Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa (the Māori Law Society) says over 67 wāhine Māori have signed up to participate in the second year of the Ngā Wāhine Rōia Māori Mentoring Programme.

The second year of the programme was launched by Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa in March 2019. It supports the mentoring and career development of Māori women lawyers across Aotearoa.

“We are really excited to build on the success of the 2018 Programme and to again provide a platform for our members to connect, learn and to help each other achieve” says Kate Tarawhiti, Ōtautahi Representative for Te Hunga Rōia Māori.

“We were again very fortunate for the support of senior members of the profession, without which the programme would not be possible. This included members of the judiciary, private law firms, the public sector and Barristers across a range of practice areas. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou.”

The Programme matches together Kaitautoko (Mentor) and Ākonga (Mentee) based on their respective goals, experiences and information provided in application forms.  

Once paired, they are encouraged to figure out what works for them, noting that the best mentoring relationships are the ones based on trust and feeling supported.

"We hope that this initiative fosters better relationships between our members and provides role models to our future leaders," says Ms Tarawhiti.

Programme participants from across Aotearoa will come together at the Te Hunga Rōia Māori Hui-ā-Tau (annual conference) to be held in Te Whanganui-ā-Tara (Wellington) on 28 to 31 August 2019.