Sir Edmund Hillary Scholars

Hayatt Al Joborry says the joy singing brings her has influenced her involvement in the performing arts and her decision to study a Bachelor of Music at the University of Waikato.

The former Macleans College student has been involved in classical singing for four years and says it allows her to communicate and express herself in a way that can't be done through speaking.

She practices between five and 15 hours a week, depending on the recitals she has coming up and has been involved in performances from The Big Sing Finale, between 2016 and 2019, the Barbershop Nationals in 2017 and 2018 and performed in the Arohanui Concert with Dilworth Choir last year.

Hayatt also made the New Zealand Secondary School Choir to tour New Zealand and Germany in 2019 and 2020.

She says maintaining a healthy body, mind and voice and always singing correctly to ensure a healthy voice are some of the biggest challenges she faces, along with learning new techniques and constantly finding ways to improve her singing.

Hayatt was Deputy Head Girl of Macleans College and choir leader of the college chorale last year.

Her goal is to one day perform professionally and do some teaching, however, Hayatt is also very keen to return to her studies to pursue Science alongside post-graduate music studies. Hayatt is now in her third and final year of her Bachelor of Music in Performance Classical Voice.

Ellesse Andrews only took up cycling four years ago but the 18-year-old is already a world champion. With a former track cycling Olympian as a father, and a former New Zealand mountain biking representative as a mother, Ellesse has cycling in her blood. She fell in love with the sport while at high school, and is kept interested by her enjoyment of making goals and pushing herself to achieve them.



Ellesse has competed in many national and international races, including the 2016/2017 Junior World Championships, the Dynamo, and the Calder Stewart series. In 2017, Ellesse won gold at the Junior World Championships, setting a new junior world record in the women's individual pursuit. She won multiple golds at the 2017 New Zealand national track championships and the 2017 club road nationals, as well as winning the 2017 Waikato and New Zealand secondary schools' sportswoman of the year titles.



Ellesse is in her first year of a Bachelor of Social Sciences, majoring in psychology. She says she chose the University of Waikato for its strong reputation with student elite athletes. Ellesse's ultimate dream is to stand on the Olympic podium.

Atera Apirana's earliest kapa haka memories are of watching Matatini replays with a poi in hand, a remote as her patu and rau picked from the trees outside.

Performing from an early age, kapa haka has since allowed her to represent her people and her culture all over the world. From Portugal, where she participated in the 2016 Folk Cantanhede alongside other countries such as Bolivia, Timor Leste, South Africa, to China where she performed with a small group for New Zealand Week. Most recently Atera travelled to Japan in 2019 where her kapa haka group supported Te Puia.

"I love meeting new whanau and making life-long friends. I love the memories that are created during each kapa haka campaign. We can also share messages and challenges that inspire us to grow as a people and be proud as Māori ambassadors," says Atera.

Ahead of each competition there is a rigorous training schedule of up to seven days a week as they get close to competition day.

The former Rotorua Girls' High School head prefect was also named Rotorua Young Achiever and Rotorua Girls' High School Top Scholar in 2019. In the past 12 months she has also been awarded Female Leader Winner for her kapa haka with Raukura. Female Leader Winner with Ngati Te Rangiunuora. Ruakura were also named regional winners, while her gorup Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao, were named Top 9 National Team.

Atera wants to pursue marketing and indigenous studies so she can travel the world sharing Maori culture and inspiring other indigenous people. She will start a Bachelor of Management Studies with Honours, Double Majoring in Marketing and Maori Indigenous Studies this year.

"My dream is to travel the world sharing our culture. I aim to inspire other indigenous people to be strong in their identity, stand steadfast to their language, protocols, traditions and encourage their future generations to be brave, bold and autonomous," says Atera.

Running onto the field representing New Zealand in the girls Under 18 New Zealand touch team is one of Mereana Atatoa Carr's greatest achievements to date.

The former Hillcrest High School student will start a Bachelor of Science majoring in Ecology and Biodiversity at the University of Waikato this year, alongside continuing to play touch rugby.

Mereana has been playing touch rugby since she was eight and says she has always known the sport because her father inspired her to start after she watched him playing touch.

She has played in the national touch competition three times and recently travelled to Australia for the Trans-Tasman competition, playing for New Zealand Under 18 Girls' team.

"Running onto the field representing New Zealand was definitely one of my greatest achievements so far," says Mereana.

She trains three times a week and says coming back from injuries is one of the most challenging things she faces.

He goal is to one day be a Touch Black and aims to become a marine biologist once she completes her studies.

On the Sir Edmund Hillary Senior Leadership Scholarship, Kelcy is in her 1st year working towards a Master of Digital Business (MDigiBus). Her most recent achievement in basketball was being selected into the Waikato Women's Wizards team who went on to finish second in the national league in 2020. Additionally, she was selected into the Waikato U23 Team that won 4 consecutive national championships. Kelcy's career highlights included being selected in the New Zealand u16 team in 2012, New Zealand u17 team in 2013, New Zealand u18 team in 2014, and most recently the New Zealand 3x3 u19 team that competed at the World Championships in 2015. Additionally, in 2016 she was selected into the New Zealand women's final 3x3 trial squad of 5 players. Kelcy's Basketball career came to a close in 2020, as a career in the technology sector became her primary focus. She is now focused on giving back to the community and supporting other successful athletes to enter the workforce and find their niche. To help support this, Kelcy is now on the board of Waikato Young Professionals.

While growing up, Josh Bartlett attended six different primary schools, eventually settling in Tauranga at Tauranga Intermediate School and Tauranga Boys' College. Now, Josh is moving to Hamilton to complete a Bachelor of Laws and pursue his dream of joining the Chiefs professional rugby union team. Inspired by the community and dedication needed to succeed in rugby, Josh's training regime consists of 14 weekly sessions, which include field, gym, biking, swimming and yoga. Josh's love for rugby began when he was 15, playing socially. Since then, he has competed for the Chiefs U18s and U20s, Super Rugby U18s and U20s, Condors Sevens and Super Eight Rugby.



Josh is not only dedicated to his sport, but also to his studies. At Tauranga Boys' College he was Deputy Head Boy, Board of Trustees' student representative and St Luke's Youth teacher. Josh is excited to undergo his studies so he can fulfill his future aspirations of becoming a man who serves others through his degree and sport.

Morgan Beere hopes to one day balance a career in engineering with international level competition in equine sport.

The former Hillcrest High School student will start a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours at the University of Waikato this year.

She says she started riding when she was two and competed in her first Horse of the Year show at age 9.

"I enjoy the challenge of working with a horse, the constant pursuit for improvement and the satisfaction of achieving goals," says Morgan.

She was selected for a National Performance Squad for the 2019-2020 season and was previously selected onto the 2016-2017 National Pony Squad. Morgan was also named in the New Zealand Under 25 Talent ID Squad for the 2017-2018 season.

During her riding career she has amassed numerous championships wins and young horse titles at premier league events. Morgan won the FEI World Dressage Junior Challenge in 2014 and 2016 and won the 2016 National Pony Series and in 2019. She also won the 2019, six-year-old, Horse of the Year.

Morgan was a house captain at Hillcrest High School and played in the schools' Lacrosse Team.

"I chose to study at the University of Waikato because of the supportive environment that the Hillary Programme provides where I can continue to pursue my sport and gain a degree in the process," says Morgan.

Daniel Brown is from Hastings and attended Lindisfarne College. He's studying for a Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance. One of the reasons he chose the University of Waikato was its proximity to Lake Karapiro, essential for his kayak training.



Daniel's been kayaking for nearly five years and has won many national titles and earned selection for many New Zealand age group teams. Most recently he was selected for the New Zealand U18 team to compete at the Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships (surf ski) in Spain, the NZ U18 team to compete at the Canoe Marathon World Championships in Romania, the NZ U18 team to compete at the Junior World Championships (kayak sprint) in Portugal, and the NZ U18 team to compete at the 2021 Asia Pacific Sprint Regatta in Japan. All those selections, but the Covid-19 pandemic put paid to competing at any of them.



Long term, Daniel would like to make Open national teams to continue to represent New Zealand. In his spare time, he's a volunteer surf lifeguard and likes to go surfing, fishing, diving and playing golf.

Emma has been kayaking for almost five years and has participated in an abundance of national events, including the annual Blue Lake regattas 1 and 2, Marathon Nationals, 10km Champs and the Canoe Racing NZ and Oceania Sprint Nationals. Emma has won a collection of titles including the 2020 10km U18 women's title, three gold medals and two silver at the Asia Pacific Sprint Cup, three golds, three silvers and two bronze across the 2020 sprint season, a gold at the 2021 Marathon Champs, and at Sprint Nationals 2021, 3 golds and 2 silvers.



From 2019-, Emma has been named in the NZ junior development team to race at the Asia Pacific Sprint Cup. In 2020 and 2021, she was selected in the U18 team, set to travel to Brandenburg, Germany, and Montemor-O-Velho, Portugal, for the ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships.



While Emma was at Gisborne Girls High School, she was the Sports Prefect, co-captain of the First XI Football team and head of the school sports council. She is a volunteer surf lifeguard at Waikanae Surf Life-Saving Club in Gisborne. Emma aspires to one day represent NZ in her sport, once she has completed her BMS.

Brooke is studying for a conjoint degree in law and business, majoring in Finance, hoping to use her qualification to pursue a career in corporate law and travel the world. She chose the University of Waikato because of its strong reputation in law and management, and because the university is close to Lake Karapiro, New Zealand's centre of rowing.



Brooke has been rowing for five seasons, formerly for Waikato Diocesan School for Girls and now with the Waikato Rowing Club. She has 10 North Island secondary school medals and three national titles. She was selected to trial for the national U19 rowing team in 2021 and is now recognised as an athlete on the RowingNZ National Pathway. She has set her sights on making the New Zealand representative teams.



She enjoys the constant learning and development the sport necessitates in order to keep progressing towards her goals. This involves at least nine squad training sessions each week with additional strength and conditioning sessions.



