Congratulations to our members Karleen Everitt and Traci Houpapa, who were honoured at Ngā Tohu Kaiārahi Pakihi Māori o Aotearoa – Aotearoa Māori Business Leaders Awards.
The awards celebrate Māori excellence and success in business, recognising the achievements and commitment to Māori values of exceptional leaders across Aotearoa New Zealand. Hosted at the University of Auckland Business School, the event highlights the unique contributions of Māori across six categories.
Karleen Everitt, who is Te Kaitohu Rautaki Māori (Head of Te Ao Māori Strategy) at ANZ New Zealand, was the winner of the Dame Mira Szászy Alumni Award. The award is named for the late Dame Mira Szászy, who was the first Māori woman to graduate with a degree from the University of Auckland. She was also national president of Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko i te Ora, the Māori Women’s Welfare League, and an active force in both women’s and Māori rights throughout her lifetime.
We are delighted to celebrate Karleen’s recipience of the award, which recognises the significant business success of a Māori alumni of the University of Auckland Business School to date. Karleen’s commitment to te ao Māori is at the heart of her mahi, reflected in both her professional and governance roles. She is the force behind ANZ’s first Te Ao Māori Strategy, Tākiri Ā Rangi, is the chair of her whānau Trust, deputy chair of St Stephen’s & Queen Victoria Schools Trust Board, and a member of the Board here at Global Women.
We are further proud to celebrate Traci Houpapa, whose extensive leadership in business and governance was honoured with the Māori Governance Leader Award. Traci’s extensive leadership and governance in the business world has helped shape the face of Māori business today. Traci was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to business and Māori in 2021, and her ongoing commitment to governance was recognised earlier this year when she was the recipient of the Women in Governance Lifetime Achiever Award.