, for the community and is impassioned by a heart-

felt sense of wanting to help communities. Her leadership style is one of resonance. She connects with you, listens appreciatively, en-gages you in genuine and caring conversation, and in a very humble

way makes you ponder your own contribution to community.

Josephine Bartley is an advisor for the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, sits on the Maungakiekie-Tamaki Local Board and is Alumni 2011. She holds a passion for

the role of local government in local communities and central government in national strategy and vision. You are

drawn to her huge empathy and compassion for people. Her heart and sense of caring for community wellbeing is incredibly hum-bling. There is no pretence; she is genuine, real, and authentic. Her

self-confessed leadership style is, “Leadership through service, ‘Tautua’.”

Rod Gibson is recently appointed CEO, Liquorland New Zealand, a subsidiary of Foodstuffs New Zealand

and Alumni 2007. He is very comfortable being a leader within the commercial sector and knows this is his place.

He holds huge passion for people, for community wellbeing and for effective leadership. He wants to make a difference and articulates a vision for community wellbeing that is full of heart, caring and compassion. He is humble but resolute in saying corporate has a role to play here and he is not shying away from the challenge.

Our three alumni face different challenges in their working lives but interestingly there is a common thread – each holds a strong identity to their sector.

Josephine’s biggest challenge has been holding her own confi-dence in an ever-changing world. Leadership New Zealand had a role to play here. “The programme helped my confidence and self-esteem in remembering whatever you have to say is of value.” In demonstration she lifts the conversation arguing that the real challenge for us all is getting community involved. “I think that is the issue; people are so busy with their lives and here’s this small group of people making decisions for everyone. I know govern-ment is there as representative democracy but the whole point is to give power at a lower level and to try to get out to as many people as possible.”

Rod responds with different words but draws on the common thread. He starts by saying: “My challenge is around stepping up to report into a board with a different set of responsibilities.” He suggests his new role is predominantly strategic which will chal-lenge him given his propensity for just getting on with it. But then he says it is worth it. “It’s been a real pleasure being here at Foodstuffs because it’s such an unusual business. We’re not old style corporate, we have community drivers, we have fantastic values and morals and I’ve really enjoyed the learning curve chal-lenge of being here.”

Karyn’s challenge is one we all know. “Getting off the treadmill and finding time to look at the track.” She very sagely points out this is a challenge for us all in choosing how to respond to a con-stant dynamic of change yet still sit comfortably with those things you know work and make a difference. “One of the greatest chal-lenges is how to get people to support the things that will deliver

Karyn McLeod, Josephine Bartley and Rod Gibson are leaders who have taken themselves to their learning edge, developed their self-awareness, developed their societal-awareness, and stepped forward to lead change for the better. They are leaders who hold knowledge that enables them to harness the diverse intellectual capital of their organisations. They are the next generation of leaders creating new types of solutions for the challenges New Zealand faces in community, business and government. They are alumni of the Leadership New Zealand programme.We met with these three leaders who through their conversations brought to life the diversity of thought and perspective that makes the Leadership New Zealand programme so special. Each is humble in their leadership style and while their leadership development pathways have been different there are common threads in their journeys. Hilary Sumpter explores these with them.

ALUMNI MESSAGES

27WINTER 2012

over the long run but are outside of the term a Board of Trustees might hold governance for. There is a need to recognise the time-frame big strategic thinking and action can take.”

We move our conversation on to the topic of diversity and the common thread of diverse thought and perspective being the enabler to creativity and innovation.

For Rod what excites him the most is diversity of thinking. “An individual’s background or race or gender is less important than the way they think.” As a leader he treats it as fundamental to build teams that are diverse. “Any successful commercial organisa-tion is going to have a good focus on diversity simply because their customers are a diverse bunch. To succeed in that environment you have to have that appreciation. If you fill yourself full of a certain way of thinking or a certain group of people, then you will struggle over time to satisfy those customers. So it’s pragmatic.”

Karyn notes the importance of doing with and not doing to. “Community service organisations must relate and connect with people and create the space for conversation to happen. One of the ways of engaging with a diverse community is to recognise the diversity within and engage at a level that recognises and matches the community.” She notes that the diversity of the Leadership New Zealand programme combats the insular view by inviting a sharing of ways to take on future challenges. “Diversity has a major role in seeing different solutions and in how you move from fixing to preventing. Having diversity within your organisational teams is critical. The points of difference create the opportunity to see solutions in different ways.”

Josephine was very reflective on the subject of diversity. She confessed to holding something of a closed view before beginning the Leadership New Zealand programme. “I am not so quick to judge others now. Before, it was easy to box someone in as being a certain stereotype based on their background or sector.” Hearing a diversity of voices from the programme changed her attitude. “Listening to other people and getting different perspectives on things widens your own horizons. Diverse group conversations help you not get so emotionally involved and to listen to what the issue is and be open to different kinds of solutions.”

