4 minute read
Growing Pasifika talent
The team at Auckland Transport (AT) has recently launched a new Pasifika strategy. Antony Hall, Head of Organisational Effectiveness, shares successes of this strategy.
Malo e lelei, talofa lava, kia orana, malo ni, fakaalofa lahi atu, ni sa bula vinaka, fakatalofa atu, namaste, kam na mauri and tēnā koutou are greetings you will start to hear more of at. The organisation employs about 1,700 people and is responsible for all the region’s transport services, from roads and footpaths, to cycling, parking and public transport.
As diverse as Auckland
Auckland is the largest Polynesian city in the world. Pasifika are among the top three fastest-growing ethnicities in New Zealand. They represent 15.5 per cent of the Auckland population and are an essential group of people that AT serves every day. AT has recognised the importance of this group is growing and it must respond to their transport needs.
Significantly, AT has recognised it can only do this if the organisation reflects the diverse communities in which it operates and serves, that their people are culturally intelligent, and they embrace the diversity that Tāmaki Makaurau offers. This means making AT a place where all the different groups that make up the community can thrive.
Shane Ellison, CEO, believes AT’s Pasifika strategy is an enabler in helping the company create an inclusive culture where people feel valued and supported, regardless of any differences. “If we get this right, we'll be better off when it comes to supporting Tāmaki Makaurau,” he says.
AT has a range of diversity and inclusion initiatives. These include a focus on growing female leadership, improving Māori employment outcomes, an unconscious bias programme and various internal networking groups, such as the Rainbow Network, Incredible India and Chinese AT Heart, to name a few.
Pasifika strategy
The Pasifika strategy was created by AT’s own internal Pasifika network and recognises and values the kinship and cultural connections of Pasifika and Māori. The strategy focuses on four priorities:
1. grow Pasifika talent
2. create a culture where Pasifika thrive
3. ensure equity and fairness
4. engage with our communities, partners and stakeholders to create opportunities for Pasifika through AT’s activities.
This strategy will change AT’s approach to developing Pasifika talent. Over the past few years, AT has already doubled the number of its Pasifika employees. This is a call to lift up, empower and grow Pasifika employees and ensure they are sitting at the decision-making table.
Well-established partnerships with organisations such as TupuToa, the Pacific Cooperation Foundation and the First Foundation are already opening up untapped pathways into careers in engineering, planning, law and many other corporate roles.
Ava ceremony
An Ava ceremony was used to launch the strategy to the executive team and board. Not only was this a significant cultural milestone, it provided an opportunity for the Pasifika group to open up and share a sacred and important tradition.
The impact this made was monumental. It took the team out of the board room and their comfort zone, it left a long-lasting impression and, above everything else, all the recommendations in the strategy were endorsed.
Plans are under way to hold another Ava ceremony to communicate the strategy to the whole organisation.
Kakala model
A fundamental cornerstone of the strategy is the Kakala model. This year, AT will introduce the Kakala model into its leadership development framework. Lynette Reed, Organisational Effectiveness Consultant and leader of AT’s
Pasifika Connect group, says, “The Kakala model is a potent analogy that introduces many Pasifika ideas and traditions into leadership theory and practice.”
With strong support from the board and executive teams, AT is confident the strategy, which sets out specific actions and goals, such as a minimum of 75 per cent of its people leaders attending the Kakala leadership workshop, will improve outcomes for AT’s employees and the community it serves.
Antony Hall has a background in human resources and cultural transformation in both private and public sector organisations, including Spark, TVNZ, Air NZ and Auckland Transport. He has had various senior leadership roles across a wide range of portfolios, including generalist HR, employee experience, diversity and inclusion, design thinking, product management, system implementation, talent management, talent acquisition, strategy, future of work and workforce planning. He is passionate about the role people play in an organisation and believes that great employee experiences lead to great customer experiences that in turn lead to greater business outcomes. If you’re starting your own journey or would like to find out more about AT’s Pasifika strategy, feel free to contact Antony Hall (antony.hall@at.govt.nz) or Lynette Reed (lynette.reed@at.govt.nz). The team would love to share their approach and learnings.
