As a child, Jessie knew that she one day wanted to make the world a better place. Arriving in London with just £500 in 2005, armed with a positive attitude and a wealth of friendships from her travels, she set off to make this dream a reality.

She embraced the harsh reality of a cold and dark British winter and saw the beauty in the daily London commute that so many of us love to hate. “I remember smiling and looking at the grim tube and thinking it was just the best thing ever!” With a tight purse, she was quick to land a temp job in PR and later worked her way into the digital marketing world.

Fast forward 5 years and Jessie found herself making the move back to New Zealand, in what a good friend described as her “OE from her OE”. Determined to experience New Zealand through fresh eyes, she moved in with a bunch of Irish housemates in a large flat share in Auckland. It was during this time back home that Jessie met her partner, who funnily enough, was British. He was due back to the UK as his visa was up, and Jessie made the decision to move back as well. She explains, “I still had my working visa and loads of friends and connections, so I thought I would just go back there and see what happens”.

From a young age, Kiwiroa Marshall has stayed true to her high school motto - Summa Pete, Seek Thou the Highest. As head girl at Papakura High, this has been a value which has resonated with Kiwiroa (known as Kiwi) and one which undoubtedly has been applied throughout various aspects of her life.

Kiwiroa describes herself as being from a true blue-collar background. Her father, who spent most of his life in the freezing works, always championed her progress. “Dad wanted more opportunities for me than he had, so he would go into school and talk to the careers advice officer and my teachers." It was an accounting teacher that said she should be going to to university that lead to her completing a four-year Bachelor of Management Studies (majoring in Accounting) at Waikato University.

Author: Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas
Reviewed by: Libby Gordon 

Kicking off NZBWN International Women’s Day on a cold winter February morning a group of Kiwi women gathered on Zoom, coffees in hand, lockdown weariness on faces, to discuss… humour! 

The conversation as always, wove around a bit as reflections and takeaways were shared from the pages read. Easy to consume, either reading or listening the people enjoyed the relationship between the two authors, they enjoyed the collaboration, friendship and story that was woven throughout. 

The two main takeaways from the conversations were around being yourself and the importance of humour, especially in the workplace. 

The first point was nicely summed up by this statement ‘I don’t see self as very funny, this book may not be for me… but it is not about telling jokes it is more about being yourself’

There was a recognition that you don’t have to be a comic to bring levity into your work persona; it’s about your personality and what works for you but not being afraid to use what you have. Often surprise humour is the funniest, it does not need to be a big joke, just something to show personality so that other parties know they are not talking to a brick wall. Being natural can help you to be better at your job; one group member reflected how it made their sales calls better, just being themselves.