Pacific Peoples’ Governance Workshop -Wellington

Overview

A workshop facilitated by Mele Wendt providing an opportunity to build a stronger network of Pacific Peoples in governance in Aotearoa New Zealand and to discuss the opportunities and issues being faced.  This workshop will establish the foundations of a framework by discussing what actions can be taken to assist with building the pipeline for Pacific governors and how to educate the general governance community of the value of Pacific People on boards.

Speakers

Mele Wendt, MNZM, MInstD 

Mele Wendt has 25 years of governance experience and 17 years of leadership/management experience. Her roles have included being a high school teacher, the founding Pacific Islands Liaison Officer and Manager of the Student Recruitment Office at Victoria University of Wellington, and then the Executive Director of Fulbright New Zealand for ten years.  

Mele currently chairs Wellington Community Fund, and serves on the boards of Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (The Correspondence School), the Real Estate Authority, Tāwhiri: Festivals and Experiences, and the Tokelau International Trust Fund. She is also the National Vice President - Central Region of P.A.C.I.F.I.C.A. She provides consultancies in governance training, Pacific peoples’ development, organisational capacity building, scholarships management, and mentoring.

In 2019, Mele was awarded a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for her services to governance, the Pacific community and women. In 2022, she won the Not-For-Profit Governance Leader Award at the Women in Governance Awards. Mele is a White Ribbon Ambassador and a member of various professional and community groups. 

Mele is Samoan (Malie, Vaiala, Lefaga) and palagi (NZ, Britain), and has lived in Wellington for over 35 years. She is married to Eteuati Ete and they have four grown-up children and four grandchildren.

Contact 

Gemma Fellowes
Project Coordinator
+64 9 365 2736
Gemma.Fellowes@iod.org.nz