Amy Thomson - Newlands College, Year 12
Amy is passionate about making a difference. She is a member of Students Against Dangerous Driving (SADD) at both regional and national levels and sees her role as one of offering ideas, making changes and developing a culture around students making the right choices when driving. Amy has ideas that she wishes to implement (some have been curtailed because of lockdown) both locally, regionally and nationally.
Amy is also a well-respected Year Level House Representative and demonstrates positive leadership skills.
Joshua Taefu - Newlands College, Year 12
Joshua is a proud member of our school and the wider community. His desire is to make a difference for all and to be heard. Joshua has the ability and intellect to take an idea and bring it to fruition, for the betterment of others. While his understated leadership skills are being developed, he is an asset now and he will continue to grow, with a bright future ahead of him.
Sophie Crozier - Onslow College, Year 12
Sophie is an amazing student at Onslow College who shows maturity, leadership, and creativity in everything she does. She is passionate about making a change to her immediate and surrounding community. She is eloquent in how she expresses her ideas and isn’t afraid of telling adults what needs to change. She manages to find success in her extra-curricular activities, while staying committed to her schoolwork.
Jaskiran Kaur Rahi - Queen Margaret College, Year 10
Jaskiran has set up an organisation called ‘Spirit and Soul’ which empowers young women to be the best they can be. She organises workshops for students aged 11-16 years with inspiring speakers and mentors. Her aim is to boost confidence and break barriers in the minds of young women, so that they can make their mark in society. She has hosted events in Wellington, and this year she extended this opportunity to the Auckland region as well. Jaskiran is motivated to foster positive wellbeing and is a leader in our QMC wellbeing team.
Francesca Sigal - St Catherine’s College, Year 12
Francesca is strongly committed to supporting governmental and NGO groups for the betterment of society. She belongs to the United Nations Youth. Francesca expressed a keen interest in the Wellington City Council’s Youth Council, applying for a position on the Council. She has been encouraged to become involved in the Youth Council’s mental health and wellbeing committee. In 2022 she is keen to set up a support group in the College, with a mental health focus. Francesca is also fully committed to supporting the “School Strike 4 Climate Change” group in Wellington. She is an excellent debater.
Veronika Dryburgh - St Catherine’s College, Year 12
Veronika is a self-taught gamer who has shown initiative in embedding the Minecraft software at Central Regional Health School (CRHS) as a way to engage students like herself. She believes that others will benefit from the program, reconnecting them with other students through a safe platform. She has successfully set up the complete program and is training CRHS staff in its use whilst working with other CRHS students. Veronika demonstrates the practical application of the STEM-based knowledge kete and the ability to bring her vision of an enriched digital community to fruition. She aims to extend this to other schools and the wider community.
Kahurangi Douglas - St Mary’s College, Year 10
Kahurangi has a strong commitment to supporting kaupapa Māori within the community, representing our school with pride as a young wahine Māori. For example, she stepped up to fill a senior role representing St Mary’s College at the O’Shea Shield Catholic schools’ competition in Te Reo Māori scripture reading, as we did not have a senior student who was confident to do so. She needed to practise and be familiar with six large scripture passages and proclaim a selected passage in the competition. She showed dignity and honour for her school in taking up this wero (challenge).
Benjamin Brown - St Patrick’s College, Wellington, Year 12
Ben has helped lead the "Integrity through Service" group at school. This group aims to provide support and raise awareness for local charities in need. He has been a key leader in getting multiple activities organised throughout the year; from a teacher versus student basketball game, to collecting and packaging items for the Wellington Women's Refuge and the Kokiri Marae Women's Refuge and raising funds for the Marist Asia Foundation in Ranong, Thailand.
He also helped promote the grocery drive for our own College families suffering hardship due to COVID-19. He has also volunteered to collect for several different street appeals and encouraged other students to join the Service Group. Ben also helped organise our Gumboot Friday appeal and lunchtime activities as part of the Hauora Group.
