Leading the Way

31 Mar 2025

Insights from Women Shaping the Future

At HG we are privileged to work in sectors strengthened by the leadership of remarkable women. In this special International Women’s Day feature, we celebrate their contributions by sharing their insights on leadership and equity.

We asked two simple yet powerful questions:

Here’s what they had to say.

Q1: Over the past couple of years, instead of worrying about overloading my team, I have focused on mastering the art of delegation. This has created space for me to concentrate on the strategic direction of our organisation, engage in higher-impact activities, and maintain a ‘buffer’ to effectively address any immediate risks or issues that arise.

Not only has this improved my efficiency and effectiveness at work, but it has also significantly enhanced my work-life balance, overall wellbeing, and time with whānau. This empowerment has extended beyond my team and through into their teams as well, fostering professional growth, increasing motivation and confidence, and driving performance and collaborative success in achieving our organisational goals.

Q2: Fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace is not just important; it’s one of my greatest passions. Ensuring we have an inclusive society promotes a sense of belonging, drives innovation, and creates a workforce that truly reflects our community. This, in turn, makes our services more responsive to the needs of those we serve.

We have established an Inclusivity and Diversity Strategy that champions inclusive behaviour and provides education. This strategy fosters an organisational culture where people feel safe to be themselves, boosting confidence, loyalty, resilience, and adaptability in an ever-changing environment.

Moreover, it has empowered us to explore, launch, and support a range of diversity and inclusion initiatives, often led by our employees. Being an inclusive and diverse organisation is no longer a choice; it is essential for any business that aims to thrive in the future.

Q1: Prioritising what is needed to keep the ‘business’ going and what matters for the day-to-day activities, this includes making a list of tasks to complete and time management.  I utilise resources to support my workload to be efficient and effective in times of competing priorities.   Sometimes, things do not go to plan and therefore, it is important to be resilient and agile in a rapidly changing environment.

Be kind to yourself! Plans, schedules, and meeting deadlines can be hectic and can put so much stress and pressure on us, therefore balancing with wellness is important to survive in these types of roles.  I like to go back on ‘country’ and soak up the natural elements to ground me, this supports my wellness and gives me strength and resilience to continue in my leadership role and for the community I serve.

Q2: Be innovative and create opportunities that will give staff or community an inclusive representation to make system change.   If this is done by true authentic co-design and facilitation, whether it’s designing a program, delivering a service, providing access or team outputs, I believe this creates opportunities that allow community and staff to understand and see the purpose and vision.

And finally, if we truly listen, learn, and understand what the needs are for community and staff, we will have a momentum that creates change for a better future. 

Q1: For me, leadership has always been about balancing competing priorities while staying focused on what truly matters. One strategy that has helped me is Jeff Kennett’s rule—never having more than five priorities at any one time. I used to follow this religiously, taking time each lunchtime to sit down, reflect on what I had achieved, assess how much time I had spent on each priority, and then adjust as needed. This habit kept me accountable and ensured I was directing my energy where it mattered most.

Another lesson that has stuck with me came from a fantastic coach who taught me the value of focusing on just 15 minutes at a time. Whether it’s a task, a conversation, or a decision, fully committing to that short window before moving on has been a game-changer. It has helped me stay present, complete conversations properly, and avoid the trap of constant multitasking.

Q2: If there’s one change, I believe is essential for creating a more inclusive and equitable future, it’s the practice of pausing, reflecting, and connecting. Leadership isn’t just about titles—it should exist at every seat. I think about Sand Talk (page 274), which emphasizes Respect, Connect, Reflect, and Direct a way of thinking that challenges us to listen deeply, acknowledge diverse perspectives, and act with intention.

Without this approach, we risk putting on blinders to diversity. I’ve learned that deep listening and truth-telling are critical—assuming we already know the answers leads to missed opportunities for real change. Making space for the consumer voice is one of the most powerful ways to shape better outcomes, especially in healthcare. When we truly listen to those impacted by the systems we design, we create something far more meaningful and effective.

For the next generation of leaders, embracing different ways of thinking and using wisdom from all perspectives will be key to shaping a more inclusive and impactful future.

Q1: I am at my best when:

Q2: It is not enough to simply invite diverse voices to the table, we must create environments where people feel seen, heard and valued. Brene Brown says “belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.” Our next generation of leaders deserve spaces where authenticity isn’t just accepted, but it is celebrated. Getting there requires us to be honest, conversations about equity and inclusion aren’t always easy. Recognising these conversations can be uncomfortable, is a sign we are taking off the blinkers and growing. When one person leans into discomfort , it creates space for others to do the same.  

Q1: I always aim to maintain flexibility and adaptability ensuring I don’t lose focus on the vision and goals and keeping positivity, kindness and compassion at the centre of everything I do.

Q2: Embracing technology, thinking differently and a willingness to understand differences including what motivates and drives people to succeed and empower others.

Q1: I have used a range of strategies throughout my career to help me stay focused on what truly matters – for example using the Eisenhower matrix, regular reflection space, accessing amazing mentors – and I am constantly trying new things. I will share a couple of the key strategies I use personally and with my team.

Q2: This is such an important question for ‘now’ when we look at what is happening worldwide, as almost daily we see examples of erosion of women’s rights and of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging policies and practices.

However, for me the way we create a more inclusive and equitable future for the next generation of leaders is ensuring we value difference and that we as leaders are constantly challenging and seeking to break down break down the systemic and structural barriers that are inherent in all systems. One of the most important one for me though is equitable access to high quality education– if this doesn’t happen these future leaders are not even able to get through the ‘front door’.