Empowering Pacific Voices in TECH
Manaaki Scholars from AUT & University of Auckland at Google HQ, Auckland
Pacific Talents' Journey to Google's Global Stages
In the noise of diversity and inclusion across the global corporate landscape, the stories that resonate the loudest are those of underrepresented voices breaking through the paradigm. More specifically, consider the tech industry—an ecosystem heavily skewed towards homogeneity—where the arrival of fresh, diverse perspectives is akin to a breath of innovation and progress. This narrative of empowerment is not theoretical, it is happening in real-time.
A Morning of Inspiration with Google
Take, for example, a recent TECHTALK breakfast organised by TupuToa and Google, where twenty Manaaki scholars from the University of Auckland and AUT attended. The event was a platform for imparting and uplifting ambitious young minds with the stories of trailblazing Māori and Pacific professionals who are making their mark in the TECH ecosystem.
The three panellists, Hautahi Kingi (Nga Rauru, Te Atihaunui a Paparangi), Alyssa Gray-Leasiolagi (Samoa, Native American), and Mathew Rex (Niuean Kiwi), shared their experiences of transitioning from the Pacific to pivotal roles within Google's global infrastructure. Their jobs aren't just about occupying seats but using them to champion change in the very algorithms and platforms that dictate our digital lives.
These aren't just feel-good stories; they represent a paradigm shift. They are champions, illustrating that diversity isn't a token venture but the foundation of innovation itself.
PCF's Commitment to Empowerment
For PCF, the empowerment of Pacific communities isn't just a mandate—it's a passion that drives our existence. We believe that every Manaaki scholar stepping onto foreign shores is not just seeking knowledge but carrying the potential to rewrite narratives and contribute to global stewardship. In our privileged position, we consider it a duty to cultivate environments where their potential can grow, and their dreams materialised.
By providing avenues like TECHTALK, PCF ensures that every encounter is integral not just for the individual scholars, but for resilience and prosperity that we champion for tangata Moana.
Catalysts for Change
The success stories we witnessed are part of a growing mosaic that heralds a new era for Pacific representation in global forums. Specialists like Kingi, Gray-Leasiolagi, and Rex are not lone outliers; they are part of a collective wave of talent that is beginning to crest impactfully on the international scene.
PCF's role as an enabler and curator of these platforms is pivotal. We are not content with merely sending our scholars overseas; we want to ensure that their time abroad is a holistic period of growth and learning. Our vision extends beyond the traditional academia to encompass the nurturing of soft skills, the building of networks, and the fortification of a mindset that can succeed on any shore.
An Ongoing Voyage
Our commitment does not stop at a breakfast! It lies in the day-to-day negotiations of cultivating partnerships, securing opportunities, and providing the platforms that allows our scholars to realise their potential.
Our message is one of support and tireless pursuit. The trail has been blazed, but the path forward is yours to shape. We stand ready to uplift your endeavours, to provide the platforms for your voice to ring out across the global domain, and to ensure that Pacific excellence is no longer an outlier but an expectation.
We are immensely proud to be part of your journeys, hand in hand with you as we write the next chapters of innovation's story—one scholar, one platform, and one TECHTALK at a time.
The Pacific Promise
This is the new narrative of the Pacific—a story of potential, promise, and power. It is not just about arriving on foreign shores; it is about thriving, leading, and shaping the very future we all share. It is about turning opportunity into outreach, knowledge into change, and inspiration into the courage to walk the paths less travelled.
For PCF, the commitment is to empower, to uplift, and to herald the Pacific as a powerhouse of ingenuity. Our scholars, our partners, and our collective future inspire us, and the world at large, to step into the dawn of a new era.
Stay Inspired and Engaged
To our network of scholars, educators, and global partners, we invite you to stay engaged and inspired, to continue walking alongside us as we pave a legacy of empowerment and innovation. For it is in this partnership that the real revolution lies—not in isolated success stories, but in the collective rise of a region and its people.
And to the world that beckons our scholars and their stories, we extend an open invitation to listen, to collaborate, and to witness the Pacific promise unfolding in real time. Your engagement is not just welcome; it is key to the amplification of voices and the celebration of talent that knows no borders.
Closing Thoughts
Our commitment, as Pacific leaders and global citizens is to extend these platforms further, to nurture our scholars more deeply, and to ensure that every emerging voice finds its audience. The potential of the Pacific isn't a future tale to be pondered upon; it is a present reality, replete with promise, personified by passion, and propelled by purpose.
Join us as we continue this enriching dialogue, foster growth where no talent is left behind, and no dream is too vast to be realised. This is the new Pacific narrative, and it is being written with every step that our scholars take, every story they tell, and every tech giant they inspire.
