3 Kapu Kawhe™
ABOUT 3 KAPU KAWHE™
3 Kapu Kawhe™ is a short-term mentoring programme that pairs ethnically diverse young leaders in the formative years of their careers (mentees) with experienced New Zealand executives and directors (mentors) for three life-changing conversations.
Mentees pay it forward by having three cups of coffee with a student leader in tertiary education or their final year of high school (student mentee).
The programme draws on te ao Māori concepts of whakawhanaungatanga (building connections) and ako (two-way learning). It recognises that both mentors and mentees bring valuable knowledge, wisdom and insights to the table from which the other can learn and grow.
We intentionally pair mentors and mentees from different cultural backgrounds to connect individuals who may not cross paths otherwise in life. This is in line with Multiethnic Young Leaders NZ’s commitment to strengthening social cohesion.
By the end of the programme, we hope that both mentors and mentees leave with greater professional and cultural confidence, expanded worldviews and networks, and deeper empathy.
PROGRAMME PURPOSE & OBJECTIVES
- To address the equity gap in representation across higher leadership in Aotearoa.
- To address the lack of social capital that Māori, Asian, Pacific and Minority Ethnicity (“MAPME”) aspiring leaders face in their chosen fields due to a historical underrepresentation of leaders from their communities in the professional workforce.
- To support, empower and invest in highly-ambitious and highly-promising ethnically-diverse young leaders in the formative stages of their careers.
- To support, empower and invest in highly-ambitious and highly-promising student leaders in tertiary education or their final year of high school through the programme’s “pay-it-forward” initiative.
- To further cultural confidence, empathy and understanding.
- To strengthen social cohesion, champion ethnic and intersectional diversity in leadership and empower diverse young New Zealanders.
- To build Aotearoa NZ’s pipeline of diverse, inclusive and purpose-driven future leaders.
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
Pairs meet three times over a six-month period for hour-long conversations in a relaxed meeting space, preferably at a local cafe.
In turn, mentees pay it forward by having three cups of coffee with a highly-promising student leader in tertiary education or their final year of high school (student mentee), creating a ripple effect that supports the development of young, diverse leaders across multiple generations.
The programme concludes with a formal graduation celebration in early December. This will be an opportunity for all 3 Kapu Kawhe mentors and mentees, including student mentees, to come together and celebrate their journey.
KEY DATES
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Applications Open for Mentees and Student Mentees
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Applications Close for Mentees and Student Mentees
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Application Review Process
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Pairs Notified
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Programme Formally Begins
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Programme Graduation Celebration
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3 KAPU KAWHE™ MENTORS
3 Kapu Kawhe™ Mentors have been identified and nominated by Multiethnic Young Leaders NZ as senior business and government leaders who have demonstrated a personal and professional commitment to furthering diversity, equity and inclusion, strengthening social cohesion, championing ethnic and intersectional diversity in leadership, and empowering diverse young New Zealanders.
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MENTEE PREREQUISITES AND CRITERIA
Highly-ambitious and promising young leaders from ethnically diverse backgrounds who are in the early stages of their professional leadership careers. To be eligible, you must:
- Be between the ages of 18 and 35;
- Currently serve as a manager, people leader or subject matter expert (SME) in your workplace or industry, with at least three years of experience in the workforce;
- Identify as Māori, Asian, Pacific and/or Minority Ethnicity (MAPME); and
- Be a Full or Associate MYLN Member, work at a MYLN Corporate Impact Investor organisation, or have recently applied to become a Full or Associate MYLN.
Highly-ambitious and promising young leaders from ethnically diverse backgrounds who are in the early stages of their professional leadership careers. To be eligible, you must:
- Be between the ages of 18 and 35;
- Have a minimum of three years of full-time professional work experience (preference may be given to those above the age of 25, and/or individuals with experience in management, people leadership or subject matter expertise);
- Identify as Māori, Asian, Pacific and/or Minority Ethnicity (MAPME); and
- Be a Full or Associate MYLN Member, work at a MYLN Corporate Impact Investor organisation, or have recently applied to become a Full or Associate MYLN.
Student leaders in tertiary education or their final year of high school who identify as Māori, Asian, Pacific and/or Minority Ethnicity (MAPME) and have current and/or previous student leadership experience.
KEY DATES
What
When
Applications Open for Mentees and Highschool Mentees
Monday 10 January 2022
Applications Close for Mentees and Highschool Mentees
Friday 4 March 2022
Application Review Process
Saturday 5 March – Saturday 19 March 2022
Pairs Notified
Sunday 20 March 2022
Programme Formally Begins
22 March 2022
Programme Graduation Celebration
March 2023
MENTEE SELECTION PROCESS
Mentees are selected via a comprehensive process that includes submitting an online application, CV and letter of recommendation (optional). We welcome applicants from non-traditional fields and industries. We also use quotas to ensure a diverse cohort of mentees is selected, with 25% of mentee placements reserved for Māori mentees, 10% for Asian mentees, 10% for Pasifika mentees, 10% for other Minority Ethnicity mentees, and the remaining 45% filled by mentees of any MAPME ethnicity.
