Māori ward hopeful embraces fresh challenge in run for Tairāwhiti seat

Tairāwhiti Māori Ward Candidate Jackie Akuhata-Brown. Photo / Zita Campbell

Māori ward candidate Jackie Akuhata-Brown is unsure whether she will be elected to the council.

Nevertheless, she is enjoying overcoming the challenge of putting herself out there.

“It’s the first of everything,” Akuhata-Brown told Local Democracy Reporting, mentioning photos, interviews, candidacy events and public speaking.

“I’ve endeavoured to try and attend all of the events. Some of them, I think, oh, that was a silly thing to say ... but again, it’s a learning thing. And I’ve managed to relax a lot more.”

Born in Napier, she spent her early years in Wairarapa and moved to Gisborne at age 13. Her parents are of Ngāti Porou whakapapa, with her father from Te Araroa and her mother from Hiruhārama.

She grew up in the 1960s, which meant she had “grown up with some very traditional Māori values ... It’s more about caring and understanding people”, she said.

Akuhata-Brown left high school at age 16 and worked odd jobs until the age of 17.

After completing secretarial studies at Eastern Institute of Technology, she secured an administrative role at J. Wattie Canneries, where she worked for eight years.

With a Diploma in Human Resource Management from Massey University and qualifications in business administration and project management, Akuhata-Brown said her skills were “transferable to many industries”.

“One thing I believe in is to always continue to learn. Never think you know enough.”

Over the 40-plus years of her working career, she has worked in project management and held business administrative positions in roading, finance, shipping, television, horticulture and publishing.

“I was able to go from just the general administration through to pretty advanced stuff like writing up contracts, strategic planning, business planning and so forth,” Akuhata-Brown said.

She also had experience in governance roles and currently worked with the Māori Women’s Welfare League.

Alongside administrative contracts, she also mentored small businesses for koha.

Akuhata-Brown is now contracting and working for hapū and iwi and is working towards her Masters in Applied Indigenous Knowledge at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

If elected, she said she was excited to bring her skills in finance, planning, and project management.

She also wanted to utilise her road industry experience working for Bitumix for a few years in the late 90s, and sit on a committee for roading.

Running in the Tairāwhiti Māori Ward, Akuhata-Brown is among 11 candidates seeking five spots, with four of the current Māori ward councillors also seeking a seat.

From what she could see, the current Māori ward councillors were really knowledgeable and deserved to get back in, she said.

“They’ve done the yards ... I might be number six on the list, but I am okay with that.”

During candidate events, she preferred to be careful with her words as she did not know what it would be like at the council table.

“This journey ... for me is difficult because the responsibility of what I am saying comes with a huge price.”

Her word is “everything” to her, Akuhata-Brown said.

“I am standing up to say that I am committed. I make no promises, but I am committed to doing the work.”

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.