Ngā Pakiaka’s Oriwa Hakaraia wins Girl Boss Award
The GirlBoss Awards, now in their fifth year, honour girls and women aged 11-18, and work towards closing the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, maths, entrepreneurship and leadership. With just 3 per cent of funding going to female-led start-ups and only 3 per cent of New Zealand’s NZX chief executives being women, GirlBoss founder Alexia Hilbertidou believed this generation of young women can change that.
The innovation award went to Ngā Pakiaka‘s Oriwa Hakaraia (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Kapu).
Oriwa is one of 8 winners of the 2020 Girlboss awards. Ka nui te mihi ki ngā wāhine toa!
As a member of Ngā Pakiaka, Oriwa leads filmmaking workshops across Aotearoa. In 2019, she become one of Aotearoa’s youngest filmmakers to premiere off-shore with her debut professional film, Bub (alongside co-director Te Mahara Tamehana)
“I feel so inspired by all the Girl Bosses, pushing forward in their successes. Winning a GirlBoss award for innovation is such an honour. Meeting all of the Girl Bosses is hugely inspiring. They are doing positive things for their communities, speaking up about climate change, calling for the lowering of the voting age, creating businesses and science breakthroughs – they prove that our voice is powerful and necessary.”
The GirlBoss Awards is the most competitive awards scheme in the country with nearly 400 applicants and an acceptance rate of 1.9%. The GirlBoss Awards are more competitive than The New Zealander of the Year Awards, KPMG’s Internship Class, NASA’s NZ Internship Class, Google’s Internship Class, and every University in the World (including Harvard, Oxford, Yale and Stanford.)
The award winners were selected for demonstrating;
- Years of unrelenting hard work.
- An unwavering commitment to the lives of others.
- That they will stop at nothing to lead and change your community, this nation, and this world.
Alexia Hilbertidou created the concept of the GirlBoss Awards four years ago, at 17, with $0 but with the vision to show the country that young women in New Zealand are not just future leaders but are today’s leaders, right here, right now. The GirlBoss award winners are ambassadors who will deliver hope and inspiration for the future of our country.
They are selected as they defy stereotypes, have overcome adversity and are creating exceptional change in your community. They are selected because your spark and x-factor is unique and inspirational.
GirlBoss Award Winners 2020
Rangipo Takuira-Mita,17, Auckland – STEM award
Richelle Wahanga, 14, Auckland, – Emerging Leader award
Aigagalefili Fepulea’I Tapua’I, 17, South Auckland – Leadership Award
Verity Howells, 17, Rotorua – Arts and Culture
Molly Hillman, 17, Auckland – Community award
Anamaya Taylor, 14, Tauranga – Activator award
Oriwa Hakaraia, 17, Ōtaki – Innovation award
Gina Dao McLay, 18, Wellington – Trailblazer award
Ngā Pakiaka is the rangatahi leadership arm of the Māoriland Charitable Trust. They are a collective of rangatahi filmmakers aged 16 – 24 from across Aotearoa.
Ngā Pakiaka programmes and presents the Māoriland Rangatahi Film festival as well as present and do the Q & A’s for the Māoriland Film festival.
Ngā Pakiaka facilitates rangatahi filmmaking workshops across NZ (16 workshops in 2020/21) and make films and documentaries that get into festivals around the world.