This week's Rotorua Daily Post Newsmaker is Whanau Day and silent march organiser Billie Jo Pomare
Tell us about yourself:
I'm passionate about my whanau, the community I live in and Maori success in education.
How did you get into your career?
By accident. I didn't really know what I wanted to do, but I did know that I wanted to work with rangatahi (youth) and whanau, and in education.
What do you love about your job?
I wear a couple of different hats, so in my mahi (work), I love working with rangatahi. They're cool. I really enjoy being able to work with them and their whanau and identifying what their educational aspirations are. From there, we find pathways that best suit them, to achieve those aspirations. In my community, I love the community I live in, which is Fordlands. We have so many whanau living in Fordlands, with many strengths and who are passionate about the Fordlands Community.
What have been your biggest achievements?
My whanau. I'm so very proud of my whanau, where we have been, to where we as a whanau are now. I'm proud in the strength my whanau have, the kotahi-tanga (togetherness) and the aroha we have for each other.