As a student at Dio, Brooke spent time on the Sports Council, Student Council, and was selected as the student representative on the Board of Trustees. She was rowing captain as well as head girl in her final year. She also earned the Kiwisport Leadership Award and the Altrusa Award during her time at school. A driven student, she received excellence endorsements for each level of NCEA and was recognised as one of the top four academic achievers in her year.

Squash has been passed down through the generations of Temwa Chileshe's family, so it was only natural that he had his first game at age 10 – and never looked back. The former St Paul's Collegiate School full school prefect says he enjoys the atmosphere of tournaments and the mental and physical challenge of the sport. Temwa represented New Zealand in the 2018 Oceania Championships team, made the New Zealand Secondary Schools' team five years in a row, and reached the A1 grade at age 17. Ranked number three in the New Zealand Under 19s, Temwa was selected for the 2018 world junior team that competed in Chennai, India last year and finished 10th. Temwa aims to play at the Commonwealth Games and World Men's Championships one day – and hopefully win a few medals while he's there! He is studying for a Bachelor of Science with a focus on chemistry and biology.

Nick only began kayaking seven years ago, but he's already become one of the top paddlers in the country for his age. He was drawn to canoe slalom after watching his older brother competing at various national events and decided to try it out for himself. Since then he's found a passion for all aspects of the sport.



The former Dunstan High School prefect from Alexandra has competed nationally and internationally, but the 2021 season was a standout for him, placing first in the U18s and overall at the South Island champs, second U18 and fourth overall at the North Island champs, third U18 at the New Zealand Open, 7th overall at Oceania champs, first U18 at the New Zealand national secondary schools, first U18 and 4th overall at the New Zealand nationals and he was selected to represent New Zealand at the Junior World Championships in Slovenia.



Nick will be studying towards a Bachelor of Business at the University of Waikato and keeping up his training of up to 12 hours a week.



Alongside canoe slalom, Nick also competes in canoe freestyle, canoe polo and extreme slalom. In 2020 he placed second in the U18 freestyle at the Australian Open – a highlight of his sporting career so far. He was recently selected for the New Zealand U18 B canoe polo team and is also the U18 national secondary school extreme slalom champion.

Daniel Cossey started Taekwon-Do with his family when he was eight years old. Instantly enjoying the thrill of learning new skills and techniques, he began practising the sport, and has stuck with it for the past 10 years. Daniel has competed in several national and international competitions, winning gold in the junior team special techniques event and the under 68kg sparring division at the 2018 Nationals. He has also succeeded internationally, placing first in the junior special techniques division in the 2017 World Championships. He is studying for a Bachelor of Science majoring in Biology as he strives to make the New Zealand team again and compete in more world championships.

Former Taranaki Diocesan School for Girls deputy-head girl Ella discovered her passion for all things performing at the age of four. She began taking dance and drama classes straight away and instantly knew the stage was her home. At Waikato she's studying for a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Theatre Studies and minoring in Dance.



Ella has performed in more than 10 stage shows, playing notable characters such as the pouty Amber Von-Tussle in Hairspray jr. and the quirky grandma in The Addams Family jr. She has taken drama throughout her secondary school years and was awarded top senior drama student three years in a row.



She's also been a member of Dance Project Taranaki, but her career highlight to date was playing the lead role of Alex in the short film produced by Holly Shanahan called "Zero Hour". Now, alongside the stage, she's fallen in love with the camera.



At Waikato, Ella's looking forward to gaining more experience within the film and screen industry and learning more about aspects of acting in that industry sector, as well as staying true to her on-stage theatre and dance roots. Some day she hopes to inspire others through performing arts, whether that's teaching in secondary schools or being part of the theatre and screen industry.

Rico D'Anvers has been pedalling his bike as fast as possible for the past 15 years traveling NZ and the world pursuing his passion for BMX racing.

The former St Paul's Collegiate student who started BMX as a five-year-old, is tackling his third year of Civil Engineering with Honours at the University of Waikato, keeping his studies local so he can continue his sport.

Rico says he loves the challenge of working out how to get an edge on his competitors, doing big jumps, and the tightly packed racing offered by BMX. Rico typically trains eight plus times a week across the gym, the BMX track and doing road sprints.

2019 brought many highlights for Rico's BMX career including winning the North Island titles, International C1 race in Rotorua, and placing 14th the World Championships in Belgium, all in the Junior Elite men age category. Along with being nominated by his school peers as the male recipient of the Great Oaks Award at St Paul's Collegiate. In 2022, Rico enters his third year in the Elite men age which is UCI 19 and up. Rico is the current North Island champion is Elite men which he holds back to back North Island titles from 2019 and 2020. Placing 2nd at the 2020 and 2021 National Championships in this age was a great achievement, says Rico. However, in 2022 Rico plans to increase this position to become National Champion in the U23 men category. Fortunately, Rico was able to attend two UCI BMX Supercross rounds in Australia during 2020, which gave him a taste of how high the level in BMX is and the commitment that world class athletes make to their sport.

Having the opportunity to coach younger kids is something Rico sees great benefit in. Knowing the targets that kids need to hit to achieve their goals instills trust into them and makes coaching really enjoyable. Rico has done various types of coaching over the years but now coaches for MCRA; New Zealand most renown BMX coaching academy.

Originally from Morrinsville, Rico was a sporting and environmental full school prefect at St Paul's Collegiate School in Hamilton. He also plays guitar, tinkers with cars and enjoys social table tennis when time allows. He says he wants to take his BMX career as far as possible, ideally reaching the 2024 Paris Olympics and 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, then pursue civil engineering and continue sport of some code.

Cricket's his game, with singing and guitar on the side. Sajith was born in Hong Kong to Sri Lankan parents and has lived in Auckland most of his life. He attended St Kentigern College where he played in the first XI, taking tours to England and Sri Lanka and winning Auckland's secondary school premier competition in T20, one day and two dayers. Last year he was selected for the Auckland U17 side, which won their national competition, and made his debut in premier mens club cricket. He's primarily a batsman and nothing pleases him more than winning a game that's gone down to the very last ball. Naturally, he'd like to play for the Blackcaps one day and be one of the best batsmen in the world. Meanwhile he has a degree to complete and has chosen to study a Bachelor of Software Engineering with Honours. It made sense for him to come to Waikato. It's close to home, but not too close, and the University of Waikato's software and computer science programmes has a sound reputation.

Daniel Dobson was introduced to basketball by a classmate while he was at Hamilton Boys' High School. In his last two years at school he was captain of the school's premier team, leading them to victories in the Waikato championships and the annual Rotorua Tip-off Tournament. He received his school's MVP (most valuable player) award for basketball in 2020 and the Sportsmanship Award in 2021, which covers all codes.



Daniel's been representing his province in basketball since 2016. He was a key player in the U17 Waikato team that took out the national title in 2020.



While at school he was also a prefect, a house captain and served on the Leadership Committee. He has also served his church as a youth leader.



He's studying for a Bachelor of Civil Engineering with Honours, and if all goes according to plan he hopes to become a chartered engineer and continue working for Schick Civil Construction where he's had holiday jobs and where he currently works as an intern while he studies.

Sebastian has had a passion for music since he was three years old. As a vocalist and guitarist, he's used his talents to strengthen his relationship with his culture. He's competed in numerous competitions over the last few years including the Super 8 cultural event, Tāmaki Makaurau Regional kapa haka, Te Arawa regional secondary schools kapa haka, Te Haaro o Te Kahu National secondary kapa haka, 2018 secondary nationals kapa haka and TÅ«hoe Ahurei. Through those events, Sebastian has been awarded titles of kapa haka national champion and Super 8, both back-to-back, as well as being a gold medalist for the National Māori tournament in Rotorua.



Throughout his career, Sebastian has been fortunate enough to travel around the world, including Spain, Portugal, Japan and China, as a cultural ambassador promoting New Zealand tourism. His future aspiration is to start a business that showcases Māori culture to the world.

Georgie is a contracted player with the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic netball team. Her ultimate goal is becoming a Silver Fern. The former St Peter's Cambridge head girl has been playing netball for nearly a decade, loving the competitive and physical nature of the sport and the friendships forged off the court. The 178cm-tall defender has played at nationals in U15 and U17 age group teams and in 2018 was selected in the New Zealand Secondary Schools team that travelled to Canberra to play games against England and Australia. Georgie is currently in the New Zealand U21's netball squad who are preparing for the World Youth Netball Cup, planned to happen in Fiji in December 2021. A multi-talented athlete, Georgie has also been involved with Athletics, Touch, Basketball, and Swimming at a regional level. Georgie is in her third year of a Bachelor of Communication Studies degree, majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Psychology.

Luka is currently in her 4th year of studying at the University of Waikato, completing 2nd and 3rd year papers part time towards her Bachelor of Engineering. With high-profile role models such as Mahe Drysdale and Emma Twigg, rower Luka Ellery from Te Awamutu has set her sights high for a future in rowing, combined with engineering. Luka began rowing seven and a half years ago after going along to an open day at the local rowing club during her time at Te Awamutu College. She has mostly always sculled (two oars) as single, double and quad depending on the training or specific selection for racing. Luka says one of the best things about rowing is the atmosphere and culture generated by the sport. This year Luka has been selected in the women's double scull to compete at the World Rowing under 23 Championships 2018 Poznan, Poland. Luka's biggest rowing achievements to date are being ranked 11th in the women's single scull at the World Rowing under 23 Championships 2016 Rotterdam, Netherlands, coming first in the women's single sculls, quadruple sculls and eight in the under 21 Trans-Tasman series 2015, claiming first place in the B final (7th overall) in women's double sculls at World Rowing Junior Championships 2014 Hamburg, Germany and being selected for the Waikato RPC squad for 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons. Luka was also selected for the 2017 NZ under 23 team in the women's quad but was unable to compete at the World Rowing under 23 Championships due to a rib injury. She was part of the 2015 Gallagher Great Race Women's crew which won against University of Sydney and University of Melbourne. At the 2018 Rocket Foods New Zealand Rowing Championships she placed first in the women's under 22 single scull and 2nd in the women's under 22 double scull. During her time at Te Awamutu College, Luka was the head of the environment committee and a Keep Cool mentor, mentoring a junior student. Luka is now part of the University of Waikato Rowing Club committee, being particularly involved in the role of recruiting new members. Her dream is to make it to the Olympics, complete her degree and get work experience that will set her up for a career after rowing.

