Nau mai Nancy rāua kō James
We are pleased to announce that Nancy Purvis and James Grey have been appointed as Future Directors on the Whai Rawa Board.
To learn a bit more about Nancy and James, we had a kōrero with them about their background and what they are most looking forward to in their new roles.
Born in Tāmaki Makaurau, Nancy has lived in various places in Aotearoa before settling back home in Auckland. She says she has always been in touch with her Whātuatanga, with her whānau home being on Kitemoana street. “We’ve still got huge hononga with Ōrākei,” she says.
Currently at the Electoral Commission, Nancy is a Senior Advisor Māori and says she’s thrilled to have been appointed as it’s a great way for her use her skills to give back to the iwi and to iwi Māori in general.
“I’ve sometimes felt that within my whānau all of my older cousins and sister were doing all these amazing things and I felt like I was on the outside looking in. On reflection, I think about how our ancestors potentially operated in a hapū or pā setting, we would have all been given roles determined by our strengths,” she says.
“I’ve now been given the opportunity to hold a role within our hāpu and whanau that is in alignment with my strengths and will help me to understand where and how I can best contribute and serve our people. I’m excited to really fill my kete and learn skills that I can apply beyond this environment,” she continues.
James was born in Sydney but raised in Tāmaki and is now living in Hobsonville with his whānau. With a Bachelor of Business majoring in finance and economics, James previously worked at ASB Securities, before moving to JMI wealth where he has worked various roles over the past 10 years. James is a Financial Advisor and enjoys working closely with his clients
“I’m looking forward to contributing back to our whānau by applying the skills I gained through the mahi in my current role. Alongside that, it is also an exciting personal journey for me to be able to gain some valuable governance experience and further myself in these fields as this is definitely the direction I’d like to be heading,” says James.
Looking ahead, what remains at the forefront for James is the opportunity to contribute to the board in a meaningful way.
“My goal is to be an active board member and use my voice appropriately in areas where I think I can help out – however that might be. I've already been getting stuck into the board papers and am looking forward to having a strong voice at the table.”
The pair agree that being appointed as a Future Director is an honour and they feel privileged to have the opportunity to give back to whānau as they continue to learn gain experience for governance roles in future.
We will check in with Nancy and James throughout their term to see how they a faring.
