Okirano Tilaia has become a voice for youth, Pasifika and the environment. Photo / Supplied
Okirano Tilaia has become a voice for youth, Pasifika and the environment. Photo / Supplied
Okirano Tilaia, the Cashmere High School head boy who organised and emceed a huge student vigil in response to the Christchurch mosque shootings, is one of seven people to be awarded a Blake Leader award tonight.
He used the exposure from Students Uniting in Love to spread a message of support and love for the Muslim community, and the school received hundreds of letters and emails from the around the world commenting on his inspiring message.
The 17-year-old, who is of Samoan heritage, has become a voice for youth, Pasifika and the environment and was described by his dean Margaux Hlavac as genuinely modest with mana and charisma.
An intellectually gifted young man of deep Christian faith, Talaia is deeply concerned about the environmental challenges facing low-lying Pacific nations and works with central Government as an adviser on education and youth development.
"I want Pasifika youth to have a voice in the New Zealand education system, to succeed and have the freedom to express themselves," he said.
The Blake awards, in honour of sailing legend Sir Peter Blake, awarded the 2019 Blake medal, the premium award for leadership achievement, to retired engineer and businessman Sir Ron Carter.
The Blake awards recognise the leadership and environmental values that Sir Peter Blake stood for. Photo / Herald
Lady Pippa Blake, co-patron of Blake (formerly the Sir Peter Blake Trust) awarded this year's medal and awards at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in Auckland tonight.
Carter was a founder of the Beca Group with more than 3400 staff around the world. He has served on the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch earthquakes and was a board member of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Blake chief executive James Gibson said Carter is one of the country's exceptional leaders.
"His wealth of engineering knowledge combined with his collaborative leadership style has been behind some of New Zealand's most significant infrastructure projects," said Gibson.
He said for the first time, Blake has introduced a youth award and two environment awards - both reflecting areas Sir Peter Blake was incredibly passionate about.
Tilaia collected the youth award.
The environment awards went to marine enthusiast and underwater cameraman Steve Hathaway, who has won a Bafta for his work on Planet 2 and inspiring children to become ocean conservationists; and Deidre Vercoe, who has dedicated her career to bringing endangered New Zealand birds back from the brink.
Lady Pippa Blake awarded the Blake awards in Auckland. Photo / Herald
She has overseen the doubling of the kākāpō programme, the establishment of the first new wild takahē site for 25 years and a world-first artificial insemination of a wild bird population.
Outgoing Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon was another award winner for focusing on sustainability, increasing the percentage of women in leadership positions, reducing the gender pay gap and expanding te reo Māori used by cabin crew.
Other leader awards went to the publisher of New Zealand Geographic James Frankham, the founder and chief executive of Eat My Lunch Lisa King, and Māori fashion designer and cultural ambassador Kiri Nathan.
