Ngāi Tahu board now more than 50pc women

Thursday, 17 May 2018

Ngāi Tahu kaiwhakahaere Lisa Tumahai says women sometimes excel at the 'soft things that are hard to tackle'.

Lisa Tumahai, chair or kaiwhakahaere of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, says a shift in direction for the tribe has helped to boost the number of women in its governance positions.

The tribal council's board of directors is now more than 50 per cent women. Tumahai said that was a significant change from as little as four or five years ago.

Guests at the launch of the Women of Influence Awards in Christchurch.

'It's 20 years old last year … I certainly didn't think in my time we would see such a change.'

Tumahai is speaking at the Women of Influence Christchurch launch event on Thursday evening.

She said she would take the opportunity to acknowledge the women who had played major roles in Ngāi Tahu's journey and crafted its current position in the world.

While many organisations make a deliberate push to boost the number of women on their boards, Tumahai said for Ngāi Tahu it had happened more organically.

She said it could in part have been driven by a change in direction for the tribe as it looked at how it developed its strategy for the future.

It was now less focused on commercial strategy and more on the needs of the people, she said, including health, social needs and education.

'Soft things that are the hard things to tackle. Poverty, equity issues.'

That was a natural fit for women of all ethnicities to demonstrate their strength in leadership, she said.

The Women of Influence awards recognise influential women across 10 categories, including business, charity and public policy.

The awards aim to highlight the contribution women make to New Zealand's growth and development.

Candidates are judged on their vision, leadership, innovation, impact, and action in and beyond their field.

In 2017, My Food Bag co-founder Cecilia Robinson won the supreme award, while former prime minister and United Nations development programme administrator Helen Clark received a lifetime achievement award.

Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy told the 700-plus 2017 awards audience that 'influence can be many things but, used as a force for good, it can change the world'.

This year's awards commemorate 125 years since women were granted the right to vote in New Zealand.

The theme – 'The next 125 years; where to from here?' – highlights what women could achieve in the future.

The Women of Influence awards are sponsored by Westpac and Stuff.