Taradale High School's head girl Makayla Purcell-Mainini. Photo / Supplied
Taradale High School's head girl Makayla Purcell-Mainini. Photo / Supplied
Makayla Purcell-Mainini is one of Hawke's Bay's young achievers recognised in The Spirit of Napier Lions Club awards, who has her eyes set on the whetū.
The awards were held at the Municipal Theatre on Wednesday, September 29, in an evening of recognition for the achievements and aspirations of 12Year 13 students from eight Napier high schools.
The event aims to shift the narrative that young people are unmotivated and problematic by exhibiting the talents of youth in the region.
Purcell-Mainini was celebrated for her musical achievements, notably making the final of Māori Television's 5 Minutes of Fame singing competition in August this year.
Purcell-Mainini is hoping to release an album of waiata Māori next year, which reflects her Māori whakapapa and identity.
Napier Boys' High School's sports star Noah Smith. Photo / Supplied
"I am the first Māori head girl at Taradale High School and it's been my mission to help the school embrace Māori culture and support and connect with the Māori students there."
As well as making a national singing competition final, she has featured on the Hahana social media channel, detailing her experience as "a white Māori".
"Because of how I look, I exist in both te ao Māori and te ao Pākehā, it's easy to blend into and bridge both worlds.
"It's been great to be around people who have such a passion for te reo Māori and to build a whānau of like-minded people," she said.
Purcell-Mainini felt she was in the presence of the region's future leaders at the awards, and especially appreciated the heavy delegation of wāhine who were celebrated.
"I definitely felt the presence of mana wāhine there that night, which was great to show that wāhine are just as strong as our tāne, that we can do just as much as them," she said.
Persistence has been the key to the young singer/songwriter's success and she encourages other youth to not give up on their dreams, no matter how plausible.
"Persistence is what got me here really. We all fail and fall down. Some of us don't want to get back up, but I've always wanted to get back up. I'm hopeful and excited for my future," she said.
Other students who were recognised in the awards were Hohepa's Ryan Gedye, Napier Girls' High School's Samantha Goodchild and Charlotte Lancaster, Sacred Heart College's Lucy Harvey, Fairhaven School's Samuel Wyllie, Napier Boys' High School's Jackson Stone and Noah Smith, William Colenso College's Avae Keelan and Pikitangaarangi Ratapu, Taradale High School's Daniel Scott, and Tamatea High School's Liliana Rio.
