Celebrating Wintec wāhine: Hiria Cameron
It’s International Women’s Day and this year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity. Instead of celebrating for just one day, we’ve decided to celebrate each day this week with a profile of a Wintec | Te Pūkenga kaimahi or ākonga.
Hiria Cameron is the Executive Strategic lead – Tōia Mai. Her role is to support and oversee the embedding of the Tōia Mai Excellence Framework to ensure Wintec | Te Pūkenga is moving towards tangible, system-wide change that fosters improved equitable outcomes for Māori, Pacific and all other learners, in the context of Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnerships.
Photo credit: Qiana Matata-Sipu
What do you enjoy doing outside work/study?
Whether it's watching my son and nephews play sport, video calls with Mum, belly laughs with my teina, dancing the night away with girlfriends, political ponderings with my social justice sisters, or going deep on all thing’s life and love with besties... Time with whānau and friends fills my tank.
What makes you passionate about your area of work/study and would you encourage other women to get into your line of work/study?
Co-creating a more equitable future for all is ultimately about changing the world. And while addressing inequities is challenging mahi, my energy to speak up, stand up and keep going is fuelled by a vision I have for my uri to shine brilliantly without the weight of systemic forces that serve to dim their light. My belief is that people who are in tune with their Divine Feminine traits are needed to lead us into a more equitable future. These traits transcend gender and I would encourage everyone to explore this for themselves as they seek to grow their leadership skills.
Do you have a favourite quote that inspires you?
Mehemea ka moemoeā ahau, ko ahau anake. Mehemea ka moemoeā tātou, ka taea e tātou | If I dream, I dream alone. If we dream together, we shall achieve.
If you were a crayon, what colour would you be and why?
Purple - it's my favourite colour.
What are you most proud of?
I'm most proud of my son. He reminds me every day that there is always an opportunity to learn and grow from challenges and hard times, that joy is a healing superpower, and that slowing down sometimes makes the overall journey faster and more pleasant.
Any interesting/fun facts about yourself that you’d like to add?
