Signing off – Rae Lamb

When the late, great Te Pou and Blueprint board member Professor Richie Poulton interviewed me for the CEO job, he asked me to promise to stay five years. I stayed for six.

I stayed for six years because Te Pou, Blueprint and the Wise Group are a great place to work, filled with smart, caring people who work to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

I stayed for six years because the mental health and addiction sector is an incredibly rewarding place to work.

I stayed for six years because I have learned so much; the people are special, and I think I have become a better, kinder, person as a result of my time here. I am certainly more confident with te ao Māori and te reo Māori than I was six years ago.

As I sign off as CEO of Te Pou and Blueprint on 25 June, and say my goodbyes and thank yous, I want to acknowledge all of those I have worked with both within Te Pou, Blueprint and the Wise Group, and more widely in the sector. Thank you for all you have done and for your support. It is a cliche but it’s true that leaders are only as good as the people and organisations they lead. And I would add that having a very supportive board and professional peers, and partners, allies, and friends across the sector matters immensely too.

Looking back on the six years, there are three things I am most proud of.

Our ongoing journey at Te Pou and Blueprint as a Te Tiriti-inspired organisation is top of the list. Six years ago we asked ourselves, where we were at in relation to being Te Tiriti-inspired? How well were we doing with tikanga and matauranga Māori? We invited expert external scrutiny and assessment. Recently we were reassessed. While we still have some way to go, we are progressing and there are tangible improvements. The fact that Riana Manuel is our next CEO, and she wanted the role, speaks volumes.

Secondly, nearly half of my time here has been dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The way we wrapped our collective arms around our staff across the Wise Group and, through that, enabled them to continue to support the people we serve, still makes me immensely proud. On days when it seemed too hard, I reminded myself I was supporting people so they could support others. And unlike so many others, I didn’t have a young family to manage at home as well.

Finally, I am proud of the personal development I have had working here and in this sector. Coming back to this country after eight years in Australia, I found a very different country in terms of the use of tikanga and te reo Māori. It seemed Aoteoroa New Zealand had leaned into our whakapapa, our people, and was getting better at accepting what makes us special as a nation. Working in Te Pou and Blueprint, and in the mental health and addiction sector, has allowed me to embrace this and grow as tāngata Tiriti.

After the many years in the rough and tumble, deadline-filled and fast-paced world of journalism, this sector has also taught me to be a bit kinder and more aware of and empathetic to the challenges people face. I am grateful for that as I spend time with my twin mokopuna. I hope I can use this to help ensure they continue to develop into fine people.

I am looking forward to having more time for family and whānau, and hope to continue to contribute to the health sector through governance and possibly some project work. A holiday in Samoa is on the cards first, and, who knows, I might finally make my own sourdough.

Ngā mihi nui,

Rae