Student mentees are also selected via a comprehensive application process that includes submitting an online application and a letter of recommendation. We may use quotas to ensure a diverse cohort of student mentees is selected. Priority will be given to students from lower decile schools and/or first-generation university students.
3 KAPU KAWHE™ SELECTION PANEL
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APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN (hidden)
Open to Full or Corporate MYLN Members Only
Open to senior high school students in years 11, 12 and 13
3 KAPU KAWHE 4 ORGANISATIONS
The availability and locations of our mentors determine the regions we offer the programme in each year. This year, we’re excited to offer our programme in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) and Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington). When applying, we’ll ask you to specify which regions you’re available to participate in, in order of preference. If you’re outside of these regions and would like to make your way to either Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) or Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) to participate in the programme, you’re welcome to do so! However, please note that MYLN is unfortunately unable to cover any interregional travel expenses.
The availability and locations of our mentors determine the regions we offer the programme in each year. This year, we’re excited to offer our programme in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) and Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington). When applying, we’ll ask you to specify which regions you’re available to participate in, in order of preference. If you’re outside of these regions and would like to make your way to either Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) or Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) to participate in the programme, you’re welcome to do so! However, please note that MYLN is unfortunately unable to cover any interregional travel expenses.
The Mentoring Programme will run for a 6-month period, from June 2023 to December 2023.
Unfortunately, only applications from MYLN members or individuals working at a Corporate Impact Investor organisation will be considered. If you’re not currently a MYLN member, you can visit our website to learn more about becoming a member. Membership cycles open once a year. Please note that student mentee applicants are not required to be MYLN members.
3 Kapu Kawhe is a free programme aimed at supporting ethnically diverse young people in the formative stages of their careers. There may, however, be some indirect expenses related to meeting with your mentor, such as food, drinks and transportation.
We focus on government and business leaders as mentors because ethnically diverse young people are most underrepresented in these fields of leadership. Māori, Asian, Pacific and Minority Ethnicity (MAPME) community leaders have long been doing inspiring work and driving change in our communities, and there is less underrepresentation of ethnically diverse leaders in community leadership. By expanding the sectors in which MAPME talent can thrive, we enable more young people from diverse backgrounds to reach their full leadership potential across all sectors of society.
There are a number of great mentoring programmes in Aotearoa New Zealand that pair mentors from similar backgrounds. We want to offer an additional option to increase the choice for ethnically diverse young people. By pairing mentees with mentors from different backgrounds, we hope to foster greater understanding, cultural empathy and social cohesion, which aligns with our programme objectives.
The mentor lineup was selected based on the current leadership reality of New Zealand, where the majority of the country’s senior leaders in business and government are New Zealand European/Pākeha. We have deliberately chosen not to reach out to Māori, Asian, Pacific and Minority Ethnicity (MAPME) leaders to be mentors, not because we do not value their mentorship, but because we believe that mentoring the next generation of ethnically diverse leaders should be a shared responsibility. By involving a wider range of leaders, we can share the imporant work of uplifting and investing in the next generation of ethnically diverse leaders more broadly across society.
Our inaugural lineup of 3 Kapu Kawhe mentors have been identified and nominated by Multiethnic Young Leaders NZ as senior business and government leaders who have demonstrated a personal and professional commitment to furthering diversity, equity and inclusion, strengthening social cohesion, championing ethnic and intersectional diversity in leadership, and empowering diverse young New Zealanders.
Our programme is designed to take an equity-based approach to mentoring, with a focus on addressing the historical and present-day underrepresentation of MAPME individuals in leadership roles in Aotearoa New Zealand.
We acknowledge that there are many other communities who face barriers to leadership as well, and we encourage other organisations to develop mentoring programmes that focus on these communities.
We have used quotas to ensure that a diverse lineup of young leaders across all MAPME ethnicities make up each cohort. We believe that diversity and representation is essential to achieving our goals of breaking down barriers, strengthening social cohesion, and increasing cultural confidence.
Mentees with a minimum of three years of full-time professional work experience are likely to derive the greatest benefit from this programme. While there may be exceptional candidates who do not meet this criterion, we believe that it increases the likelihood of successful pairings and meaningful conversations.
While this particular programme targets mentees with at least three years of full-time professional work experience, we offer other events and initiatives at MYLN that cater to ethnically diverse young leaders at different stages of their careers. We encourage you to explore these options whilst you continue to develop your professional experience.
Yes, we welcome applications from those who are freelancing or who are self-employed.
We may consider expanding the programme in the future. For now, we intend to keep the size of each cohort small and intimate. This allows us to maintain a high level of quality and consistency in everyone’s experience.