#NEWSMAKERS: The simple act of answering the phone with the now widely-used greeting “kia ora” nearly lost Dame Naida Glavish her job 40 years ago

The simple act of answering the phone with the now widely-used Māori greeting nearly lost Dame Naida Glavish her job 40 years ago.

Glavish, then known as Naida Povey, had used the greeting since starting her work as a toll operator in 1975, but a promotion to a senior role in Auckland and the arrival of a new supervisor from Taupō who stuck “strictly” to the rules saw the “challenges begin”, she said.  “The rules were ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’, ‘good evening’.

We are pleased to have Dame Naida as a Kaumatua Rōpū member for Hāto Petera.   Click here to read the article and click on the video half way down the article to watch the news story.