Tears, cheers, laughter and tonnes of applause at the Tumeke Youth Awards Gala dinner

Youth, whanau and business leaders braved the rain and winter cold to attend the inaugural Tumeke Enterprise Youth Awards Gala Dinner in Tokoroa on Friday evening to recognize and celebrate the achievements of passionate and hard-working rangatahi (youth) from regional New Zealand.

On a mission to “Build the Next Generation of World Leaders” 20 year old Jay Maclaren-Harris and his team started social enterprise Tumeke Enterprise because they realised that the way leadership is being taught needed to change given that what many mean by and need from leadership has evolved. Supported by an advisory board of the who’s who of strategic leaders and change-makers from around the country Jay and his team are well on their way to achieving their goal of directly affecting 1,000,000 lives by 2022.

Officially launched by Sir Stephen Tindall in April and open to rangatahi aged between 14 and 18 years old living outside Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, the Youth Awards invited nominations for leadership in sports, community service, Maori/culture, arts, women in leadership, and a supreme leadership category.

The Tumeke Enterprise team then together with a panel of judges had the difficult task of reviewing over 80 award nominations and agree on a shortlist of finalists. The shortlist were also invited to come to Tokoroa to spend three days together with other rangatahi, selected from over 150 applications, from around regional New Zealand plus mentors and top business, community, cultural, political, sports and international leaders for a leadership development youth summit. The inaugural Tumeke Enterprise Youth Summit aims to build individual and team leadership capabilities as well as establish a nationwide rangatahi leadership network.

“Sometimes we over complicate leadership, it’s time to make it simple.... you must be 100% before you can give 100%,” says Jay, who’s team runs leadership development programmes across New Zealand, and are looking to expand Tumeke Enterprise to Australia, the Cook Islands, and the USA.

Award finalists:

Leadership in Sports – Tangiariki Wanikau (Taupo) and Georgia Wood (Putararu)

Community Service – Majean Rogers (Kawerau) and Alice Kibble (Gisborne)

Maori/Cultural – Ripeka Craig (Maungaturoto) and Manaia Lewis (Wano)

Women in Leadership – Ana Teokotai (Hamilton) and Courtney Bignell (Tauranga)

Leadership in Arts – Makayla Dick (Taupo) and Tangiariki Wanikau (Taupo)

Supreme Leadership – a joint nomination for Josephine Ripley and Emma Edwards (Nelson), and Manaia Sorensen (Te Kaha)

Kicking off the Awards night at the South Waikato Sport and Events Centre Kaumatua Matua Munroe talked about the youth being leaders of today for a better tomorrow followed by Jay addressing the room in tears as he spoke of the “gems in regional new Zealand” and how inspired he was after spending time with the rangatahi.

The Leadership in Sports Award went to Georgia Wood for her leadership in rugby as both a player and a long-time volunteer with KiwiSport, where she was recently recognised as a stand out leader.

Majean Rogers was awarded the Community Service Award for his involvement in community groups and contribution to improving the well-being of those from his community.

The Māori/Cultural Leadership Award acknowledged Manaia Lewis for her efforts in learning and teaching young people around New Zealand the kapa haka.

The Women in Leadership Award recognises youth advocating equal rights for women and improving their ability to access opportunities and was awarded to Ana Teokotai, Head Girl at Hamilton Girls High School.

Makayla Dick of Taupo won the Leadership in the Arts Award for her leadership in dance and work to inspire other young people to take up and excel at the arts.

The Supreme Leadership Award went to Manaia Sorensen who is a member of the East Coast Youth Advisory Council which among other initiatives organises youth events to provide young people with opportunities to present their views on relevant issues including te reo Maori, mental health and civic engagement.

MC for the evening Erin Simpson did a great job keeping it all about the youth and supporting them as the award nominees and then winners humbly took to the stage to say a few words in front of peers, whanau, teachers, and business leaders. A daunting experience for many of them but their words came through, with comments including: “I was never good at anything and then I found my passion“; “I am now a role model for young children, and that feels great”; and “I may stand here on stage alone but my iwi stands with me”.

The rangatahi acknowledged everyone that had supported them, as well as praised Jay and the mentors and speakers that had spent time with them during the week, as well as others in attendance.

Holly Bennett of HSB Government Relations was one of the mentors working with youth during the summit and as a wrap up of a pitch session held during the week awarded each of the pitch session participants a Game Kings Tākaro - te Reo Māori Language game as well as a prize for the winning pitch.

An additional award was presented on the night to a rangatahi who Jay had observed during the week and recognised for enthusiasm in wanting to change the world through business. The award, a year fee-free in addition to the fee-free first year funded by the Government was sponsored by Wintec and awarded to Shakaia Te Whau. Shakaia reacted with disbelief and was quickly overwhelmed and in tears.

A highlight of the evening was the showcase of kapa haka and Pacifica dance performances from Forest View High School with other youth in attendance joining in to the beat of drums providing entertainment in between the formalities.

The leadership summit was hosted in partnership with the Ministry for Women and Ministry of Education together with Trust Waikato, South Waikato District Council, YMCA South Waikato, Future Leaders, Forest View High School, Waikato Tainui, and corporate sponsors Sky City Hamilton, Summerset Group Holdings and UltraFast Fibre.