Southern North Island profiles - New Zealand Ministry of Youth Development

Southern North Island profiles

See below for summary profiles of young New Zealanders from the Southern North Island who have all made positive contributions in their communities.

Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson spent 16 months in Africa working in orphanages and teaching in a community school in 2003. His position in the Christian World Service sees him actively promoting issues of world justice and fair trade, through activities like Trade and Environmental Forums and Fair Trade soccer tournaments. Andrew is an accomplished rower and his old school, Wellington College even has a rowing trophy named after him. Aged 24, he graduated from Victoria University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Development Studies, and while at Victoria founded and led a University group called Just Action, a campaign group for social issues. Andrew has a passion for social justice, whether it is helping to rebuild a community centre at Paihaka, or volunteering in community gardens, which is also a past-time he enjoys. His drive is giving people the chance to make more informed choices that support, instead of exploit, different communities.

Hayley Jones

Hayley Jones is in Year 13 at Paraparaumu College. Her acting talent was recognised at the Sheila Winn Shakespeare in Schools regional competitions, where Hayley was named Best Overall Actor. She will attend the national competition in September. In addition to this passion for drama, Hayley is proving to be a promising Peer Support Worker for Kapiti Youth Support and is also working as a youth ambassador for The Cancer Society. This role has seen her promoting the ban of cigarette displays in shops. She is a regular attendee of youth forums and in her position as a prefect at Paraparaumu College is teaching anti-bullying to younger students. Her exposure to support groups, agencies and information aimed at young people has added to her overall life education. Hayley has taken the anti-cigarette cause to heart. She has developed strong opinions on cancer prevention and awareness. She has the communication skills to express her knowledge and passion to a wide audience.

Stephen James Wood

Stephen James Wood is a 22 year old champion lawn bowler. He hails from Feilding and was injured in a rugby game at his high school. Not dissuaded, Stephen took up lawn bowls; a game not readily associated with young people. He is now a national representative in the sport. Stephen left Wairarapa College with high academic achievements and was a prefect in his final year. He started playing lawn bowls at Wairarapa Club and worked towards becoming the best lawn bowler in the ‘Kitty Hawks’ secondary school competition. In 2006 he achieved this aim and was a runner up in the team section in 2007. Stephen has won centre titles and has been named Young New Zealand bowler of the year. Stephen was chosen to represent New Zealand and he is playing in the development squad. The Professional Bowls Association has taken Stephen overseas to England and Wales, but this regular travel has thrown up some problems for him in terms of other employment. Stephen’s commitment to his sport is inspiring for all who enjoy lawn bowls and he challenges the perception of the game. He is a talented bowler and aims high for his future.

Claudia Astorga-Ralph

Claudia Astorga-Ralph is 23. When a young mother of one she found out the baby she was carrying was going to die early. She decided to continue her pregnancy. Her son Raja lived for just five hours, but Claudia decided to welcome and farewell their child in a positive and celebratory way. In dealing with this terrible loss, Claudia set herself on a road to helping other families deal with grief and loss. She has shared Raja’s story with others, and has spoken at a national conference on baby loss. Claudia shared her message of hope on TV3’s Good Morning show and showed a remarkable insight and approach to life. She now co-facilitates the newly established monthly Still-birth and Newborn Death Support (SANDS) young parents support group in Lower Hutt. She is also training for a certificate in Grief Support. Claudia and a colleague are producing a resource for young, bereaved parents and is hoping to present her story at a conference in the United States in September 2008. Claudia’s story is one of compassion, rather than physical awards and accolades.

Mark Hammond

Mark Hammond has a gift in mass communication. He is 18 and lives in Paraparaumu. His first job was with the Kapiti Coast District Council as the Youth Council Co-Ordinator, and he is now working with the Radio Network as a promotions assistant. This position comes naturally to someone who helped develop Kapiti College’s Smokefree strategic plan. This involved researching teenage smoking from scratch and later promoting the idea of providing Kapiti College student smokers with a quit smoking workshop rather than detention. Mark also promoted the idea of his school abiding by the Environment Act. Mark’s talent for the zeitgeist is evident in his ‘Dancing with the Staff’ event which made its debut in 2007. This fun and extremely successful idea encouraged a student/teacher dynamic that wasn’t confrontational, but supportive. Mark’s big passion was organising Youth Week at Kapiti College, providing exciting activities for students. He is also a member of Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD), Amnesty International and The Cancer Society. He finds time to stage manage productions on the Kapiti Coast as well. Mark continues to make waves, and is currently developing a safe, youth rave on the Coast. His dynamism and passion is self-evident.

Ahmed Sofe

Ahmed Sofe is 24 and a refugee from Somalia. He came with his family to New Zealand just ten years ago. Ahmed and his family arrived in Wellington knowing no one and with no English at all. Ahmed remembers the frustration of this language barrier at Wellington High School. He is now works with a Somali youth leadership group to support and ease the transition period between primary and secondary schooling for Somali students. Ahmed is a fast learner with academic application and talent. He has a Bachelor of Business Studies with Honours and has been accepted for a job with Ernst and Young in the audit division. Ahmed has been a key member of the Somali community in Wellington. He helped set up its youth group and assisted with the audit of the Wellington Somali Council. Ahmed’s talents have emerged quickly in New Zealand, and they show an innate tenacity and positivity. His development of the Somali Youth Leadership Group in particular, has already made a huge difference to many in Wellington’s Somali community.

