Our youth do some great things

I mean, there's no bad side to the concept of a school child playing chess, is there?

One of the best things a newspaper can do is showcase and champion their role models.

It is a concept frequently overlooked or forgotten by those who get angry by the stronger and grittier news stories, and let us know about on Facebook or texts. Yet these role models are in the paper every day.

Appearing less definitively are profiles of the younger generation, those who are still in school. But even light-hearted photo spreads do the job. I would argue that the photos of the youngsters playing chess is a perfectly good example of role modelling. I mean, there's no bad side to the concept of a school child playing chess, is there?

These children are modelling behaviour we like to see in our community, and the newspaper endorses it as societally praiseworthy practices. As a newspaper, we obviously bring to your attention the behaviour we need to condemn in our community, but we are always more than ready to praise the good, if people let us know about it.

This week we'll publish a story of a schoolgirl excited about taking on a pretty significant challenge - 10 days on the training ship Spirit of New Zealand.

As you'll find out from her story, she knows the trip will put her well outside her comfort zone - and that's precisely the reason she is taking it on. She has even fundraised for the trip herself.

Students like this are a powerful reminder that, when the entire nation seems to be mired in muck, filth, backstabbing and vindictive take-downs, there's actually a generation of youngsters who have a hunger to do great things, and can take pride in the adversity required to get there.

These youngster aren't in the slightest bit interested in whether Judith Collins will survive in Parliament post-election, or how Cameron Slater uses ex-prostitutes to dig dirt on politicians. It is right and proper they should not be interested.

These youngsters are focused on being good citizens and better people. I don't believe good people enter Parliament and become bad people. What we're seeing now is flawed people with poor strength of character. Some people can thrive for a while like that, but things eventually go wrong, as we've seen.

A student who sticks to getting to know what kind of person they are, and pushes themselves to do better, is always a delight to publish. We're always keen to hear more from them.