We recently had the privilege of hosting a screening of The Power We Hold: Stories from Women Spies for members of Aotearoa New Zealand’s intelligence community.
A huge thank you to our sponsor, DEFEND, whose support made the event possible. We are incredibly grateful for their partnership and commitment to supporting professional conversations across the intelligence community.
The film shares the experiences of women who have served across the United States intelligence community, exploring themes of leadership, trust, service, diversity, resilience and the influence people can have regardless of rank, title or visibility.
Our thanks also go to Iron Butterfly Media for bringing these stories to life, and especially to Megan Jaffer for joining us via Zoom and so generously sharing her insights and experiences. We are also incredibly grateful to Cadie Hopkins for her support in helping bring the film to Aotearoa New Zealand. A special thank you to our NZIIP Fellow, Marika Hughes, for serving as MC for the evening and guiding the discussion so thoughtfully.
Most importantly, thank you to everyone who attended. The level of engagement in the room reinforced the value of creating opportunities for our community to come together, connect and learn from different perspectives.To reiterate a recurring message from the evening, intelligence is a people business. At its heart, our profession is built on people, relationships and trust. The event was a powerful reminder not only of the impact that individuals can have, but also of the value of coming together as a community to learn from one another, share experiences and reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing our profession.
The response to the film was overwhelmingly positive, and many attendees expressed an interest in seeing it reach a wider audience. If you attended the event, we’d love to hear your thoughts. What resonated with you most? What conversations did it spark? Please share your reflections and feedback with zn.gro.piizn@stneve.