Rebecca Ngan - Samuel Marsden Collegiate School, Year 12
Rebecca has been involved in coordinating the Student Volunteer Army programme within our school. She has presented in assembly and been instrumental in encouraging students to do volunteer work and service. She organised a speaker to come to school to talk to students about Domestic Violence and its impact. Rebecca has been selected as a Student Volunteer Army ambassador. The Army was set up after the Christchurch earthquake. The ambassadors have 2 meetings a week and are currently involved in a Student Volunteer Army research project.
Senanya Gamalath - Samuel Marsden Collegiate School, Year 12
Senanya has been involved in coordinating the Student Volunteer Army programme within our school. She has presented in assembly and been instrumental about encouraging students to do volunteer work and service. She organised a speaker to come to school to talk to students about Domestic Violence and its impact. Senanya has been selected as a Student Volunteer Army ambassador. The Army was set up after the Christchurch earthquake.
Benjamin Trolove, Lachlan Stinson, Liam Frampton - Scots College, Year 10
Ben, Locky and Liam designed and built a prosthetic arm for a child. Since meeting the child, they have conducted scans of the child’s limb and build evolving designs to give this child an arm, including a bespoke elbow joint and a hand with three jointed fingers. This allows her to take part in activities like riding a bike. The trio adapted their designs to include an upper arm sleeve with built in sensors to allow her to bend her arm and open and close her hand. All of this has been 3D printed.
Sharlene Viliamu-Letalu - Tawa College, Year 12
Sharlene is a student leader of our newly established Pasifika Student Council and Samoan Polygroup. She has dedicated hours of her own time to fundraise, rehearse, source materials and create cultural costumes for Polyfest this year. In addition, as a student leader of the Pasifika Council the group organised two events this year; a student voice presentation to the staff and an NZQA Pasifika evening at the college to help strengthen our connections with our Pasifika community and to give Pasifika families a deeper understanding of NCEA and how to support their children in their future endeavours.
Waimarama Tapiata-Bright - Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Nga Mokopuna, Tau 12
Waimarama put a lot of energy into the Young Enterprise Scheme this year. Their business “Taraika Tours”, which has generated a lot of interest, offers guided tours in both Te Reo Māori and English around local sites of significance, highlighting sacred, historical tribal landmarks. They launched the business in July by hosting a successful photographic exhibition from Te Papa Tongarewa ‘Ngā Tapuwae ā-Kupe, Kupe Sites – Landmarks of a great Voyager’, presenting landmarks from Kupe’s’ journey throughout Aotearoa. She achieved this despite a busy study and extra-curricular schedule, which highlights the energy and enthusiasm Waimarama puts into everything she does.
Rakairoa Campbell - Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Nga Mokopuna, Tau 12
As Chief Finance Officer (CFO), Rakairoa was a valuable team member of the Young Enterprise Scheme this year. Their business “Taraika Tours”, offers guided tours in both Te Reo Māori and English around local sites of significance, highlighting sacred, historical tribal landmarks. They launched the business in July by hosting a successful photographic exhibition from Te Papa Tongarewa ‘Ngā Tapuwae ā-Kupe, Kupe Sites – Landmarks of a great Voyager’, presenting landmarks from Kupe’s journey throughout Aotearoa. Rakairoa also contributed to a school and community evening demonstrating the use of budgeting tools, which was well received by visitors.
Demi (Demitra) Araboglos - Wellington East Girls’ College, Year 12
Demi is confident and mature with a strong desire to help others. She's approachable and kind, regularly checking in on her peers. Demi has been a huge part of getting the WEGC Volunteering Club up and running this year. She has continually supported many community and school events by organising a huge number of student volunteers so that Wellington East Girls’ College has gained a great presence in what they do. She has also ensured that there is a social presence and has been a great support to the teacher in charge of the club by ensuring it runs smoothly.
Kathy Nam - Wellington Girls College, Year 12
Kathy Nam is not only involved in the school community but also the wider community. She is a part of various school groups as well as leading some of them. In the wider community she volunteers, organises fundraisers and is overall just a selfless person who tries to help others by doing the best she can. She has put in a lot of effort as well as devoting a countless number of hours over the past four years trying to better her community and leave an impact.