He Ira Wāhine | Women’s Mentoring Programme

The objective of He Ira Wāhine | The Women’s Mentoring Programme is to offer professional development opportunities for female students with the chance to benefit from the experience and industry knowledge of a mentor. This is a fantastic opportunity to acquire an insight into the world of work and to get your career off to the best possible start.

The programme is designed to be highly flexible so mentees can achieve their own professional development goals. It is also intended that it does not become too onerous and can accommodate the mentors' and mentees' busy schedules. We recommend mentors and mentees meet once a month if possible, with a minimum of at least four face-to-face meetings during the year along with more regular email or phone communication.

There are also regular events for all participants in the programme to meet. These events run from March through to October where you have the opportunity to hear from some of New Zealand’s leading women.

The programme is open to all female and gender diverse University of Auckland law students who are in Part II – IV of their studies. Mentees will need to be studying in both Semesters One and Two of the year to ensure that they will be in Auckland to fulfil their mentoring relationship. Students going on exchange will not be eligible to apply.

He Ira Wāhine | The Women's Mentoring Programme is designed for students who need assistance and support in developing skills and confidence to manage their future careers. Throughout this programme we focus on:

• Building the foundations of personal and professional networks
• Preparing for the transition from university to fulltime employment
• Obtaining an understanding of the world of work, including some of the obstacles women can face and how to overcome them
• Career management – the opportunity to discuss goals and develop a plan to work towards achieving them
• Relating theoretical studies to current practice in the legal world and obtaining an industry insight to support academic learning
• Invitations to attend events including professional development workshops and opportunities to hear from female leaders

Acceptance will be based on the quality of the students’ applications and their passion for the Programme. Extracurricular activities, community and voluntary activities will be highly regarded.

The next programme will commence in Semester one of 2023. 

It is important to note that this is not a work experience programme or a recruitment tool and students should not expect to obtain employment from the programme.

The mentors involved in this programme are women from a range of career paths who completed an LLB at university and now work within and outside the legal industry. Ideally, mentors will meet up with their mentees once a month, as well as at the on-campus networking events. Mentors must live in Auckland, have a minimum of five years’ industry experience, be willing to commit to the programme and be able to attend some evening events. There are approximately four networking events for mentors and mentees throughout the year, as well as a mentors’ meet up, the programme launch event in March, and the final wrap-up event in October with all participants.

This programme has numerous rewards not just for mentees but for mentors too - an opportunity to network with other successful women at programme events, an opportunity to build your own professional brand and hear from exciting women leaders.

"The Programme was conducted in a very impressive manner and has been one of the most positive and uplifting mentoring programmes I have been involved in. The staff who convened it were supportive, caring and great role models for all involved. Despite the constraints of COVID-19, I was impressed at how the Programme continued to run seamlessly with excellent organisation of online events in substitution of meeting physically. The Programme offered quality resources for both Mentors and Mentees and the onsite events were fun, engaging and energising and provided a platform to grow connections and friendships whilst learning valuable and practical skills within the legal industry."

Testimony from a WMP mentee 2020

For more information about the Law School Women’s Mentoring Programme, please contact:

Kylie Chye
Career Development and Employer Engagement Manager
Phone: +64 27 2137048
Email: kylie.chye@auckland.ac.nz