Sarah Hautapu

Sarah Hautapu is 22 and has fought hard times to emerge a trusted and capable youth worker. She was born and raised in Levin. Her early life was a struggle; she became addicted to drugs and alcohol and was a teenage mother. But Sarah showed determination to train as a youth worker, despite having no academic qualifications. She attended polytechnic and got her youth worker qualifications. She is currently working at a youth centre, providing a safe environment for at risk youth. Her colleagues and the young people there hold her in high regard. Sarah is of Tongan heritage and recently became involved in a Pacific Youth Forum, where she was required to make a presentation in front of the Mayor of Wellington. Sarah’s past experiences have given her a special insight into what youth who face the issues she battled with are going through. She is a hands-on youth worker, organising and initiating fundraising and trips. The feedback the centre receives about Sarah proves she has a genuine influence on people’s lives.

Amanda Bunckenburg

Amanda Bunckenburg is 18 and in Year 13 at Onslow College in Wellington. Amanda has always loved the outdoors and has been an avid tramper and skier. She works part-time as a life guard and takes swimming lessons at a local pool. She has been actively involved in Girl Guides since she was a child and is now a Ranger Leader and a Brownie Leader. Amanda has her bronze and silver Young New Zealand Challenge awards and is working towards her gold. She is enthusiastic about Guiding and spends many hours planning and organising successful outings and nights for her Brownie group to enjoy. She has developed key skills in this leadership role and spreads a love of guiding and adventure to others.

Joshua Saua

Joshua Saua is a team player and a pro-active member of his Palmerston North community. He is 18 and attends Palmerston North Boys College. Joshua is a talented rugby player, having made his College’s First XV. He is a member of the Commissioner Young Peoples’ Reference Group. At the moment he is helping organise Youth Week activities in his area. His commitment to his community is supported by his faith. Joshua is an active member of his church. He is seen as someone who thinks of other peoples’ needs and demonstrates a caring spirit. He is also a member of his local Youth Council and the school Board. Joshua has freely taken on responsibilities that assist the well being of his community and is a much liked personality.

Ephraim Gazo

Ephraim Gazo is changing the perception of young people in Hutt City. He is 19 and was born in the Philippines. He and his family migrated to New Zealand in 2004. Ephraim enrolled at Naenae College where he had a positive impact on his school, becoming Deputy Head Boy in 2007. Ephraim’s interests are environmental sustainability, cultural diversity and supporting ethnic minority groups. As Wellington Representative at the Sir Peter Blake Youth Environment Forum in 2006, Ephraim gained fresh ideas about how to encourage communities to become more environmentally friendly. He is currently a member of Hutt City Council’s Youth Fusion, as well as being on the Hutt City Ethnic Council. In 2007 Ephraim decided to run for City Councillor for the Central Ward and became the youngest candidate in local body elections in New Zealand. He faced funding challenges, but gained 848 votes, an admirable result for a first time campaigner. As well as his many community commitments, Ephraim studies Law, Politics and International Relations at Victoria University. He has already made a huge impact in Lower Hutt and wants people to realise youth is no obstacle to political involvement.

Shannan Wong

Shannan Wong has taken on many roles at Wellington’s Youthline Service, as a phone counsellor, training buddy, Secretary, Deputy Chairperson and more recently the Group Supervisor. She is an intelligent and engaged 24 year old from Crofton Downs in Wellington. Shannan has a great respect and love for her Chinese heritage. She is a tutor for Criminology students at Victoria University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts last year. She has a love for music and the environment and plays indoor netball and cricket. Her desire to connect with young people who are suffering from loneliness and anxiety is seen in her work at Youthline where she is described as a dedicated volunteer. Her counselling skills run next to her organisational and political skills, as seen in her appointment with the service. Her roles of Selection Convener and Selection Facilitator mean she has had input in choosing the best people to serve Youthline. Her multi-faceted commitment to the service shows a thorough and open nature. Shannan says she never thought of herself as a confident speaker, but through her involvement with Youthline she has grown into an important part of its Wellington operations.

Jason Henderson

Jason Henderson is an aspiring singer whose perseverance and talent won him the Expressions Arts and Entertainment Centre Performing Arts Award. He is 19 and attended Heretaunga College in Upper Hutt, where he was elected School Representative on the Board of Trustees and participated heavily in local community events. Jason’s schooling introduced him to music and his goals now include becoming a member of the New Zealand Opera Chorus, travelling overseas and training to be a music teacher. In 2007 Jason worked at H20 Xtream pool as part of the Upper Hutt City Council’s Cadetship Scheme, where he gained team skills, while assisting as a swimming teacher. His dedication to musical performance has led him to study singing at a tertiary level. He is a volunteer at his local church where he co-leads a youth group. He also volunteers as an usher for Expressions at community events. Jason is passionate about classical singing and shows determination to achieve his performance goals. He acknowledges the help he has had and is a believer in the power of people to work steadily towards goals they have chosen.

Masina Kenworthy

Masina Kenworthy is a Youth Coordinator and Facility Manager for the YMCA in Wanganui. She is 23 and began working for youth as a peer support worker at the Youth Advice Centre in Wanganui. She has an amazing rapport with young people and she has managed to turn negative situations into positive ones for many people. She was employed at the YMCA as an assistant youth worker and achieved her Level 4 Certificate in Youth Work prior to being promoted to her current position. Masina manages part-time and casual staff during weekly youth driven events. She facilitates a weekly meeting with her ‘Raise Up and Represent’ crew, made up of students from local high schools that, with Masina’s guidance, plan youth events. Colleagues have seen Masina develop into a confident speaker who can present to committees and meetings. Her staff management skills are growing steadily. The Youth Centre has only been open since May last year. Already Masina has come up with many innovative ideas to get youth through the door including dance workshops, graphic art competitions and a holiday programme for 14 -17 year olds. She is a valued member of staff and has built great relationships with local youth.

Top of page