Welcoming our new PhD students
In 2024 we welcomed three new PhD students to the Centre – Jiahe Wu, Holly Franklin and Marcella Williams – who have all commenced their studies in different areas with gender and entrepreneurship. We are excited to follow their journey over the next few years as they work on under-researched areas and within different entrepreneurial contexts, using a gender lens.
By way of getting to know them better, we asked them a few questions on their first impressions of PhD life. Read on for some fascinating introductions as well as their insights into the early days of their PhD studies. We look forward to watching you all flourish over the next few ages!
Meet Marcy
Ko Hikurangi, ko Kahuranaki ngā Maunga
Ko Waiapu, ko Tutaikuri ngā Awa
Ko Ngāti Porou, ko Ngāti Kahungunu ngā Iwi
Ko Williams a Kerei tōku whānau Māori
He uri tēnei no Aiomanu whānau ki Hamoa
Ko Marcella-Jane Williams ahau
Hikurangi a Kahuranaki are my maunga
Waiapu a Tutaikuri are my awa
Ngāti Porou a Ngāti Kahungunu are my Iwi
Williams a Gray are my whānau
I am a descendant from the Aiomanu whānau in Samoa
I am Marcella-Jane Williams
When did you start to think about undertaking a PhD?
It was only once I was halfway through my masters in Māori and Indigenous Leadership that I began to realise that this was possible. I am incredibly grateful to the many people who have supported me, especially my former Director, Jamie Hape, and my Pou, Professor Rangi Mātāmua, through the University of Canterbury’s Master of Māori and Indigenous Leadership programme; my best friend, Nat, my akonga pals – Ruth, Mark & Whaea Panda; my work colleagues, Tracee, Adele, Johannah, Wiremu and Bianca; alongside the many Kaiako and managers over the years. I’d also like to thank my ex-husband Josh, and my precious whānau, particularly my Aunty Maseina who I began this journey on via my PGDIP HRM at VUW, and my Aunty Kim, who has supported me the last couple of years since my return to Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Why did you choose to explore women, gender and entrepreneurship and what are you currently working on in this space?
Well firstly, I am an indigenous wahine! I also know that women are likely to have less upon retirement, live longer and experience varying degrees of poverty, sexism, glass ceilings and pressure to “be, act and look” a certain way in order to be taken seriously in business, and in life. Let’s debunk that myth – I believe we are all just trying our best, and I say, “Haere tonu – Keep going!”
For my research, it has been shaped by my mum, who was a successful entrepreneur. Growing up, I never realised, but it was hard, heavy and no doubt lonely for her, even though she never showed it. Because of this, I wondered how our culture could protect women like her – fierce, hardworking and super-smart entrepreneurs – who find themselves swimming alone in the sea of business. I wondered how our innate values could keep them safe. Therefore, I am choosing to explore “How Wāhine Māori entrepreneurs’ application of Tikanga (specific to their iwi kawa) in Business can be utilised as a means of enhancement and empowerment.”
What does a typical day in the life of a PhD student look like?
I am very new to this (seven weeks in), but I am applying it in the context of “Work”. I work one day a week with an Iwi-mandated authority, and I love a good routine. The first thing is feeding my cat and making my bed. By 7.30 am, I have two things done – what a feat! I have breakfast and aim to get my body moving daily. I have allocated slots for reading, writing and researching. I am trying to stay away from the fridge (!), and I listen to music that is focused on increasing neurological performance for studying.
What aspects of studying a PhD are you enjoying the most?
I think “the more I learn, the less I know” is an oddly satisfying paradox. I see academia as a space where the greatest minds come together to solve global problems, help nurture talent for future betterment, and foster relationships as a “nation” themselves of knowledge seekers and intellectuals. I’m excited to be here to contribute, and to also give back – because you never forget who believed in you.
Is there anything about studying at postgraduate level that you have found particularly challenging and wish you’d known more about in advance?
Juggling priorities and self-care is a priority; ensure you have things that can guide and help you such as calendars, check lists (if that’s good for you) and adequate time to do things that nurture your wairua. I like to paint in my spare time, so I am ensuring that I am getting weekends off – and that I do my painting, singing and whānau time. It’s a marathon, not a sprint – care for yourself!!
Where do you hope your PhD research will lead you, and what are your career goals for the future?
At present there are so many opportunities where this could lead me, but I hope to be able to bring my skills back to the communities I serve to provide novel solutions for better outcomes. I don’t think I will ever be able to move back to commercial spaces that are not interwoven with my values. My main kaupapa is that my mahi (work) must be purposeful, it must be safe for me to be Māori and Samoan in, to be innovative – I want to be creative, and make a difference in some small way!
I’m really hoping that this study will also encourage my direct and extended whānau to consider pursuing higher education to be able to contribute to a better world. My mum is also doing her PhD through Otago – and while we aren’t very close due to a variety of reasons, I hope that perhaps this may change that too.
What advice would you give to anyone who is thinking about doing a PhD?
Have a big enough why – one that is personal, and that you can lean in on. At the start of my masters in Māori and Indigenous Leadership with the University of Canterbury, we did an exercise that was focused on our ancestors. I made a photo board with my grandparents and spoke about my kuia and koro (grandparents). I still have that board, and it is what I like to call my anchor; I gain strength from whānau, especially when I am second-guessing my worth(iness) and ability.
