Maia has joined the Tātaki Auckland Unlimited team as our Youth Coordinator.
Tell us about your role at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited
My role is to support skills programme specialist Sarah Freer with our youth employment and Youth Employer Pledge programme of work – I’m her project co-ordinator of sorts! I’m here to do admin, answer employer questions, do a bit of stakeholder engagement, help create a new framework, share my thoughts and most importantly, be an advocate for rangatahi!
What are the skills and knowledge you bring to the job?
My background is in te ao Māori and I have previously worked in the diversity and inclusion sector. What I’m really bringing to this job is my passion for wanting to help rangatahi. I think as someone who’s starting their career themselves, by contributing to the Youth Employer Pledge programme, in a way I’m also helping myself while helping others.
What has your experience been so far working as a young person in a large organisation?
It has definitely been a jump from other places I’ve worked in, but I think because my own team is quite small, I have been able to settle in well. The immediate differences between a small organisation and one like Tātaki Auckland Unlimited is the sheer number of resources available. I also feel that because there is such a mix of ages here, it’s not so intimidating.
Why are young people important to Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s future?
As our population continues to grow, naturally our workforce changes as well. Our rangatahi are our ‘rangatira mo āpōpō’ – our leaders of tomorrow. Tāmaki Makaurau, as the largest city in Aotearoa, needs to provide spaces and opportunities for our rangatahi to grow, learn and lead in order to maintain Tamaki as a desirable place to live, work, visit, invest and do business.
What do you think is the biggest barrier for young people to getting a job?
I feel that a lot of rangatahi feel intimated entering new jobs. Especially in jobs and organisations where they can’t see themselves reflected in other Māori or Pasifika kaimahi. I also think a lot of job advertisements ask for previous experience but our youth can’t gain experience when no one is willing to give them that first opportunity.
What do you think young people bring to the workplace?
Rangatahi bring diversity of thought, skills, knowledge and liveliness to a workplace. They’re great learners – at the start of a new job or the beginning of their career, rangatahi absorb everything that’s being taught to them. They’re also great at creating new ideas and changing the dynamic of a workplace for the better.
What do you look for in a job and an employer?
When I’m looking for a job, usually the first things that make me want to apply are the organisation’s values and tiriti polices and strategies. If I’m interested in the role that’s being advertised, I ask myself if it suits me as a person, whether I would be able to carry out what’s in the job description and where is it located. These are the initial questions that run through my head when looking at jobs.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I enjoy spending my free time watching different movies and tv shows – one of my favourite things to do is go to the movie theatre. I also spend a lot of time with my whānau, either here in Tāmaki or back home up north. They’re a big part of who I am.