"Everyone's got a super power, you’ve just got to find it."
For newly-appointed business growth navigator Lloyd Maole, of Dunedin, it is the networks he has established throughout his career which he is now putting to use in his latest role at Business South and Workforce Central Dunedin.
Mr Maole spent about 17 years in the banking sector, mainly in leadership roles, working for the Bank of New Zealand, Westpac and SBS before shifting his focus to his community, paying homage to both his upbringing and his parents.
Growing up the youngest of three boys in a Pasifika family in Dunedin, where his father worked at the Cadbury factory and his mother was a stay-at-home parent, he was encouraged to be successful in whatever he did.
His parents pushed their sons to have dreams, instilled a work ethic in them, and also taught them that they were accountable for what they did and how they treated others.
It was an "awesome" upbringing in what was a very supportive environment, he recalled.
While studying at the University of Otago, Mr Maole worked night-shift boning meat at the Anzco plant in Green Island.
He also spent time working as a cleaner, a bouncer — "quality control doorman", he quipped — and at a call centre.
Coincidentally, his rugby coach at Otago Boys High School, who was also the careers adviser, mentioned that he thought Mr Maole would make a good banker.
Following his banking career, he moved into social wellbeing with Presbyterian Support before the opportunity arose to join Pacific Trust Otago as chief executive.
Mr Maole recalled it was that appointment that made his mother cry — knowing her son was giving back to the people and community she loved.
"You can never run away from your values," he said.
For Mr Maole, one of the most important traits was treating everyone the same.
When Covid-19 happened, it was about helping the trust grow — both from an operational perspective and also having the skill set to understand the need for financial stability.
The process of thinking and problem solving was something that he enjoyed — "because it gives you innovation", he said.
That culminated in his recent appointment to the Pacific Island Business Development Trust Board which, again, was about serving his community.
Now in his third week as a business navigator, Mr Maole said he was thinking of what to do to ensure the Dunedin community prospered — or understood how it could prosper — either directly or indirectly from the Dunedin Hospital rebuild.
From his time banking during the Canterbury earthquake rebuild, he said it was important that the hospital build took the community along with it and that businesses were in a good place to either get involved directly as sub-contractors, or benefit from the "ripples".
The only way to do that was "go out and listen and ask questions", and utilise the networks that he had built up during a project which was "probably the biggest in our generation".
It was all about relationships and working together to come up with solutions. Potentially, a blueprint could be created for other hospital builds or renovations.
Mr Maole described himself as "Dunedin proud", and said he was enjoying continuing to do his values-based work, investing in the community through his "natural, comfortable space" of the business world.
"That’s how I’m still giving back to my community," he said.
He wanted to make his own children proud.
"You just want everyone to know there’s no barriers to living out a dream."
Role to be ‘at front door of Callaghan'
Daniel Healy reckons there is a lot to like about Dunedin.
He reels off a list — from the great waves to indulge his passion for surfing, the University of Otago and the "best stadium in the country" to few traffic issues, the Dunedin Hospital rebuild project, friendly people and great cafes.
"What more do you need?" the former Sydneysider asked.
Mr Healy recently began work as an innovation navigator to deliver Business South’s new regional business partner contract with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and Callaghan Innovation.
He said the new role would identify innovative businesses wanting to invest in research and development in Otago and then work with that portfolio to help them access Callaghan Innovation products at the right time in their business evolution.
While he had only been in the role for six weeks, he was finding the job "brilliant" and he had already met many interesting businesses which had so much potential.
Some were operating in "stealth mode", a little under the radar, and the wider public did not necessarily hear about them as they were often working in a very specific niche.
Someone was needed "at the front door of Callaghan" to welcome those innovators — which was where his position came in. It was about understanding exactly what the innovation agency was looking to partner with, ultimately leading to more employment and more export dollars, he said.
The most inspirational thing so far had been how cohesive and purpose and mission-driven Callaghan seemed to be.
"I’ve been nothing but impressed. I’m really hoping I can contribute and get things moving forward," he said.
Mr Healy grew up in Sydney and completed a science degree but was unsure what he wanted to do when he graduated. While travelling, he became interested in software and got a job in hotel software.
He moved to Dunedin in 2014 — his wife comes from the city — and started building a walking trail app for Dunedin people to help find trails. Through that process, he became involved in the local start-up space and was introduced to Bison founder Greg Fahey, where he got a job.
He later worked for Phototonic Innovations before moving back to Australia and getting back into hotel technology. Four months later, Covid-19 hit and hotel technology was not something on the mind of hoteliers, he said.
After a role as a technical writer for the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, during which time his family remained in Dunedin, he rejoined them, and was now enjoying life back in the city.
