Anahera Pickering: Nothing is impossible, if you can dream it, you can achieve it

We are lucky to live in Whangārei - it is not not too big and not too small. Photo / Jodi Bryant

OPINION

He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.

Living in Whangārei since 1998 and becoming part of my community since 2018, I can tell you loud and proud, there are so many beautiful people around us, all great humans.

There are amazing, caring and compassionate people in my life and every day I am surrounded by even greater people. Boy am I one of the lucky ones. I have this mate Izaiah. Most of you would have seen him around the community, whether it's engaging through mahi or performing his music. Izaiah has been a strong pou in my journey, a friend who has grown with me through the years and he's inspiring not only to me but our young people.

Born in Auckland and raised in Whangārei, Izaiah, now 22, is in his second year at the University of Auckland majoring in English and music. He grew up in a loving and supportive family, and he reckons his mother and grandparents especially " did their best to bring the nerd out in me". He reckons he loved being brought up in Whangārei unlike Auckland, not too busy and not in the wop wops.

Transitioning into the lifestyle of urban living from city slicker, he found that reggae music was a vibe up here and he made friends who were passionate about music like him at Huanui College. In his first year, he says it was awkward and terrifying getting on a stage at the talent show with his mate to perform the classic Alcoholic by Common Kings, yet music was his passion and with peer support, it's amazing what a young person can achieve… it is still one of his favourite performances to date. Growing up in church and doing choir, it wasn't too different, yet you could imagine how anxious it must have been for him.

Being a student with no income and not keen on a part-time job, he stepped out of his shell and began busking in town. He loved the tamariki that would come and vibe with him, the public just standing around jamming to his sounds and the positive remarks he'd receive, it would've filled his cup.

I asked him, "What made you have the courage to get out and do it?" Cause I know for most of us, it's scary, we know what we want to do for ourselves yet place barriers up.

Izaiah says, "When you give yourself permission to not be bothered, you find that it doesn't really matter as long as you are enjoying what you're doing."

Once he finished high school, he quickly realised this wasn't going to pay for his new lifestyle, so after seeking support from Winz/MSD, he was placed on the KODE course to get employment ready. Still hustling on the sidelines and performing where he could around the community, an opportunity to came up with the Electoral Commission in 2017. He cracked it! Now he had a casual part-time mahi and secure putea (income) for him and his whānau.

Once that wrapped up in the end of the year, doors started opening and more opportunities arose for him and he started leading a project for Whangarei Youth Space. He is a massive part of WYS and the whānau past and present, a valued member of our community and a great friend to everyone he meets.

Be ready schools in Northland, Izaiah graduates in 2024!

Supporting more young people into pathways which align with their "why", whether that be mahi, a project, a side hustle or whatever it looks like to them can open doors to the unimaginable, nothing is impossible, if you can dream it, you can achieve it.