General manager of Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust, Karleen Everitt, Kiwi representative in US programme

Karleen Everitt will be the only Kiwi to attend the International Global Women in Management (GWIM) programme in Washington DC this month. Photo / Supplied

A prominent Northland's female Māori leader working to progress economic development in the region will be the only Kiwi to attend the International Global Women in Management (GWIM) programme in Washington DC this month.

Karleen Everitt is general manager of Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust (TPWT) and strategic advisor for the Federation of Maori Authorities (FOMA) and will attend the four-week women's economic development workshop being run by Plan International for not-for-profit and civil society sector with leadership, technical and professional skills.

The programme also provides delegates with the opportunity to exchange best practice and experience.

Everitt was the first Māori and female chair of the Northland Inc board, with governance roles with NorthTec, the Kaikohekohe Education Trust and Iwi organisations across Tai Tokerau.

Everitt said her roles allowed her to share knowledge with other Māori women, as her role gave her access to a diverse range of female leaders.

"I am humbled that I have been selected to be with an outstanding group of women who are doing amazing things to advance female leadership around the world," she said.

"It's fantastic to have this opportunity to develop my leadership skills, and while I'm immensely excited about getting over there, what I'm most excited for is to come back and apply the knowledge gained."

The global programme was established in 2005 to help women around the world fulfil their economic potential and serve as drivers of economic and social change in their communities. It is supported by the ExxonMobil Foundation's Women's Economic Opportunity. The programme was attended by Northlander Rangimarie Price in 2017.

Andrew McNaught, lead country manager for Mobil Oil New Zealand, said there was "a clear synergy between the objectives of GWIM and those of Ms Everitt and her organisation, which seeks to accelerate Māori social and economic development through educational achievement and higher levels of workforce participation by Māori in key sectors of the economy".

"GWIM presents Karleen with a rare opportunity for fresh insights and further development in the economic development space. Her participation in GWIM will greatly benefit Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust, as well as the wider Northland community, and Mobil is excited to see how she employs the skills she's learned to empower other women," he said.

"It's proven that empowering women helps to catalyse economic growth. Not only that, but knowledge and implementation programs such as GWIM can have a powerful multiplier effect that benefit the entire community.

"Karleen has an enviable background in advancing economic opportunities, and access to extensive networks in Māori economic development, which are invaluable at a pivotal time for Northland and New Zealand's growth and development," he said.