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Issue 54 – October 2015 – QUEEN MARGARET CALLING
P amela attended Queen Margaret College from Year 8 until
Year 13. Her aunty Diana Riethman (nee Bell) was a past
student of the College also.
Pamela says as a student, she loved learning and willingly applied
herself to her school work. She finished Year 13 with an A Bursary
and a Scholarship in English. Pamela enjoyed not only the academic
side of school but also participated fully in the extracurricular life
of the College.
Skiing was always an important part of Pamela’s life but she also
played Hockey and Underwater Hockey while at school. Keeping
busy with a good social life as well, she remembers fondly the
planning and excitement during ball season in the last three years
of school.
Pamela says one of the most useful lessons she learnt was from
her Science teacher Ms Green, who insisted on full attention during
her class, and in return she would not give out any homework.
“This taught us to make the most of our time in class, to respect
her, and to safeguard our personal time – all valuable lessons.”
Pamela had three things in mind growing up when it came to
a career – Business, Architecture and Skiing – all of which have
played a significant part in her life. Pamela started a Bachelor of
Architecture at Victoria of University when she left school, but put
the degree on hold to focus on her snowboarding.
“I had eternal winter for nearly ten years and in that time
competed at a National level as well as World Cup and Olympics
(Nagano, Japan, 1998)” Pamela says.
She helped the sport of Snowboarding gain popularity,
Heading to the ski slopes became more than
just a hobby for Old Girl Pamela Bell. Athlete,
CEO, author and mother; Pamela has climbed
many mountains during her life.
No Mountain
too High!
particularly in this country by being the first New Zealander to
represent the country in this sport.
While competing at an international level in Snowboarding,
Pamela started and ran the New Zealand Snowboard Academy,
and with her Aunty founded a snow gear clothing label Fruition,
designing and distributing snow jackets and pants.
If this was not enough, Pamela then finished her Architecture
degree, worked a few years in the industry, before travelling to
Tanzania. She returned to New Zealand to do her Masters of
Architecture looking at prefabricated housing. Gaining her Masters
led to Pamela starting up PrefabNZ - a non-profit organisation and
industry hub for prebuilt construction.
This career path emerged for Pamela when her Master of
Architecture research was presented to design and construction
industry members from around New Zealand. She has now been the
CEO of PrefabNZ for six years. Juggling her worklife and homelife,
Pamela is also the proud mother of daughters Sophie and Tessa.
“I’ve been lucky to have opportunities to work really hard and
achieve great milestones like being the first Kiwi snowboarder at the
Olympics, entrepreneurial businesses, writing a book, co-curating a
museum exhibition, opening a show-housing village, and combining
family along the way,” Pamela comments.
She says her greatest achievement is the wearing of different hats
as mother, CEO, daughter, wife, friend and sister.
“Women are remarkable in the way they achieve this, but it can
be a highly pressured juggle.”