Joey Field began playing cricket in the backyard with his family when he was three. In 2018 he was in the winning team at the Under 17 Indoor Cricket World Cup, and was selected for the National Under 19 Tournament. Joey made the National Under 19s cricket squad that will tour Bangladesh this year. His efforts earned him the title of 2018 Hastings Boys' High School Sportsman of the Year and Hawke's Bay Male Cricketer of the Year. Adding to these titles, Joey excelled at Hastings Boys' High, appointed head boy and leading the prefect group. After completing his Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance majoring in Performance Science and Sports Psychology, Joey aims to work in high performance athlete development or in sport psychology.

Naturally sporty and growing up in an extremely sporty household encouraged Emma to play a wide range of sports – basketball, adventure racing, cross country/athletics, cricket regionally and nationally, and hockey, which she's been playing since she was five.



She captained the U18 Hawke's Bay hockey team, which led to her selection in the New Zealand U18 national squad and, switching codes, she was named in the 2021 Central Districts Hinds performance squad and is a regular member of the Hawke's Bay senior women's cricket team. Emma enjoys both the mental and physical challenges that are associated with all aspects of hockey and cricket including training and preparation.



She was Taradale High School's deputy-head girl and has been involved in leadership groups such as the first New Zealand Secondary School's Athlete Commission and various youth councils.



Emma is studying for a Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance double majoring in Human Performance Science and Sports Development and Coaching. She's coming back from injury, looking forward to getting back on the turf, growing her hockey skills alongside her academic learning, and enjoying meeting like minded people. Her main sporting goal is to follow in her brother's footsteps and play for the national team – the Black Sticks.

With a 3-star event rider for a mother and a professional polo-player for a father, it was no surprise that Emelia Forsyth was on a horse soon after she could walk. She found her niche – show jumping – when she was 13, enjoying the challenge of working with a horse and figuring out what they could achieve together. Emelia competed in Horse of the Year for five consecutive years and was champion of the North Island Pony Grand Prix in 2016. She also placed sixth at the North Island Young (under 21) event, and second in the super series Grand Prix at the 2019 Auckland Championships. She's aiming to establish herself at Grand Prix level and compete internationally. Emelia balances her training with a conjoint Bachelor of Management Studies, majoring in Strategic Management.

Majenta Gaffar discovered her passion for drama and dance at an early age, performing in pantomimes from the age of 10.

The former Waiuku College student, who will major in Theatre Studies and minor in Dance at the University of Waikato this year, says she enjoys the fact theatre allows her to express herself.

"I enjoy the fact that I am able to embody a different character and see life through their eyes because it helps me understand and relate to different types of people in society," says Majenta.

She has performed in the National Stage Challenge each year between 2015 and 2017 and last year she was in the group which won the national ShowQuest and received the national choreography excellence award and excellence in lighting.

The ShowQuest dance was subsequently made into a distracted driving campaign for the New Zealand Police.

Majenta who was a school prefect, on the Maori student council and a house captain at Waiuku College, was also nominated for best lead female for her role in the play Pohutukawa tree.

She performs in around three to four shows each year and practices weekly. Majenta hopes to eventually teach theatre and dance in secondary schools around New Zealand.

Lucy Golebiowski loves to express herself through dance and having the freedom to explore her own choreography.

The Taupo-Nui-a-Tai college student will start a Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance, majoring in Human Performance Science, at the University of Waikato this year.

Lucy started dancing at the age of six, inspired by her older sister after seeing the happiness it brought her.

"When I was six, I trialled my first jazz class. From there, my passion for dance grew. I later started attending regular ballet and contemporary classes to add to my jazz class. I started competing at age 11 and have been dancing ever since."

Lucy, who is also a dance teacher, says dance has provided opportunities to be her own person and she enjoys giving others the opportunity to develop their own confidence through dance.

She says her greatest achievements to date include winning a nomination to compete as a soloist at the National Young Performer Awards (PACANZ). Gaining 100 per cent in her AJDA Solo Seal exam and distinction in all her AJDA Jazz exams. She also trained and passed her AJDA Junior Jazz Teaching Certificate (while studying NCEA Level 1).

Alongside dancing almost every day, either taking classes in jazz, ballet and contemporary or her own practice, Lucy also keeps fit by running, biking, going to the gym and playing badminton.

Lucy plans to be a secondary school teacher, teaching physical education and dance.

"I want to not only share my passion for sport, health and well-being but to motivate and inspire others to find their passion and to reach their personal best."

Alongside her studies she will continue to teach dance in Hamilton and give time to students at Taupo-Nui-a-Tai as they prepare to compete at the DanceNZmade Regionals.

Bennett Greenough is a BMX racer who's competed all over the world, including multiple world championship finals, a win in the USA BMX Grand Nationals, a French Cup victory, Oceania titles, and many national ones as well. Bennett braved the Covid-19 pandemic and travelled to the Netherlands for the 2021 BMX World Championships, and while he didn't win, thanks to a flat tyre mid-race, he set one of the fastest lap times in the U19 class – still a good result.



He's been racing for 13 years, seven of those while he attended St Peter's School in Cambridge. He was a prefect in his final year, and a mentor to a handful of younger students. As a senior rider at his Cambridge BMX Club, he's volunteered "countless hours" and is currently a coach and riders' advocate on the club committee. Bennett has also been able to share his passion for BMX in the Cambridge community by doing school visits to promote the sport and inspiring kids to give it a go.



Bennett achieved Top Subject prizes for PE and Business Studies in his final year at school. Now he's studying for a Bachelor of Management Studies with Honours and living in College Hall. In 2022, he'd like to achieve multiple BMX World Cup finals in the U23 class, as well as compete and make the final at the BMX World Champs as an U23. In 2023 and beyond, he'd like to make a smooth transition into the Elite Class and make his way to the pinnacle event in BMX – the Olympics.

Celia, a violinist, chose to study at the University of Waikato because of the extremely high level of internationally renowned performers/lecturers, and the legacy of many successful musical alumni. Both Celia's parents are musicians so it was only natural that even before she started school she was learning to play an instrument. Three times she's been a finalist in the national chamber music contest and in 2018 she was associate principal for the second violins in the National Youth Orchestra. As a singer and lover of drama, Celia's taken lead roles in her high school productions, participated in Theatresports, Shakespeare festivals, and done ballet over the years. She hopes by doing her Bachelor of Music at Waikato majoring in performance (violin), she can establish a career as a full-time musician, in a chamber music group, an orchestra, or both.

With parents who are both top tier performers in Maori Performing Arts, Ruameto Hamiora has immersed himself in as much of the discipline as he can with every chance he has been given.

When kapa haka season starts Ruameto spends up to 14 hours every weekend training and says the knowledge he has learned, and the memories made over his 18 years in kapa haka are irreplaceable.

He has attended multiple secondary schools kapa haka competitions, regional and national championships, along with Polyfest and the Aotearoa festival in Australia.

Ruameto says his biggest achievements to date are traveling overseas to represent his culture and being in the winning team for the 2018 Secondary School Kapa Haka Nationals where they earnt the title of back-to-back champions. The first group to ever achieve this.

Ruameto who was a school prefect, will continue his kapa haka while studying Maori and a Bachelor of Marketing at the University of Waikato.

His long-term goal is to continue to be heavily involved in Maori Performing Arts and return to Rotorua and work at the Te Puia Arts and Crafts Institute.

Chase Hennessey started out playing football as a seven-year-old but his coach who also ran a karate club encouraged him to try karate.

It was a good decision for the former St John's College student who ranked fifth in the world for his age and weight division for karate, in 2019.

Chase will study engineering at the University of Waikato and continue training up to 14-and-a-half hours per week for the sport he loves.

During his karate career he has attended the Junior World Championship, Oceania Championship, New Zealand Karate Nationals, the Karate Commonwealth games and the Youth Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

He counts his greatest achievements as being New Zealand National Champion for his age and weight for the past six years in a row, being a two-time Oceania Champion and his world ranking of fifth last year, for his age and weight division. Outside of karate, Chase was a school sports leader, school prefect, played basketball and is also involved in athletics.

Chase hopes to one day win a medal at the world karate championships and eventually become a secondary schools' coach.

Emma was inspired by the University of Waikato's Bachelor of Music degree after being a part of its Unistart programme in 2019 and 2020. The supportive environment of the University and talented staff, allowed Emma to grow her passion for music further. Hence, Emma is currently in her second year of studying a Bachelor of Music in Performance, Classical Singing.



Emma started her career in music when she was eight years old by performing in the Southland Christmas Concert and various other community events. She has performed for various people including former Prime Minister Sir John Key, Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy, Jonathan Lemalu and Suzanne Prentice. Emma was also in the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir that toured around New Zealand performing with internationally renowned artists including Simon O'Neill.



Emma was the captain for her school choir, SGHS Femme, for two years and was the section leader for three years. During this time her choir won three local performance cups and earned a place at the NZCF Big Sing Finale, where they won silver and bronze awards.



In 2021, Emma attained a 1st placing and three Very Highly Commended placings at the SAPAC's (Auckland) Singing Competitions and a University of Waikato Blues Award. Emma plans on completing a postgraduate degree after she completes her bachelor's degree and aspires to perform nationally and teach others who share her passion.

Maia felt a strong sense of community and whakawhānaungatanga from the University of Waikato. She decided to study a conjoint degree in Law and Business, majoring in Marketing. Throughout her schooling journey, Maia has been on various school councils and leadership committees which included being a student representative on the Manukura Board of Trustees and the events team for school events. Outside of school, she was a spokesperson at Ngāti Kahungunu events as an up and coming youth sportswoman.



