On The Up: Tauranga teenager bakes desserts for homeless, wins youth volunteer award

Volunteer Hannah Richards, 16, bakes desserts for Under the Stars, a charity providing home-cooked meals for the homeless and those in need.

Every Saturday, Tauranga teenager Hannah Richards spends three hours in her kitchen baking desserts for the city’s homeless.

The 16-year-old Ōtūmoetai College student volunteers for Under the Stars, a charity that provides home-cooked meals, clothing and showers for the homeless and those in need.

Hannah said she enjoyed baking and cooking, and volunteering for Under the Stars “aligned with me in that way”.

“I just have a passion for helping people, and I feel like the homeless are the most deserving of that.”

Hannah’s volunteering began through the Student Volunteer Army at school.

The army formed in Christchurch after the first earthquake in 2010, when thousands of volunteers mobilised to help with the clean-up.

It grew into a national volunteer network, with programmes at primary, secondary and tertiary education levels.

Hannah said the army was “quite relevant” at her school and she had been part of it for almost three years.

Students logged their volunteering hours and received badges for certain milestones.

Hannah Richards typically bakes cakes and crumbles for Under the Stars.

Hannah started baking for Under the Stars about two years ago, typically making cakes or crumbles.

“Then we’ll drop it off and I’ll pick up more ingredients for the next week.

“It’s usually from ingredients that are donated by supermarkets that are past their best-before … ”

She also enjoyed baking anything with a “complex” recipe for the challenge and “fun of it”.

“Pastries are quite difficult or ... macarons because they take hours.”

She started baking when she was younger because it was a common activity at home.

“There’s always home-made baked things around.”

She was not yet sure what she would do after leaving school, but the idea of helping people would inform her career path.

“I want it to be impactful in some way.”

She also volunteers on Wednesdays after school at the Ōtūmoetai Social Supermarket, stocking shelves and being a cashier.

Hannah received the Youth Volunteer Star Award at Western Bay organisation Volunteering Services’ 2025 Volunteer Star Awards.

She said she was nominated by Under the Stars.

“I didn’t know that I was getting the award. I was just going to support our cause.

“I was pleasantly surprised. It means a lot that I was recognised, even though I don’t do it for the recognition.”

Volunteering Services offers support, connection and opportunities for volunteers and community organisations across the Western Bay and surrounding areas.

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.