I was born in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. My family moved to New Zealand in 2010, so I was able to experience a mixed culture during my childhood with both Palestinian and New Zealand cultures predominantly reflected in my everyday life.
I am very proud of my Palestinian background and will continue to honour and live by my culture and traditions. Palestinians have a strong sense of family and community, which I hope will translate into my mahi. I think the mix of cultures makes me very fortunate, as I can take the best of both worlds into my mahi.
Tell us about your graduate placement and your host agency.
My graduate placement is with Inland Revenue, Te Tari Taake. I am part of two teams: Finance Services and Commercial Services and Strategic Property.
Finance Services deals with the revenue that comes from New Zealand tax payers, such as the disbursement of social policy payments. Commercial Services and Strategic Property deals with the end to end commercial lifecycle of all buying at Inland Revenue. We provide advice on suppliers, contract negotiations and supplier relationship management.
I believe working with these two very different teams will give me a range of experiences and understanding of the public service, which I hope will translate into future mahi.
Is there a career goal you are working towards?
My career goal is to provide the best mahi I can through inclusivity, diversity and cooperation in the workplaces I chose to become a part of. I believe that the Ethnic Communities Graduate Programme is the perfect opportunity to influence and drive positive change within the public sector, which will translate into prosperous communities across New Zealand.
Why do you think it’s important to have a diverse public service?
New Zealand is a very diverse country, with many different ethnic communities. It is important for the public service to reflect this diversity; it is a matter of representation of different communities in the decisions that define New Zealand as a whole.
A diverse public service will bring about positive change, as decision making will be influenced by different cultures, experiences and ideas which will have a key role in shaping the experiences of other ethnic peoples outside the public service.
Diversity in the public service plays an important part in shaping, maintaining and improving social policies and the quality of public services. It allows for new voices to be heard and for new ideas and systems to be founded based on the diverse experiences, cultures and traditions of ethnic communities in New Zealand society. This diversity will inevitably contribute to a higher quality of policy advice across the public service, which in turn will translate into a more inclusive and prosperous society.
What advice do you give to graduates considering a career in the public service?
I would advise graduates to take the chance to join the public service, as it is an opportunity to experience the functioning of government agencies and the way in which government makes its decisions.
You will be able to serve your community and bring positive change to the issues that you are passionate about. If you have a desire to give back to your community, the public service is the perfect place to do so, as it provides meaningful work that can and will influence the way New Zealand does things, even if it is at a small level.