Supporting emerging talent through scholarship
Aquaculture New Zealand (AQNZ) is proud to have sponsored this year’s Women of Aquaculture Aotearoa (WoAA) scholarship, enabling Kim Kubala (MacLab) and Isha Sharma (New Zealand King Salmon) to attend the It’s All About You professional development programme.
While this was a one-off scholarship opportunity, it reflects AQNZ’s broader commitment to strengthening leadership capability across the sector—particularly supporting the growth of wahine working in aquaculture.
Building confidence and leadership capability
Both Kim and Isha described the programme as a valuable and empowering experience, providing practical tools and a supportive environment for growth.
Kim Kubala highlighted the strength of the cohort and facilitation:
“I thoroughly enjoyed the It’s All About You programme. There was a wonderful group of women attending, which created a supportive environment where it felt easy to be open, honest, and engaged. The programme coordinator was fantastic and brought a wealth of experience, knowledge, and insight to the two days. Throughout the programme, I gained a deeper understanding of my personal values, strengths, areas for development, transferable skills, learning style, and purpose. We also explored our inner critics, self-compassion, communication skills, self-care, and goal setting, all of which provided valuable tools for both my personal and professional life.”
For Isha Sharma, the programme was particularly impactful as she continues to build her leadership capability:
“I really enjoyed the course and found it highly valuable. As someone relatively new to leadership roles, it was especially helpful in building my understanding and confidence.”
Practical tools for everyday impact
A key outcome for both recipients was gaining practical frameworks they can apply in their day-to-day roles.
Kim found value in understanding different communication and learning styles:
“The aspects that had the greatest impact on me were learning about my preferred learning style through the VARK model and understanding how I can better work and communicate with people who learn differently to me.”
She also valued the future-focused elements of the programme:
“Creating a vision for where I see myself in both my personal and professional life over the next five years was particularly difficult and enlightening. Building on that, the goal-setting exercises were incredibly valuable, as they provided a practical framework for turning the insights and learnings from the programme into action.”
For Isha, the programme offered tools she could immediately apply:
“One of the most useful takeaways for me was learning how to approach different situations effectively using the DEARMAN framework. I also found it insightful to understand the importance of choosing the right moment when communicating with others, along with developing stronger communication skills overall.”
She also highlighted the relevance of building confidence in challenging situations:
“I particularly appreciated the sections on identifying internal and external constraints, and how to build confidence when dealing with challenging situations. These learnings felt very practical and applicable to my day-to-day work.”
Looking ahead: continuing to grow aquaculture leaders
Both recipients expressed their appreciation for the opportunity:
“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to attend this programme and can’t thank Women of Aquaculture Aotearoa and AQNZ enough,” said Kim.
“Overall, it was an excellent experience, and I gained a lot from the course. Thank you so much for the opportunity,” added Isha.
A further opportunity for leadership development is the 2026 AQNZ Leadership Hui, which will bring together new leaders from across the sector. The Hui provides a valuable platform for developing leadership skills, strengthening connections, and supporting their individual growth. We encourage aquaculture organisations to nominate staff to attend this Leadership Hui and invest in the future capability of our industry. Learn more including how to nominate your staff here.
AQNZ congratulates Kim Kubala and Isha Sharma on their achievements and looks forward to seeing their continued contribution to aquaculture in Aotearoa.
Kim Kubala
Isha Sharma