Northland woman selected for international economic change workshop

Local Māori leader Rangimarie Price has been named as the only New Zealand applicant to have been selected to attend an exclusive international women’s economic development workshop being run by Plan International in Washington DC later this month, thanks to local support from Mobil Oil New Zealand.

Ms Price, who is the CEO for Amokura Iwi Consortium Ltd, will be attending the workshop alongside female community leaders from a range of other countries.

The intensive four-week workshop is designed to empower women in the not-for-profit and civil society sector with leadership, technical and professional skills, as well as to provide the opportunity to exchange best practice and experience.

Andrew McNaught, Country Manager for Mobil Oil New Zealand, said he had been particularly impressed with Rangimarie’s application, which highlighted her dedication to advancing the economic and leadership opportunities available to Māori women in Northland.

“It’s a really exciting opportunity for Rangimarie, and we believe her participation in the Global Women in Management Programme (GWIM) will greatly benefit the iwi she serves, as well as the wider Northland community,” said Mr McNaught.

“It’s proven that increasing leadership amongst women helps to catalyse economic growth. Not only that, but programs such as GWIM can have a powerful multiplier effect that benefits the entire community.”

Ms Price expressed her gratitude for the opportunity, and said her role with Amokura Iwi Consortium Ltd meant she was in a unique position to share learnings with other Māori women, as her role gave her access to a diverse range of female leaders.

“I am humbled that I have been selected out of what I am sure is an outstanding group of women who are doing wonderful things to advance female leadership,” said Ms Price.

“It’s fantastic to have this opportunity to develop my leadership skills, which I will be able to share across the collective Iwi-sphere in Northland.”

GWIM is supported by the ExxonMobil Foundation’s Women’s Economic Opportunity Initiative, which was launched in 2005 to help women fulfil their economic potential and drive economic and social change in their communities.

2017 represents just the second year Mobil had been able to send a representative from New Zealand to attend the programme.

In April 2016, Herena Stone (Canterbury) and Riri Ellis (Bay of Plenty) attended the regional Asia-Pacific GWIM program in Jakarta, and Ngaria Rolleston (Bay of Plenty) attended the global program in Washington DC in July 2016.

Ms Ellis and Ms Rolleston also attended a follow-up workshop in Washington DC earlier this year. The workshop focussed on “designing and facilitating step-down trainings” that would help the women to pass on the skills they learned through GWIM.

With ExxonMobil’s support, GWIM has provided training for more than 880 women from 77 countries around the world. Mobil Oil New Zealand is proud to have been able to extend the Global Women in Management program to women and communities in New Zealand.

About the Global Women in Management Programme

The Global Women in Management Programme (GWIM) is a worldwide initiative that since 2005 has been supported by the ExxonMobil Foundation’s Women’s Economic Opportunity.  Its goal is to help women around the world fulfil their economic potential and serve as drivers of economic and social change in their communities.

About Plan International

Plan International USA supports the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) Global Women in Management Program (GWIM), which provides intensive training and skills development for women community leaders in developing countries. ExxonMobil has supported the CEDPA GWIM program since 2005, providing training workshops to more than 880 women globally.

About Mobil Oil New Zealand

Mobil and affiliated companies have been doing business in New Zealand for more than 120 years. We provide high-quality petroleum products and services daily to customers around New Zealand.  We are also committed to supporting and engaging with the communities in which we operate.

For more information, visit www.mobil.co.nz.

Contact:

Rob Fitzgerald, Mobil Oil New Zealand: +64 27 808 6029

Travis Parnaby, ExxonMobil Australia: +61 3 9261 0291