Top league star shares wisdom

Melbourne Storm leader Tohu Harris met Flaxmere High School pupils Yvonne Henare and Jobie Tuapawa as ambassador for a youth leadership programme called Tu Ake Rangatahi. Photo / Warren Buckland

Tohu Harris is a role model on and off the field.

The Melbourne Storm forward from Hawke's Bay took time out on Friday to share words of wisdom with the first two members of a youth leadership academy called Tu Ake Rangatahi, in Hastings.

He accepted a role as mentor and motivator for the new initiative run out of Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga which aims to gather up to 12 teens in Years 12 and 13, for a three-year programme boosting personal development and peer leadership.

The first two rangatahi enrolled were Flaxmere High School pupils Yvonne Henare and Jobie Tuapawa, who presented Harris with an academy jacket yesterday.

Although aggressive on the field he was every bit a gentle giant while interacting with the bright young achievers.

"I think it's important to give them something to look up to, to look forward to the future," Harris said.

"Give them goals to strive for, not so much playing NRL but being a good role model.

"It's not what you do in life but the way you react and present yourself - I think that's the most important thing."

The player was proud and humbled to be pulling on a special Storm jersey which he had designed with a nod to Tamatea Rugby and Sports Centre - where he cut his teeth as a young player.

"Tamatea club to me and my family is hugely important. It's what I grew up with and what my family grew up with. It's always been dear to our hearts."

For Jobie, meeting the NRL star was a great experience: "He was not aggressive like on TV.

"He was chilled. He asked what it was like at school and what I like to do outside school."

Jobie said being made one of the founding rangatahi gave him the chance to show off his hometown in a positive light for gathered media, including print and television.

"It's a real privilege because Flaxmere does not really get put on the map," he said.

At school he always offered a friendly ear to anyone who wanted to talk about their issues, saying even one suicide is "too many".

While she was more of a soccer player, Yvonne was able to relate as a league representative for Tamatea Women's.

"It's huge.

"We get to take what we have learnt here and share that with the youth back at school who have been going through some hard times," she said.

One of Tu Ake Rangatahi's key tasks would be promoting positive mental health messages - particularly suicide prevention among fellow teenagers.

Academy project leader Karl Wairama said, "Youth will bring an insight to these issues that adults can't.

"This is a peer-to-peer model of building leadership within the community.

"It will be very locally focused with a whole bunch of developmental activities lined up and goals to achieve before the end of this year."

Academy members would also form a consumer focus group.