November 27, 2015

#RISE2025 Launched to Empower Leadership for Indigenous Women

A new global coaching programme aimed at elevating Maori, Pacific Island and Asian women into leadership roles in the next decade was launched in parliament this week under a partnership between Maori Womens Development Inc and internationally recognised Entrepreneur, Talent Expert and Coach Rachel Petero.

The programme called RISE (#rise2025) has been formulated by Ms Petero and Jeanine Bailey based on their combined experience of over 25 years’ in coaching, leadership and talent development throughout the world.

Most recently Ms Petero has been based in the Middle East developing Qatari women and youth in leadership as part of a government led Nationalisation strategy to 2030. Her work in empowering women into leadership positions has attracted international awards and accolades – she was the recipient of the Young Woman Leader award by The International Alliance for Women in Washington DC and is a Women in Business mentor for the Cherie Blair Foundation in the UK.

With parents of Tainui descent, Ms Petero says coming home after fifteen years to New Zealand to help indigenous women rise to their full potential as leaders of communities, corporates and governance roles is yet another Dream BIG goal that is now a reality.

“I’ve supported men and women all over the world to transform and realise their purpose and full potential as leaders in business and in the community, and now it’s time to bring my learnings home to enable indigenous women in my own country to realise theirs,” Ms Petero says.

“New Zealand have the ability to set the global benchmark for diversity and inclusion. We are agile and entrepreneurial enough to transform how we lead. When it comes to women in leadership on boards and in governance roles the global statistics demonstrate increased GDP, sustained revenue and profitability when you bring diversity into decision making roles. However we need to build capability first. In returning home there is a notable absence of Maori, Pacific Island and Asian women in leadership roles,” she says. “It’s my intention to share my international experience and passion to develop indigenous talent, promote inclusive leadership, and in doing so set Aotearoa on a path to be globally recognised for this transformative coaching and leadership movement. This includes the rich tapestry of qualities and skills that indigenous women bring to the table, our economy and the world.”

The Ministry of Maori Development through Maori Women’s Development Inc (MWDI) is supporting 16 Maori women to go through the #rise2025 programme initially. 100 Maori, Pacific Island and Asian women will go through the #rise2025 programme by 2017 and the programme will grow from here. #rise2025 will then travel to Australia, then Canada and the Middle East. Ms Petero and Ms Bailey say the goal is to use #rise2025 to positively impact 100,000 indigenous women and girls globally by 2025, through a 10 year global strategy that directly aligns with the United Nations Global Goals for women.

“Through #rise2025 we aim to enable more indigenous women to acquire globally recognised coaching credentials through the International Coach Federation and be of service to their indigenous communities,” Ms Petero says. “We’ll be building coaching capability of indigenous women in alignment with an ethics-based leadership approach, linked to an internationally recognised coaching credentials.”

The first #rise2025 programme will be run in Wellington from 9th Dec with 16 participants from a variety of backgrounds including entrepreneurs, community leaders and women returning to the workforce.

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