16 JUNE 2021
WOMEN IN BUSINESS, SPONSORED BY ECLIPSE RECRUITMENT
On a blustery winter’s day, Eclipse Recruitment’s Lisa Hill welcomed more than 70 guests to North Shore Golf Club. “If this year has taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected!” She gave a brief update on today’s “candidate-tight” recruitment market and encouraged people to implement the “really great information” for employers and employees in June’s FYI.
Erica Stanford was born and raised in the Bays, even marrying her Rangitoto high school sweetheart. An early ambition to work for MFAT was not realised. Instead, a high-flying career in export took her around the world, teaching her the value of relationship-building. Then, her almost accidental venture into TV production taught her about the media – “finding the hooks” that get people watching and excited.
But it was when she began working part-time for Murray McCully (former MP for East Coast Bays and Minister of Foreign Affairs) that she “fell back in love with politics”. In particular, she found it “so rewarding and fulfilling” to be able to answer constituents’ questions, help them with the likes of immigration, IRD or child support issues. “You can actually change people’s lives.”
Then, having completed a gruelling selection process, Erica was elected MP for East Coast Bays in 2017.
During her 45-minute presentation, she shared many of the highlights and a few of the lowlights of her career to date and voiced her hopes and priorities for the near future. It was hilarious (the perils of unfamiliar pregnancy test kit brands in Bangkok). It was also deeply relatable: “The pressure we put on ourselves is the hardest.” (How to achieve balance, juggling family life with meeting or exceeding the professional bar we set for ourselves, and all without feeling guilty about either work or home). Erica had an energetic and provocative rapport with her audience. She also described her double-edged relationship with the media. On the one hand, you may be “only one front-page story away from oblivion”. On the other, they can play a vital role in highlighting important issues and heart-breaking cases, such as with migrant nurses.
There were a couple of other interesting soundbites:
Of the 2020 election (at which her 2017 majority of 16,200 was halved)
The result was “probably one that was deserved”. The overall election result was “probably one that was deserved as at times we didn’t do ourselves any favours”. Furthermore “It was a wake-up call that you can never take your electorate for granted.”
Of the current immigration policy
A radical overhaul is required. “It’s broken.”
Erica urged everyone present to get involved with politics. “We are 100 per cent driven by what we hear.” Petitions do make a difference – so, sign them! If there’s an issue you feel strongly about, e-mail your local MP or the minister with the appropriate portfolio. And, be assured that, even though “you don’t see the collegial stuff”, elected representatives are working together daily for the betterment of New Zealand.
