The latest
Wahine Toa post by By Nancy Gilbert, wife of U.S. Ambassador Mark Gilbert. Libby Hakaraia is a trailblazing journalist, author and filmmaker, broadcasting New Zealand’s culture and cinematic stories to the world. A masterful auteur, Libby pioneered New Zealand’s first international indigenous film festival – Māoriland Film Festival. I visited this gifted storyteller in her ...
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By Ola Thorsen | 17 January, 2017 | Categories: Art & Culture, Connecting with Kiwis, First People's Connect, News, Success Stories, Wahine Toa | Tags: Ambassador Gilbert, Maori, Maori Women Leaders, Maoriland film festival, Nancy Gilbert, Ngāti Raukawa ki te tonga, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Te Atiawa, Wahine Toa Project
The latest Wahine Toa post by By Nancy Gilbert, wife of U.S. Ambassador Mark Gilbert. Ranei Wineera-Parai is a change agent whose formidable community development work touches and improves lives in her home town of Porirua and its environs. Ranei has mana tangata whenua (indigenous rights) through her Ngāti Toa iwi. I had the privilege ...
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By Public Affairs Section | 9 January, 2017 | Categories: Connecting with Kiwis, First People's Connect, Wahine Toa | Tags: Ambassador Gilbert, Indigenous Women’s Conference, mana tangata whenua, Nancy Gilbert, Ngāti Toa iwi, Porirua, Ranei Wineera – Parai, Wahine Toa
The latest
Wahine Toa post by By Nancy Gilbert, wife of U.S. Ambassador Mark Gilbert. In October, the United States Embassy in New Zealand brought together 140 Maori women from across the country for the Wahine Toa (“Women of Strength”) Leadership Conference, the culmination of two years of interviews and engagement with emerging female leaders from the ...
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By Ola Thorsen | 23 December, 2016 | Categories: Auckland, Connecting with Kiwis, Culture, Education, First People's Connect, Former U.S. Government Leaders, News, Success Stories, Wahine Toa | Tags: Ambassador Gilbert, Barack Obama, Nancy Gilbert, Wahine Toa
The latest Wahine Toa post by By Nancy Gilbert, wife of U.S. Ambassador Mark Gilbert. Our next Wahine Toa feature is Rukumoana Schaafhausen from Ngāti Haua. Her ardent desire to help her community, her church, and her Māori people is central to her story as the longest standing trustee for Waikato Tainui Te Kauhaunganui Inc, ...
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By Ola Thorsen | 21 December, 2016 | Categories: Art & Culture, Connecting with Kiwis, Culture, First People's Connect, News, Success Stories, U.S. & New Zealand, Wahine Toa | Tags: Ambassador Gilbert, Kiingitanga, Nancy Gilbert, Wahine Toa, Waikato Tainui
The latest
Wahine Toa post by By Nancy Gilbert, wife of U.S. Ambassador Mark Gilbert. Kerensa Johnston is an accomplished lawyer who passionately advocates for Indigenous and human rights. Her stellar career spans from the halls of academia to the court room and led to her recent appointment as first female CEO of Wakatū Incorporated. Wakatū is ...
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By Public Affairs Section | 6 December, 2016 | Categories: Agriculture, Connecting with Kiwis, First People's Connect, Wahine Toa | Tags: Ambassador Gilbert, Kerensa Johnston, Māori heritage, Māori Women’s refuge, Nancy Gilbert, Nelson, Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Tama, Taranaki, Te Atiawa, Te Tau Ihu iwi, Wahine Toa, Wakatū, Wellington Community Law Centre
The latest
Wahine Toa post by By Nancy Gilbert, wife of U.S. Ambassador Mark Gilbert. This month I’d like to introduce Kiri Nathan, an elegant mother, fashion designer, Māori female leadership and youth advocate of Ngā Puhi and Tainui descent. She has developed an internationally-recognized brand –
Kiri Nathan – a high-end fashion label with a Māori heart and ...
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By Mike Cousins | 27 October, 2016 | Categories: Art & Culture, U.S. & New Zealand, Wahine Toa | Tags: Aulii Cravalho, Beyonce, Demi Lovato, Kiri Nathan, korowai, Maori, Mariah Carey, Moana, Nancy Gilbert, Wahine Toa
The latest
Wahine Toa post by By Nancy Gilbert, wife of U.S. Ambassador Mark Gilbert. The next Wahine Toa feature is Rachel Taulelei. Rachel’s Māori heritage and advocacy for young entrepreneurs, women in particular, are among her most passionate inspirations. Business savvy, and an innate gift for innovation have led to extraordinary success —first as an entrepreneur ...
