Rachel Enosa is of Samoan (Lepā and Safune) and Palagi (Scottish and German) descent. Growing up and observing the experiences of her own family in navigating systems and services, Rachel thought there had to be a better way for families to access the support they need. This saw her undertake a degree in social work which led to a strong interest in public policy and community development. “My last social work placement was at the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs followed closely by a secondment to the Ministry of Social Policy.  This is when I started to see how valuable the lived experience was to making good policy decisions.  I came away thinking it’s critical that those most affected by the system should at least be part of the conversations about how to make the system work better for them.”  This laid the foundation for the work Rachel is now doing in social change for The Cause Collective. Rachel is inspired by communities in South Auckland and the people who are resilient and strong with so much potential to do great things.

Current Role
“I am the CEO of The Cause Collective and the Healthy Families South Auckland Co-Lead.  My job includes being a cheerleader, champion, enabler of innovation and good ideas, trouble shooter and problem solver.   I maintain a systems focus and strategic lens across the roadmap activities and seek to understand how best to leverage our workforce capabilities and local South Auckland leadership for impact.”

Current Project
“I am pretty much across everything as a key part of my role is to make sure the different parts of the work programme are well integrated and systems focused.  This includes at a national level working across the Healthy Families New Zealand Chairs Forum. A challenging part of my role is trying to demonstrate systems change which is not often seen immediately.  It takes time, so finding ways to tell our performance story while we are working on leave behind results is an important part of my work.”

What is your vision for health and wellbeing in South Auckland?
“That’s an easy one, strong families, strong communities living well longer.”

What is one funny/quirky/interesting thing that no-one knows about you?
“I am kind of a private person, but one quirky thing I will admit to is I do my own carpool karaoke on the way home from work (by myself, with no witnesses). Well what else can you do in Auckland traffic! I do try and do it in the morning with my kids but they tell me I’m ruining the song lol!”

Who is your Superhero?
“Disney’s Moana – she’s strong, determined and fearless, a great role model for young Polynesian girls.”

What is your Superpower?
“My superpower is – encouragement- unleashing the potential in others to do great and amazing things for our communities.”