Rukumoana Schaafhausen is a member of the NZ Order of Merit, and has received the Sir Peter Blake Award, and the US Embassy Wahina Toa Award for Leadership. Though she left school at 15, she was determined to do something with her life to make a difference to others. After deciding to enrol in a law degree, she then became a lawyer, director and an influential member of her Waikato-Tainui iwi. Renowned as a hardworking, principled “bridge builder” and a diverse thinker, Rukumoana is the Director of Contact Energy. She was recently the Chair of Waikato-Tainui and is currently serving across a number of Iwi, community, private and public organisations in governance roles including Water Governance Board, AgResearch, Miro Berries, Tindall Foundation, and The Princes Trust. Previously, she was a director at Genesis Energy, and is also a proud wife and mother. From a young age, Ruku learned to be “who I am, not the position I hold”. The real power in leadership, she realised, was not about herself, but in serving others.