- SUBSCRIBER About belief
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- SUBSCRIBER Class Act of 2014 - Where are they now?
‘‘It's honestly quite scary,’’ 27-year-old Emilee Oldham says about the state of the New Zealand economy.
‘‘The fact that I have a degree and a good job and still feel serious pressure around the cost of living is frightening to think about, let alone how people in worse situations and trying to feed their families must be coping.’’
The Dunedin physiotherapist is one of many former recipients of Otago Daily Times Class Act awards to express concern about rising living costs.
Each year, the ODT catches up with recipients of the high school excellence award from a decade earlier, asking them how their lives are going and if they are still pursuing the interests and dreams they once had.
This year, we also sought their views on the economy and asked what they think are the most pressing issues facing New Zealand.
Ruby Albert, who owns a garden maintenance business with her partner, summed up the feelings of many of the 2014 recipients.
‘‘Times are a lot tougher now than when I left school 10 years ago,’’ she said.
‘‘I’m definitely looking forward to the economy improving...’’
Nurse Zoe Hancox said the recession had impacted everyone, but she had noticed in particular that people were struggling to lead healthy lifestyles and this was having negative effects on their wellbeing.
While cautiously optimistic about the future, lawyer Connor Seddon thought New Zealand was a poorer country than it should be and more could be done to help its most vulnerable.
Recent government statistics showed people were leaving New Zealand in record numbers as unemployment rose, interest rates remained high and economic growth was anemic. A total of 131,200 people departed in the year ended June 2024, about a third of them headed to Australia.
Kirsty McCorkindale and Tahlia Moir are two of the group now living overseas. McCorkindale, an administrator in Brisbane, said while the cost of living was not much better in Australia, salaries were far higher. Moir said groceries were much cheaper in London, where she works as an associate digital director.
While some described New Zealand’s economic state as ‘‘dire’’, ‘‘tough’’ and ‘‘challenging’’, others felt it was starting to head in the right direction.
Researcher Jack O’Leary was confident positive change in a range of areas was coming, but said New Zealanders would need patience and perseverance in the meantime.
William Pelet, a solutions group leader, saw benefits in diversifying our economy away from agricultural exports and tourism, towards agricultural technology.
When it came to other pressing issues, many were worried about the state of the health system and access to treatment, particularly in rural areas.
Rising global tensions, discrimination on the grounds of race and religion, and the impact of social media also ranked highly. Several felt there was a lack of support for farmers and were concerned about the future of that industry.
Course adviser Bart Lind said it was ‘‘shameful’’ that suitable housing had become less accessible, while property had ‘‘practically become synonymous with investment’’.
Engineer Max Rayner felt New Zealanders’ fixation with housing - ‘‘ a non-productive, speculative asset’’ - was not sustainable in the long term. The record number of New Zealanders leaving the country indicated there were better opportunities elsewhere, he said. However, New Zealand was an ‘‘incredible country to live in, with a range of benefits not highlighted in the headlines’’.
Those benefits were mentioned by many, who said they valued New Zealand’s laid-back lifestyle and having family and friends nearby.
Most of the group - even those who planned to work overseas for extended periods - saw their long-term futures in New Zealand.
Just under a quarter of those who responded currently live offshore and another five people said the decision on where they settled would depend on where they could find employment.
‘‘Ideally, I will always come back to New Zealand but there are just more and better opportunities overseas for young people at the moment and I will be looking for those,’’ Emilee Oldham, who opened this story, said.
• We asked the 2014 Class Act recipients to rank what they thought were the most pressing issues in society. The state of the economy was the single biggest concern, followed by housing and climate change tied in second place. In contrast, only 2% were most worried about job security and more than half rated artificial intelligence as the least of their concerns.
The annual Class Act awards recognise excellence in a variety of areas, including academic, cultural and sporting activities, and 10 years on, the ‘‘class of 2014’’ is still achieving.
The recipients, whose average age is 27, include Paralympic gold medallist Anna Grimaldi, ballerina Rebecca Murray, pianist Modi Deng, who has performed at Wigmore Hall in London, and Fullbright scholar Hamish Prince, who was involved in a recent Nasa satellite launch.
Another in the group, Holly Graham, has taken part in many search and rescue missions in her role as an air warfare officer in the Royal New Zealand Air Force. They included one memorable birthday when her crew located a small vessel adrift near Fiji with a young child and their family aboard.
While many have continued with their high school interests - Phoebe Steele made the Black Sticks and Paige Church has played more than 40 games for the Otago Spirit rugby team - others have taken up new pursuits.
One example: Kirsty McCorkindale, who was drafted into Australia’s national pickleball league only two years after hearing about the sport.
Almost half the group did not end up doing what they thought they would, but none said they were dissatisfied with their choices.
This year’s Class Acts
The Otago Daily Times’ Class Act awards began in 2000 to celebrate the excellence of young people in the South.
This year’s recipients will be profiled in a special Otago Daily Times publication and online on Monday and will receive their awards from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Dunedin on Thursday.
