Ever since Jess Reiher was given a life-changing opportunity to discover her passion for business, she’s been looking for a way to create similar chances for other young Pasifika people.

Jess, who is in her second year of a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the Wellington School of Business and Government (WSBG), is the central representative for the Ministry for Pacific Peoples youth advisory group, Kau Tulī. The group’s representatives are supported to develop and lead their own initiatives to support Pacific youth.

When Jess, who is of I-Kiribati and Māori (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa) descent, first started creating her initiative, she knew exactly what the focus would be.

“Right from the start, I knew I wanted to do something related to helping young Pasifika people find their passion for business. That came from me getting the opportunity to do the Young Enterprise scheme when I was in school, and realising I had a passion for business.

“If I hadn’t had that opportunity, I would probably be studying health science right now, and there’s no way I’d be enjoying it as much as I enjoy Commerce.”

Jess created the Pacific Youth in Business event, held at Rutherford House on the Pipitea campus in April 2021. A group of Year 11 to 13 students from schools in the wider Wellington region gathered to hear from Pacific leaders in business, develop their own business ideas, and pitch their ideas to the group.

The aim, Jess says, was to help Pasifika youth realise that a career in business is a viable option. She realised how important this was after discovering how low the rates of business ownership and entrepreneurship are among Pacific people in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“That’s a gap that can so easily be filled. Young Pasifika people have really good business brains.

“The day was about giving Pasifika youth the opportunity to unlock their idea development and business development skills, which a lot of them do have, but just haven’t had the opportunity to use,” she says.

“It was also about making sure they got the opportunity to see role models from the business world that look like them. There are lots of issues around young Pasifika people not really seeing role models in those areas, and seeing only the more traditional career paths, or the paths their parents have taken.”

Pasific Youth in Business event attendees

Jess says Kalo Afeaki, the Pasifika engagement adviser based at Rutherford House, was an incredible help in planning the event. “I’m a bit biased, because she’s my cousin, but she’s amazing. She’s a great source of support.”

Kalo is part of the wider Pasifika Student Success team, which Jess says is known for developing strong relationships with the students it supports. The team is part of the Office of the Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Pasifika), which is responsible for growing Pasifika representation and providing support for staff and students.

Jess’s advice to Pasifika students studying at Te Herenga Waka is to reach out to the team at any time.

“It’s really important to develop those relationships with the people who want to support you. It’s easy to become isolated, but at WSBG, the support is there.

“Kalo is always checking in. If I don’t reply to one of her emails, she’ll message me and check I’m okay, and that’s not her being my cousin—that’s just who she is. I know the whole team is like that.”

The feedback for the event was overwhelmingly positive. “I even had people find me on Instagram to tell me what a great day they had!” The aim was to make sure participants had the opportunity to discover if they had a passion for business, but of course, Jess says, she would also love to see them at WSBG next year.

“For some of them, maybe they wouldn’t have had that lightbulb moment where they realise this is what they want to do—but if even one of them considered going into business, that would be incredible.”

Jess says the experiences she had while taking part in the Young Enterprise scheme changed the direction of her life and made her a more confident person.

“I used to be super shy, and after a few months of doing Young Enterprise—having to do Dragons' Den pitches, being immersed in that business environment—I really came into my own and realised what I was passionate about.”

As part of the Young Enterprise scheme, Jess developed The Final Straw, a social enterprise that helped businesses develop their sustainability practices.

“I’m really passionate about the sustainability side of business, and I want to continue that into the future. It’s not just about environmental sustainability—it’s about social and cultural sustainability as well.

“A lot of people in my generation are naturally concerned about those different areas of sustainability. I don’t see the point of business if it’s not going to be sustainable and help people.”

Jess has already achieved success in her WSBG journey, and was the recipient of the Adrian Wimmers Pasifika Prize, awarded to the top-performing first-year Pasifika student studying any major within the Bachelor of Commerce.

Jess is planning to pursue consulting as a career, and has a consulting internship lined up for the summer. For her, the most exciting part of consulting is the chance to improve the way things are done.

“There’s something about the change side of it that really interests me. Being able to develop a strategy, completely pivot a business, break into a new market. Business as usual is boring!”

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