Completing adrenaline-filled activities all over New Zealand is something University of Waikato student Rereahu Collier has been doing for the past few months. And why you might ask? He recently landed a presenter role on the new adventure television show – Pāia.
Pāia, produced by Māui Television Productions, is a bucket-list activity show aimed at youth aged 10 to 14. It involves the presenters travelling round New Zealand to participate in action-packed activities that every child would like to do, such as driving a V8 muscle car around a race track or sky diving.
“The purpose of it is to encourage our youth to follow their dreams and do the things that they want to, and showing them they're not restricted only to the things that are within hand’s reach,” says Rereahu.
Rereahu is studying for a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Psychology and Māori & Pacific Development at Waikato. He got involved with the show after working with Māui Television’s production crew for the past three years as a camera/drone operator.
“My personality shined through and I was offered the presenter role in this up-and-coming project. I was excited and a little scared when I accepted, but it's encouraged me to be a lot more open and outgoing in terms of confidence and personality,” he says.
For the first series, which started filming in November last year, Rereahu and his co-host Waioira McLeod (from Otago University) are involved with 52 episodes featuring an array of activities, from simple activities such as drift karts and parasailing to more nail-biting activities like sky diving, bungy jumping and white water rafting.
“It has been a joyride with too many words to describe it,” says Rereahu who's about to start his university year. “When I took up the job the first thing we agreed was that it wouldn't interrupt with my study, so we're aiming to complete production by the time university starts.”
And while this has been an exciting opportunity for Rereahu, it is also in line with his future career plans. “My choice of study is driven by the joy I receive when helping youth or aiding other people towards success. I hope to follow along the lines of youth development, be it nationally via television, or practically via a member of council, to even potentially politics – the options are endless!”
Pāia is expected to air around the week of Matariki, the Māori New Year which begins June 25. More information about the show can be found at www.facebook.com/nztvpaia