Central Hawke’s Bay teen Hannah Webster inspired by BLAKE Inspire programme

Central Hawke's Bay teen Hannah Webster's love for the environment strengthened after taking part in the BLAKE Inspire programme.

Year 12 Central Hawke’s Bay College student Hannah Webster was one of only two teens from Hawke’s Bay selected as a delegate to attend a week-long BLAKE Inspire programme.

There, she worked with like-minded peers, scientists, environmental experts, and a diverse range of leaders to develop strong leadership skills while learning about topical environmental issues and how they can take action to tackle them.

BLAKE Inspire is run by The Sir Peter Blake Trust (BLAKE), established in 2004 and dedicated to continuing his environmental leadership legacy.

Hannah didn’t know what she was signing up for when she applied for the April BLAKE Inspire programme. She said she hadn’t heard anything about it until one of her favourite English teachers suggested it would be perfect for her.

“The applications closed the next day, so I didn’t have any time to research it or anything; I just applied and then did the research after I found out I got in,” Hannah said.

The BLAKE Inspire programme Hannah attended focused on New Zealand’s marine environment, which was perfect for her as she has always had a passion and love for the ocean.

“I’ve just always loved swimming. I was a competitive swimmer for three or four years, and then I stopped swimming because I realised that I didn’t like the competitiveness of it. I just loved the ocean and being in the water,” Hannah said.

She added: “I love to swim, surf, dive and do everything related to that, so I developed a huge love for the ocean, the environment and leadership.”

Hannah’s mum, Malissa, said she had no idea about this programme and thinks it would be great to let the rest of Hawke’s Bay know that “these opportunities are out there, so they can think about applying in the future”.

Hannah Webster was nervous but excited to head off on her BLAKE Inspire trip.

The Central Hawke’s Bay teen spent a week of her school holidays in Auckland and surrounding areas, learning about New Zealand’s environment and the ocean surrounding the country.

When asked about her week away, Hannah said: “It was crazy. Every day was so full of things to do.”

After dealing with delays and cancelled flights, Hannah and the other Hawke’s Bay delegate made it to Auckland. While they missed out on the “getting to know you” part of the introduction, Hannah said it didn’t stop them from making lifelong friendships with the other teens on the trip.

On the first day, the group went to the Stardome Observatory and Planetarium, where Hannah said the group did a section on Matariki. The group learned how to read the stars and how they affect the environment and the ocean. They also learned about the different times of the year to plant and where the stars affect what’s happening in the environment.

While Hannah enjoyed every day on her BLAKE Inspire trip, she said visiting Tiritiri Matangi Island was her favourite day of the week-long adventure.

Tiritiri Matangi Island, located in the Hauraki Gulf, is a pest-free sanctuary and one of the country’s most successful conservation projects.

“It was just amazing. I saw things that I’ve never seen outside of a zoo or just naturally, like I’ve never actually seen a giant wētā in a tree, not in a wētā hotel.

“It was unbelievable to see what’s left if you take away all the pests,” Hannah said.

Hannah Webster found forever friends in like-minded peers during the BLAKE Inspire adventure.

The BLAKE Inspire programme strengthened the teen’s love for the environment, and she was ready to get home and keep working on the small business she was creating at school through the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES).

This year, students participating in YES had to create a business that they are passionate about and that also impacts their community.

Hannah decided to create a sustainable clothing brand because she loves brands like Huffer and Billabong but knows “fast fashion is a big problem”.

The teen wanted to create her own clothing with the goal of every product sold equalling one native plant being planted near a coastal area to help with soil and air purification and coastal erosion and also increase biodiversity.

Hannah said she is making sure the clothing is as eco-friendly as possible and, through extensive research, found that using 100 per cent cotton shirts is better for the environment than using recycled plastic T-shirts, because when you create recycled plastic T-shirts, you make more microplastics and increase your carbon footprint.

Along with the sustainability aspect, Hannah wanted to keep her business local and said she was working with a local printing company.

“So we’re helping the economy and our little community, which is awesome.”

The small business is called Seventy-One Percent NZ, because Hannah hopes to raise awareness of ocean conservation by drawing attention to the fact that 71 per cent of the world is covered by its oceans.

For more information about Hannah’s small business, follow Seventy-One Percent NZ on Instagram.