Dot Harris - Community Relationships Advisor
With a successful career in business development, Dot Harris, known to many as Dottie, (Te Tai Tokerau) took her time and plotted her next career move - she didn’t just want a job, she wanted to do mahi that was meaningful and played to her strengths and she wanted to do it for an organisation that aligned with her personal values and had a good culture.
“I’d had my eye on Powerco for about nine months – their work in the community, the vibe I got from their social media and what I had heard about them as employers, so I was thrilled when the new community relationships advisor role was advertised,” says Dottie Harris.
And she was even happier when she was offered the job!
“I absolutely love my job, I have not had to change who I am for this role and I can create the space I want to fill to achieve Powerco’s objectives,” she says.
For Dottie it’s about people and connecting kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face). She develops and nurtures relationships and acts as the connector looking after activity on the eastern side of Powerco’s electricity and gas footprint
“My role is about connecting the right people together and having conversations to get win-win outcomes for stakeholders and Powerco over the long term – it’s not about quick wins, it’s about longevity,” she says.
Since Dottie joined the team in January this year, she’s managed to turn many of those conversations and relationships into action and created new ways of working with the community.
She’s proud of getting good community buy-in over new artwork on a substation in Te Puke and helping to pave the way for the installation of a generator on Matakana Island to ensure the community remains connected.
With a whakapapa to Te Tai Tokerau, Dottie calls Mount Maunganui home and has lived in the beachside community for 20 years. When Dottie isn’t making connections in the community, she can be found at reformer Pilates, enjoying the beach with her husband and son or planning her next intrepid overseas adventure.