When times are hard, I am lifted up by my ancestors, and those before me. A whakataukī shared by a programme my manager led, which I will always remember when times are tough, is “He tamahine koe o Hinetitama waewae aku whatu ki to tirohanga”. The essence of this quote describes how “our ancestors see our essence, potential, uniqueness and they weep with joy.”
Meet Holly
When did you start to think about undertaking a PhD?
While I was studying my MBA in 2019 – we had MBA to PhD candidate Leny Woolsey talk about how she was using theatre interventions to investigate organisational stories, and it was amazing. It’s been on my bucket list since.
Why did you choose to explore women, gender and entrepreneurship and what are you currently working on in this space?
Last year, as Commercialisation Specialist at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited I developed a series of articles showcasing women entrepreneurs, in partnership with FIFA World Cup. They were inspiring – and I wanted to do more to help.
I currently work for one of those incredible women at Geo AR, a female-founded video game company with ambitions to change the world for good. We’re currently building a collaboration platform to enable cities to pool resources and co-develop educational games for their communities.
Supporting women is an incredible way to uplift the whole economy. I have a special passion for supporting mums – it’s a lonely, all-consuming job at times, not dissimilar from a PhD.
What does a typical day in the life of a PhD student look like?
I’m up at around 5am, when my kids are asleep, and make myself a Berocca and buttered toast, then sit down to study for about an hour. My bleary-eyed two-year-old wanders into the kitchen and wants cereal, so I feed her and her brother, then begin the whirlwind of getting them to daycare.
Following drop-off, if I don’t have to be in the city I hit the pool, often with my Mum. It’s about the only time I can’t be summoned to my phone, so it’s precious. Then its study or work until daycare pick-up, where I get to enjoy my kids and sort out dinner and bedtime. I try to sneak in reading some papers – once books and songs are done of course. Then I catch up with my husband, and crash into bed.
What aspects of studying a PhD are you enjoying the most?
It’s either meeting and learning about other PhD candidates, who are studying some exciting spaces, or the way my brain fizzes when something ‘clicks’.
Is there anything about studying at postgraduate level that you have found particularly challenging and wish you’d known more about in advance?
I printed some articles to read, and my cat ate one page, my daughter drew on about twenty, my son ingested a highlighter, and I lost my stapler. I’ve decided I am not great at paper management. So, it took me a while, but I recently “teched up” and invested in an e-reader, and now I just need to get better at transferring my notes from that into EndNote to make write-ups easier.
Where do you hope your PhD research will lead you, and what are your career goals for the future?
I want to add good to the world and leave it a bit better for my kids. I hope my research will make connections that allow me to continue to learn and work towards this – uplifting our wonderful, capable women, and unlocking possibilities for their success and wellbeing.
What advice would you give to anyone who is thinking about doing a PhD?
Find the joy that will sustain you. For me it is my family: the pride my Mum has when I tell her what I’m up to, holding my almost-sleeping daughter’s hand while reading about catalysing strategies, and ‘study dates’ with my husband that take me back to when we were undergrads.
Meet Jiahe
When did you start to think about undertaking a PhD?
I began thinking about earning a PhD when I was 22 years old. I was establishing my own company then and running into many challenges. I wanted to take strength from the knowledge of my predecessors while also having some time to work through my problems.
Why did you choose to explore women, gender and entrepreneurship, and what are you currently working on in this space?
Many of my entrepreneurial challenges arose from gender concerns, and there were moments when I had to change my mental gender to male to fit in. Initially, I blamed my challenges on a lack of leadership. Still, as I progressed in my business, I recognised that my entrepreneurial spirit caused them.
What does a typical day in the life of a PhD student look like?
I generally come to the school office every day to study with a group of like-minded companions. If I am bored with my studies, I play golf. I feel at ease with life as I observe the trajectory of each ball and the fantastic weather.
What aspects of studying a PhD are you enjoying the most?
Many people believe that PhD studies are complex. Still, when I see a prior researcher properly convey my difficult-to-articulate past life experiences, I feel a sense of communion beyond time, geography, and environment. This was quite fulfilling for me.
Is there anything about postgraduate study that you have found particularly challenging and wish you’d known more about in advance?
At the postgraduate level, it is critical to define your area of interest, choose your research path, and learn about the future of your interest ahead of time. I previously pursued a postgraduate degree in accounting at the Australian National University because I believed that finance was the most critical aspect of starting a business. Then I travelled to the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom to pursue a Master of Management by Research because I believed my situation was due to a lack of management. However, I understood that I wanted to study entrepreneurship systematically, so I picked the University of Auckland for my PhD in Entrepreneurship.
Where do you hope your PhD research will lead you, and what are your career goals for the future?
My PhD study will give even the tiniest amount of advice and hope to a diverse spectrum of women experiencing challenging conditions. It will push the bounds of entrepreneurship just a little bit. I hope to assist more women in taking tiny steps towards entrepreneurship, since our climate for female entrepreneurship can only improve if all women believe they can start their businesses and that it is desirable.
What advice would you give to anyone who is thinking about doing a PhD?
Completing a PhD is a lonely yet exciting time. The PhD stage is like a marathon, with your supervisor, friends, and family serving as volunteers to give you water and food. You will undoubtedly want their assistance to complete the course, but the most important thing is to continue. So, you must love it; love can survive any challenge.