Being kind to the earth, believing in children’s dreams and more understanding of what it’s like being young in today’s world. As Kiwis set their resolutions for 2023, five young people - aged from 7 to 18 - have shared their hopes for the future. Emma Houpt reports.
Rotorua 11-year-old Harper Moore’s resolution for the New Year is to make new friends.
Harper finished up at Ōwhata School in 2022 and will head down the road to Mokoia Intermediate this year, feeling “really excited and nervous”.
“[2022] has gone good for me with my learning and all of my friends have had a good year. It’s just really nerve-racking that I won’t be able to see them that much.”
She hoped to meet new people and “help them out with stuff they are struggling with”.
Asked what change she would like to see in the community this year, Harper said kindness and “no more littering”.
“We have lots of pollution in our ocean. Most of the time it’s because we litter and we don’t use the rubbish bins.”
She would also like to see more community events where people “get together with music”, saying these sorts of gatherings could create “lifelong” connections.
In Tauranga, Gate Pa School pupils Fletcher Kent and Dillon Cook, both 7, wanted to see people be “kinder to the environment” in 2023.
Fletcher said he loved being outside and got upset when he saw litter while playing. He also wanted there to be a “new way” to dispose of rubbish instead of using a landfill.
“I would like there to be less rubbish lying around and more people to be kinder to the environment. It’s important to look after the environment because this is the only Earth that we have - and we won’t be able to get another one.”
His advice was: “Clean up the environment more, don’t be too lazy and use your imagination.”
Dillon said picking up rubbish helped protect marine life.
“We are not allowed to dump on the Earth. If there is lots of rubbish it might go to the sea - and some sea animals might get caught in it, swallow it and choke. We don’t want our animals to die.”
She said the solution was simple. “If you see some rubbish you can pick it up and put it in the bin.”
Dillon said she had seen “lots of kind people and fun stuff” in 2022 and this year it was her goal to be role model as this meant she could “help younger students” and have lunch with the principal.
The friends urged other children to avoid spending too much holiday time on their devices.
“We don’t want to go on our devices in the holidays because it makes our eyes droopy. Play outside if it’s a nice day, if it’s a rainy day you can play board games,” Dillon said.
Archie Montgomerie, 13, is ready to “move on from the primary school life” this year.
The former Oropi School student and head boy of Tauranga Intermediate, soon starting at Tauranga Boys’ College, said he was not feeling too nervous as he had a few older friends at the school.
Instead of setting resolutions, he was working towards being the best version of himself.
“I always aspire to be the best person I can be. Asides from that I just keep taking on new goals and doing everything I try to the best of my ability.”
Archie, who spends much of his free time riding his horse Blaze, was also focused on “enjoying the fun side of things and not getting too hung up on the negatives”.
This sentiment was echoed in his advice to his peers soon starting school: “Give everything your best go, show resilience and just remember if you are in a bad spot it will always get better.”
Archie said he would like to see adults prioritise “promoting the dreams of kids” in 2023.
He said it was crucial young people knew “they can do whatever they want as long they work hard and want it enough”.
“Sometimes we get told we can’t do things ... I think if you really don’t follow your dreams, you probably aren’t going to get the best out of life.”
He also wanted older generations to understand the experience of being a young person nowadays was “so different” - with social media and pandemic pressures.
“There is more to think about with a wider range of communication and how you go about life ... Maybe sometimes they just need to listen to us a little more because it’s so different.”
Archie’s 2022 highlights included taking part in his school’s sports academy programme, getting involved in leadership roles and placing at a horse trial.
“Coming from a little country school in Oropi I have loved the range of opportunities here. Being head boy hasn’t always been enjoyable but I think it grew me as a person.
“Just being a role model - you have got a brick on your back, you don’t want to do anything too stupid.”
Archie started equestrian at age 6 and practises about four times a week, often attending competitions on the weekends.
“The buzz of jumping I really enjoy and that’s what keeps me going. It’s slightly different because it’s more a partnership than an individual or a team sport - and I just love working with the animals.”
Former Ōtūmoetai College student Emily Wahab. Photo / Mead Norton
Former Ōtūmoetai College student Emily Wahab heads to Dunedin this year to study marine science at the University of Otago. She said there was a feeling among her friends that “childhood is coming to an end”.
The 18-year-old said they were preparing for “big changes” in 2023 and had no idea how the year would play out.
“We are all moving away to different places and kind of continuing the next chapter of our life. It’s weird to say goodbye to the last 18 years where it has been fairly similar,” she said.
“This is the transition period between us being kids and full-time working adults.”
Wahab worked part-time at a Tauranga supermarket last year and over summer.
She hoped to use her degree to “help make the planet a better place” and was particularly interested in finding solutions for climate change.
And after three years of learning during a pandemic, she felt young people had been forced to become more resilient and adaptable to unpredictable situations.
While this had put pressure on many students, she said having these skills would be useful in adulthood.
“We are so used to it now. It’s a good skill to learn for life, that sometimes you just have to roll with it and deal with it.”
She felt there needed to be more understanding from older generations about what it was like to be “a young person in today’s world”.
“Obviously, everyone has difficulties in their lives. But I guess each generation has different challenges they are faced with - so it’s not the same for everyone.
“Everyone has had a different experience and times have changed. People need to move forward with that.”
Older people should also watch their words, as comments that may have been “acceptable and normal” 50 years ago may not be nowadays.
Harper Moore,11, is moving to Mokoia Intermediate this year. Photo / Andrew Warner
