Vanuatu woman aims for the top

Vanuatu-born Andrina Thomas left school at 16 to start a family. Today she is one of six Commonwealth Scholars currently at the University of Waikato, and hopes her PhD work on good governance and the participation of women will help open doors for her female compatriots and encourage more women into leadership positions.

Ms Thomas, who has a BA and MBA from the University of the South Pacific, arrived at Waikato Management School last year on a three-year postgraduate Commonwealth Scholarship.

Administered by the NZ Agency for International Development (NZAID), about 10 scholarships are available each year to candidates from 45 developing Commonwealth countries who are expected to make a significant contribution to their country’s development.

“I’ll be the first ni Vanuatu woman with a PhD when I graduate,” says Ms Thomas.
“The Commonwealth Scholarship is an excellent opportunity for me to pursue my dreams, although I know it won’t be an easy job to change things in Vanuatu, even after 28 years of independence.”

Ms Thomas spent four years as a manager in a financial institution, where she herself came up against the sorts of problems many ni Vanuatu women face in getting their voices heard.

“I come from a matrilineal society where women have a decision-making role and own the land. This system still operates in rural areas, but after decolonisation everything went wrong. Women were sidestepped, and men took over the decision-making roles.”

Since she has been in NZ, Ms Thomas has already presented papers at six academic conferences, while working with her supervisor Prof. Maria Humphries on her PhD research.

Next month, she heads back home for six months to conduct interviews with past, current and aspiring women’s leaders and undertake a focus group study on organisations supporting the advancement of ni Vanuatu women.

She will also survey 60 women entrepreneurs in Port Vila and Luganville who are participating in a microfinance programme – the VanWods Microfinance Incorporation – set up by the UNDP.

Ms Thomas is also one of 15 students selected for an 18-month-long Pacific leadership programme, funded by NZAID.

At the end of her studies, Ms Thomas plans to go back to Vanuatu and set up a mentoring and role-modelling programme for women to prepare them for leadership positions.