Harlem-Cruz Ihaia is the first graduate of Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise’s rangatahi mentorship programme, Tuia, and she is thriving.
Ihaia was a mentee in 2019 and said participating in the programme gave her the tools, networks and confidence to work on her current initiative ‘Hine Purotu’, an afterschool programme to help young girls between the ages of eight and 12 to help them develop confidence in themselves, by combining pageantry and Te Ao Māori.
Ihaia is a former Miss Universe New Zealand, having won in 2017. This project combines her passions.
“I am now three years down the track and have turned that passion project into my own business, which is now my full-time job,” she said.
Open to rangatahi Māori between 18 and 25 years old, the mentorship programme is once again open for applications, closing on 12 February, so applicants will need to move fast.
Mayor Wise is on the lookout for a future leader to mentor with the ultimate goal of that young person going on to make a positive impact in their community.
“We’re looking for someone from Napier who is actively contributing to the well-being of their community and who has the potential to be a leader of the future,” Mayor Wise says.
The programme takes a long-term, inter-generational approach to develop and enhance the way young Māori contribute to communities across the country, and involves selecting one person from the region to mentor on a one-to-one basis to develop leadership skills. Once a month they have a mentoring session and otherwise attend formal and informal occasions to assist leadership development.
Part of the experience is also to build peer networks with other programme graduates, obtain support and receive training by attending weekend wānanga held around the country during the course of the year, and contribute to the community for a couple of hours every week.
“I’m thrilled to support the programme again this year,” says Mayor Wise. “It is a fantastic opportunity for young people to get a glimpse of leadership in action and also for mayors, to get an insight into the world of today’s rangatahi and what makes them tick.”
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.
Photo: Mayor Kirsten Wise with Harlem-Cruz Ihaia, Feb 2020. Photo: Supplied