Josh Stoddart
WHETHER it be in sport, culture or around the school, Josh Stoddart wants to help others as much as he can.
The 17yearold is head boy, leader of the school kapa haka group and spends his time coaching juniors in sport.
He also holds a variety of leadership roles at the school.
He spends time as a peer support leader and spends time helping junior pupils settle into the school.
This year he became involved in the 40Hour Famine, a movement he finds inspiring.
He helped organise the event at school and got as many pupils interested in the event as possible.
‘‘It feels quite nice when you’re helping someone else.’’
Last year he acted as a leader for the school breakfast club, where he would show up to school early on some mornings to help provide breakfast to pupils in need of food.
His passion for helping others started in year 11 when he fell into coaching a basketball team, a role he greatly enjoyed.
He continued on to coach volleyball, the sport he is most passionate about.
He enjoys the fun nature of the game and how there are a lot of skills to finetune and perfect.
He also plays basketball and football and last year he was proud to play volleyball for Otago.
Outside of sport Josh spends his time leading the senior kapa haka group and tutoring the juniors.
He started kapa haka when he was about 7 and has been involved with it since.
He enjoys how it gives him a chance to express his culture and feel closer to it, as well as an opportunity and perform.
Now as a kapa haka tutor he is proud to help others experience kapa haka and makes sure to explain the culture and meaning behind the art.
He always wants to better connect to his culture, which is why he is learning te reo Maori.
Although he is not yet fluent, he can hold a conversation and uses his skills to enrich the kapa haka lessons he leads.
‘‘To be able to teach others I have to first understand it myself.’’