51萝莉

Aaminah Ghani made a big impression during her time at the 51萝莉 as both an entrepreneurial and community-minded student.

Born and raised in Hamilton, Aaminah is the third generation of women in her Kiwi-Indian family to study at the 51萝莉, so it has a special place in her heart. 鈥淢y grandma studied here in the 80s, followed by my mum and uncles. We鈥檝e all had a really good time here, and the environment is very supportive,鈥� she says.

For her, Waikato鈥檚 strength lies in its people: 鈥淭he university has this energy where it鈥檚 all about collaboration, and you can create those connections with people in a really genuine way.鈥�

Aaminah completed a four-year Bachelor of Management Studies, majoring in Supply Chain Management and Marketing.

She looks back on her time at Waikato with a sense of pride. After New Zealand鈥檚 2020 Covid lockdown ended, Aaminah decided it was the perfect time to launch a new student club; the , which quickly attracted around 100 members.

鈥淚 wanted to create a support network that would prepare women for the workplace and give them access to female mentors,鈥� she explains.

Aaminah also became Vice-President of the Waikato Muslim Students鈥� Association and helped organise a major campus tribute following the Christchurch mosque attack in 2019. 鈥淚t was about coming together to express our grief, and making sure that Muslim students felt safe and supported.鈥�

A top academic achiever, Aaminah was awarded a Prime Minister鈥檚 Scholarship to Asia, which led her to complete a supply chain internship at a recycled packaging company in Vietnam, where she learned about outsourcing and international trade.

鈥淗aving good relationships is absolutely key in Vietnam; that trumps everything else,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hereas in other parts of the world, if you鈥檙e not the cheapest or you can鈥檛 meet the deadline, it鈥檚 a bit more cut-throat. That really opened my eyes up to how I would like to do business in the future.鈥�

She was also funded by Waikato Management School to attend the University Scholars Leadership Symposium in Malaysia, joining 1,500 young leaders to discuss how they could make a positive impact on global humanitarian issues.

After completing her BMS degree, Aaminah secured a place in Fonterra鈥檚 18-month graduate programme, rotating through roles in supply chain, productivity, and change management. In 2025, she stepped into her current role at Fonterra as Technical Associate 鈥� Finance Core Operations.

For Aaminah, business is ultimately tied to social purpose. 鈥淚 want to contribute to building humanitarian supply chains - making sure that every step is ethical, so that workers in developing countries are treated fairly, and you鈥檙e sourcing everything responsibly. It鈥檚 about looking at the long-term investment, not just the short-term gains.鈥�

Today, she continues that momentum as chair of YWCA Aotearoa, championing women to flourish and challenging gender inequality; and as a board trustee for Advocacy NZ, which supports individuals trying to navigate our healthcare system.