Jane Yonge

Jane leads advocacy initiatives, facilitates sector engagement, helps build collaborative partnerships, and manages the design and development of strategic initiatives at Te Taumata Toi-a-Iwi. A theatre director, creator, and arts policy and strategy maker, Jane has a Master of Theatre Arts in Directing from Victoria University and Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School. In 2019 she graduated with a Masters in Arts Politics from New York University: Tisch School of the Arts on a Fulbright scholarship.

What does leadership look like to you?

Jane: Leadership to me looks messy and chaotic. I don’t think people are naturally linear beings that fit into boxes. Being in response to that requires letting go and trusting the processes of the people around you. Having an abundance of generosity in that space. Otherwise we’re just testing what we know and that stops us from going into the unknown. But then it’s also about finding ways of holding people in that, a duty of care.

What are you hoping to get out of this experience?

Jane: Opportunities to learn from and practice with a group of amazing wāhine. Finding ways to risk and grow together. Re-imagining what the future could be like for the next generations and how we can support and help to enable that.

How does your community show up in your practice?

Jane: I don’t think I have one community – it’s diasporic and constantly shifting. Growing up I never thought “community” applied to me. Now there is community everywhere. From pot-luck dinners to creative collaborations. Do we seek community out, does it find us, or both?