For St Paul’s Collegiate School Collegian and former Deputy Head Girl Wei-Wei Ng (Harington 2008-2009), the path to finding her ideal career has been anything but linear. With an impressive academic background and a career spanning continents, she now thrives as a Senior Pursuit Strategist at Ernst & Young (EY) in Auckland, a role that combines her love for strategy, collaboration, and problem-solving.

During her years at St Paul’s, Wei-Wei was always passionate about school subjects Debating, English and History and had anticipated a life working in law. After completing her secondary schooling, Wei-Wei went on to pursue a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Media Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. Her qualifications led her to work as a solicitor in Nelson and Auckland but it was during this time that she realised she had a change of heart. “It was tough to accept that after three years as a lawyer, it wasn’t for me.”

During this reflection period, Wei-Wei was offered a Prime Minister’s Scholarship to study Mandarin at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. As a fourth-generation Chinese New Zealander, Wei-Wei was interested in connecting with her roots and exploring modern China.

After living in Shanghai for a year, Wei-Wei and her husband Marcus moved to Hong Kong as Marcus landed a job as a design engineer for a project at Disneyland. After a lot of networking and applying for jobs, Wei-Wei secured a job in the Business Development team at Freshfields, a global law firm. “It was the perfect role where I could use my legal experience but also try something new,” she shares.

Although Wei-Wei and Marcus loved the vibrant culture, travel opportunities, and cuisine of living across Asia, COVID-19 disruption and local job opportunities caused the pair to move back to New Zealand three years ago.

Now at EY, one of the ‘Big 4’ accounting firms, Wei-Wei supports teams across the firm to secure new clients and projects. Her role spans strategy development, research, project management, and even visual design. “I love the variety of what I do and the opportunity to work with different teams and learn about their expertise,” she explains. Her work has touched on diverse areas, including government reform programmes, banking cyber operations, agribusiness organisation design and major infrastructure upgrades.

While rewarding, the role comes with its challenges. “Like most jobs, it can be high-pressure and stressful, especially with tight deadlines and coordinating multiple people,” she says. Navigating economic uncertainty has added another layer of complexity and a first in her career.

Wei-Wei credits her time at St Paul’s and her teachers for shaping her perspective. She recalls the impact of Mr Defyd Williams, her Year 13 history teacher. “His teachings on relations between Maaori and Pakeha and Te Tiriti gave me a strong foundation to understand modern social and political issues. His passion for New Zealand history and unique teaching methods made a lasting impression.” She also recalls a field trip to Waitangi on Waitangi Day as being one of the most unique and engaging schooling experiences.

During the pandemic, Wei-Wei and Marcus took up sailing, a hobby they’ve continued since returning to New Zealand. From sailing around Waiheke Island to watching the Matariki stars rise from Rangitoto, their adventures reflect their love for the outdoors and life back home.

Wei-Wei’s journey is an inspiring example of how the path to success isn’t always straight—and how sometimes, the detours lead to the most rewarding destinations.