10/06/2026
Beatrice Faumuinā knows first-hand the difference a scholarship can make.
Now she’s helping shape the next generation of leaders as the new director of the Kupe Leadership Scholarship.
Over the years, she’s developed her own “magic sauce” as a business leader: family, faith and acts of kindness. These elements sit alongside the discipline, resilience and leadership skills she’s built through sport, business and governance.
She’s bringing this mix to the Kupe Leadership Scholarship programme, where she’ll help shape its strategic direction, strengthen its national and international profile, and support exceptional postgraduate leaders from across the University.
For Beatrice, who was named a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours, leadership is about honesty, service, humility and follow-through.
“I’ve spent years encouraging young people not to let barriers define whether they belong. I ask them instead to create opportunities to be in those spaces. I tell them, ‘Because of your culture, language, and who you represent, it’s vital that you’re in those rooms, whatever your aspirations are. Instead of saying, ‘They don’t look or sound like me’, that might be exactly why you need to be there.’”
Read more here: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2026/06/10/beatrice-faumuin--championing-future-leaders-.html