Explain a situation where you have made an ethical decision.

Discuss how you weighed up the values involved in that decision, the decision you made, and how you reflect on the decision now.

During the first COVID-19 lockdown, I was asked to jump on the phones to help with donation cancellation calls because the person who usually handled them was overwhelmed. I was given a script that had me ask people to downgrade their gift or pause it before finally agreeing to cancel their donation.

I felt super uncomfortable asking these questions. Most people were calling because they had lost their jobs or weren't getting paid during the lockdown and had no extra money to give. It felt ethically wrong to ask them to continue donating in any form when they were struggling themselves.

But I knew I had to ask because people still had cancer, and our organisation’s services were needed more than ever. If I didn’t at least ask, we might lose a supporter who didn’t realise they had options other than cancelling outright.

Now, looking back, I think that experience was a great learning moment for me. It taught me to evaluate situations carefully and to push through uncomfortable feelings for the greater good. I realised that providing people with all their options helps them make informed decisions, which is crucial. This experience definitely helped make me a better fundraiser.

Describe how your culture and the people around you have influenced your values and identity.

Te Ao Māori shapes the way I see the world. The biggest thing is understanding that everything is connected. I tend to look at things holistically and see how even the smallest details are part of something bigger. My relationship with people and the way I treat them is also deeply influenced by manaakitanga, which drives me to show respect, generosity, and care.

I am very intentional about the people I have around me. I gravitate towards those who think and care deeply and are authentically themselves. I appreciate friends who enjoy having deep conversations but also respect quiet moments and love being silly, whether it's talking about TikToks or juicy gossip. I value kindness and am drawn to people who challenge me to see the world differently and inspire me to care more deeply about new things.

Identify your strengths and how they will support you during your learning journey.

My strengths are my creativity, curiosity and connecting with people. My sense is that I fit being a programmer and the mindset of problem-solving - some of my favourite things to do at work is coming up with creative solutions. And the stuff about the role being more than concepts and more human skills suits me great. I'm really riding on the sparkling personality bit!

Evaluate your limitations in terms of your learning and career development.

How might these affect your learning journey?

In the same vein of problem-solving, I think I tend to sit on problems longer than I should before I ask for help. I like how that has been mentioned a few times to stick to the timebox and ask for help so you can move on. I think having that culture from the get go and knowing that there are lots of others in the same boat is super helpful.

Share an example of when you were trying to work productively with others, but there was resistance or tension.

Discuss strategies you tried at the time, how effective they were, and your reflections on what other strategies you would try now and why.

I had a situation where I wanted to introduce a planning tool like Monday.com to replace our project planner in Excel spreadsheets. I needed something more functional, but some of the team were resistant to learning a new tool.

To address this, I worked through introducing and teaching people how to use it. I had team members explore the tool before we officially implemented it and gave them the opportunity to ask questions. It reminded me of flipped learning, where you introduce new concepts for people to explore on their own before diving into them fully. However, not everyone took the time to trial the tool on their own, which limited the effectiveness of this approach.

If I were to try again, I would probably introduce the idea of a new tool when I first started researching my options. Surprising people with something new was a mistake. I think they would have been less resistant if they had felt part of the journey from the beginning.

By involving the team early on and seeking their input during the research phase, they would likely feel more invested and open to the change. This approach could foster a sense of ownership and reduce resistance, making the transition smoother and more collaborative.