Diagnosed with autism 18 months ago, Sam’s journey with digging in backyards and beaches hasn’t just been one of discovery, but patience and dedication to learning about the natural world.
“I’m always on the hunt for the perfect rock, I could spend hours hunting for them and studying them,” the 7-year-old from Halswell said.
His mum Melinda Collins said Sam has a unique way of engaging with the world, showing an inquisitive mind but finding some environments overwhelming.
While raising a child with autism has its challenges, she has seen how working to perfect his passion helps Sam build confidence, regulate his emotions and build new skills.
“Sam has such an incredible mind. He’s inquisitive, innovative and creative, not to mention his amazing ability to hyper-focus on things he’s interested in,” Collins said.
Sam’s passion is rooted in family connections – his grandfather was a hobby carver in Australia and would craft pieces from zebra rock, a unique stone found in the remote Pilbara desert where he lived.
“(Sam’s) always been surrounded by my father’s work, then when my partner gave me a pounamu necklace for my birthday he was completely blown away by the idea of hunting for all sorts of different stones and creating your own unique pieces of jewellery and ornaments,” Collins said.
When she learned of Manawanui’s Fund For Good initiative, she saw a way for Sam’s love of stone and crystal collecting to evolve into something bigger.
“Mum asked me to think about what kind of tools I would need to make the stones I found even nicer,” Sam said.
The skills Sam has developed – attention to detail, patience, and the reward of seeing his hard work polished to perfection – have also been transformative for his everyday life.
“Sam is currently learning about emotional regulation at school and they talk about zones of regulation. When he’s in the yellow zone, he’s stressed and anxious. Now he’s identified that playing with rocks helps him get back to the green zone, which is when he’s calm and happy,” Collins said.
She sees a growing confidence in Sam as he prepares to share his collection with others at local markets, a venture that will also help him build social skills.
The $3500 Sam received from Manawanui has gone towards the purchase of a state-of-the-art rock tumbler, which will enable him to polish his stones.
He has also set up a website where he can share his favourite creations and the stories of where he found them.
Manawanui, an individualised funding provider, launched Fund For Good in 2019 to help people like Sam bring dreams to life.
Manawanui’s chief executive Marsha Marshall said the initiative provides funding that its recipients wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere, for them to do something specific that meets their goals.
With Manawanui’s help, Sam will soon offer his polished stones at markets in Christchurch.
His business venture, aptly named ‘Sam Rocks’, is set to sell tumbled rocks, stones and handcrafted jewellery. Collins said he will be busy preparing for his first market in early 2025 – with a goal of earning $1000 in sales in his first year.
The venture will not only allow Sam to share his love for rocks with others, but also offer him the chance to build the social skills and business experience that will set him up for the future.
