Ironically, this is the mindset that led Erin Roxburgh, lecturer and PhD candidate in the School of Management, all the way from her Bachelor and Master of Commerce, to the United Nations.
In March, Erin flew to New York where she represented New Zealand’s Ministry of Women at the 2025 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. This is the highest-level international forum for gender equality and women’s empowerment worldwide.
“Surreal,” was the word that came to her mind as she walked into the general assembly. “The room was full of women from all over the world. It was such a supportive space; really really cool.”
Erin is no stranger to promoting female leadership. She currently sits on the Women in Sport Aotearoa board and their Māori Advisory Rōpū, He Wāhine Toa kei te Kokiri. She has spoken about how sport can shape young women into leaders in New Zealand parliament, at the 2024 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Peru, at various conferences, and now at the United Nations.
It was a realisation Erin had while she was a student at Te Herenga Waka that inspired her advocacy for gender equity in sport, “Sport is about more than just playing; it’s about building community. And where there’s community, there’s leadership. That makes sport a really great, informal way for young women to build their leadership skills.”
She uses the example of a social netball team, “Getting yourself to the court every Saturday builds time management skills. Working with your teammates, some of whom you may not know, or like, builds relationship management skills. These are exactly the same things that many professionals have to deal with. Just because you aren’t a Silver Fern, doesn’t mean you aren’t succeeding as a leader.”
It took Erin a while to understand this for herself. She played and coached sport because she loved it, not because she necessarily expected to grow from it. But she earned a Wellington Plus certificate for volunteering. She won Blues Awards. She was named Māori Sportsperson of the Year and was asked to speak at the following year’s ceremony. Through University recognition, “especially from the supportive team at UniRec”, it dawned on Erin that what she’d thought were everyday activities were already leadership. This is an ethos she carries with her today.
“Everyone is already a leader when they walk through the door—that’s my favourite thing to help young women realise about themselves.”
These days, Erin uses her positions on various sports boards, her 300-level Sports Management course, and her popular TikTok account to do what she loves best: to share this message with the masses.