Wellingtonian of the Year named
A community leader who worked tirelessly to get vulnerable communities vaccinated against Covid-19 has been crowned Wellingtonian of the Year.
Teresea Olsen, general manager of health and social services at Kōkiri Marae in Seaview, took out the supreme award on Thursday night to loud applause and cheers.
It is thought Olsen’s efforts helped the region surpass the 90% vaccination rate in her drive to vaccinate the hardest to reach across the Hutt Valley, including gang members and those deeply hesitant about western medicine.
On receiving the supreme award, Olsen said: ‘‘For the past 40 plus years I have been helping those less fortunate in my community.
‘‘If there was one wish I could have, it would be that I could have another 40 years to serve my community. It has been a pleasure. I thank you for this honour.’’
Created and sponsored by The Dominion Post, the Wellingtonian of the Year Awards were started in 1989 to celebrate achievements and contributions across all sectors of the greater Wellington community, awarding those who make the region exciting and vibrant.
Finalists were selected from nine categories: arts, business, community service, education, environment, public service, science and technology, sport and youth. Olsen helped run Wainuiomata Marae as a vaccination centre, and ran the Delta Bus – which drove into the lowest vaccinated area in the region, Stokes Valley, and got 99 people jabbed on its first day.
Olsen was on the receiving end of abuse in her quest to help people get vaccinations, but that did not stop her.
Olsen also won the community service award at the ceremony at the Embassy Theatre and praised those she had worked alongside.
‘‘I want to accept this award on behalf of all those who worked hard to rid our community of Covid ... to all of those who stood beside me, working 7 days a week, to all the doctors and nurses still working hard now, to rid our community of Covid.’’
Dominion Post editor Anna Fifield said that the Welly awards were an opportunity to celebrate people who worked tirelessly for the region’s benefit, often away from the public eye.
‘‘I’m particularly delighted to be able to name Teresea Olsen as the supreme award winner.
‘‘Teresea’s efforts were central to our region hitting and then surpassing our 90% vaccination target – she undoubtedly saved lives.
‘‘Our mission at the Dominion Post is to contribute to making Te Whanganui-a-Tara a better place, and a key way we can do that is by celebrating the extraordinary people who live and work here,’’ Fifield said.
Founder and artistic director of the Performance Arcade, Sam Trubridge, took out the art award.
The Performance Arcade’s What If The City Was a Theatre? provided a light display over Wellington Harbour and a free art and performance programme for Wellington residents.
Trubridge said he was honoured to receive the award, because it proved he was a Wellingtonian, and that artists in the city worked together.
‘‘I’m proud of this city, I’m proud to call it home.’’
And a teenager who brought high-speed internet access to hundreds of households in the Hutt Valley, Alex Stewart, won the Youth Award.
Stewart came up with the idea for his company WombatNET when he was 13 and living in a remote settlement near Whanganui.
He realised rural people were grappling with unreliable and slow internet access, and wanted that to change.
When he moved to the Wellington region, he was able to make that happen.
Climate change risk expert and academic Belinda Storey took out the science and technology award.
Storey is the managing director of asset valuation organisation Climate Sigma and principal investigator with the Deep South National Science Challenge.
She has been vocal about climate change and insurance, particularly for coastal properties.
Former Governor-General, Dame Patsy Reddy, who is also a former lawyer and crown negotiator, won the Public Service award.
And a new award, the Spirit of Wellington Award, was given posthumously to Jemima Gazley.
The teenager raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for paediatric brain cancer, and donated her brain stem and cancer tissue to medical research.
Before her death, at age 15, Gazley said: ‘‘If I can’t be cured, I can be the cure.’’