Tracy is a pracademic in every sense. Her career journey is a humble one. She has loved numbers as far back as she remembers. First starting off as an office clerk for Magnus Lennings in Opotiki, progressing to Administration Manager, before taking up a position at a well-known Bay of Plenty accounting firm Cookson-Forbes as an auditor.
Tracy has always been good with numbers, helping her parents with their small contracting business & local trusts. This also extended to her personal life, securing scholarships for her children secondary boarding school applications and paying off her mortgage.
She also knows how to live off the land, having the abundance of the moana & the ngahere at her doorstep.
Her journey to being an auditor was not the traditional route. It was a buildup of trust from the company she works for, and the knowledge she has built up over the years of general ledgers.
“My defining moment, a big thing for me is I did not want to be another Māori statistic, it was a personal driver. At the time we were studying. Dad was in a business, so that had an impact on student allowances. So I left without a bursary. I fobbed it off and went straight into the workforce. I did not want any student debt.
The six pou of Mata Ārahi Manomano drive the questions we have used to profile Māori & Pacific role models, in the Service sector.
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Representing the levels and forms of aroha that can be found throughout our lives across our many communities. We acknowledge the wide range of obstacles and the journey it takes to overcoming everything that stands in our way to expressing aroha within.
I have two boys, aged 21 and 19, and two girls, aged 18 and 9.
I am loyal and committed, working from 8am to 5pm without ever taking time off. I started working straight out of college for Magnes Lennies from 1995 to 2015 as an office clerk and then moved into the role of office manager.
I am good at maths; I’m analytical, systematic, and curious.
My learning style did not align well with what was required for an accounting degree, but I love numbers and what I do.
Seeking guidance from our kaitiaki Hiwa-i-te-rangi, we take a journey through our different aspirations, goals and dreams. This tohu acknowledges hard work, wisdom, the reach of ones goals and the desire that comes from this mahi.
I’ve always loved numbers. I studied accounting at college until the 7th form (Year 13); however, I finished before I could sit the bursary exams. Despite this, my passion for numbers never waned.
I pursued various roles that allowed me to work with numbers, eventually leading me to a career in auditing.
My analytical skills, attention to detail, and systematic approach have been crucial in my professional journey. I am committed to continuous learning and improving my skills, which has helped me grow and succeed in my chosen career path.
With adventure comes challenges as well as obstacles to overcome. We stand proud as we overcome these obstacles. This tohu draws inspiration from the Niho Taniwha and Aramoana patterns. We acknowledge reaching our destination and preparing ourselves for the many new adventures ahead.
I stayed in the same role for 20 years, and I have been in my current role for seven years.
I liked the variety that the position offered, including creating all the financial statements manually back in the 1990s, using a manual coding system.
My goal was to get all this information put into the computer. However, the manual processes gave me a solid background understanding of the moving parts of the General Ledger.
I did papers through Massey extramurally, which was challenging while trying to study, raise kids, and work full-time. My sister could skim through reading and get great marks, but I had to put in more effort.
I have already bought and paid for my home. I have no pressure to earn more. My two boys went through boarding school, and my daughter is in private boarding school.
I apply for scholarships and iwi grants for my kids to get a good education. Mapihi funding has helped with $4K for their boarding school.
I was on the school board for over 16 years. I also do free voluntary work for Māori Trusts and my parents’ business.
Technology has played a part in the changes to my career. AI is intriguing to me, as English and writing were areas I struggled with. If this tool can help me with writing essays, it may encourage me to pursue higher learning.
These patterns represent bravery and being strong in the face of adversity. We strive to be persistent and positively challenge anything that threatens to alter, restrict, and put a barrier in the way of our desired pathway.
I believe there is an impairment in the way I learn. The harder I tried to study for the accounting degrees, the more challenging it became.
However, I am doing what I am meant to be doing. How much more money will I realistically earn? I don’t think getting the full degree will aid me in what I am currently doing and love doing.
My defining moment, a big thing for me, was that I did not want to be another Māori statistic; it was a personal driver. At the time we were studying, Dad was in a business which impacted our ability to get student allowances. So, I left without a bursary. I brushed it off and went straight into the workforce. I did not want any student debt.
This was back in the 90s when our rohe had a lot of unemployment.
Here we are drawing inspiration from the Pūhoro pattern. The pūhoro is used here to represent the strength, speed and agility needed to move forward and accomplish ones goals.
My recommendation is you get the degree. I have worked with others who get paid a lot more. Smaller businesses tend not to have annual reviews, so pay rises were based on whether the business was making a profit or not.
Everything I need to know, a large portion (three-quarters) of what is in the degree, is not actually what we do daily. When it comes to learning, what I am missing out on is the money.
We are lucky that we work for a great organisation that acknowledges our experience regardless of the tohu. The Accounting Technician Certificate is a pathway that I can consider.
Be mindful that with accounting, there is more than one way to report things—more than one way to skin a cat.
For me, my kids need to factor in what their interests are and do what they love. Despite gaining scholarships, my son decided to work in the mines in Australia and has a clothing side hustle. He went from school to earning $130K AUD per annum. That is a fast track to good money.
Success, best mentioned in the whakatauki “Tūwhitia te hopo, mairangatia te angitū!” Feel the fear and do it anyway!
My learning style involves having to see things as well as hear them. I have been auditing for over three years; however, I am still disheartened by the assessments in the accounting degree.
I found the paperwork and exams overwhelming. I’d love to see how I would do pursuing the degree now at this stage in my life.
I believe that the Accounting Technician Certificate is my pathway, as I still do not want to tackle the degree. I already love what I do.
Memorable wins for me include being able to increase my knowledge of admin over time, winning the trust of my employers, and opening up opportunities.
We have the freedom of where and when we work. We have a key to the building, so we are able to manage our own schedules. Learning different things along the way, working with customers, and then dealing with debtors.
Progressing to doing wages, then handling warranty claims and ride-on mower faults. The gradual progression of skills that I have learned over a period of time has been a win for me.
I had two years off work and decided to give something else a go. When someone I knew in the accounting firm was moving on, she mentioned my name to the owner. I came in for the interview and have been here for seven years now.