Outside of school Maia has played netball regionally, nationally and internationally. She's competed in various teams including the Waikato NNL squad for 2021, the International Secondary School Netball team, the Aotearoa Māori Secondary School team, the New Zealand Secondary School Development camp and she's currently involved in the New Zealand U21 Emerging Talent selection camp. The highlight of her sporting career has been representing New Zealand in the International School Girls Netball competition. Her team had a nail-biting final against Australia, winning by one point.

"Hāpaitia te ara pÅ«mau ai te rangatiratanga mo ngā uri whakatipu"



Tia Katipo is a singer who has two passions – operatic music and kapa haka, and she's succeeding at both. Tia grew up in the Waikato, started vocal lessons when she was 10, and for all five years of her secondary schooling at Hamilton Girls' High School she sang in the school choir, barbershop chorus and the kapa haka rōpū Te Maurea Whiritoi.



In 2020 Tia auditioned for the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir gaining a place in the 2021–2022 cycle. Currently they're working with American choral composer Eric Whittaker and

rehearsing for a concert in Tasmania.



In 2021 Tia completed the University's Unistart programme and saw how supportive and nurturing the teachers were and how much of a great Māori community the University had. That confirmed her decision to study for a Bachelor of Music, majoring in Music and a minor in Te Reo Māori.



She finds one of the hardest things about being a classical singer is being able to blend the musical knowledge she has into her knowledge of Te Ao Māori. Amazing support from her whānau, kapa haka tutors and her singing teachers has helped Tia to walk in both worlds with confidence and at the same time has helped strengthen her knowledge of both Te Ao Māori and the music world.



Her goal is to carve a path for Māori rangatahi and tamariki who want to become professional musicians, or who just have a passion for music, to follow their dreams and let them know that it is a career choice open to them.

Growing up in and around the ocean in Gisborne, surf lifesaving and water sports came naturally to Jack. After learning to swim and gaining water confidence and knowing water safety, Jack took up competitive swimming and surf lifesaving when he was 10. During his teenage years at Gisborne Boys' High School, his competitiveness and passion for his sport grew and, backed up with stories from his ancestors and local legends, he began having success in the pool and on the beach. He says being out in nature, a love for working hard and interacting with like-minded individuals is what he enjoys most about what he does.



He trains between 12 and 15 times a week, sometimes three times a day, to achieve his goals and develop in all aspects as an athlete. Competition was severely disrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic, but he still managed to win the U16 Ironman at the 2020 nationals in Gisborne.



Jack says studying at the University of Waikato is the best possible fit for him as he can continue his training regime out of Mount Maunganui while studying at the University's Tauranga campus. He's studying for a Bachelor of Business double majoring in Finance and Strategic Management.



He was deputy head prefect at Gisborne Boys and sees his career being in a key leadership role in the realm of business. On the sporting front Jack's ultimate goals are to qualify for the Nutra-Grain IronMan Professional series in Australia and win a world surf lifesaving title.

Taha is from the small bay of Omaio in the Bay of Plenty. He completed his secondary schooling at Hamilton Boys' High School (HBHS) where he developed his love for rugby.

The University of Waikato was a natural choice for Taha as he knew he'd be well supported academically and as he chased his sporting ambitions. He's studying for a Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance.



The first five-eighth can also play fullback when called upon and says one of the reasons he loves the game is the friendships that are created with others in the team, working hard to achieve a common goal. He currently trains up to seven times a week, depending on his commitments around the Waikato Rugby Union's Academy programme, club rugby and the Chiefs U20s.



Taha's competed in numerous national competitions for rugby, sevens and touch, and a career highlight was being selected for the 2021 New Zealand secondary schools' team (that sadly couldn't play because of Covid). At HBHS, he was a prefect and sports captain, captain of the first XV and the premier touch and sevens sides. He won the James Hook Trophy for outstanding goal kicking and the Ballymore Ball for Leadership.



As a rugby player, his big challenge is to back up the physicality of training and games every week while keeping a healthy body. Long-term he's hoping to develop his skills as a rugby player and become professional, and he'd also like to be a personal trainer and own his own gym some day.

Michaela Kerr has been cycling for 12 years and has dreamed of representing New Zealand since the age of six. Michaela says she enjoys the constant competition around each race. Her biggest achievements to date include representing New Zealand in 2016, winning the u19 jersey, and placing 2nd in the elite competition in the Calder Stewart series. Michaela has also competed in countless club races, has been a part of teams for Mike Greer Homes Women's cycling, Waikato Performance Hub, and North Island Womens performance team, and has competed in Australia, representing New Zealand, at the Mersey Valley Tour.

She completed a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours, majoring in Software Engineering with First class, in 2020, completed a semester abroad at Cardiff University in Wales in 2019, trekked to Nepal in 2020, and is now studying for a Masters in Engineering part time, while working as a software engineer for Transpower in Wellington. .

Kayley is an aspiring White Fern from Gisborne. She's been playing cricket since she started primary school and over the years has represented her secondary school, Gisborne Girls' High, played in Northern Districts age-group rep teams and is now a contracted player for the the Northern Brave and a member New Zealand U19 women's squad. Her career highlights include captaining her team to win the Northern Districts (ND) senior secondary girls competition in 2019, winning the NZC Gillette Venus Cup for ND qualifiers in 2021 and making her debut for the New Zealand U19 team against the New Zealand Police first XI in February 2021.



Kayley's inspiration to play cricket came largely from her family, particularly her mum who played for ND, which made her Kayley's hero. Kayley really enjoys the tactical side of the game; there's not many sports that require it like cricket does, she says, and your mental game is just as important as your physical.



Cricket takes up most of her time between September and April each season, with up to 15 hours training each week and at least five hours in games. She's also a keen footballer, turning out for Gisborne United, she volunteers as a football referee, and cricket umpire.



Kayley is studying for a Bachelor of Health, Sport and Performance majoring in Human Performance Science at the University's Tauranga campus while continuing to play for ND. Tauranga's a perfect fit for Kayley providing good facilities and coaches and it's not too far from home.

Hamiltonian student Hannah Knighton entered a Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon when she was seven years old and has been hooked ever since. The talented triathlete is in her second year of a Bachelor of Science, majoring in data analytics and human performance science.



Hannah thrives on a challenge and loves that triathlons allow her to compete at three sports at once. She has competed across New Zealand in swimming, cycling, cross country, and triathlon events. Over the past few years, she has also competed for New Zealand as a Junior Elite athlete at multiple triathlon events around the world.



Each week, Hannah combines swimming, cycling, running, stretching and strength work to create an intensive training programme. Her ultimate goal is to win gold at the Olympics, and she hopes to work in high performance sport one day.

Kaio says he's at his best when he's doing what he loves, and he loves nothing more than to ride his bike and use his success to inspire the next generation. When Kaio was six years old his dad took him to every sport listed on the back of the school newsletter and track cycling was the one that stuck.



Twelve years on and he still loves every bit of it and has enjoyed plenty of success – five national titles, four national records, one Oceania record, and he's twice been selected in the national team to represent New Zealand at the Junior World Championships (both canceled due to Covid). Kaio was named Nelson/Tasman Junior Sportsman of the Year in 2021.



Kaio was the head boy at Nelson College and has spent countless hours teaching kids from all over the region how to ride track at Nelson's Saxton Velodrome.

He's studying Mechatronics Engineering at Waikato and with Grassroots Trust Velodrome just down the road in Cambridge is keen to see what he can achieve on the track.

His dream is to stand on an Olympic podium and inspire some Kiwi kids to go out and chase their dreams.

Hamish Legarth has only been kayaking for six years, but he's already one of the best in the country for his age. He first became involved after watching his sister compete at regattas, and decided to give it a go himself. Hamish quickly fell in love with the competition and the feeling of becoming fitter, faster and stronger.



Hamish has attended several national and international competitions, including the Junior World Championships in Belarus and Romania, placing 15th in 2017. He was named the 2017 team leader of the Junior Men's Team, winning gold in the K2 1000m at the Oceania Championships.



A true all-rounder, Hamish also captained the Havelock North High School 1st XI Hockey team, and has been involved with surf lifesaving, canoe polo and orienteering. He was Havelock North High School deputy head of house, Jarrod Cunningham Sports Academy Ambassador, and a tutor for his school academic committee.



Hamish is in his first year of a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), and hopes to become a registered engineer when he graduates. In the future, Hamish aspires to represent New Zealand at the Olympic Games.

Ever since she was a little girl Melika Lolaki was always a fan of film and its ability to allow creative storytelling.

With a camera in hand she started directing and making short films with her friends in her backyard as an eight-year-old.

Now the former Hamilton Girls' High School student will start a conjoint Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in screen and media and computer science at the University of Waikato.

"I enjoy the creative process and I like that film is a potent medium to portray and delve into universal truths and challenge the status quo if need be," says Melika.

In 2018 she was awarded the Kearns Cup, which is awarded to the top English student in Year 12 and in 2019 she was awarded the Dave Hewitt Senior English Cup which is awarded to the top English student in Year 13.

Melika studied level 3 Media Studies as a Year 12 student and created a short film which received an excellence grade. In 2019 she sat the NZQA Scholarship Media Studies paper and was awarded the paper at scholarship level.

She was both Deputy Head Girl and Academic Council Captain at Hamilton Girls' High School where she also launched the school's first ever student magazine called Lionheart.

"Its creation gave rise to a platform through which students can express their opinions and thoughts, whether it be through critical reviews, poetry, opinion pieces or short stories," says Melika.

Her role on student council also saw her organise the school Academic Quiz as well as STEAM (Science Technology Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Week and SLEAK (Social Sciences, Languages, Art and Ka Awatea) week.

Melika has been involved in the school debating team from 2017 to 2019 and been a semi-finalist twice in the Waikato Secondary Schools' Debating Competition and once in the New Zealand Schools' Waikato Regional Debating Competition.

