The Honourable Poto Williams became an MP in 2013 and is now the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, and is the Associate Minister for Social Development, Immigration, and Greater Christchurch Regeneration. In this interview we talk with her family history and about her background and childhood and Cook Islands heritage. We also talk about her early years, first jobs, studies, work in the community sector and what motivated her to leave that work in the community to become a politician. What is it that gets planted as a seed that causes someone to put their hand up for politics? We find out all about that here. We also find out what the principles are that have set a foundation for how Poto approaches her role today. I really enjoyed this conversation and if you do then you might appreciate some of the 200+ in the back catalogue as well.
Page: https://www.labour.org.nz/potowilliams
The Video by Jewel we discuss “… In the end, only kindness matters …”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfsS3pIDBfw
Mele Wendt interview: https://seeds.libsyn.com/mele-wendt-on-culture-racism-and-having-the-tough-conversations
‘Anau Mesui Henry interview: https://seeds.libsyn.com/anau-mesui-henry-on-empowering-pacific-people
This is one of more than 200 interviews for seeds podcast and you can find out more at www.theseeds.nz
Official biography:
Hon Poto Williams is the Labour Member of Parliament for Christchurch East, where she lives. Poto became the MP for Christchurch East at a By-Election in November 2013. She is now the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, and is the Associate Minister for Social Development, Immigration, and Greater Christchurch Regeneration.
After gaining an MBA and Graduate Certificate in Research Methods from Manukau Institute of Technology and Southern Cross University, Poto has worked in and managing community health and community mental health services, residential disability services, working with single parent families, youth services, family violence and refuge. Working in mental health provided the opportunity to engage in strengths based, recovery focussed and client centred work, which has guided her practice ever since.
As the Minister of the Community and Voluntary sector, she understands the importance of forging constructive relationships with the sector and passionately believes the sector is an integral part of the Government’s agenda with the Wellbeing Budget.
Poto is the very proud mother of Terai, grandmother of Bodhi and a member of a very large extended family in NZ, Australia and the Cook Islands.
