3 Kapu Kawhe™

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.

Āe (Yes)! For this year only, we’ll also accept applications from individuals who intend to apply to become a Full or Associate MYLN Member in 2024.

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.

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. 

Multiethnic Young Leaders carefully reviews all applications to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria. Following this, a panel of senior leaders from diverse ethnic backgrounds, appointed by the programme, takes part in the final selection process to match mentees with mentors.

Strong candidates for the 3 Kapu Kawhe™ Mentorship Programme possess upstanding character, embody the values, objectives, and kaupapa of MYLN, and demonstrate the potential to become purposeful leaders who will make a meaningful impact in their fields and communities. The selection process considers these factors to ensure alignment with MYLN’s vision and the capacity to thrive and benefit from the transformative mentoring experience.

The LoR is entirely optional. At MYLN, we strive to provide equal opportunities to all applicants, regardless of whether they choose to submit a LoR. We recognise that some applicants may find it challenging to effectively showcase their story, qualities, and potential through other parts of the application. The LoR offers an additional avenue for someone who knows the applicant well, such as a supervisor, mentor, or professor, to contribute valuable insights into the applicant’s character, abilities, and potential that may be difficult for applicants to express on their own. Ultimately, the decision to include a LoR rests with the applicant, and all applicants will be considered equally and fairly, irrespective of whether they choose to submit one.

To ensure a diverse cohort, we employ quotas for different ethnic groups. This includes reserving 25% of mentee placements for Māori mentees, 10% for Asian mentees, 10% for Pasifika mentees, 10% for other Minority Ethnicity mentees, and the remaining 45% for mentees of any MAPME ethnicity. We’ve also set ourselves an internal gender target of 40/40/20  for each mentee cohort.

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.

While we understand the desire for more spaces in the future, our current priority is on maintaining the programme’s integrity and the “psychological safety” of mentees. For now, we intend to keep the size of each cohort small and intimate. This allows us to uphold a high level of confidence in the quality and consistency of everyone’s experience in the programme. As we evolve, we will thoughtfully evaluate the potential for programme expansion and the inclusion of more participants.