She was also a member of the Hamilton Girls' High School Philosothon team who claimed the first in the Waikato Regional Competition in 2019.

"In the future, I aspire to become a director who creates films which inspire and captivates audiences," says Melika.

Devhante's involvement in Māori performing arts started at birth, through her tuakana and wider whānau. Singing came naturally and she has gradually expanded her horizons into other aspects of performing arts by teaching herself to play guitar, piano and drums, along with musical production.



Devhante attended Western Springs College in Auckland and could spend up to 44 hours a week practising with her kapa during the Polyfest campaigns. Her favourite performances are the whakangahau (entertainment) because they are always conducted with aroha and manaakitanga.



She assisted with the translation and recording of a segment from The Edge's cover of Stan Walker's Take It Easy. Being involved in the Pao Movement, (a kaupapa-driven platform that links emerging and established Māori musicians) working with other Māori artists like Maisey Rika and Rob Ruha and learning more about the music industry, have been highlights of her journey so far.



Devhante's studying for a Bachelor of Health, Sports, and Human Performance majoring in Human Performance and Māori and Indigenous studies and aims to intertwine the knowledge she learns from both majors to help other athletes to enhance in their athletic abilities, and also find a way for tamariki and rangatahi Māori to particpate in a physical activity whether that be kapa haka or being a bit more active. Another of her life goals is to establish a kapa, and compose a haka bracket for her hapÅ« to perform at Te Matatini.

Lisa Mather is now in her third year of a Bachelor of Business, majoring in strategic management with a minor in international management. She demonstrates a passion and drive for achieving in sport and has accomplished mostly with netball.



Lisa was born and raised in Northland and embarked on her netball pathway when she left in 2017 for a netball scholarship at St Peters Cambridge. From 2017 she was a part of the U19 Hamilton City netball team, who won the national tournament, named Most Valuable Player at St Peter's Cambridge premiere team, was a reserve mid-court player for the 2017 NZSS Netball Squad and was a part of the Beko Netball League. In 2018 she was offered an opportunity as Magic training partner which lead to a full player's contract in 2019. 2020 looks at little bit different as she still attempts to balance studying at the University of Waikato while playing for the Northern Stars based in South Auckland.



A multi-talented athlete, Lisa has also been involved with athletics, sevens, touch, volleyball, and gymnastics. She was vice-captain for her school premiere netball team and a gymnastics coach for her local club. She enjoys coaching and sharing her netball pathway in hope to inspire others from smaller regions.



Lisa hopes to use her business degree to be employed by well-recognised enterprise, with aspirations to eventually run her own business. Lisa aims to become a key player for the Northern Stars netball team in 2020 while maintaining a high academic standard building a solid foundation to be a great business manager.

"He uri tā“nei mai nga moana o Tauranga whānui otirā Ngāti Kauwhata Rangitāne iwi."



You'll find Poroaki training as an athlete or practising for performance any spare moment he has. He says it's in his blood and it runs through his veins. He attended Te Wharekura o Mauao in Tauranga before moving to Manukura, a designated special character school based at Massey University in Palmerston North. He says coming to Waikato to study for his Bachelor of Arts seemed a natural choice.



Poroaki has competed in kapa haka and won a first place as a kaitātaki (leader), played in rep teams for rugby and basketball, and been a regular performer in the countrywide National Shakespeare Schools Production – one of 24 students chosen to go to the Globe Theatre in London.



He's appeared in a few movies, definitely a career highlight, but so too are the people he's met along the way as a kaitātaki and as an actor. He's challenged by the hard work that goes before every audition and as he works to perfect his craft and learn different accents. His sport helps him to keep healthy and fit.



Poroaki has been a part of a wānanga built for rangatahi who aspire to be performers, and aspire to be a face on the world stage, highlighting his culture, country, iwi and whānau.

Former Lindisfarne College student and prefect Jack McGarvie has been involved in musical theatre for seven years. After joining his primary school choir and dance group, he became heavily involved in all aspects of musical theatre and continued his involvement throughout high school. Jack says the range of different characters, genres and music continues to amaze him, but what he enjoys most about musical theatre is the ability to connect with the audience and convey a message. Being able to connect with audiences comes with its challenges and Jack says combining dancing, singing and acting to become a triple threat performer is one of the harder aspects of musical theatre. Jack's biggest accomplishments to date include winning his school's House Rock competition, attaining his advanced diploma in performance speech and drama, and earning the roles of Banzai and Simba in the Lion King Jr. He one day hopes to perform on Broadway and to research genetic engineering. I completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in Biochemistry and have recently completed an MSc (Research) with first class honours.



Jack is now in the first semester of his PhD in biochemistry studying antibiotic design against antibiotic resistant strains focusing on Neisseria gonorrhoeae under Doctor Joanna Hicks looking into the alterative sulphur acquisition pathway in bacteria using N. gonorrhoeae as a model. He has recently become a part of the Senior leadership cohort of the Hillary Scholars and am looking to leadership opportunities for the rest of this year and 2022.

Jack, a graduate of Tauranga Boys' College, is a dedicated volleyball player who's committed to giving back. For the past six years, Jack has not only represented New Zealand on a world stage, but has also coached upcoming volleyball players in his short windows of free time. Jack attends the gym four times a week to increase his strength, works on his volleyball skills twice a week and attends tournaments each weekend. He's competed in various competitions including the NZSS Volleyball Championships, NZSS Super Eight Competition, Inter-Provincial Championships, National Club Championships, U21 Asian Beach Volleyball Championships, U19 Beach Volleyball World Championships, Australian Volleyball Schools Cup, USA High Performance Volleyball Championships and the California Beach Volleyball Association Tour. His most recent achievement was joining the National Under 20 Indoor Volleyball team in 2020 and receiving a gold medal at the NZSS Volleyball Championships in 2019.



Jack is not only a disciplined player, but also a disciplined student. He was the head prefect, lead in the school production and a Public Speaking Super Eight champion. His future aspiration after he finishes his studies is to find a job in mergers and acquisitions while playing volleyball in the New Zealand Volleyball League.

In 2022 Cole is in his final year of studying toward a Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance. He is also a professional BMX Racer, competing internationally on the elite level since 2017. He has represented New Zealand at UCI BMX World Championships in both Junior and Elite categories. Cole volunteers as a member of the Te Awamutu BMX club committee and regularly endeavors to mentor and coach many of the younger riders at the club and around the country. Cole has his sights set on the 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games and is looking forward to putting his best foot forward every step of the way.

Charli has not only travelled internationally to represent New Zealand in Cross Country Championships, but has also set records while racing. Her biggest achievement to date was setting Oceania records when she competed in the Oceania 2000m steeplechase and 1500m, which also was the first time she represented New Zealand. Charli's appreciation for her sport comes from how physically demanding it can be. To her, there is nothing better than completing a workout and hitting times she thought she wasn't able to. Charli trains six days a week, typically spending time on her running technique but also incorporating swimming and cycling elements to help prevent injury when racing in the occasional triathlon. Charli finds the most important part of her training discipline is her mental health. She finds that even if she's in her best shape, if there is even the slightest note of self-doubt, it can impact her in a big way and creates obstacles for her while training or in competition.



While a student at St Peter's in Cambridge, she was a Sports Prefect and Cross Country captain. These roles gave her the opportunity to give back to her community and help create a positive and inclusive sport culture that all students benefited from. Charli chose to study at the University of Waikato because of its sense of community. She was inspired by the University's motto ‘Ko Te Tangata'. After she completes her Bachelor of Teaching in Primary Education, Charli hopes to become a primary school teacher where she can continue creating positive and uplifting environments so her future students can feel safe and comfortable while they learn. She also aspires to be one of the top female middle distance runners in New Zealand and compete for the country internationally.

Sarah Miller has won 13 national medals for swimming over the past two years across short course, long course and open water competitions.

A self-described water baby she was first enrolled in swim club when she was eight, and now swims mainly long-distance freestyle, individual medley and butterfly. She also competes in lake, ocean and open water events across distances between 1km and up to 10km.

Sarah will start a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Environmental Science at the University of Waikato this year, alongside continuing her swimming which includes seven or eight two-hour pool sessions each week, three gym session and one yoga session.

Along with competing nationally and winning numerous medals, Sarah says her greatest achievements include being selected into the Swimming New Zealand Distance camp squad in 2019, breaking two Waikato records in the 400 freestyle and 800 freestyle in 2018 and 2019 and being selected to represent New Zealand at Australian State Team Championship.

"Getting the opportunity to compete while wearing the silver fern with New Zealand's best age groups swimmers and coaches was amazing," says Sarah.

She says the most challenging thing about swimming is the early morning wake ups for a 5:30am start in the pool but she says it is all made worth it when she arrives and sees her teammates.

Sarah was a St Paul's Collegiate Swim Club captain, a learn to swim coach and has earned a Kiwisport Leadership Award through volunteering in a variety of different settings.

"The focus of my volunteer work has been to promote healthy and active communities. I have also helped at events such as Weetbix Tryathlon, netball games and timekeeping at swim meets," says Sarah.

Sarah wants to have a career that positively impacts the environment by helping to restore and maintain it for future generations to come. Her aspiration for swimming is to represent New Zealand on the world stage at an open age group event

Ruby has been involved in dance for over 11 years. She began at the age of five at her church group, quickly realising her passion. Since then she's received many awards including the DanceNZMade Regional Solo winner, and National nominee in 2020, the Neil leremia trophy for excellence in choreography in 2020, the Senior Māori Leadership Award 2020 and the Judith Miles Drama Cup for Outstanding Drama Performance 2020 in her dancing discipline.



As a student at Hamilton Girls' High School, Ruby was awarded Top Māori Academic 2020, Senior Māori Leadership 2020, Principal's Award for Māori Excellence 2020 and the Rosemary Weatherhog Trophy for Head Girl 2020. On top of her schooling and dancing careers she taught her own junior dance class, passing on her love of dance to the next generation. This year Ruby will be studying a Bachelor of Teaching with hopes of becoming a primary school teacher and fostering creativity through education.

