Ni Sa Bula Vinaka my name is Zeena Khan. I’m of Chinese, Fijian and Indian heritage, born in Suva, Fiji, from the village of Levuka. Since the 80s, I’ve called South Auckland home, and I now reside in Wellington. I’m passionate about education and self-development, and helping others discover their natural talents is my jam!
A creative at heart, I published my first poetry book in December 2020. My creative outlet has kept me inspired and motivated to persevere in life and career.
Can you share a bit about your professional journey leading up to your current position?
My professional journey began in the Service Sector whilst at high school with part time roles in retail and hospitality. The robust customer service training led me to the Contact Centre Industry, where I started as a Customer Service Agent. Over the years, with growth & development opportunities, I worked my way up to Customer Service Manager, leading a 20+seat centre. My experience is across several industries: Finance, Manufacturing, Utilities, and Education, with a strong thread of Technology. In both private and public sectors, I would describe my fields of expertise as leadership, change management, and learning and development.
Education is a cornerstone of my family’s values. Vocational education was a game changer for me while working in the contact centre industry. With the support of awesome leaders, coaches, and mentors, I successfully completed my National Contact Centre Operations Level 3, Level 4, and First-Line Management certifications. From this experience, I gained a passion for helping others and went on to complete the Assessor accreditation (4098).
I am a champion of lifelong learning. Soon after graduating from my Bachelor of Applied Management in Business Transformation & Change, a career opportunity saw me move to Wellington in 2019. With a curious mindset, in 2022, I joined Ringa Hora Services Workforce Development Council as Pacific Transformation Lead.
What attracted you to your current role in Ringa Hora? What are your responsibilities?
I was attracted to the role for three reasons: 1. Vocational Education, 2. Develop partnership & engagement skills, and 3. The cultural lens presented new learnings. I felt my lived experience would enable me to be the bridge to understanding between cultures with the different worlds I walk in.
The focus of my role is the Pacific lens across the motu, connecting and engaging with industry to amplify and channel the voice of the Pacific workforce within the Service sector. My engagements include meeting with communities, industry leaders, and industry associations; hearing about workforce needs and challenges; and working out ways in which vocational education can help support growth and development opportunities for the workforce now and in the future. Conversations lead to initiatives we collaborate with industry on to help support their aspirations, bringing people together to create future workforce-focused industry action plans.
What role can Ringa Hora play in making the industry better? What achievements of Ringa Hora are you most proud of?
Ringa Hora plays a pivotal role in representing industry to help support workforce aspirations through vocational education.
Within the Pacific space, the signing of the Memorandum of Collaboration between Ohu Ahumahi Workforce Development Councils and the Pacific Business Trust will enable transformation through collaboration by empowering Pacific learners, businesses and employees. At a regional level, Ringa Hora has been instrumental in connecting Pacific business owners as guest speakers at events to inspire our next generation of leaders.
I’m proud of many things that we as a team have achieved based on our values and passion for the industries we serve. Moving forward I’m excited about the continued positive and meaningful impact we’ll make with industry.
