Jack Timu
The 18-year-old is head boy of the school and captain of the rugby team, but above all wants a career where he can be satisfied with his work.
His passion for sport began with rippa rugby at a young age and by year 11 he had made it into the 1st XV.
Now as captain he practises three times a week and plays on the weekends.
He had participated in Maori rugby camps, which he felt privileged to do.
Growing up he did not have much exposure to Maori culture and he found being on a team of people with the same background made it easy to be comfortable with everyone.
As a hostel pupil he has a strict routine to follow, which meant he cannot fall behind on his studies even during rugby season.
In class he always prefers to learn practical things, which is why he excels in physical education and technology.
In technology class he had made a range of wooden furniture, which is now in use throughout the house.
His favourite woods to work with are macrocarpa and rimu.
His father was a builder and as a child he used to spend a lot of time at construction sites, which he enjoyed.
He wants to play a part on those construction sites in his own way and is planning to go to the University of Otago to study surveying.
"I don’t want to be stuck behind a desk."
As head boy he gets to see what happens behind the scenes at school and has had a chance to try improve issues he saw.
One thing he and his cohort had pushed for was more sports days, which they had achieved.
Although it can be tough at times everyone around him was very helpful.
In his free time Jack goes diving with his friends and sometimes even comes home with dinner.
Whether they were collecting paua, spear fishing or just exploring, the water always separated him from his stresses.
Achievements: Head boy (2022); sporting prefect (2022); 1st XV rugby (2020-2022), captain (2022); senior A touch (2018-2022); Otago U16 touch (2020); Otago U18 touch (2022); Open Men’s Otago touch (2021); New Zealand U16 touch (2020); New Zealand U18 touch (2021); U18 Metro rugby (2021); Touch blue (2020-2022); Lloyd sporting cup (2021); Mana Pounamu Young Achiever award (2020); Level 2 merit endorsement (2021).
Role model: His father, for inspiring him in rugby and for encouraging him to do what he loves.
Hopes for the future: To study surveying at the University of Otago.
Michael Buttery
The 18-year-old John McGlashan pupil is used to making calls and, if he’s lucky, nobody on the side of the pitch will disagree with him.
He began refereeing at a young age following two parents who were international grade refs.
"It was either sit on the sidelines or join in."
He spends most of his time mediating touch games, a sport he loved growing up.
He used to be a player but when he became a teenager he found he could no longer make the cut for the teams he wanted to play for.
He wanted to continue with touch, so threw himself fully into refereeing.
Many do know not much about the role of referee, but for Michael it is a sport itself.
He could easily run 3km during a touch game and during tournaments would ref up to five games a day.
It was a hard skill to train for, as there was nothing like a live game to hone his skills on.
The first few games were a trial by fire, but now he has received national recognition for his skills and has travelled to Australia for transtasman games.
He also referees contact rugby, including as a assistant ref at the Otago verses Canterbury Farah Palmer cup match last year.
He never regretted putting aside the cleats for a whistle.
"I can see myself doing this for the rest of my life."
As a ref he had to establish good relationships quickly, as he could meet two new captains every week.
He loved being out on the pitch making the calls, but not every game went off without a hitch.
Occasionally somebody will disagree with a decision and he has to de-escalate the situation and keep things running.
Some times people would not back off, but he knew he had the support of the players and could resolve the situation.
Those relationship building and de-escalation skills were applicable to a lot more than just the rugby pitch.
It taught him to be confident and how to deal with conflict in a productive way.
He hoped to delve deeper into the world of sport by studying sports psychology and to one day work with high level players.
Achievements: Otago vs Canterbury Farah Palmer Cup assistant ref (2021); Touch NZ top-ranked youth ref (2020-2021); U18 girls touch ref open nationals rank 11 (2020); U18 mixed youth transtasman touch ref (2020); Mixed touch ref open nationals rank 18 (2020); Service and social prefect (2022); School citizenship award (2019); Level 1 excellence (2020); John McGlashan junior service shield (2018-2019); sporting blue (2020-2022).
Role model: Referee coach Adrian Ruaiti, for staying calm and collected and getting the job done.
Hopes for the future: to study sports psychology.
