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Young people achieving

Check out this snapshot of young achievers around New Zealand.

The headings link to the full story on external websites.

Youngster's life in the fast lane - Western Leader, 11 April 2008
Swimmer Daniel Bell likes to do things the fast way. His results make him one of the quickest young men in the world and he has also taken the swift route to Olympic selection. The 17-year-old was named as the youngest member of the 12-strong New Zealand swimming squad for Beijing last month, despite the games not previously being on his agenda.

Hockey: Striker, 17, on course for Beijing – NZ Herald, 10 April 2008
Young striker Nick Wilson has been handed a late chance to press his claims for a spot in the New Zealand Olympic team. He is among the 18 players yesterday named for next month's Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia.

Young Kiwi driver gets a taste of F1 - Dominion Post, 04 April 2008
Kiwi driver Brendon Hartley has had his first taste of Formula One, aged just 18. Hartley, of Palmerston North, spent three days testing the new Toro Rosso car and its Ferrari engine at the Italian circuit of Vairano and hit speeds of more than 300kmh.

Scholarship winner running to the top – NZ Herald, 04 April 2008
Alex Ross isn't quite sure what his dream job is, but he reckons it will involve being in a boardroom and making big decisions. The 18-year-old's vision of being a top executive has had a big boost, with him being named named as this year's Doug Myers Scholarship recipient.

Skaters roll out for world champs - East And Bays Courier, 02 April 2008
The Mt Wellington Skating Club is celebrating after three of its skaters made it into the 18-member New Zealand team competing at the 2008 world championships. Scott Arlidge, 24, Niall Ward, 16, and Jordan Ishigaki, 14, are heading to Spain in September.

Student writer takes on the world – NZ Herald, 02 April 2008
A love of literature has won an Auckland student a trip to see the haunts of some of the world's greatest authors. Lucy Rogers, in year 11 at Diocesan School in Epsom, won an international short story competition based on the fantasy novel Conspiracy of Calaspia.

Teen signed for English football league - North Shore Times, 01 April 2008
Football-mad Cameron Lindsay is on the brink of English premier league stardom. Defender Lindsay, 15, is leaving for Lancashire to sign a professional contract with top-flight English club Blackburn Rovers, one of only four clubs to have won the premier league title alongside Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

March

Teen whiz wins Earth Hour video competition - The Press, 29 March 2008
A Christchurch teenager has won the inaugural press.co.nz Earth Hour video competition. Papanui High School year 11 student Henry Bennett, 15, spent an estimated 40 hours putting together the 51 second video which features animated frogs, butterflies and polar bears with an environmental theme.

Girdlers’ Scholar for 2008 - Press Release: Vice-Chancellors Committee, 5 March 2008
Former Columba College deputy head girl Emma Hutton, currently studying first-year music at the University of Otago, has been selected as the Girdlers’ Scholar for 2008, a prestigious award regarded as the undergraduate equivalent of the Rhodes Scholarship which will see her attend Cambridge University.

February

Student mountain biker takes national title - Press Release: Massey University, 29 February 2008
Taking out the national mountainbiking championship and receiving a Prime Minister’s scholarship has put third-year sport and exercise science major Stuart Houltham on track for both his Commonwealth Games campaign and completion of his study within the next year.

Teenager steals show - Dominion Post, 27 February 2008
Wellington teenager Finn Tearney stole the show on day one of the ASB Pro Circuit Futures tennis tournament at the Renouf Centre yesterday. The 17-year-old earned his first ATP world ranking when he upset American Whit Livingston 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the men's singles

Young Southland player a rising star - Southland Times, 26 February 2008
She is only 14 years old but Kirsty Thwaites has signalled she has a bright future on the touch field. She already boasts a wealth of representative experience. The Central Southland College pupil has represented Southland in touch for the past four years.

Rowing's fast riser – NZ Herald, 22 February 2008
Given that rowing is a sport most athletes excel in relatively late in their development, it is little wonder that there is such a buzz surrounding the arrival of women's single-sculler Emma Twigg. Twigg, who turns 21 next week, is already being hailed as the next big thing in New Zealand rowing.

Top teens eye Olympic places – NZ Herald, 21 February 2008
Olympic hopefuls dominate this year's crop of Herald Junior Sports Award winners with some set to achieve that goal this year. This year's winners are a diverse group of rising stars, with Myles Browne-Cole (shooting), Simon Child (hockey), Sacha Jones (tennis), Annalie Longo (soccer), and Kane Radford (swimming) all hailed as having a big future in sport. Bianca Barbarich-Bacher (yachting), Matt Hewitt (surfing), and Matthew Lack (wheelchair sports) picked up highly commended awards at yesterday's luncheon.

