Share, listen and grow – Be a meaningful mentor
Meet Vanessa Ellingham (Te Atiawa, Taranaki, Ngā Ruahine).
She is an extremely talented writer and publisher of NANSEN, a print magazine that celebrates migrants across the globe and tells meaningful stories which provides a counter-narrative to anti-migrant rhetoric.
Through Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa Trust, the post-governance entity for Te Atiawa iwi in Taranaki, I was asked to be her mentor as part of their inaugural Rauhī Te Atiawa leadership mentoring programme.
I have been a mentor before, but this time was so much better. Why? Because it wasn’t transactional. It was meaningful, reciprocal and we genuinely wanted the best for each other.
Not only was I supporting Vanessa on her personal and professional journey, but I was also learning so much from her and her European musings while she lives in Berlin, Germany!
Since April 2021 we’ve had a number of 9.00pm (New Zealand time) and 9.00am (Berlin time) Zui – Zoom + hui/ meetings – where we’ve discussed topics from networking, contracting, publishing and diversifying our client base, through to managing contracts, self-confidence and sharing our challenges of living away from many of our loved ones due to Covid travel restrictions.
Rauhī Te Atiawa finished in October 2021. But Vanessa and I are still going. We now meet monthly and are still enjoying our chats, sharing our ideas and ticking off our goals as we go.
I’m proud of how far Vanessa has come. She remains connected to Aotearoa and recently had an article published in the Pantograph Punch – Māori Migrant; NANSEN Magazine has received funding for another edition to focus on a migrant’s life in Aotearoa. She’s broadened her professional network, refreshed her website to engage new clients, she’s excelling in her copywriting work, and she is growing her connection to her iwi and Te Atiawatanga.
As a mentor I too have grown thanks to Vanessa. I am bolder in my self-promotion. Something I still hate but finding it easier to do thanks to her encouragement. I have refined my clients who align with my own values, and I am also growing my connection with my Te Atiawatanga.
So, if you’re reading this blog, I encourage you to be a mentor or mentee. You will share and grow more than you know.
Ngā mihi to Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa for the opportunity to participate in Rauhi Te Atiawa.
Here are some local business mentoring programmes:
Also, contact your local Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Agency and iwi to see if they offer mentoring programmes in your region/rohe.
Check out Vanessa Ellingham’s website
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