The Ministry of Social Development aims to build healthy families and communities through offering a range of government support to New Zealanders and I was able to support this kaupapa by researching how family violence victims/survivors can be supported most effectively by MSD’s service providers.
Within my role as an intern, I worked within the family violence space, creating a rapid evidence review looking at what types of services were most effective at improving victims/survivors’ outcomes of safety and stability. I carried out qualitative research, involving a literature review, and further in-depth research in areas that were decided by Senior Advisors. I was also required to analyse the range of research I found and transfer the data into evidence-based insights that would help support funding decisions by the Family Violence team.
From the insights that I gained; I wrote a range of recommendations for MSD regarding how family violence funding should be tackled in the future.
I also engaged in a bunch of daily public sector tasks, such as joining team meetings, contributing to meetings relevant to my project, replying to emails, being involved in teambuilding exercises, taking part in the daily Stuff quizzes, etc.
This was a super exciting opportunity and enabled me to partake in research that is aimed to help and better support people in need.
I was born and raised in Te Whanganui-a-Tara but am of Sāmoan and European heritage. I went to Wellington East Girls College and graduated in 2017. I then went to Victoria University of Wellington, where I completed a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Sociology and Criminology as well as finishing one half of my Honours degree in Criminology in 2021.
I’ve worked in hospitality since 2016, working in a café part-time during university, and full-time during the holidays. Juggling work and university studies are not easy so I commend all of you for doing this now.
I applied for the ARG internship mid-year 2021 as I was seeking out a range of graduate or internship programmes as my degree was ending. I found the application process straight-forward and the agency that I was chosen for, MSD, was super lovely and accommodating during the interview process. It was really exciting to be selected to work with a government agency whose purpose is aimed at improving and bettering the lives of New Zealanders.
I’m currently taking a break from studying to try and get some work experience under my belt. I also want to give myself some breathing room to decide on a meaningful topic for my thesis. I’m aiming to stay within the public sector, working within an Analyst or Advisor role. I am currently in the middle of interview processes and without the experience, I gained from ARG and MSD, I wouldn’t have been considered for many of the roles I’ve applied for.
Yes, I believe this role could be flexible to a range of students with different backgrounds – especially those within different degrees that required good research skills. This role requires you to be an analytical thinker that can problem-solve and use your initiative with project direction. If you are confident in your writing and research skills and have the ability to adapt and learn quickly then this role would be perfect. It’s a super fun opportunity where you learn a lot of new skills in a short period of time and meet a range of staff members across government agencies, really getting your foot in the door!
I loved having the opportunity to research issues that were close to my heart, such as looking into family violence research regarding Pacific communities. My passion for the public sector comes from a desire to support Pacific Island communities and uplift all New Zealanders out of situations of hardship – it was therefore super meaningful for me to be able to contribute to mahi that felt very impactful and important to victims/survivors of family violence.
There isn’t a lot of diversity within this role as it’s a 3-month internship in which you focus on completing one project. From my experience, the work you complete usually fits within one role and you don’t get a lot of opportunities to branch out to other areas within the agency. This is understandable given time constraints, and you still learn an immense amount working within one role.