We close by exploring our reverence for generations past, love for generations present, and responsibility to generations forward – intergenerational leadership.

Karyn has come to understand and appreciate the approaches taken by different communities with regard to relevance for fu-ture generations. “With many communities it is evident that inter-generational thinking is part of everything they do. They engage with the Trust to undertake programmes and projects for their children and their children’s children, not for themselves. So often conversations are about the generations who are not here yet, not yet born.

Josephine is humbled by her forebears and honours their mem-ory. But she feels this is where some kids have gone off track today as they’ve lost sight of their identity and their history. Josephine’s

heritage is what defines her; she is proud of where she came from and this makes her more focused on where she wants to go. “Tapping into what makes you ‘you’ – that can influence your direction and your drive.” She extends this to the younger genera-tion. “I never think of kids as the problem – turn it around, see the potential, see the positive stuff that comes from them. I think there will be amazing things to come out of these kids when they grow up.”

Rod takes his time on this topic. When he stirs he speaks of his children. “I want to create a leadership legacy for my children as individuals. I want my wife and I to pass on life skills, aware-ness and values. This is really important.” He goes on… “It’s about valuing what’s important to you and living it. I guess that’s what I endeavour to do with my children; creating something which will continue to grow based on a foundation of what we’ve done in the past.”

Our three Alumni through their conversations brought

to life the diversity of thought and perspective that

makes the Leadership New Zealand programme so

unique. We thank Karyn, Josephine and Rod for

sharing their thoughts and perspectives with us.

Key Partners

Supporting Partners

Event Partners

The Bishop Sir Paul Reeves

Memorial Lecture Event Partner

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Scholarship PartnersWe would like to acknowledge the generous support of our Leadership Programme Scholarship Partners.• ASB Community Trust Leadership Programme Scholarship• HayGroup Leadership Programme Scholarship • ITC Services Leadership Programme Scholarship• Kerridge & Partners Leadership Programme Scholarship• Leadership New Zealand Alumni who so generously contributed to the 2012

Alumni Leadership Programme Scholarship• NZ Management magazine Leadership Programme Scholarship• The Tindall Foundation and Inspiring Communities Leadership Programme

Scholarships • The Tindall Foundation for their generous support of SkillsBank• ITC Services for their generous support of SkillsBank

Event HostsWe would like to individually thank all our hosts for hosting our various events so generously. • The Bluestone Room team for hosting our 2011 Leadership Programme

Graduation.• Karam Meuli for being MC at our 2011 Leadership Programme Graduation.• Wane Wharerau for his Mihi Whakatau at our 2011 Leadership Programme

Graduation.• Tony Carter for his fabulous keynote speech at our 2011 Leadership

Programme Graduation. • The Q theatre team for hosting our 2012 Leadership Programme Launch.• Dan Walker for being MC at our 2012 Leadership Programme Launch.• Rewi Spraggon for his Mihi Whakatau at our 2012 Leadership Programme

Launch.• Alison Taylor for speaking and introducing the scholarship recipients at our

2012 Leadership Programme Launch.• Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse (Alumnus 2008) for sharing her leadership stories

and thoughts at our 2012 Leadership Programme Launch.• Isabella Moore and Claire Caldwell for their wonderful performance at our

2012 Leadership Programme Launch.• Caroline Ducobu, Photographer, for her amazing photos of our 2012

Leadership Programme Launch.

Programme Speakers:February:• Louise Marra and Christine Spicer from Spirited Leadership. • Our alumni for welcoming our 2012 Programme Participants into the

Leadership Programme. • Our fabulous speakers: Bob Harvey, Dame Anne Salmond, Justice Joseph

Williams.March:• Mangere Community Law Centre – who provided a venue for our Leadership

Programme.• Mangere Refugee Centre Panel for speaking and Graham Emery and the

team at Counties Manukau Police DHQ for hosting and speaking to us about the wonderful work that is done there.

• Our wonderful speakers: Pat Snedden, Dr Arif Saeid, Essendon Tuitupou (Alumnus 2008), Rob Woodley, Bruce Adin.