Fletcher Moles plans to pursue a Bachelor of Law at the University of Waikato while working towards his other goal of one day representing New Zealand at the Olympics in canoe racing.

The former New Plymouth Boys' High School student, who was head of sport, has been active in surf lifesaving since he was six and started canoe racing after trying to improve his technique for surf ski events.

"I joined the Waitara Kayak Club for extra coaching and here I discovered a real passion for paddling both on the flat water and in the ocean swell," says Fletcher.

He says surf lifesaving has taught him resilience and thinking on his feet in tough conditions and he enjoys the hard work that surrounds canoe racing and the opportunities it has given him.

Along with regularly competing in national surf lifesaving events Fletcher has also travelled extensively with both surf lifesaving and canoe racing. He attended the 2018 Asia Pacific Cup Canoe Racing Regatta, in Adelaide, Australia and the 2019 Asia Pacific Cup Canoe Racing Regatta at Karapiro, New Zealand. Fletcher also travelled to the 2019 Canoe Racing U18 Junior World Championship in Pitesti, Romania and then 2019 Surf Lifesaving Youth International Challenge in Durban, South Africa.

Fletcher has amassed a large collection of awards but says among his biggest achievements are making the New Zealand Junior Canoe Racing International team in 2018, for the Asia Pacific regatta where they won gold in the under 19, 4 x 200m relay and he won silver in the K1, 1000. He also won the under 19, 10km kayak champs in 2019. Fletcher also competed in the NZ Canoe Racing Nationals in 2019 winning silver in the K1 1000, Bronze in the K1, 200 and Bronze in the K2, 200. At the NZ Surf Lifesaving Nationals in 2019 he won bronze in the double ski, silver ski and gold in the ski relay.

"Attending the University of Waikato enables me to continue to pursue my competitive goals within canoe racing and surf lifesaving while also allowing me to attain a quality education in my chosen study," Fletcher says.

Nathan started playing cricket when he was four years old. His appreciation for cricket has grown since then because of the strategy needed to win, and the unpredictability of each game. Recently, Nathan has been involved in the national men's U19 tournament, the Northern Districts Men's T20 Brian Dunning tournament and the Fergus Hickey Rosebowl. His biggest accomplishments to date have been being selected to join the Northern Districts (ND) U19 and the ND Men's A team. Nathan focuses his time on his bowling, training on average three times a week. After he completes his Business degree at the University of Waikato, Nathan aspires to become a professional cricketer.

Claudia Paterson is in her final year of a Bachelor of Laws with Honours and a double major in Political Science. She first became involved in kayaking through multisport racing, and quickly became hooked on the exhilaration and adrenaline of the sport. Claudia has been doing canoe slalom for seven years, and competes in both K1 (kayak) and C1 (canoe) events.



Claudia has had significant national and international success, qualifying for the semi-finals 2017 Junior World Championships in Slovakia. She came third in the U23 age group at the 2018 New Zealand Nationals and won the Under 18 age group at the Oceania Canoe Slalom Championships. She has more recently coached the NZ development squad at the NZ Open - enjoying passing on her expertise to younger paddlers.



Claudia has also been involved with the Tauranga City Council Youth Advisory Group, the Pinnacle Programme, and Duke of Edinburgh Programme. She also competes in surf lifesaving and participates in speech and drama. Claudia has volunteered with IHC for over six years, volunteers yearly in Queenstown as an adaptive skiing instructor and recently worked as a support worker over the summer.



Claudia recently finished a summer clerkship at a top-performing law firm in Tauranga. Her passion for law and advocacy was confirmed in the role and she is excited to start her career as a lawyer in 2023.

Kendra Peart-Anderson has been playing hockey since she was five, kept interested by the speed of the game and the skills required. The former school house-captain from Eureka played defence in the National Hockey League for Midlands and played for Hillcrest High at the National Secondary Schools Federation Cup. She also captained the Midland's U18 team at their national tournament, was awarded Most Valuable Player and selected for the New Zealand U18 hockey camp. A talented all-rounder, Kendra has also competed in equestrian events, winning several national titles at Horse of the Year. She's studying for a Bachelor of Engineering at Waikato, and hopes to play for the Black Sticks one day.

Clarinet, violin, recorder, saxophone – you name it, Stefenie Lin-Yi Pickston plays it. The talented musician chose the University of Waikato for its high-quality music programme, and she's combining her passions of music and technology with a conjoint Music and Computer Science degree. Clarinet is her number one love though, and she's been playing for more than a decade. During this time, she has won multiple regional and national titles, including the KBB Award at the New Zealand Chamber Music contest playing in the group Trio Serendip, and gold in the Auckland Jazz and Blues Competition. She has already passed her Diploma of the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music with Distinction and earned an internship in the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Stefenie was named Lynfield College's 2018 Dux Artium (Arts Dux) and Year 13 Musician of the Year.

Benjamin Pomare hopes to one day become a Blackcap and then give back to the sport he loves through becoming a coach or teacher.

The former Tauranga Boy's College student will study Health, Sport and Human Performance, majoring in Human Performance Science at the University of Waikato this year, while continuing his passion for cricket in the Northern District region.

Since starting the game as a five-year-old, he has attended the Under 19 Cricket World Cup, held this year in South Africa, attended the National Under 19 tournaments, been part of the Provincial A T20 tournament and made the New Zealand Under 19, Northern Districts A team. Benjamin was also his school's 1st 11, captain.

He says his biggest achievement to date was debuting for the New Zealand Under 19 team against Australia Under 19. Outside of cricket Benjamin was a house leader and part of a Bay of Plenty Men's leadership group.

He says he really enjoys the tactical side of cricket.

"There's not many sports that always require tactical thinking. In cricket you have to do that for the entire game."

Benjamin, who is a wicketkeeper and batsman, trains for up to 15 hours each week focussing on strength, conditioning and skills.

Netballer Caitlin Pringle grew up in Tauranga and attended both Otumoetai and Mount Maunganui colleges. Now, she's excited to be living in Hamilton where she's studying for a conjoint degree – Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Social Sciences majoring in History – and pursuing her long-held dream of playing for Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic.



She started playing netball at a young age and quickly fell in love with the game. The teamwork and perseverance that's required to overcome challenges is what initially got her hooked, and now she trains upwards of eight times a week as she strives to achieve her goals. Over the years she has represented Tauranga at U15, U17 and U18 age-group nationals and in 2020 was selected into the Waikato Bay of Plenty U18 Zone team.



Outside of netball, Caitlin still finds time to volunteer as a surf lifeguard where she's also had regional and national success in surf lifesaving competitions, enjoying the community environment she finds in that sport. Wherever life takes her, Caitlin is committed to giving back to her community through her academic qualifications and sporting activities.

Pounamu grew up surrounded by music. From a young age he and his siblings, all fellow musicians, found a passion in singing and playing instruments. But the former Rotorua Boys' High student didn't pursue music as a career until he was 14. As a singer and composer, Pounamu finds enjoyment in being able to express his emotions to those around him through his music. He finds that music is something everyone can listen to and understand, no matter their native tongue.



Recently, Pounamu has been awarded first place at the 2020 regional Smokefree Tangata Beats and second place in the national Smokefree Tangata Beats competitions, first place at the 2020 Smokefree Rockquest Regionals, second equal at the 2020 Group Song Te Manu Tito Waiata Songwriting Competition, named the 2020 Rotorua Boys High School Senior Vocal Champion and awarded first in Music. Pounamu's future aspirations are for his music to reach the world. He believes that music is one of the best ways to inspire positive change in our current society and wants to share his messages to those far and wide.

During her final year at Waikato Diocesan School for Girls Isabella completed a UniStart course to make sure the University of Waikato was the right place for her. Turns out it was, and now she's studying for a Bachelor of Music majoring in Performance.



She's a singer who enjoys performing classical, choral and musical theatre. She's sung for the Governor General, on television for an ANZAC day broadcast, and even at Parliament.



She joined her first choir when she was eight and was just 12 when she successfully auditioned as an alto in the 2017 to 2018 NZSSC (NZ Secondary Students Choir) and as a soprano in the 2019 to 2020 NZSSC. She is currently an alto in her third cycle with the choir. It means she receives expert tuition from many of her mentors and gets to perform regularly in New Zealand overseas. She's enjoyed success at the New Zealand Aria Competition, been Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music and volunteers her time singing at rest homes, fundraisers and funerals.



At Waikato Dio Isabella was Arts Leader and named Arts Laureate for her contribution to school and community music. She was also the head of her school choir, Bel Suono. In 2021 she sold-out the University's Dr John Gallagher Concert Chamber performing an extensive repertoire of 15 songs and four duets from Schubert to Streisand.

Not only can Isabella sing, she also enjoys playing the piano, playing tuned percussion in orchestras, playing tennis, and was also a representative netball player. Her musical dream is to perform nationally and internationally.

Captaining the New Zealand Secondary School Barbarians rugby team has been the highlight of Hakaraia Richards-Coxhead's rugby career to date.

The former Hamilton Boys' High School student, originally from Rotorua, followed his brother into the sport. Hakaraia was head prefect at Hamilton Boys' High School and will study a Bachelor of Law at the University of Waikato. He hopes to become a lawyer and eventually a judge.

Hakaraia made the Waikato Chiefs Under 17 Camp in 2018 and the Under 18 Camp in 2019, where he was in Liam Messam's team to play the Crusaders' equivalent side.

The former captain of the Hamilton Boys' High School 1st XV plays as a prop and was a member of the team which won the Super 8 Championship twice and the National Under 15 tournament in 2016 and 2017.

Hakaraia says his biggest achievement was captaining the New Zealand Barbarians secondary school team. He enjoys the physical and mental challenges of rugby and trains at the gym four to five times a week, in between club trainings and skills sessions.

