Tēnā koutou katoa.
Ko Zach Edwards tōku ingoa.
Nō Ingarangi ahau.
Nō Ingarangai, Hāmoa me Aotearoa ōku tīpuna.
Kei te noho au ki Tāmaki Makaurau.
My working life started in the UK, in my home city of Bristol, where I worked for the UK equivalent of Bunnings Warehouse, called B&Q. Our aprons were bright orange, though! During my five years at B&Q, I worked in various customer service and managerial roles and then finished my time there while working in the HR Team.
I then travelled across Te Moana-nui-a Kiwi, the Pacific Ocean, to settle here in Aotearoa, where I joined the Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) team. During my 5 years at Southern Cross, I primarily worked in the Distribution and Inbound Insurance space, supporting a network in providing insurance to people coming to New Zealand, including visitors, Seasonal Workers and International Students. My roles at SCTI saw me working closely with schools and education providers across the motu to ensure our international visitors were well supported during their time here in Aoteatoa. While at SCTI, I also support in a few other areas, such as in Employee Engagement and also in establishing a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) rōpū,
From here, I then went to join in some amazing mahi with Diversity Works New Zealand (DWNZ), the national body in Aotearoa for workplace diversity, equity and inclusion. Here I was engaging with people and businesses throughout New Zealand, supporting and guiding them in various areas of DEI. My time at DWNZ taught me so much and connected me with so many incredible individuals who are truly striving to make sure Aotearoa New Zealand is a place where we can all thrive.
What attracted you to this role? What are your responsibilities?
Being able to clearly see how the work of Ringa Hora, and the Workforce Development Councils, is positively contributing to communities, industries and the Vocational Education and Training (VET) System is what initially drew me to this role. It was evident to me that Ringa Hora wanted to do all that it could to ensure that all people had to the chance and opportunity to gain valuable qualifications and skills to support them in life.
In my role as the Industry Engagement Lead for the Business & Professional Services portfolio, I get the exciting job of working with a range of professions and industries, including HR, Marketing, Small Business, Accounting, Law and Administration. Working with stakeholders from across these areas, I unpack and explore how they use, or could use, the VET system to support developing or growing relevant skills required for their work. Industry voice and expertise is a crucial component in ensuring the success of our learners and the VET system and we support industry in getting involved in a range of areas, such as qualification review, design and development.
