Louis Hutchings

It was skills gained from working with other people as much as academic learning that prepared Louis for his work and postgraduate study.

Political Science and Economics were reasonably straightforward decisions for me when picking major subjects for university while in high school. They were both areas I thought to be interesting and had some background in, with economics being one of my favourite subjects and unnuanced takes on politics being a topic my friends and I often discussed. Pacific Studies, however, was a bit more of an unexpected area of study. It was a chance for me to explore my Pacific identity with similar people, so much so that I am currently doing Honours in Pacific Studies. It's been such a useful perspective to use for my other studies, interests, and how I live my life.

The critical and differing perspectives I developed from my studies surprised me. This meant that while they were distinctly separate, they were also able to support and complement one another. For me, it was an important lesson that your knowledge does not box you into one thing and that my aspirations fell somewhere between them each discipline.

Overall, the thing I enjoyed most about my studies was the people I met. Our teaching staff supports us through our journey, but I think our fellow students deserve credit for adding to our knowledge. Conversations with my peers gave me some of my best memories and learning moments. People from different backgrounds with a wide range of opinions and talents pushed my understanding of concepts and helped me improve my confidence. Working with diversity, navigating people well, having strong empathy, and valuing differing talents are all key skills in the workplace, and learning to collaborate, interact, disagree, and respect one another are vital skills for life.

My role as a Pasifika economic development adviser at WellingtonNZ grew out of a summer internship. In the role I worked on setting up initiatives to support the local Pacific economy. The internship was a great opportunity as it also felt like an amalgamation of my studies. The internship also helped further grow my confidence in myself and my abilities. It taught me that what I had been learning could be used in a career.

At WellingonNZ, I found ways to support events, groups, and initiatives that develop the Wellington region’s Pacific economy. It was exciting and there was a lot to do, from maintaining relationships to event planning. While undertaking postgraduate study I am an intern in Manatū Taonga’s first Pacific histories team working on creating a platform and resources to educate and inform people about the Dawn Raids as well as wider Pacific history in Aotearoa. It’s very early days but I’m loving it thus far.

It can be difficult to get over the imposter syndrome that comes with your first graduate role, so trust your abilities and push yourself to be confident. Graduating means that you’re more than capable to be the change you want to see. For me, this first role has been about realising my skills and expertise.