About Ngākau Hihiko
Network membership is open to anyone with an affiliation to Aotearoa New Zealand’s energy sector. To join the network, subscribe to our communication channels, including the subscribed email contacts list and our LinkedIn page.
There is no cost to join or attend events – our events are led by women and generally our presenters are women who have experience in the energy sector.
Our objectives
Grow career opportunities for women in the energy sector
Encourage women in the energy sector to develop their networks
Stimulate women’s and girls’ interest in entering the energy sector
Build awareness of the network and grow our membership
Grow the network’s reach in other areas of the country
MEET OUr NEW STEERCO committee
IDIL KAPLAN
Infrastructure Regulation
Commerce Commission
At the Commerce Commission, Idil drives strategy, planning, and reporting for the Infrastructure Regulation function, with particular focus on energy regulation and infrastructure resilience, supporting outcomes that promote sustainable and long-term consumer benefit. She is passionate about bringing community and Māori voices into regulatory decision-making, and connecting decarbonisation with sustainable finance.
A keen champion for the next generation of leaders in the energy sector, Idil deeply values diversity of thinking. She began her career in strategic marketing and advertising, building strong foundations in leadership, communication and stakeholder engagement, before moving into policy, regulatory engagement and sustainable finance roles across the primary sectors and infrastructure.
National Power Schemes Services Manager Genesis Energy
Areta leads the many supporting functions on site at the Huntly Power station. An HR practitioner by background but a convert into the world of operations, Areta loves to champion initiatives that enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. With a passion for te ao Māori and on a lifelong learning journey herself, Areta believes it can be the magic ingredient that enhances organisational culture.
Areta mackey
Karen Boyes
Executive Director Major Electricity Users' Group
Karen is Executive Director of the Major Electricity Users’ Group, representing the voice of large industrial and commercial businesses across the energy sector.
With more than 20 years’ experience across government and the energy sector, Karen is focused on bringing diverse stakeholders together around the shared goal of an affordable energy sector that enables Aotearoa New Zealand to prosper and grow.
Outside work, Karen is a proud mum of two teenagers and proud auntie to her gorgeous nephew.
Saba malik
Regulatory and Policy Manger
Clarus
Saba brings commercial, economic and strategic insight from across the energy, academic and financial sectors. As Group Regulatory and Policy Manager at Clarus, she works across policy, regulation, strategy and long-term infrastructure investment, collaborating with teams to navigate complex challenges and support informed decision-making.
Saba is passionate about developing people, fostering collaboration and creating opportunities for diverse voices to thrive across the energy sector.
BELINDA LAKE
Chief Financial Officer
Eastland Generation
Belinda is Chief Financial Officer at Eastland Generation, bringing experience across finance, strategy and governance with a practical, outcomes-focused approach.
She is committed to developing people, building resilient teams and creating opportunities that support greater diversity across the industry, aligned with Ngākau Hihiko’s mission.
Programme Manager – Strategic Initiatives
Northpower
Marcela is a programme manager in Aotearoa’s energy sector, leading strategic initiatives and digital transformation programmes. She believes strong outcomes are achieved through connection, collaboration and empowering people around a shared purpose.
Marcela is passionate about inclusive leadership, amplifying diverse voices and supporting the growth of wāhine in energy and engineering.
marcela rodriguez
hermione mCcALLUM
Chief Policy Officer
Tū Ātea Limited
Hermione is a social and public policy specialist in telecommunications, ICT, digital technology, systems design and innovation, grounded in a kaupapa Māori worldview. At Tū Ātea she leads Māori spectrum and digital sovereignty policy.
Her doctorate at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi researches whānau-led energy sovereignty and power poverty in rural Aotearoa. As a steering committee member of WISER, she works to grow Indigenous membership in the energy transition and looks forward to contributing to this kaupapa.
Pledge your support
We continue to partner with and seek support from aligned organisations to grow opportunities for women in the energy sector. If you’re interested in supporting our Ngākau Hihiko network please contact us.
about FAQs
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The energy sector is critical to meeting climate change objectives but is skills constrained, with an ageing workforce and an ethnic and gender diversity that does not reflect the communities in which it operates. To support the energy transition we need a diversity of skills and solutions – old thinking won’t get us there. As an industry we need to be an attractive employer for people from all demographic groups, ethnicities and genders. We have chosen to focus our effort on women, as it can be hard being a woman in the energy sector of today.
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Our mahi focuses on creating spaces for networking, mentoring and learning. We’ve found that our members really value our events as ways to connect with each other. These connections can be crucial to women developing engaged, successful and personally rewarding careers in our sector. We hope that by giving our time we can make it that little bit easier for women to thrive and at the same time make the sector more accommodating of diversity. We all win when we have a bigger skills pool and we have more diverse inputs to energy sector conversations.
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