AGWN Webinar with Serena Curtis
Hosts: Te Aka Wāhine o Tāmaki Auckland Government Women's Network
Venue: Online via Zoom
Date: 26 July 2023
Speaker: Serena Curtis
Facilitated by: Joanne Hacking
Serena shared her insights and perspectives on how our values add strength to who we are and talked about how she has practiced and applied her Pacific values during her leadership journey. There was great engagement from online attendees which provided rich talanoa.
Serena is an LDC fellow and recently published her fellowship report Leadership in our Aotearoa Pacific village: practicing values and unlocking strengths. Serena’s kōrero helped us explore key themes in Te Hā o Hineahuone which includes Auckland GWN’s Pacific Strategic Action Plan, launched last year. You can read Serena's research report on the LDC website.
Serena believes that knowing yourself is essential, regardless of your role in the public sector, and that bringing your whole self to work is powerful. Serena shared her insights and perspectives on how our values add strength to who we are and talked about how she has practiced and applied her Pacific values during her leadership journey. There was great engagement from online attendees which provided rich talanoa. We've gathered some of the key takeaways and feedback below:
Key takeaways
- Importance of knowing and living your values, and being a genuine and transparent leader. Not wanting the spotlight, but using the opportunity to represent people who aren't at the table.Importance of knowing and living your values, and being a genuine and transparent leader. Not wanting the spotlight, but using the opportunity to represent people who aren't at the table.
- When collecting evidence from the community it doesn't always have to be qualitive or quantative based. Gathering directly from community and in particular matua/elders should be taken into account.
- We should act on the lessons learned during the difficult early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. We learned that government could be flexible with funding, procurement, and regulations to protect public health and wellbeing. We also learned that community organisations know their people best. We also learned that delivering locally with support from regions and centrally-based leadership in Wellington works well.
- I enjoyed hearing about Serena's personal story as a prominent Pacific public servant leader and how she navigated some of the challenges she faced.
- Being yourself in all spaces and advocating for what is right.
- Once the door opens, put your foot in it!
- Be less afraid to be the only wāhine there (or youngest or of colour) even if feels awkward.
- Serena is an amazing people leader who knows her why and serves well. She is an inspiration and a true role model
Feedback
- I really enjoyed hearing about Serena's journey it was really motivating.I really enjoyed hearing about Serena's journey it was really motivating.
- Thank you for this platform and for the opportunity to hear from Serena.
- Well done! Loved it! Great speaker in Serena and hosting from Jo. Ka rawe.
- This was shared through the AGWN and WGWN connection. I'm in Wellington but appreciated being able to join the Auckland event. Thanks.
- Resonating with Serena on tautua and honoring our community in the positions we hold.
- Thank you Serena for your humbling story and passion. A lot of the times our Pasefika and mana wahine undervalue themselves when it comes to sitting at the big table. Thank you for standing in the gap of our underestimation of self worth and what our success could be.
- Love that - put your foot in the door! Thanks for your inspiring korero.
- Thank you so much Serena for empowering and encouraging for me to step up and do something for my community not sitting behind and just watch[ing] all this.