Tayla Munro
The Maniototo Area School head pupil joined the brigade last year and while initially it pushed her out of her comfort zone, she now refers to the fire station as her "home away from home".
"Being a member of Fire and Emergency New Zealand [Fenz] is helping to dramatically increase my resilience to different challenges and situations, my determination to excel and gives me an opportunity to help others and show my empathetic side," she said.
The resilience, determination and empathy she developed through volunteering with the fire brigade were further reinforced through her school’s values.
"The P.R.I.D.E values of participation, respect, integrity, determination and empathy are certainly a set of core values that are deep within me as a person, and with a lot of work, they have come to the surface and I am now enjoying sharing them with the people I encounter, both familiar and strangers."
Tayla had been challenged by different obstacles throughout her school years but chose to use them as motivation rather than discouragement.
"I chose to use them as building blocks to my successes.
"They were often small steps and many of them were backwards, but the feeling I got when I achieved them is one that I hold close."
Achievements W J Anderson Memorial Trophy (2021); T L Morgan Trophy (2020); S R Stringer Trophy (2019); Marlborough Championships for swimming (2016); Otago championships for sprints (2017); Maniototo southern area schools tournament team (2019, 2021, 2022); New Zealand area schools’ tournament netball and football (2022); Maniototo Area School girls’ intermediate swimming champion (2018, 2019); house leader (2021); Maniototo Area School sports captain (2021); Student Council (2022); Formal
Committee (2021, 2022); Maniototo Area School head pupil (2022); volunteer recruit firefighter (2021, 2022).
Role model "I don’t really have one particular person that inspires me, but I truly do look up to my family members, and members of the fire brigade. Having so many people around me who are willing to drop what they’re doing to help others inspires me greatly."
Hopes for the future "The future is there for me to explore, nothing has been set in stone. I take each day as it comes, and make the most of each and every one of them. I’ve applied to study a bachelor of science majoring in exercise and sports science in 2023, and continue with Fenz when time allows. I would also like to investigate a career in paramedicine or the police force in the future when I get a little life experience under my belt."
Charlotte Gregan
A budding writer, Charlotte is looking forward to publishing her first novel, having already received recognition for her writing.
In what is her proudest achievement to date, her short story Greed was commended and published in the Young NZ Writers anthology Not There, But Somewhere.
The publication symbolised the start of her success in the creative writing industry, she said.
"I am incredibly passionate about creative writing, having been in the process of creating my own novels since the start of my high school years, one of which now is drawing close to being finished as a first draft."
Her artistic endeavours extend to drawing — Charlotte has published her own colouring books and she created the illustrations for her novels.
"I would have to say what I enjoy most in life is creativity, as it revolves around the majority of what I do for fun.
"I don’t go a day without inventing or working on something that I came up with in my mind."
Achievements School prefect (2022); house leader (2022); P.R.I.D.E leader (school values leader) (2021); Royal Society Bronze Crest for mudflat biodiversity studies at Portobello (2019); Royal Society Silver Crest for benthic community studies at Portobello (2021); publication in the Young New Zealand Writers Competition, Write Off Line anthology Scary Tales (2020); publication in the Young NZ Writers Competition, Write Off Line anthology Not There, But Somewhere (2021); Maniototo Pharmacy Trophy, junior science (2019); Naseby Athenaeum Award, junior English (2019); senior art prize (2019); Naseby Library Award, junior English (2018); Peter Connolly Memorial Trophy (2021); Clarke Cup, chemistry (2021); J A Becker Trophy (2020); Naseby Home and School Trophy (2019); Ranfurly Tractor Services Trophy (2018).
Hopes for the future Charlotte plans to study a bachelor of arts in English at the University of Otago or design communication at Otago Polytechnic. She hopes to publish her novels in the future.
Role model "I take a lot of inspiration from authors — Tui T. Sutherland would be the main one and also Willard Price. His adventure books first drew me into the world of stories and writing. Their stories compel and inspire me to create my own."
