Benesia Smith

Iwi

Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Porou.

Education

I attended both Cambridge Primary school and Leamington Primary school. I then moved on to Cambridge Intermediate for Forms 1 and 2 (now known as years 7 and 8). For secondary school, I attended Sacred Heart Girls College in Hamilton. (This was a bit scary at first attending a religious school - but it turned out okay 'cos in my final year I was one of three Head Prefects!). Finally, I moved on to attend Waikato University where I studied for four years to gain a law degree in 1995.

Occupation

I am a senior analyst currently seconded to the Office of Treaty Settlements for 12 months, from the Department of Internal Affairs. At the Office of Treaty Settlements, I work in a small team focusing on the Taranaki region aiming to resolve grievances of the past and build positive relationships with Māori through lasting Treaty settlements. At the Department of Internal Affairs, I worked on a range of issues including a citizenship review, progressing an antiquities review, monitoring the New Zealand Fire Service Commission and acting as a departmental advisor to a number of Parliamentary Select Committees. Seeing how Parliament and central government works is "kinda cool".

What did you want to be when you were young?

I kept on changing my mind a lot. But the common things that kept on returning were: an egyptologist (which is why I have a lot of books at home on Egypt); a lawyer (an old TV programme LA Law inspired me); an anthropologist (I am fascinated about the world's shared history – where we came from, how things were done etc); a secondary school teacher (I think because quite a lot of my friends indicated early on that they wanted to be a teacher); a mum (well, I come from a family of seven children – so I consider I was always pre-destined to want to be a mum).
I also thought it would be "pretty choice" to work for the SIS (New Zealand's Secret Intelligence Service).

Who are your inspirational role models?

Two of my secondary school teachers inspired me – Mrs Lorraine Mooney and Mrs Clare Winitana. They both strived to ensure that I was fascinated with history – both Aotearoa and world, and that I should always look to continually improve myself; my grandmothers – Hineruku and Joyce, who have always wanted the best for me – have worked their damned hardest to ensure that I had a high level of personal integrity, knowledge of my own history and whānau, and who loved me without restraint and engendered within me a deep and abiding love for my whānau and friends; and my dad for always pushing me to go higher and harder – to be the best that I could be.

What is your favourite...

· food?

Paua fritters, "boil-up", trifle, chocolate (any type!), hash browns.

· movie?

In fourth form it was Labyrinth with David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly. Now, I think it would be Triple X, with the scrumptious Vin Diesal.

· TV programme?

Charmed and Sex and the City.

· music?

I have an eclectic taste – reggae, country, pop, hip-hop...

· pastime?

Meeting up with family and friends.

What would be your ideal day?

Yummy breakfast in bed, served late-ish, around 10.30am. Followed by a walk along a lovely sunny beach with a few close friends. Lunch would be fish'n'chips on the beach, followed by swimming in the surf. The afternoon would roll on by, and I would have talked to at least one of my sisters or brothers on the phone to find out the "whānau goss" for the day. Dinner would involve an enormous BBQ with a few friends, followed by a bit of dancing, singing, and laughing.

What is the grossest thing in your fridge?

Yucky, mouldy, stinky beetroot that looks like it has been there for over a month.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

My cellphone going off in the middle of a highly charged meeting of Ministers and officials, after being told outside of the room that all cellphones were to be turned off. It got worse – I couldn't turn it off – so it rang and rang and rang. The meeting went silent and then all ten people turned to me, with a "not-impressed" look on their collective faces. My lesson – I never take my cellphone to meetings any more!

What are your ambitions for the future?

To be happy and to travel overseas.

What sparked your interest in following your particular career path?

I think it was a tour of parliament when I was younger. Members of Parliament were sitting in the House and I felt this urge to want to be involved in what they were up to. In essence, I really like the feeling of being able to contribute to a piece of policy advice that may assist in bettering my fellow citizens' lives.

December, 2003