Uplifting stories showcasing success, inspiration and possibilities. Video / NZME
Opinion by Toni Street
As part of NZME’s newly launched On The Up campaign, which showcases stories of success, inspiration and possibilities, the NZ Herald has reached out to well-known New Zealanders to find out how they stay positive and ask them to share what has been making them feel happy and inspired lately. Over the coming weeks, we will share those inspirational messages with you, starting with broadcaster Toni Street, who tells how she has been finding joy all across New Zealand.
Being positive is a conscious decision. We all have tough moments in life, some more than others, but we can choose to focus on the good and in my experience, that’s always the better way to go, no matter how hard that might be. That’s why I’m a big fan of NZME’s new On The Up campaign showcasing positive Kiwi stories – I think it will help us all.
Coast presenter and broadcaster Toni Street is backing NZME's On The Up campaign, which showcases stories of success, inspiration and possibilities. Photo / Hope Patterson
We have people doing amazing things in this country that we need to hear more about. A few weeks ago, I hosted the New Zealander of the Year event, and one of my favourite stories was local hero winner Subash Chandar K.
Subash, known as infinityplusone online, is a middle-school teacher at Ormiston Junior College who has created a super popular YouTube channel that provides free tutorials and live streams for NCEA maths. His energy is infectious, the kids love him, and instead of aimlessly scrolling on social media, they’re now doing maths. So far, he’s helped 55,000 students. I left the evening wanting to know more about him (and how I could sign my kids up!).
What about 15-year-old running weapon Sam Ruthe? I live in a sporty household, and this remarkable story has kept us occupied for weeks. We already know that sport can unify a nation, and to have Sam breaking the four-minute mile at such a young age is so exciting for New Zealand’s sporting future. It makes you want to follow him, share in his success, and it just feels good to be interested in something so positive.
I’m a newcomer to New Zealand’s musical theatre scene as my daughters are both now involved. Talk about a thriving, uplifting community, it nearly makes me want to brush off my old singing sheets and audition for the next big show.
New Zealand’s last big professional show from GnT Productions was Matilda the Musical, and it was the highest-selling show at the Bruce Mason Theatre (in these challenging financial times, this is no mean feat). But it was the stories behind the show that weren’t told, that should have been. Adeel Surendran, who played the Escapologist and Matilda’s loving father, is a vet by day. Or what about Rebekah Head, who played Miss Honey? She’s a puppeteer by day and was hired by Chris Martin from Coldplay to perform at his shows.
These are the types of stories I hope will be picked up by this new initiative. It’s become my new obsession. I’m at the point where I’m buying tickets to several school shows my children don’t even attend.
We don’t have to look far in our local communities to find these uplifting stories either. I attended a local charity event recently for Woven Earth. I had no idea there was a group of people who kit out an entire home when a victim of family violence finally manages to break free. I thought to myself that more people need to hear about this, and how important a little glimmer of positivity is to someone who is at their lowest.
My day job is a breakfast radio host on Coast FM. Our motto is literally, ‘‘Feel Good’‘. We launched during Covid and recognised at the time Kiwis needed a dose of positivity after all the doom and gloom. I don’t think that need has changed. Aotearoa is still rebuilding, and now more than ever we need the feel-good vibes.
We are exposed to an unprecedented number of negative stories that can shock you to the core, and while we don’t want to put our heads in the sand, we’re not designed to take on board too much bad stuff. We have to consider how content makes us feel. I know it’s something I’m very aware of when it comes to my pre-teen children. Now it’s time to get in alongside them and make the change too.
