Governance in the 21st century
Programme participant Jane Carruthers shares her experiences and thoughts on Session Seven held in Wellington at ACC and Toi Whakaaria.
One of the things I most enjoy about Leadership NZ, is turning up each month but never really truly knowing what to expect. And as predicted, Wellington was no exception. All we knew was that it was a full itinerary and we were to be exposed to some of New Zealand’s most prestigious leaders in governance; adding to that, a quick-fire lesson focused on our own future potential complete with a personality profiling exercise, an Asian cooking school and a sensational hour of energy and adrenaline drumming with the company Strike Percussion.
We reset our focus to be present, and embraced the challenge to engage and absorb the two day programme in entirety. Hosted at ACC on the first day, our eyes were opened to the powerful and important work that this government agency undertakes, often without any thanks or comprehension of what is undertaken, followed by day two at Toi Whakaari (the NZ Drama School) where we really experienced the creative energy of the Toi Whakaari institution.
I enjoyed panel discussion of intelligent and inspirational woman, talking to the challenges both personally and professionally, in leadership and diversity. The lesson here….they simply don’t give any energy to foreseen barriers and challenges and all seemed to embody a common mind-set of true passion and determination to do what they set out to do.
Each speaker brought with them a vast variety of worldly experience, individual styles of leadership, personal opinions, stories and anecdotes about the roles of the state and societal expectations, incorporating future prospects for New Zealand. From Graeme Wheeler to Iain Rennie, Jim Bolger to Christian Penny - what a unique combination of leadership styles and influential New Zealand governance positions that shapes our country. And this really couldn’t have been timed better with the election being held on the Saturday. My mind was near over-flowing.
As we continue our journey on Leadership NZ, we have been given a lot to consider about what governance looks like in New Zealand. I was inspired and energised by the time in Wellington and can’t wait to see some of these new ways of thinking playing out in members of our group as we take back our learnings into our everyday work and lives.
Jane Carruthers
Marketing Manager Auckland Airport