Ngapera shows winning skills

TOP AWARD: Ngapera Tiopira excelled at the Blue Light Life Skills Camp.

Whakatane High School's Ngapera Tiopira has taken out the top prize at the recent Blue Light Life Skills Camp held at the New Zealand Defence Force base in Hobsonville.

Ngapera beat a strong group of young people from the upper North Island to take the prize on the week-long residential course.

The Year 12 student said no one was more surprised than she was when her name was called.

"We'd been told they gave prizes to the top of each section and an overall prize," Ngapera said. "When they said I had won the section award I was kind of shocked but to hear it again for the top prize was pretty amazing. I didn't think I was going to get anything"

Having decided to join the Navy after her final year, Ngapera heard about the camp and thought it would be almost like a trial.

"It was a great experience and I'm now pretty tight with the other people from the Eastern Bay who were at the camp."

Blue Light Life Skills co-ordinator Valerie Tiatia Seath said Ngapera was presented the award of Overall Top Studen' as camp staff felt she had showed maturity and intuition. "Ngapera excelled as a team member, displayed positive qualities of leadership and was respectful towards staff and fellow course members and most of all exemplified the qualities and attitudes the course aims to instil," she said.

The scheme, for 14 to 17-year-olds, is run by New Zealand Blue Light in partnership with NZ Police and NZ Defence Force. For more information about the Blue Light Life Skills Camps visit www.bluelight.co.nz or call (09) 475 9301 to request a 2014 brochure.