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Champions for Change

14 July 2023

From Nick Loosley and Dr Sina Tait to Adrian Palmer and Dame Ann Ballin, learn about the Champions for Change UC is showcasing to celebrate our 150th anniversary.

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Nick Loosley
Nick Loosley

BCom 2008听

Nick听Loosley听is the founder of the multi-award-winning charity,听Everybody Eats. With three goals, Everybody Eats aims to reduce food waste, food poverty, and social isolation in Aotearoa. Almost exclusively using surplus food and run by volunteers, customers pay whatever they can afford. In recognition of his enormous contribution to his community, Nick was awarded The听KiwiBank听New 成人大片Local Hero of the Year award in 2020.听Nick is听also听the听owner听of restaurants The Gables and Hone鈥檚 Garden, and co-founder of听WITHWILD, a closed-loop conservation start-up that听sources wild meat from听Te听Waipounamu.

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Sina-Cotter-Tait
Dr Sina Cotter Tait

BE (Hons) 2001, MBA 2015, PhD 2022听

With over 20 years of experience in consulting engineering, Sina is a leader in her field. Through her consultancy Collective Success, she provides engineering services to听organisations who share her values. She is also a professional听director, and听has earned an MBA and PhD at the 成人大片 in construction management. Sina is passionate about creating leadership pathways for听rangatahi, especially M膩ori and Pasifika youth in infrastructure. She is a two-time recipient of the Engineering New 成人大片Fulton-Downer Gold Medal for her contribution to the profession and, in 2022, she was elected a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand.听

julia-arnott-neenee
Julia Arnott-Neenee

BCom, BA 2015听

A champion for digital equity and representation of Pacific Peoples in tech, Julia Arnott-Neenee听carved out an international career working with HP in the UK, Ireland and California.听Upon returning home in 2020, Julia co-founded听Fibre Fale, a youth and purpose-led social enterprise.听It has a mission to听create听pathways for more Pacific people to embark into technology through education, facilitation and advocacy 鈥 with major philanthropic leaders Perpetual Guardian, Spark Foundation, and Fisher & Paykel getting on board to support her vision.听Julia听is also a member of several boards and councils that work towards digital inclusion and the Kiwi tech industry.听

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Zoe Hector
Zo毛 Hector

MAud (Dist) 2018

Zo毛听Hector didn鈥檛 realise the impact growing up with a deaf sibling had on her until she started studying child development and psycholinguistics. During study,听Zo毛 worked as a teacher aid for deaf children at a mainstream school, where she witnessed the impact of communication breakdown between students 鈥 both socially and academically. This was the inspiration for founding听Talk Town, a digital game and social enterprise, supported by the UC Centre for Entrepreneurship, aimed at improving outcomes for deaf kids.听Zo毛 also works as a clinical audiologist, using both technology and counselling skills to make dramatic improvements to people鈥檚 quality of life.

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Hannah-Hardy-Jones
Hannah Hardy-Jones

BA 2005, GDipHRM听2005

A passionate mental health advocate, Hannah Hardy-Jones is the CEO and founder of听The听Kite Program, a tech platform that creates apps for specific organisations, occupational groups, and mental health causes.听 Starting Kite as a result of her own journey with bipolar disorder, which was triggered by childbirth nine years ago, Hannah now works with clients around the world听and听shares听her story to help bring about change. Since it鈥檚 conception, Kite has evolved to now provide app-based support to businesses, HR professionals, the veterinary industry, individuals with eating disorders, Covid19 programs, and mum of all stages.

Adrian Palmer
Adrian Palmer

BSc 2001

Born and bred in听艑tautahi, Adrian Palmer鈥檚 claim to fame is being the drummer of Kiwi band Zed. Forming in high school, he squeezed in university studies before the band took off and toured the world. Now Adrian is the听General Manager听of the Addington Coffee Co-op, Common Good Coffee,听and听Joyya, a collection of social enterprises formed around the values of fair and ethical business practices. Opened in 2008, the cafe is iconic in the local hospitality scene and its profits help realise the mission of听sparking good in places of extreme poverty and modern slavery.

lexie-matheson
Lexie Matheson ONZM

Christchurch Teachers College 1964

Influential听transgender activist, academic, event manager, teacher,听and performing artist, Lexie Matheson听is听known internationally for her contribution to听the rights of the queer community.听She has campaigned relentlessly to ensure transgender athletes can compete in all levels in sport and was听the first transgender woman to compete at听the听World听Goju听Ry Karate Federation Championships in 2017.听Lexie has held听several听governance positions in the LGBTQIA+ space and as an acknowledgement of her tireless work and dedication,听Lexie was听honoured by听being made an听Officer of the New 成人大片Order of Merit听in 2016听for her services to the performing arts, education,听and LGBTQIA+听rights.

