Jack Potaka is a Rotorua teen to be proud of.
Our city's young people can get a bad rap at times - sometimes deservedly so, other times unfairly.
Whether it's youth "loitering" or, as we've reported recently, begging for money for legal highs - there is no doubt a section of Rotorua's teenage population is struggling.
But as parents, grandparents,
teachers, sports coaches and kids themselves well know, teenagers are not all bad. In fact, most of them are pretty great.
In our job, as much as we have to report on the negatives sometimes, we also get to meet youngsters who are talented, hardworking and socially, morally and environmentally aware. And we love telling their stories.
Rotorua Boys' High student Jack Potaka is just one example - he took out a national RSA speech competition and won a trip to Gallipoli this month.