In his first two years out of school, Hakaraia was a member of the Waikato Under 19 and Under 20 teams. Performance in this team meant he was selected to take part in the National Under 20 Super Rugby competition, representing the Chiefs U20s. He is eligible again for this in 2022, and is looking to stand up as a leader in this team.

He says the biggest challenge is backing up the physicality of trainings and games every week, while keeping a healthy body.

Georgia Robcke started playing squash because her dad was always at the local courts playing.

Five years on from picking up her first racquet, the sport has seen her travel as far as India after she made the Junior World Girls' team, representing New Zealand in 2018. She also made the World Junior Champs in 2017 and 2019 and won the Under 17 New Zealand Junior Girls title in 2017.

"I started playing squash due to my dad being down at the club all the time. I enjoy the training aspect of squash and love hitting with my coach and other players on a regular basis. As well as meeting new people through the sport," says Georgia.

Making both the 2018 and 2019 World Junior Girls' team have been her biggest achievements to date, she says.

Georgia will start a Bachelor of Law at the University of Waikato this year and hopes to balance her studies with continuing to play squash regularly and advance further in the sport.

She says she was attracted to the university because of the friendly environment of the law faculty.

The former Thames High School student, who was on her school's student council, and won the Hauraki Sportswoman of the year, hopes to eventually specialise in environmental law.

"I think one of the biggest challenges will be balancing schoolwork with training and having a social life," says Georgia.

Charlie Roil is one of life's natural sportsmen. There's hardly a sport he hasn't played. At Lindisfarne College in Hastings he was sports prefect and played in the first XI football, cricket and rugby teams. He captained the senior A touch rugby team and was co-MVP (most valuable player) in the school's senior A basketball team. He's been doing athletics since he was five, competing for his school and the Hastings Athletics Club.



In 2019 Charlie placed second in the 400 metres in the national junior secondary schools championship and fifth in the 800 metres. National competitions for the next couple of years were cancelled due to Covid-19, but he kept up his training, which now involves four or five one-hour sessions a week.



At Waikato, Charles is studying for a Bachelor of Management Studies with Honours, majoring in Accounting with a minor in Finance. He's also taking an elective paper in Psychology. Charles chose the University of Waikato for its excellent business school and the support it offers student athletes who strive for success.

Sian has been dancing since she was four years old, and has been at her current studio for the past 11 years. She enjoys dancing for its performance factor, but more importantly for the team she now calls a family. While she attended Gisborne Girls' High School, she was a member of the arts council, a class representative and part of her school's rhythmical team for over three years. Outside of school, Sian participated at Performing Arts Competitions Association of New Zealand in 2018 and 2019, qualifying for finals in 2018.



One of her biggest achievements throughout her dancing career was being selected by teachers from around the world to dance alongside them and perform to an audience. After Sian graduates with a Bachelor in Primary Teaching, she aspires to actively involve the performing arts, specifically dance, in her teaching career so children can experience the arts and grow a passion for it, just as she did.

Halle has been heavily involved with hockey ever since she was six. Her love for hockey grew through building connections with her teammates and coaches, as well as being able to mentor younger players. She expects to train a minimum of four days a week, on top of her hockey games in the upcoming 2021 season. Previously, Halle has competed in the National Secondary Schools Tournament (Federation Cup), the Regional Māori Tournament and in the Midlands U18 National Tournament. Her biggest accomplishments in her sport include being selected for the Women's U18 NZ Training Squad and coaching a primary school hockey team that won the division.



Halle will be joining the University of Waikato to study a Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance, majoring in Human Performance with a minor in Māori and Indigenous studies. She aspires to help and assist athletes with their wellbeing and sports careers and intends to incorporate her learnings from her minor in Māori language into her teaching. Halle is excited to begin her studies with us because of the opportunities and resources we offer, which will assist in completing both her academic and sporting ambitions.

Nicole Shields is in her third year of a Bachelor of Business, majoring in finance and marketing. The former Dunstan High School student has been cycling since she was nine, but only started competing seriously five years ago. She enjoys the constant pursuit to improve and the rewards of seeing hard work pay off.



Nicole has competed in several local, national and international events, including the Junior Track World Championships in 2016 and 2017. In 2017, Nicole came second in the team pursuit, breaking the world record, as well as placing fourth in the individual pursuit. She made her elite debut for New Zealand at the Oceania Track Champs in 2018. Since then, she has competed in two world cups, winning the team pursuit in Hong Kong and coming second in the Madison at the end of 2019. In addition to cycling, Nicole played representative netball and basketball until 2016, as well as competing in adventure racing.



In the future, Nicole aspires to be selected for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2024 Olympics. She would also like to "tick off some funny long distance adventures", and hopes to grow her own business one day.

David is in his second year of studying for a Master of Arts, in English. David began acting in 2014, whilst studying at Mount Maunganui College. During his time there, David was named 'Performing Arts Male of the Year' on two separate occasions, and to date, is the only student to receive the honour twice. For his contribution to the arts at Mount Maunganui College, David received 20 awards during his time at the school. In his final year, he was named Deputy Head Boy for Performing Arts. David was selected as a member of Shakespeare's Globe Centre New Zealand's Young Shakespeare company, after winning 'Best Performer' in the Western Bay of Plenty regional festival, and his performance at the National festival in Wellington. David travelled to London in 2016 and performed The Taming of the Shrew at the Globe Theatre, an achievement he will never forget. Whilst here at the University of Waikato, David has been involved with Carving In Ice Theatre Company, performing in Caress/Ache in 2017, and Just to Get Married, The Chapel Perilous, and Today's Bay in 2018, and Pinter Shorts, and Riding in Cars with (Mostly Straight) Boys in 2019, and did technical work for Hush in 2020, and Escaped Alone in 2021. He has served as a class representative 11 times, the President of the Bryant Hall Resident's Association, as well as a Residential Assistant and Senior Residential Assistant at Bryant Hall. David also served as the Student speaker for the Arts, Laws and Social Sciences graduation ceremony of 2019. In 2020, along with other scholars, helped to organize the Trek to Nepal, a fundraising initiative to help Nepal with COVID-19 relief. After completing his Master's, David intends to earn his PhD, with the hope of becoming a University Lecturer.

Liam Singer started karate aged seven, wanting to join his friends who were involved with the sport. The former Hamilton Boys High Academic Honours student kept up his karate when friends pursued other interests, and he has been mastering the discipline for over 11 years now. He's enjoyed national and international success, winning his division the 2018 Oceania Karate Championships and placing second at the national championships. Studying for a Bachelor of Engineering, Liam hopes to become a civil engineer one day. When he's not studying, he's putting in the hard yards to win a gold at either the 2024 or 2028 Olympics.

Ava Smith from Gisborne has been heavily involved with surf lifesaving since she was five years old. By training three times a week in the ocean with various sessions, such as board training and diamonds, she's achieved plenty in her sport. Her best accomplishment to date was winning gold two years in a row at nationals in the U16 board race, adding to the top finishes she's had in board races in a variety of different competitions. A career highlight was being selected in the New Zealand Junior Surf Lifesaving team. It's a sport that requires a lot of travel, which Ava loves, and it means she's made friends across New Zealand.



Ava attended Gisborne Girls' High School where she was head of the sports council and prefect and a regular participant in competitive surfing and swimming competitions. Ava is studying for a Bachelor of Business, intending to major in Marketing and Finance with a minor in Te Reo Māori.



As a career, Ava would like to be a team manager or work in a business, preferably one that involves travel. For sport, she'd like to continue succeeding in adventure and endurance competitions that involve the ocean or water of some kind.

Joe Smythe plays a mean game of squash. He was a member of the New Zealand secondary schools' squash team for four years and was selected in the New Zealand junior team for the world championships. He's in the Bay of Plenty senior men's team – current national champions – and was their player of the year in the 2020–21 season.



Joe started playing squash as a six-year-old living in Wellington, moved to Tauranga when he was 11 and completed his secondary schooling at Tauranga Boys' College where he was a prefect for two years and a deputy house captain.



Squash has provided Joe with fantastic opportunities to meet new friends, travel overseas and create lifelong connections. He currently trains once or twice a day, and coaches five junior players each week.



Joe chose to study at the University of Waikato due to the wide range of course options and sporting opportunities. He's studying for a Bachelor of Business degree and says he's looking forward to making new connections at University and training hard for squash.



He hopes he'll be able to represent New Zealand at the 2022 World Junior Squash Championships and again at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. His sporting hero is New Zealand squash player Paul Coll, ranked number two in the world and winner of the 2021 British Open.



When Joe's not on the court, he's likely to be found outdoors, fishing, freediving, surfing or playing golf.

Manaia Sorensen see's huge importance in cultural identity and prioritises extending her knowledge, skills and understanding within Te Reo Māori, Tikanga Māori and Te Ao Māori as a whole. From Te Kaha on the East Coast, Manaia attended Te Kura o Te Whānau a Apanui where she was the top academic and received the principles award.



Manaia has amassed an impressive array of speaking accolades over the past three years and has been an active volunteer and fundraiser in her community. She has won the Mātaatua Ngā Manu Kōrero regionals for the past three years and progressed to the national competition where in 2019 she won best prepared speech, best impromptu speech and won first place overall, the Korimako section. Manaia was the keynote speaker at the TÅ« Rangatahi conference, EIT, in 2019. She was also the keynote speaker at the International Indigenous Climate Action event called RedTide and a speaker on a women's panel for Seed Australia Climate Action, 2018. Manaia has been a member of the East Coast Youth Advisory Council for 2018, 2019, and Rangatahi representative for a group at Te RÅ«nanga o Te Whānau a Apanui, called Te Tini Whetu, for 2018 and 2019.



Manaia says her biggest highlight to date has been being actively involved within her community and being a voice for all. A special memory for her was presenting her third and final Ngā Manu Korero speech on her Marae to her whānau, hapu and iwi before and after the competition. Manaia wishes to show, inspire and motivate people that you can succeed no matter who you are and where you come from.



