Jewelz Petley

2022 Cohort

Pronouns: she/her/ia

Jewelz is working alongside local youth development organisations and key strategic partners, enabling rangatahi (youth) to find their own solutions to economic autonomy.

Jewelz is Ngā Puhi and Te Rarawa based in Auckland (Tāmaki-makau-rau), Aotearoa NZ where she is Specialist Advisor, Youth Economy, in the Community Social Innovation Unit at Auckland Council, Australasia’s largest local government organisation. Here she works alongside stakeholders, rangatahi (young people), and the community to develop economic opportunities for rangatahi.

She has spent 15 years working to improve the wellbeing of Māori and Pacific communities within the charitable and public sector, working at both grass roots and systems level. She specialises in bringing communities together and supporting them to identify and direct their own kaupapa (positions and policies). A strong leader with skills in collaborative practice, agile thinking, and facilitation, she thrives in complexity. Her goal is to see Māori rangatahi (youth) and hapori (community) thriving in places where they live, learn, work and play.

“I dream of Māori rangatahi (youth) being the drivers of their own prosperous economic futures.”

Social change work

Jewelz sees youth in West Auckland as in crisis due to unemployment, underemployment, housing, and the cost of living. Together these are exerting pressure on mental health and wellbeing and contributing to systemic helplessness and disengagement. The global COVID-19 pandemic is intensifying this situation. She will work alongside local youth development organisations and key strategic partners to enable systemic shifts in economic norms. Drawing on youth development, Mātauranga Māori (knowledge and ways of being), whakapapa (kinship) centered design, and innovation methodologies to enable rangatahi to find their own solutions to economic autonomy.