Helping organisations flourish & bringing learning to life
Nā tō rourou, nā tāku rourou, ka ora ai te iwi
Animoa has loved learning all her life and is passionate about others having opportunities to keep on learning and developing. She has over 20 years experience in management, governance, and leadership development in the education and not-for-profit sectors.
Animoa was born in the small town of Orini and is still a committed fan of Waikato rugby (complete with Mooloo cowbell!!). Animoa studied at Victoria University completing a BA in Economic History and then completed a Bachelor of Divinity at Laidlaw College. Animoa taught History and Economics at Macleans College before moving up an age group to work with university students. From 2002 to 2014 Animoa worked as the Head of Student Ministries, for Tertiary Students Christian Fellowship. She learned a lot about developing leadership in youth and also learned about leadership and teamwork in multi-cultural contexts. Animoa completed her Masters in Education (Adult Education) in 2013 where the focus of her thesis was on women in leadership of not-for-profit organisations in NZ.
From 2015 - 2018, Animoa took up the role of Pouwhakahaere (Campus Director) for a new branch of Laidlaw College that opened in central Manukau. This experience extended her skills in education management and also strengthened her understanding of working with teams and individuals in the culture rich context of South Auckland.
Animoa took up her first governance role in 2001 and has been involved in various governance boards ever since. She is currently serving on the International Board of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, and also on four national governance boards – Arrow Leadership, Bible Society New Zealand, Global Connections in Mission and Pathways College.
Animoa was also part of a multi-cultural team developing and leading a Global Leadership Initiative group for IFES – mentoring and developing leaders for international leadership roles in the coming years.
Animoa grew up identifying as Pākehā, living in rural New Zealand, although there was a little knowledge that she had some Māori heritage. It was not until 2005 that Animoa was able to connect meaningfully with her Māori identity and the community of Rangitāne o Wairau, based in Blenheim. Since then she has been on a personal journey to grow in her understanding of both threads of her heritage and she brings the growing wisdom of this heritage to her work with Animoa Consulting.
Animoa is both her middle name and an ancestor’s name. The ancestor was known as Ani Moa or Annie Moore. This name represents the complex journey of two cultures – Māori and Pākehā - both seeking to flourish in this land (whenua). Animoa would love to share some of this journey as part of her work, and to support individuals and organisations to explore what the bicultural journey might look like for them also.