Today’s guest is NZ business hall of famer, Mavis Mullins (Rangitāne, Te Atihaunui-a-Paparangi and Ngāti Ranginui).

For decades Mavis has been at the forefront of Māori business. She has run multiple companies and chaired a number of high powered boards. Through all of her experience and success, her long term view has never changed to make sound business decisions that benefit the generations to come.

Mavis began her working life as a wool classer in her family’s shearing business and soon moved into management of the business. Under her management, the company became the first shearing business in the world to achieve ISO 9002 accreditation.

In 1996 she graduated from Massey University with a Masters in Business Administration. She has held positions on the Massey University Council and the Mid-Central and Wairarapa District Health Boards. In 2000, Mullins headed the launch of 2degrees, as part of her work with Te Huarahi Tika Trust. She was a member of the Rangitāne o Wairarapa and Rangitāne o Tamaki nui a Rua negotiation team which worked on and successfully completed their Treaty of Waitangi Deed of Settlement. She also heads Tū Mai Rā , the post-settlement entity, chairs the board of Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre and serves on the boards of Wool Industry Research Ltd, Hautaki Ltd, Te Hou Ltd.

In the 2002 Queen’s Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, Mavis was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the wool industry. In 2016 Mullins won the Rural category of the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards. The same year, she was named University of Auckland Business School Aotearoa Maori Business Leaders Awards’ inaugural Business Woman of the Year. In 2017 Mullins was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.

From the shearing shed to the boardroom, this is the story of Mavis Mullins – Indigenous 100

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