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By Ola Thorsen | 23 August, 2016 | Categories: Agriculture, Art & Culture, Business, Connecting with Kiwis, Culture, First People's Connect, News, Success Stories, Trade, U.S. & New Zealand, Wahine Toa | Tags: Environment, Nancy Gilbert, New Zealand, Rachel Taulelei, Wahine Toa, Wahine Toa Project
The latest
Wahine Toa post by By Nancy Gilbert, wife of U.S. Ambassador Mark Gilbert. The Ngāti Rārua iwi in the upper South Island is known for its strong female leadership, beginning with the women that the iwi was named after Raruaioio and Raruatere. Generations later their legacy holds true as they introduce a current female leader, Olivia ...
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By Mike Cousins | 15 July, 2016 | Categories: Art & Culture, Connecting with Kiwis, First People's Connect, Wahine Toa | Tags: Burnham Military Camp, Central Otago, Iwi, Maori, Māori culture, Meke Māori Excellence Awards, Nancy Gilbert, Ngāti Rārua, Olivia Hall, Raruaioio, Raruatere, Renaissance Māori Art, Wahine Toa
The latest
Wahine Toa post by By Nancy Gilbert, wife of U.S. Ambassador Mark Gilbert. Wherever you may travel in the Taranaki region, you stand in awe of the stunning Mount Taranaki that unites the eight surrounding iwi through history and lore. In Māori legend, Taranaki migrated from Taupo after losing a battle with Tongariro over the ...
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By Public Affairs Section | 20 May, 2016 | Categories: Connecting with Kiwis, Culture, Wahine Toa | Tags: Liana Poutu, Maori, Maori Women Leaders, Nancy Gilbert, New Plymouth Girls High School, Pihanga, Taranaki, Taranaki iwi, Taranaki Māori, Taranaki-Whanganui, Taupo, Te Atiawa iwi, Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa, Treaty of Waitangi, Wahine Toa, whakapapa, Women Leaders
By Mara Hosoda, Public Affairs Section, U.S. Consulate General, Auckland. On April 13 and 14, 2016 the U.S. Ambassador Mark Gilbert and his wife, Mrs. Nancy Gilbert, made their first official visit to Dunedin, New Zealand. The Gilberts met with a cross section of Dunedin’s government, business, university, and civil society sectors. It was a ...
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By Mike Cousins | 21 April, 2016 | Categories: Connecting with Kiwis, Doing Business in the U.S., First People's Connect, Former Ambassadors, News, Science & Tech, U.S. & New Zealand | Tags: Animation Research, Craig Halbmaier, Dunedin, Dunedin City Council, Fulbright, Harlene Hayne, Nancy Gilbert, NASA, Otago Business School, Otago Museum, Pacific Islands Centre, TPP, U.S. Ambassador Mark Gilbert, University of Otago, Vice-Chancellor, Visiting Executives Program, Youth Council
U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland
Suzi LeVine and Nancy Gilbert spoke with a group of women entrepreneurs at
BizDojo at a Collider Wellington on Tuesday March 29, while in New Zealand on a family holiday. Ambassador LeVine has an extensive background in tech, working at Microsoft and Expedia, and founding her own companies, prior to her appointment as President ...
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By Public Affairs Section | 1 April, 2016 | Categories: Business, Events, Former U.S. Government Leaders, News, Public Affairs, Science & Tech | Tags: Ambassador LeVine, Barack Obama, Collider Wellington, entrepreneur, Nancy Gilbert, Switzerland
Last week Nancy Gilbert hosted the Et Alia Art Group at Camperdown for a luncheon to share and discuss the
Art in Embassies ‘Iconic Images’ exhibition. Nancy gave a history of the Art in Embassies program and the process behind their theme of iconic images of her home and host countries. She shared her favorite pieces with the ...
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By Ola Thorsen | 30 March, 2016 | Categories: Art & Culture, Connecting with Kiwis, Culture, East Asia & Pacific, Events, Former U.S. Government Leaders, News, U.S. & New Zealand | Tags: Art in Embassies, Art in Embassies program, Barack Obama, Nancy Gilbert
The latest
Wahine Toa post by By Nancy Gilbert, wife of U.S. Ambassador Mark Gilbert. On the riverbank where the Waipa and Waikato rivers meet in Ngaruawahia, I met our next Wahine Toa, Jackie Colliar. She represents a rare but growing group in New Zealand –female Māori engineers. As an Environmental Engineer at the
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) coupled with ...
