The Otago Daily Times Class Act initiative reaches a major milestone this year as it turns 25.
It was the brainchild of former ODT editor Robin Charteris, who wanted to celebrate the excellence of young people in our province. He invited then-prime minister Helen Clark to present the awards and since then every prime minister has agreed to do the same.
In this, its 25th year, 28 schools are participating. Between them, they have nominated 55 pupils as representative of the cream of Otago’s secondary school elite in 2024.
Class Act has been a particularly rewarding journey for the Otago Daily Times. We are also delighted the programme has been acknowledged by the University of Otago. This year’s award recipients will receive an automatic entitlement to a University of Otago Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship for 2025.
We take pride in reading of and seeing, through the columns of this newspaper, the milestones and achievements of our Class Act recipients as they make their way into adult life.
We live in an increasingly volatile and divided world, which makes us acutely aware of the importance and value of education, science and strong leadership. The youth of the region have a big responsibility, for the future is in their hands. It is from this talented and ambitious group our future leaders in politics, arts, business, education and sports will emerge.
On Thursday afternoon, at a special awards ceremony, the pupils will come together as a class and, individually, be presented with Class Act 2024 certificates by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
We are proud the present prime minister has continued the tradition and agreed to be our guest speaker at the calling together of these outstanding pupils. His presence is an honour for Otago and testament to the excellence of these young people.
This year we have a special guest and former Class Act recipient, Olympic Gold Medallist Finn Butcher, to talk to the recipients.
The 55 pupils nominated for awards have been photographed and profiled on the following pages of this publication. We trust you enjoy reading it and, like us, are inspired and encouraged by the young people featured.
The future is bright.
Paul McIntyre
Editor
Otago Daily Times
Young leaders we strive to support
Congratulations to this year’s Class Act recipients who exemplify the kind of young leaders we strive to support at the University of Otago.
Indeed, Otago has been a renowned place of learning and discovery for more than 150 years, attracting young people from across the motu for many compelling reasons.
We have an outstanding reputation for teaching excellence and achieve nation-leading results in teaching, learning and student satisfaction, serving as a gateway to successful and fulfilling careers.
At Otago, our goal is to encourage our students to become successful, socially minded people who will go on to contribute to their communities and society, both here and overseas. Our people and knowledge equip them with the potential to transform lives, connect communities, and nurture the environment.
Should the Class Act recipients choose to come to the University of Otago, we are delighted to offer them a guaranteed $7000 Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship, as a minimum.
In doing so, they will become part of an outstanding group of academically gifted and talented students from around New Zealand and the rest of the world.
Ngā mihi nui,
Hon Grant Robertson
Vice-Chancellor
University of Otago
