In this conversation, Eva Chen MNZM reflects on her journey, shaped by family values and quiet but powerful leadership. She shares how challenging authority can be done with grace, and how systems—not communities—often create the biggest barriers. From misaligned translations to the myth of “hard-to-reach” groups, Eva speaks honestly about the gaps she’s witnessed.

She also challenges the stereotype of underqualified Asians, naming how cultural pressures and systemic bias contribute to underemployment. Through it all, Eva stays grounded in service. For her, true leadership is about lifting others up—not seeking the spotlight. One of her proudest moments? Seeing her children helped by strangers she once supported herself.

Being an Asian woman representing her community while staying true to herself has not been an easy path for Eva Chen MNZM. She describes her journey as one of constant learning — shaped by purpose and grounded in service. For Eva, it has always been about the people.

In her earlier years, Eva often faced discrimination. Her youthful appearance led to assumptions and misjudgements — at times even being mistaken for someone’s mistress. These experiences were deeply shaped by patriarchal and authoritarian structures, where women were confined to traditional roles and judged by how they looked. Navigating those expectations, particularly within a collectivist culture, added another layer of complexity. Even today, she observes how these biases can persist, especially in spaces where women from collective cultures are still treated differently based on appearance or age.

Eva’s hope is to empower the next generation of female leaders who come from similar cultural backgrounds — not by telling them who to be, but by sharing what she has learned through lived experience.

In collectivist cultures, asking hard questions is often avoided for fear of appearing rude. But Eva leans into that discomfort. She believes direct conversations with communities reveal truths that data alone can’t show. It's something she often reminds government officials — if we truly want to serve, we must listen first.

Eva’s community spirit is wide-reaching. She is a natural collaborator who builds capacity in others by working alongside different organisations. During COVID-19, she witnessed the gaps in support for ethnic and migrant communities. But Eva didn’t wait for solutions to be designed — she acted. Whether it was visiting a migrant in hospital, or quietly delivering food to families in crisis, she responded without needing recognition, simply because it was needed.

As a former international student and now a mother without extended family support, Eva knows intimately how isolating it can be — especially when caring for a sick child. These lived experiences have shaped her into a deeply empathetic and values-led leader. One of her guiding mottos remains: “Any help is better than no help.” And for those who know her, that’s not just a saying — it’s how she lives.

Eva’s children found a sense of belonging through learning kapa haka, which later inspired them to study te reo Māori. That journey of cultural grounding deepened their identity and shaped Eva’s understanding of connection, belonging, and bicultural practice in Aotearoa.

Over time, Eva’s advocacy extended well beyond her immediate community. She became the CEO of the Wellbeing Charitable Trust, a SKIP Champion. She serves as Co-Chair of Auckland Council’s Ethnic Peoples Advisory Panel, continuing her commitment to whānau-centred wellbeing and cross-cultural collaboration.

One of the most meaningful projects Eva has led is the Hawaiki Project — a cultural exchange connecting Indigenous communities in Taiwan with Ngāti Manu in Aotearoa. The project began by bringing Taiwanese Indigenous youth to New Zealand, followed by a reciprocal visit where Ngāti Manu travelled to Taiwan. It took a massive effort to raise funds and make it happen, but the impact was profound.

This project is special because it focuses on genuine connection, not just cultural exchange, but deep and lasting friendships. It traces the shared ancestral roots between Māori and Indigenous Taiwanese peoples, supported by genetic and linguistic research. For many of the young people involved, it offered a stronger sense of identity, belonging, and pride — and showed what’s possible when communities come together with shared purpose and heart.

Eva shares how becoming a mother was a turning point in her journey — and how her children continue to keep her grounded. As a mum of four, she speaks openly about the constant balancing act between leading in the community and simply being present for her whānau. It's a role that humbles her daily and reminds her of what truly matters.

She also reflects on the lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate parenting programmes for Chinese families in Aotearoa — a gap she identified not just through her own experience, but through listening closely to others in her community. For many first-time Chinese mothers, confinement care isn’t just cultural tradition — it’s essential for physical recovery and emotional support. Yet without extended family nearby, many migrant mothers go without this crucial care.

Eva bravely shares her own experience of postnatal depression, and how she was supported by a culturally sensitive GP — someone who held space for her without attaching a label. It was through that support that she began to understand the importance of culturally safe care.

Challenging authority and questioning assumptions hasn’t always come easily, especially when those in power often believe Asian communities are doing well and don’t need additional support. But Eva continues to speak up — not just for herself, but for the many others whose voices still go unheard.

In this episode of the Authentic Leadership Podcast, Eva Chen MNZM sits down with host Ivan Yeo to reflect on her journey — including the moment she was told she would receive the MNZM (Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit) in 2024. Eva speaks openly about her upbringing, the absence of her parents during her early years, and how those experiences shaped her strength and independence. She looks back on her arrival in New Zealand as a young international student — an experience she describes as formative but not defining. The real turning point, she shares, came later — through motherhood, and the sense of isolation she felt as both a new mother and a migrant. It was in those quiet, often lonely spaces that she began to discover her voice. Eva talks about how the New Zealand environment, grounded in egalitarian values, gave her the freedom to grow into her true self. In a society that doesn’t privilege one gender over another, she found the space to lead on her own terms, without fitting into anyone else’s expectations.