5 mins with Tayyaba Khan
Kia ora, can you tell me about who you are and what you do?
My name is Tayyaba Khan and I’m the Chief Executive Officer at Counselling Services Centre (CSC) in Papatoetoe in Counties Manukau. I've been the CEO here for a year and four months, so not that long. I was born in Pakistan, but raised in both Japan and Aotearoa.
Can you tell me a bit about the mission of your organisation and what about that drew you to the work?
We are committed to supporting people on their healing journey; that's our mission. We’re in our 40th year this year, and we're really deeply committed to making sure that we can support people who have experienced trauma, sexual harm or family violence in whatever way works for them to be able to heal. That appeals very deeply to me, given who I am and what I've been doing prior to arriving at CSC.
Can you tell me a bit about that background, because you've done quite a variety of roles before coming to CSC?
I qualified in mental health in my undergraduate degree and then went on to do international development. I would have stayed in health, but as things go, I guess, for immigrant children, I was pulled into different aspects of life. I've done quite a lot of policy development, settlement work in first world countries, essentially for migrants and refugees. I've worked not only in New Zealand, but also in Australia, the United Kingdom, the occupied territories of Palestine. I spent a lot of time in government but also the not-for-profit and in the international development sector supporting people who are either choosing to move to different parts of the world or people who are displaced because of war and conflict.
And then it just became time to think about circling back to health, because that was really where my foundational grounding is. Prior to this role, I was the Director of Advocacy at the Health and Disability Commissioner's Office and then I transitioned to CSC. I grew up here in South Auckland, so this role feels like I’m coming home which is really lovely.
How has it been for you in your first year of being a CE in the social sector?
It’s been an exponential learning curve for me to have stepped into the sector at this time. We're not in an easy time. The constant changes that are happening at a political level are impacting policies. And those are really major shifts, right? They're trying to change decades of work and advocacy and support that have been built in place for people.
I'm learning a lot, and having to learn a lot faster. So, I haven't really had the privilege of really getting my feet under the desk. It's just been, like, come on, let's go.
But other than that, I find those moments where we've contributed to someone's healing journey, to their life, really powerful. It's a grounding moment of recognising this is why I'm here.
In terms of this role, is there any life-changing lesson that you've learned so far?
A really big lesson for me – at a very personal level – is the importance of people feeling a sense of belonging and rootedness. So that principle of tūrangawaewae for all people is so important and it helps with healing.
I go back to my own identity and for a very long time feeling like I didn't belong in New Zealand. Now I’ve come back to Papatoetoe, which is where CSC is based and where I grew up. I have that level of familiarity because I was a young person here once. I feel like giving back to this community is the sense of belonging I was always looking for.
And I think the shifting moment for me was recognising that we're all looking for home, right? That feeling of belonging helps us not only to feel grounded but also to navigate all of the difficulties we experience. It builds a sense of resiliency in you that you just didn't have before.
And that tūrangawaewae journey for refugees and migrants is quite a different process, right?
Absolutely and that’s why I think social cohesion is such an important issue of our time right now. Racism and discrimination are being exacerbated with everything that's going on at a political level and at a systems level. It makes it really important that we stay committed to helping people to feel that sense of safety and belonging. And it's those two things combined that create the opportunity for healing.
Can you tell me a bit about your approach to being a leader in challenging times?
I think when you are experiencing challenges, it's important to slow down; that’s a huge part of my practice. Even if I feel like things are time pressured, I prioritise slowing down because I think that provides a sense of regulation for who I'm leading or who I'm leading with. So that's one. The other is listening and listening deeply. I always make sure that when things are really fast-paced, and I’m making decisions on the go because I have no choice, that I’m also listening to what's happening around me and I’m bringing people with me because that's how I make better, collective decisions. And then, last but not least, this might sound like a cliché but being compassionate. My approach is to work alongside people, that's really important to me and I think that's why I've taken on this role.
In this election year, what do you think would make the biggest difference to the people you work with?
The biggest one for me is looking at our funding models and being open and innovative in reforming them. They aren't working. They haven't been working for a while. And we need stability around not only a redesigned approach to funding, but also long-term sustainable funding. We can't keep working with people with short-term, bite-size approaches, when, actually this isn't short-term, bite-size work we are doing.
Are there any other major challenges that you are dealing?
From an advocacy perspective, it’s the importance of us always thinking of people collectively and making sure that their care comes first. We need organisations to recognise that principles and practises of cultural safety, competency and appropriateness should exist amongst all social service providers, so that we can serve all New Zealanders better.
