Teen walks from town to his school in the country, rain or shine, picking up rubbish as he goes

Local hero: Amokura Paewai, 17, a student at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Tamaki Nui-A-Rua walks to and from his home in Dannevirke to school at Makirikiri, rain or shine, picking up rubbish as he goes.

One wet morning when Dannevirke's Dylan Ross was driving along Rawhiti St, he stopped and offered a young schoolboy a lift.

The answer he received floored him.

"He said, 'no thanks I walk to school every day and I pick up rubbish as I go'. I was absolutely gobsmacked. It was pouring, but he was determined to continue walking and collecting rubbish," Dylan said.

The student, Amokura Paewai, 17, a Year 12 at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Tamaki Nui-A-Rua, walks to and from his home in Dannevirke's Gladstone St to Makirikiri on the outskirts of Dannevirke every day, even though it would be quite easy for him to get a ride - his father is Brian Paewai, principal at Te Kura.

"I rang the school to say how impressed I was and his father said no-one had told Amokura to do this, it was all off his own bat," Dylan said.

It normally takes up to 25 minutes for Amokura to make his way to and from school and he doesn't mind walking in the rain.

"The first week of the school term I saw lots of rubbish on the main road and thought I should pick it up. So I made that my job to and from school every day," Amokura told the Dannevirke News.

Amolura admits he doesn't think much of those who throw rubbish from their cars.

"If you think about a house, you need it to be tidy if visitors come and see how nice it is," he said.

"It's the same thing with the roads. Visitors to our town see them too and of course picking up rubbish is good for the environment. It feels good doing what I do."

Much of the rubbish Amokura picks up each day is takeaway containers, bottles and wind-blown newspapers.

Dad Brian said everyone is very proud of what Amokura does.

"I didn't tell him to do it, he made the decision himself. All I did was tell him how I used to walk to school in my day," he said.

To help speed up his journey Amokura skateboards to the intersection of Rawhiti St, puts his skateboard in his school bag and then jogs along State Highway 2 to school.

Although he doesn't think he's doing anything out-of-the-ordinary, Amokura was thrilled Dylan had rung the school.

"It was so cool. He said I made his day and by ringing the school, he made my day," he said. "But the plan wasn't to get noticed."

Looking forward to his future Amokura said he has plans to go to Massey University, but more importantly, he wants to help whanau.