Tauranga teen's success in Hong Kong

A Tauranga teenager's idea to collect and sell human waste has seen her achieve success in Hong Kong at the FedEx/JA International Trade Challenge.

Alice McFall of Aquinas College and Joel MacManus of Garin College, Marlborough, placed third in the prestigious competition that saw invited students compete against one another with innovative, sustainable, business ideas.

At the event, students were challenged to come up with a cohesive market entry plan for a product or service that would address a major social problem of environmental degradation in India.

Alice and Joel came up with a concept to provide portable toilets to Indian families in order to collect human waste which would then be sold to make eco-bricks.

They were were one of nine teams selected into the final.

Tauranga Girls' College student Isabella Morris was also part of the team of six New Zealand secondary school students that travelled to Hong Kong to take part in the trade challenge.

Isabella competed with Lorenzo Peace from Wanganui Collegiate; Jesse Medcalf from Westlake Boys' High School in Auckland competed with Karan Deva of Macleans College in Auckland and Alice competed with Joel MacManus of Garin College in Marlborough.

Tauranga Chamber of Commerce Young Enterprise Scheme co-ordinator, Anne Pankhurst, congratulated Alice and Isabella's success.