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suli
Suli Tuitaupe

BHSc 2015, MHealSc听2018听

After returning to Aotearoa from a stint overseas, Suli听Tuitaupe听noticed a billboard advertising UC's new Bachelor of Health Sciences. After graduating, he continued his studies to become a registered nurse in order to pursue his passion for empowering Pacific communities and his desire to help others. In 2021, Suli founded 'Moana听V膩', with the intention of creating a safe space for Pacific Rainbow+ individuals and their families to connect as well as provide advocacy and support. In 2022, Suli was awarded a clinical fellowship by the Health Research Council (HRC) to advance his research on "Understanding the worldview of health from a Samoan New Zealander's perspective."

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Dame Ann Ballin ONZ DBE

BA 1960, MA 1965, LittD 2001

Born in Hamilton,听Dame听Ann听Ballin听suffered from a neurological condition in her teens that attacked her spinal column,听confining her to a wheelchair for the remainder of her life. Determined, Ann became a psychologist and used her experiences to help others, including working as a听Student听Counsellor at UC. Chairing the Victims鈥 Task Force in 1988, she pioneered changes in the criminal justice system to improve justice for victims of crime. In her lifetime, she was awarded听New Year Honours, appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire and a year before her death in 2003, Ann was appointed membership of the Order of New 成人大片for her contribution to community.

Nina Oberg Humphries
Nina Oberg Humphries

BFA 2019

A second-generation Aotearoa-born Cook Islander, Nina is a multimedia artist whose work explores her dual Pacific and Western heritage.听She has exhibited throughout New Zealand听and听has been the recipient of both听UC鈥檚 Macmillan Brown Artist in Residence听and Creative New Zealand鈥檚听Mana Moana Trust scholarship.听Nina鈥檚 commitment听is听to a future where Pacific peoples are valued, have equitable access to all things and are uplifted to听achieve anything. To听realise听this听vision, Nina founded听Tagata Moana Trust, a not-for-profit organisation听dedicated to the advancement of听Pacific peoples听in Aotearoa.听In 2022,听Nina opened Fibre Gallery, a first of听its听kind space in听Te听Waipounamu, the听South Island,听facilitating Pacific artists and education.

UC graduate Josiah Tualamali鈥檌
Josiah Tualamali'i

BA 2019

Josiah听Tualamali鈥檌听is a health and social justice youth advocate.听In 2016 he received a Christchurch Civic Award and Prime Minister's Pacific Youth Award for听leadership in听the听Pacific community, and听for his听youth and student leadership work. When only 22 years old he became the youngest person appointed to a Government Inquiry - Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction听鈥撎齱hich has set the direction for mental health and addictions wellbeing in Aotearoa. While still a student, Josiah co-led campaigns of community support for action; including stopping the New 成人大片Police being routinely armed, support for the 2021 Government Dawn Raids apology, and Christchurch City Council wiping library fines in 2022.

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Bariz Shah
Bariz Shah

BE (Hons) 2021, DipGlobalHumanEng 2021

Arriving in Aotearoa as a refugee in 2001, fleeing a war-torn Afghanistan, Bariz Shah had an embattled youth, finding his way to prison at just 18. While in his cell, he decided to change his life and study at university. During his time at UC, Bariz was elected President of the UCMUSA, and after the听Christchurch Mosque听attacks on 15 March 2019, he and his wife Saba fundraised $20,000 and traveled to Afghanistan to establish 51 micro-businesses as a tribute to those who died.听For this contribution to the Afghan community, Bariz has won multiple awards, including Christchurch Civic Award.听His hope is for youth and first-time offenders who are lacking hope or self-esteem to see what鈥檚 possible when they start believing in themselves again.

Erin-Gough
Erin Gough

BA 2015, LLB (Hons) 2015

Erin is听a proud disabled, queer person committed to challenging and dismantling ableism and other forms of oppression, and always learning from others working in social justice, both in Aotearoa and around the world. Born in South Africa, Erin spent their high school and university years in Christchurch before graduating with a LLB (Hons)(First Class) and BA (Sociology) from UC and moving to Wellington in 2015. Their career has so far spanned legal, policy and advocacy roles, having worked at Community Law Canterbury, the Human Rights Commission, Ministry of Education, Office of the Children鈥檚 Commissioner and currently the Ministry of Social Development as a principal policy analyst.

Sam Johnson
Sam Johnson

BA 2015听

Sam听received global recognition in听2010 when听he founded the听Student Volunteer Army听(SVA), a social movement focused on volunteerism and crisis response in the aftermath of听the Canterbury earthquakes.听His energy听and ability听to mobilise thousands of people to create a positive force in听the听community has been acknowledged with numerous awards, including Young New Zealander of the Year听and Communicator of the Year.听SVA has grown to be听active in听250 secondary schools听across听Aotearoa听as well as听several Australian听states,听continuing its work in听responding听to disasters.听Sam is now using his entrepreneurial experience听and passion听to听support business and community projects听across Aotearoa.

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