Synergia

Welcome back to Synergia's Staff Spotlight series! 🔦

This week, we get to know Jessica Ansari, Manager at Synergia.

What’s a typical “day in the life” for you at Synergia? 💻

What I love about consulting (and Synergia) is that there really is no such thing as a typical day! Some days you might have a day full of meetings and workshops or interviews and the whole day is spent talking or engaging with people, and the next day is completely clear and you'll be head down analysing data and writing reports. In my role as a Manager, my days typically fall somewhere in the middle. Learning how to balance my energy, manage my time, and not only be ok with, but flourish in the variety is key.

What’s the most interesting place your work has taken you in New Zealand? ✈️

A few years ago I worked on an evaluation project that took me to Westport for a site visit. The most interesting part was actually getting there. Living in Tāmaki Makaurau, it involved a flight to Wellington, and then a transfer to a 6-seater plane to Westport. Six seats!! I could've sneezed on the pilot, and could see everything they were doing - which was both super cool, but also super terrifying.

What’s your favorite way to unwind after a busy day of work? 💭

Earlier in the year, I committed to taking public transport to work. I've found that a 40 minute bus ride (on a good day) is the perfect way to detach from the office environment and the busyness of the day. I spend the trip head down in my Kindle and I've come to really value that time to escape to another world, before arriving home to my husband and 18 month old toddler - and all the chaos that ensues. My husband and I have also started watching The Crown (I know we're very late to that party), which is an excellent way to zone out after a long day!

So pleased to see our mahi with Ministry of Health New Zealand Public Health Advisory Committee (PHAC) published this morning: https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/05/16/time-to-rebalance-our-food-system-towards-cheap-healthy-food/?mc_cid=5cf7090b39

The PHAC engaged Synergia to lead a series of stakeholder engagements to inform their report on Rebalancing our food system, including key informant interviews and stakeholder workshop. It was an absolute pleasure being involved in this important mahi.

The findings from the stakeholder engagements are published here:https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/publications/stakeholder-reflections-on-the-food-environment.pdf

Time to rebalance our food system towards cheap healthy food Opinion: Our food system is very good at producing highly profitable export-quality products but not nearly as good at ensuring all New Zealanders have access to the nourishment they need to live and flourish, argues Kevin Hague