Manaia will study a Bachelor of Arts, with a major in Māori and Indigenous studies and a minor in Law at The University of Waikato. She plans to decolonize Aotearoa, re-work the system and eventually work in parliament.



In the words of Manaia Sorensen - "Forever and Always #fortheiwi"

Ngarangikamaea Stewart has been involved with kapa haka since 2015 and loves the sense of whānau that comes with performance. She joined Tauiramaitawhiti, a senior kapa haka group of her iwi when she was 16 and has been with them ever since. Ngarangikamaea has competed in a host of kapa haka events, including secondary school, regional senior kapa haka and national senior kapa haka competitions. Her cultural ties go beyond the art form, in 2018 she travelled to Italy, and in 2019 she returned to Italy, however, she also journeyed to Turkey and Egypt as well, to follow in the footsteps of the Māori Battalion, and ANZACs. Ngarangikamaea's leadership qualities landed her the Head Girl position at Ōpōtiki College. In 2019, Ngarangi was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called 'Systemic Lupus Erythematosus'. It is a condition where the antibodies in her body attack all of her healthy tissues, as well as causing inflammation from time to time in all areas of her body including the respiratory system, muscles, and organs. However, she still seeks to stay involved in her performing arts, education and culture.

Caleb Te rire found his passion for acting as an eight-year-old when his acting teacher at the time told him he was good at it.

The former Tarawera High School head boy will start Theatre Studies at the University of Waikato this year as he works towards fulfilling his dream of making it to the big screen in Hollywood movies.

Caleb, who comes from Kawerau, has performed with the local performing arts academy through his high school life and says he loves performing on stage and using different styles of acting and different plays to challenge himself.

Highlights of his stage career to date include performing in his performing arts academy play called One Night in Broadway, which incorporated scenes from many of the Broadway classics including Chicago and Les Misérables.

He also counts being chosen as head boy at Tarawera High School and being endorsed with merit for all three of his NCEA levels as recent successes.

Alongside acting, Caleb has also been playing rugby since he was eight and says his main goal is to use his acting career to give back to his community and whanau.

Former King's College head boy Maikel Tuala has lived in Auckland all his life, till now. He made the move south to Hamilton and the University of Waikato to study for a Bachelor of Science majoring Psychology and minoring in Human Performance Science; "two of his passions", he says.



His chosen sport is rugby, which he's been playing since he was five – always an outside back. He's got pace, so he's also starred in athletics, winning the Auckland secondary schools' senior 100 metres championship in 2021.



Maikel enjoys the disciplines that rugby and training teaches you; for example, resilience, hard work and team work.



He's played in the world schools' sevens tournament for both the New Zealand Māori and New Zealand Barbarians teams and he was also named as part of the Blues U18 squad in 2021. But his career highlight to date would easily be the two years he spent playing for his school's first XV where he created many memories and friendships that he'll hold for life.



Maikel's ultimate goals are to take rugby as far as he can and play professionally one day, and he'd also like to be involved in sports in some form once his playing career is over.

Cheyenne Walmsley is studying a Bachelor of Science, majoring in ecology and biodiversity. She has always had a passion for capturing beautiful things that often go unnoticed through photography and film. The former Mercury Bay Area School student enjoys exploring film's potential to express important issues in society, and communicate these to a large audience.



Cheyenne's talents have taken her places she never expected to go: onstage at music festivals, into artists' studios, stunning bush landscapes in the wilderness, and remote beaches at sunrise. For Cheyenne, the real beauty of film-making is presenting audiences with an idea and making them see it in a different way.



In addition to film-making, Cheyenne has also been involved with her school leadership team and Board of Trustees. She has been involved with the Coromandel Film Collective and written articles for local papers, reporting on environmental issues.



Cheyenne's dream is to create short films and feature films to engage large audiences with societal issues and contribute to a more equitable society. She hopes her degree will help her to understand the science behind environmental issues so that she can communicate them through film.

Manaia has always aspired to be a student at the University of Waikato because of its diversity and recognition of tauira Māori, as well as continuing her family's legacy within the University community. Family is a big part of Manaia's life, and she was immersed in kapa haka through her parents and whānau from a young age. Throughout her schooling at Rotorua Intermediate and Rotorua Girls' High, Manaia competed in both regional and national kapa haka competitions. Her school was the first to ever win two consecutive national titles.



Manaia is the Chairperson of The Moko Foundation National Youth Board, a member of Te Taumata o Rehu Ariki (Rotorua Māori Youth Council), was a Rotorua Girls' High School prefect and house captain and much more. She was a finalist for the One Chance Youth Award Cultural Leader of the Year and was Rotorua's Energy Event Charitable Trust Young Achiever for Leadership, Academic, Performing Arts and Cultural Recognition. After Manaia completes her degree in Business, majoring in Marketing with a minor in Māori and Indigenous Studies, she aspires to win a Te Matatini campaign while creating a business that will showcase kapa haka on a global scale.

Growing up watching the All Blacks play on a Saturday night, Te Aonui Wharawhara-Muriwai knew he always wanted to play rugby.

Since then the former Matamata College and Hamilton Boys' High School student has gathered an impressive collection of rugby and touch rugby accolades. They include taking out the Super 8 secondary school competition, making the Waikato Chiefs Under 18 development squad and captaining his high school's premier touch rugby team that won the national championships twice.

Te Aonui also made the Waikato Under 21 Men's Touch Team, who are national champions, and he is part of the Touch New Zealand, Player Pathways Academy.



Studying Business Strategic and Te Reo Maori at the University of Waikato, alongside becoming a professional sportsperson, Te Aonui says he hopes to one day start his own business or work in the business sector.

Te Aonui says he loves the brotherhood and friendships created through playing rugby and the idea of setting a common goal and working hard together to achieve it.

Outside of rugby Te Aonui achieved NCEA levels 1, 2 and 3 with merit and has been part of Te Maurea Whiritoi, the Hamilton Boys' and Girls' Kapa Haka group who were fifth in the national competition. Te Aonui was a youth mentor and has also completed the Matarua, Mau Rakau, and Tikanga course.

Evan aspires to travel the world, competing in the sport that he loves, rowing. Now in his sixth season, Evan has participated in numerous national competitions, including the Maadi Cup National Championship and the New Zealand Club Nationals. He started off his rowing career by winning the U16 Singles at the Maadi Cup in 2018, quickly followed by winning first in the U19 Doubles and third in the U20 Premier Singles at the New Zealand Club Nationals. He's also competed in competitions including the North Island Secondary School Championships, the North Island Club Championships, the Queensland State Championships and the U18 North vs South Regatta. At the 2021 North Island Club Championships Evan won gold in the Men's Senior double sculls, silver in the Men's Senior single sculls and placed bronze in the Men's Premier Quadruple sculls. This was followed by 2021 Rocket Foods National Club Champs where Evan won gold in the Men's Senior double sculls and Men's Senior Quadruple scull



Evan has proven that you can be dedicated to both school and sport. While at Takapuna Grammar School, he was a member of the Resilience and Protection Peer Team, Sports Council, Head of House, 2020 prefect, and member of the Support programme and Sports Academy. Evan will be joining the University of Waikato community in 2021 to study a Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance, majoring in Exercise Science.

Representing New Zealand on the international stage in dressage is the long-term goal of Anna Wilson, along with becoming an educational psychologist.

The former Waikato Diocesan student will start her Bachelor of Science majoring in Psychology this year and says studying at the University of Waikato will allow her to work on her studies while keeping up her riding.

Over the last 11 years she has competed at events including Horse of the Year, New Zealand Pony Club Association Dressage Champs, Under 25 Dressage Champs and Equidays. She says the highlights have been winning the Reserve Level 3 Pony Class Champion at Horse of the Year and the Under 25 Champs in 2017. She was also named in the New Zealand Pony Club Association, Waikato dressage team in 2016 and 2017.

Anna was captain of her school equestrian team and on the academic council. She is a qualified pony club coach and coaches at her local club and a riding school, while also running a tutoring business in her local community.

Anna says she loves being around horses and getting to know their personalities and quirks and she loves how horses always teach you something about yourself.

She trains five days a week and competes at least twice a month.

Anna says the biggest challenge is how hard it is to get the basics right.

"Trying to get both your own body and your horse to do what you want whilst trying to improve yourself and the horse is a real challenge," says Anna.

Playing canoe polo with her mum led Jaimee Wilson into the sport of canoe slalom which has seen her compete around the world.

The former Taradale High School student has competed in the Oceania Championships, Krakow Mayor Cup, Flattach European Cup and Augsburg European Cup over the past five years.

She says travelling to Europe to race has been the highlight of her sporting achievements to date, visiting Germany, Austria and Poland. Jaimee trains six days a week for around 12 hours in total, out in her kayak and at the gym.

Jaimee says one of the most challenging things about canoe slalom is trying to remember every aspect of a course and a river and being able to visualise kayaking it before she races.

"I love the sport because there is always a new way to challenge myself and the adrenaline of paddling in white water makes everything about it fun," says Jaimee.

At Taradale High School she was the sport prefect and co-captain of the 1st XI girls' hockey team. She also spent time coaching junior canoe slalom athletes for Hawkes Bay Canoe Club.

Jaimee will study a Bachelor of Environmental Planning and hopes to eventually work with councils in the area of resource sustainability. She also hopes to make the senior canoe slalom team and compete at world cup and world championship events.

After seeing her sister and dad enjoy the sport, Ally Wollaston decided to give cycling a go. The former St Peter's School Cambridge academic prefect enjoys the sense of achievement, whether it be from breaking records or beating personal bests. In 2018 Ally earned five national titles and a silver medal at the World Junior Championships. Recently Ally competed in the Elite Tissot Track World Cup in Cambridge where her development squad reached the bronze medal final and finished fourth overall. Ally is studying for a Bachelor of Laws. She chose to study at the University of Waikato for its Student-Athlete Support Hub, which fosters an environment for sporting and academic success.