The young men leading the way at Hato Pa¯ora
Legacy Poutawa, 17, is head prefect this year at Hato Pa¯ora College, near Feilding. He is studying geography, te reo Ma¯ori, English, maths, physical education, and religious studies. His favourite subject is English.
Legacy practises servant leadership and advises junior students to learn as much as they can to make things easier when they are a senior.
This year he is looking forward to seeing how much his year group can improve the kura.
Outside school, Legacy enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Other than winning house comps again, he says a highlight of 2023 was learning from his mistakes.
If he had $10 million to invest in Manawatu¯ , he would spend it on small schools such as Hato Pa¯ora College.
As a child, Legacy was good at sport and he wishes Manawatu¯ had more kotahitanga (unity).
Apirana Barber, 16, is Hato Pa¯ora’s deputy head boy.
He is studying te reo Ma¯ori, physical education, religious education, maths, English, art, geography, and te ao haka.
His favourite subject is geography.
He believes in leading by example — being on time,
wearing the correct uniform with pride, upholding the mana and values of the school, and having high standards for everything.
Apirana advises new students to do what they are told and be respectful “to make not only your life easier, but also the people teaching you”.
This year he is looking forward to making a positive impact on the kura.
Outside school, Apirana enjoys spending quality time with loved ones.
A highlight of 2023 was earning his First XV cap, which he had worked for since 2022. As a child, he was good at sport and kapa haka. If he had $10 million to invest in Manawatu¯ , he would spend it on schools that require renovations.
He would also donate money to children who go to school without their whole uniform or food. He wishes Manawatu¯ had more small Ma¯ ori schools so they did not have to compete with big schools for everything.