 Teaching means to me two things. It's firstly about the relationships that you build with students and it's secondly about the learning environment that you create for them. I get a real buzz when I see that students are not only able to answer questions but they're able to question answers. For me it's one of the most satisfying spaces is that exchange of knowledge doesn't always go from the teacher out but it's an environment where knowledge has been exchanged. Tracy is someone I find easy to listen to which helps me to understand what is going on in lectures. Tracy inspires. I think she inspires just about every student that comes into contact with her. She's very clear in how she talks about everything. Although I may not say something out loud I feel like I'm still participating in my own head. I think the University of Auckland has the incredible breadth both in terms of what it teaches but also in terms of the student experience. The fact that we're in a hyper diverse city I think is much more reflected in the university lecture room than probably in many other spaces. As a Māori woman I really want us to be able to benefit from that diversity. The University of Auckland is a great place to teach because of its focus particularly on research because that adds a special colour to our teaching. Marie is a concoction of bubbly, easy-going and wise and her friendly approach makes her the most fantastic lecturer I have ever had. Fundamentally it's the energy she brings into the room. She reaches out to the students as an audience and invites them to participate in the lesson. It's not a one-way street. I really want for my students to be able to understand the world but to go beyond mere description. The real ideal is for them to recognise their own ability to create positive and sustain change. A successful student is a student who's really engaged and you can feel that in the classroom. There's a real buzz in the classroom. I think that responding to what students have to say and making that a fun and engaging environment I actually think that that's what makes classrooms alive. Jay is a phenomenal teacher. I'm sitting here at lunch and we're all having a laugh remembering some of his best Jay is in his very calm and slow southern American accent which I've disguised over the years. Jay actually has a gift of inspiring people. He comes across as being someone who genuinely is interested in you as a person. And he can draw out people that sometimes you've never even heard them speak in a classroom lecture before. If I wasn't a teacher, what other job would I do? I think without a doubt if I wasn't a lecturer I'd be doing really what my research area is to look for largely indigenous solutions to complex problems so that all of our people can flourish. If I wasn't working in a tertiary teaching environment I'd be still be working with communities of interest trying to work towards positive empowering and collaborative change. Well I was a nurse. I left that. I did work for the pharmaceutical industry. I left that. But I've got to be honest this is the best job I've ever done.