Outstanding scholar rewarded – NZ Herald, 19 February 2008
Top scholar Thomas Wong coloured his tables and graphs with bright highlighters when he was preparing for exams - and his top study tip certainly paid off. The 17-year-old yesterday logged on to the Qualifications Authority website to check the scholarship results for the more than 8000 students who sat the tests.

NZ surfing's young-gun sets sights high - Fairfax Media, 18 February 2008
Kiwi surf sensation Paige Hareb returns home this week with plans for a radically reshaped 2008 campaign after a blistering six-week onslaught on the international rankings. The 17-year-old Oakura surfer's advisors are pushing her towards a much tougher programme than first anticipated as they capitalise on her soaring confidence.

Sharing the spoils with youth – NZ Herald, 17 February 2008
Investing in the share market should be as simple as buying a burger - quick, convenient, and with no mess. That was the thinking behind Burger Fuel's decision to put a quarter of its equity on the market last year. A gourmet burger chain with an irreverent, homegrown outlook, it wanted to find first-time investors within its customer base, which is dominated by young males. The firm hoped those customers would put their faith, and finances, in their favourite fast-food outlet.

Disability no barrier for top scholar – NZ Herald, 13 February 2008
Ryan Leitch's disability might have stopped him from going on his school geography field trip to Tongariro last year - but it was no barrier to getting top marks in the subject. The North Shore 18-year-old, who is in a wheelchair because of spinal muscular atrophy, topped the world in geography in the November round of the Cambridge International Exams.

Nick's perfect wave - Dominion Post, 12 February 2008
Nick Hopman is top in the world at mathematics, but all the 17-year-old really wants to do is surf. The Wellington College pupil scored 100 per cent in Cambridge University's International AS-Level (Advanced Subsidiary) mathematics paper, which he sat last year.

Standout students – NZ Herald, 09 February 2008
Luke, 17, going on 23, greets me confidently as I enter the admin block at Rutherford College. He guides me through the school maze, making effortless small talk - about the traffic, being at school on a sunny day, the younger students we pass whom he mentors. Up a flight of stairs and we're in a classroom few pupils enter - it's reserved for an elite group of year 11, 12 and 13 students.

Teenager fast tracks his bowling future – 08 February 2008
In recent years Marlborough has produced an impressive stable of fast bowlers. Carl Bulfin, Brent Hefford, Greg Hegglun and Brendon Diamanti have all made their mark on the first-class scene. DAVID DAWKINS chats with a young man looking to follow them. Chris Pope has been bowling over cricketing opposition all season and his success hasn't gone unnoticed as the 14 year-old quick earned selection to the Central Districts under-15 team.

NZ's sporting future shining brightly – NZ Herald, 02 February 2008
New Zealand's young sportsmen and women continue to punch above their weight. The high standards set by our youngsters is reflected in the winners of the 2007 New Zealand Herald Junior Sports Awards, with three of the five chasing places at this year's Beijing Olympics.

Soccer: Teenager already a veteran – NZ Herald, 1 February 2008
It seems extraordinary to think this year's Fifa Under-17 Women's World Cup will be Auckland teenager Annalie Longo's third world tournament. But then Longo is an extraordinary player. Selected for the senior women's side at 15, the diminutive Longo became New Zealand's youngest full football international and has already represented New Zealand at the Under-20 and Women's World Cup.

January

Boardsailing: In golden girl's wake – NZ Herald, 18 January 2008
You would think in a physically demanding sport such as boardsailing there would be no place for lightweights. But size has proved no obstacle for the North Shore's Kate Ellingham, who despite her diminutive frame, looks to be first in line to inherit veteran Barbara Kendall's throne as the queen of New Zealand windsurfing.

Snap! Teen captures picture-perfect dolphin - The Press, 15 January 2008
Standing on the back of a moving boat in Fiordland's Doubtful Sound, Christchurch teenager Tyler Christmas had one last shot at his target. The 16-year-old steadied himself and pressed the shutter on his mother Karen's digital camera. What he got was a perfectly framed dolphin in mid-leap, with another of the pod just breaking the water in the boat's wake.

Young Kiwi surfer has big future - Fairfax Media, 11 January 2008
Like a monster wave gathering momentum out on the horizon, Paige Hareb's surfing world is growing by the day. The Taranaki teenager is already reassessing her 2008 plans after a rocket-like start to the year when she shocked her rivals by finishing second in international surfing's biggest junior event despite being a wildcard entry.

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