About the 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.

Whilst the programme is designed to be flexible, we also provide suggested topics to help drive conversation, with supported reading materials. Topics include:

• Making a great first impression
• Building rapport
• Networking
• Learning the job
• Managing conflict
• Balancing work/life and leisure
• Being resilient

The programme is open to all female and gender diverse University of Auckland law students who are in their penultimate/final year of their studies.Mentees will need to study 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 with their career path and want to improve skills and broaden their networks. Be prepared to attend an event each month, usually held after 6pm.
Throughout this programme we focus on:

• Building the foundations of your 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 your academic learning
• Invitations to attend events including professional development workshops and opportunities to hear from female leaders

Applications will be viewed on quality of responses, and students involved in extracurricular, voluntary and community activities will also be regarded highly. The next programme starts in Semester One 2024.

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.

The Programme runs during the academic year, from March to October.

Ideally, mentors will meet up with their mentees once a month, as well as at the on-campus networking events. We provide monthly topics of discussion and resources to help drive discussion.

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.