April:• Manaia Health PHO for hosting us during our Leadership Programme visit

to Whangarei.• Chris Farrelly, Manaia Health and the team for providing our lunch.• Pou Herenga Tangata, the He Iwi Kotahi Tatou Trust and Debbie and

Ngahau Davis for welcoming us into your whanau in Moerewa.• Karam Meuli (Alumnus 2009), George Riley (Alumnus 2009) for your

energy and time you shared with the participants at Te Tii Marae.• Olive Brown (Alumnus 2010) for all your support at the Moerewa.• Our wonderful programme speakers: Debbie and Ngahau Davis, Chris

Farrelly, Allen Wihongi, Professor Paul Moon, Justice Joseph Williams.May:• Adrian Wimmers, Sarah Hipkiss and the team at KPMG – who generously

hosted the Leadership Programme. • Murray Wu and the team at Kiwibank for generously hosting our

Leadership Programme.• Our wonderful speakers: Dr Alan Bollard, Amanda Lynn, David Smol.

Contributing Partners• All invited authors, contributors and people who gave their time to be

interviewed for this magazine.• Toni Myers, Fran Marshall, Gill Prentice, Jan Michael David and the team

at Mediaweb for their significant contribution to the magazine.• The editorial team who assisted with the magazine – Reg Birchfield,

Jo Brosnahan, Gill Prentice, Jan Michael David, Hilary Sumpter, Michelle Jurgens, Russell Little, Mark Herring.

• Special thanks to Reg Birchfield and Toni Myers and the team NZ Management magazine and Mediaweb for helping us with the printing and distribution of the magazine.

• Toni Myers and the team at Mediaweb for their generous assistance with design and marketing.

• The team at Canon for support with our printing and copier needs.• Bell Gully for assistance with legal advice around our commercial lease

arrangements.• Sue North and ACC for donating our office furniture.• May Lundberg, Oliver Shan, Mark Fang and Liso Do from

PricewaterhouseCoopers for providing us with audit services.• Nick Hadley and the team from KudosWeb for his invaluable web and IT

assistance.• Members of the Leadership New Zealand Alumni who have given their

time, talents and energy at various events and SkillsBank projects so far this year.

• All of our Trustees, Advisory Trustees and Funding Partners for their ongoing support and invaluable advice.

• All of our programme speakers who have generously shared with us their leadership stories, time and thoughts.

Our sincere thanks to…


Our Leadership Programme provides a uniquely respectful, open and honest arena for full debate, real challenge and deep learning. Each year we bring together 30 to 36 mid-career leaders from the government, commercial, social enterprise and not-for-profit sectors of New Zealand. We connect this emerging generation of leaders with leaders of the wisdom generation and enter into leadership dialogue, debate and learning.

We challenge our programme leaders to take themselves to their learning edge, to be honest with themselves, to develop their self-awareness, to develop their societal-awareness, and to step forward in their organisations and communities to lead change for the better.

Diversity is a key enabler to achieving ever higher levels of societal engagement, creativity and innovation. We are proud of our legacy of excellence and innovation in educating on the basis of a diversity of thought and perspective.

As a future graduand you will join your alumni peers as a New Zealand leader who makes a difference. You will hold knowledge that enables you to harness the diverse intellectual capital of your organisation and build this into a competitive edge. You will join the next generation of leaders creating richer solutions for the complex challenges New Zealand is facing in community, health, education, equality, economy and environment.

A LIFE IN LEADERSHIP

2013 LEADERSHIP PROGRAMMECALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Do you hear the call to leadership?Leadership New Zealand’s founding Trustees were called by the opportunity to bring together leaders from every generation and every sector of New Zealand society; to

connect them through conversation, dialogue and debate; to develop their ability and capacity to lead those around them; and to challenge them with making a leadership

difference for the better in the communities within which they lived, worked and played.

This is your opportunity

Applications for our 2013 Leadership Programme are invited from residents of New Zealand who:

• Are talented leaders with at least 10-15 years’ experience in their sector• Care about New Zealand and its future• Have senior executive support from their organisation • Are able to commit (the programme spans 10 months across NZ and attendance is essential)• Are commited to continuing their leadership growth after the programme via community involvement

and/or volunteering for Leadership New Zealand’s community projects

Applications for the 2013 Leadership Programme close on 28 September 2012

For further details go to www.leadershipnz.co.nz or contact us on 09 309 3749 or [email protected]

Key Partners

Supporting Partners

Accident Compensation Corporationwww.acc.co.nz

ASB Community Trustwww.asbcommunitytrust.co.nz

Foodstuffs (Auckland) Ltdwww.foodstuffs.co.nz

NZ Management magazinewww.management.co.nz

Altris Ltdwww.altris.co.nz

Bell Gullywww.bellgully.com

Canon New Zealandwww.canon.co.nz

ITC Services www.itcservices.co.nz

Kerridge & Partnerswww.kerridgepartners.com

Mediawebwww.mediaweb.co.nz

leaders 2012

Documents

active leadership

generations p24 leadership

new zealands leaders

arg chair

kiwibank alumnus

toni myers director

employment agency alumnus

ola consulting alumnus