Multiethnic Young Leaders NZ Announces Selection Panel for Inaugural 3 Kapu Kawhe™ Mentorship Programme

May 31, 2023

Auckland, New Zealand – Multiethnic Young Leaders NZ (MYLN) is excited to announce the selection panel for its inaugural 3 Kapu Kawhe™ Mentorship Programme, 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.

The selection panel will be responsible for reviewing applications from potential mentees and collectively agreeing on the final mentee cohort for 2023, as well as matching each of the mentees to one of the programme’s mentors. The panel consists of a group of accomplished senior leaders from diverse ethnic backgrounds who are passionate about supporting and empowering the next generation of ethnically diverse leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The selection panel members, listed alphabetically, are:

Douglas Ah Poe, Director, Deloitte
Haylee Putaranui, Director of Māori Strategy, Fonterra
Ranjna Patel, Founder, Tāmaki Health and Gandhi Nivas

“We are thrilled to have such an accomplished group of leaders on our selection panel for the 3 Kapu Kawhe Mentorship Programme,” said Michelle Huang, Multiethnic Young Leaders NZ’s Chair and Interim-GM. “Their expertise and experience will be invaluable in helping us identify the inaugural cohort of mentees for this programme.”

3 Kapu Kawhe™ aims to build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive society by addressing one of the most common barriers that ethnically-diverse young professionals face in the workforce: limited access to mentorship and institutional support. As part of the programme, mentees pay it forward by having three cups of coffee with a student leader in tertiary education or their final year of high school, creating a ripple effect of mentorship and empowerment throughout the community.

Applications for the programme are now open and will close at midnight on June 11th, 2023. For more information and to apply, please visit https://multiethnicyoungleaders.org.nz/3-kapu-kawhe/.