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By Mike Cousins | 29 January, 2016 | Categories: Environment, Wahine Toa | Tags: Environmental Engineer, Jackie Colliar, Maori, Marae, Nancy Gilbert, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, NIWA, Te Ao Māori, Te Kauhanganui Inc, Wahine Toa
The latest
Wahine Toa post by By Nancy Gilbert, wife of U.S. Ambassador Mark Gilbert. This month I’d like to introduce Gina Rangi of the Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Raukawa iwi. Everything about Gina – her intellectual pursuit, ambition to create positive outcomes for Māori, and social life – is based on the premise that leadership is ...
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By Mike Cousins | 11 December, 2015 | Categories: Connecting with Kiwis, First People's Connect, Wahine Toa | Tags: Department of Conservation, Gina Rangi, Māori kawa, Nancy Gilbert, Ngāti Raukawa iwi, Ngāti Raukawa marae, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Tongariro National Park, Wahine Toa, Waitangi Treaty settlement
Guest blog post by Rachel Harris and Jonathan Gee. As burgeoning business leaders move into the world, bridging the gap between one generation and the next is of vital importance. The State Department was proud to fund and support the Tuākana Youth Mentoring Program run by NGO Leadership New Zealand and the Fulbright New Zealand ...
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By Mike Cousins | 8 December, 2015 | Categories: Alumni, Art & Culture, Business, Connecting with Kiwis, Former U.S. Government Leaders, Public Affairs | Tags: Ambassador Gilbert, Barack Obama, Claire McQuilken, Guy Ryan, Jonathan Gee, Leadership New Zealand, Mentor, Mentoring, Nancy Gilbert, Rachael Harris, Tuākana, Victoria University of Wellington, Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association, VUWSA, Young New Zealander of the Year
By Nancy Gilbert, wife of U.S. Ambassador Mark Gilbert. Last month I embarked on a long-term program called Wahine Toa (Women Leaders) to meet with, learn about, and highlight to our blog readers some extraordinary women Maori leadership and their significant contributions throughout the country. In the first blog of the series, I met trailblazer ...
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By Mike Cousins | 5 August, 2015 | Categories: Former Ambassadors, News, Public Affairs, U.S. & New Zealand, Wahine Toa | Tags: Change Maker of the Year, Indigenous Rights Sub-committee, INTA, International Trademark Association, Lynell Huria, Nancy Gilbert, Ngati Ruanui, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Patea Maori Club, Poi E, Porirua, Rangimarie Hunia, Wahine Toa, Women Leaders
By Phil McKenna and Rob Tate, Public Affairs, U.S. Embassy Wellington. Embracing the enthusiasm for sports that is such a feature of both American and New Zealand culture, the Embassy in Wellington and the Consulate General in Auckland kicked off a two-day celebration of American Independence Day. Our celebrations this year were made even sweeter, ...
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By Mike Cousins | 17 July, 2015 | Categories: Auckland, Connecting with Kiwis, Events, News, Public Affairs | Tags: 239th birthday, Adam Eaton, Andy Newell, Aotea Barbershop Quartet, Attorney General Chris Finlayson, Auckland Mayor Len Brown, Boeing Australia and South Pacific, Chicago White Sox, Citibank, Coca-Cola Oceania, Daniel Webb, Declaration of Independence, General Electric, Google New Zealand, Hilton Hotels, Independence Day, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft New Zealand, Millennium Technology, Nancy Gilbert, Prime Minister John Key, the Motion Pictures Distributors Association of New Zealand, the New Zealand Screen Association, U.S. Ambassador Gilbert, United States-New Zealand Partnership Forum, Visa, Zach Duke
By U.S. Ambassador, Mark Gilbert. A little while back I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the official opening of the
Matariki Festival at the Dawn Karakia, alongside Auckland Mayor Len Brown and prominent Maori leaders. I had heard about the Matariki Festival prior to my arrival in New Zealand, and Nancy and I were excitedly ...
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By Mike Cousins | 15 July, 2015 | Categories: Events, First People's Connect, Former Ambassadors, News, Public Affairs | Tags: Auckland Mayor Len Brown, Auckland’s Pasifika hub, Charlotte Graham, Dawn Karakia, Mangere, Mangere Arts Centre, Matariki Festival, Nancy Gilbert, One Tree Hill, Rewi Spraggon, Routeburn Track, Stardome Observatory
