Months in the planning, the celebration of 30 years’ of Rotorua Young Achievers was a night to remember with 300 people travelling from near and far to celebrate the 2020 achievers and also reminisce over the three decades of achievers.
Established in 1991, the Rotorua Young Achievers programme was the vision of the late Owen Howard and is now run by a group of Rotorua organisations including the Rotorua Lakes Council and Rotorua Trust.
Since the programme’s inception, more than 1300 local secondary school students have been recognised for their talents including cultural, sporting, academic, music leadership, school and community involvement.
Past achievers are pleased to see that the programme is still running all these years later, and say it gives them a chance to encourage their own children to strive towards the accolade.
The Webster family is a great example of intergenerational achievers with six whānau members having received the award.
Rotorua Trust Chairman, Stewart Edward says about 46 local students are recognised each year, nominated by their school.
“The awards have been a great way of recognising a really diverse range of young people, and celebrating their contribution to both their schools, and the wider Rotorua community. We always love hearing their achievements.”
To continue the momentum, previous Young Achievers can join the private Facebook Page to see their photos and share stories of where they are now.
