DAVE CAMERON Teacher & Founder of LearnCoach Growing up in Waikanae, a small town on the Kapiti Coast, I was one of six boys, so it was always mayhem in our house. Going through school seemed like a total waste of time to me, because everything we were learning felt so irrelevant to real life. It wasn’t … More DAVE CAMERON
ANTONIA PREBBLE Actress I loved growing up in Wellington, it’s a great small city for a child. Everything is quite compact so you can go to the beach, go BMX biking, or go for a bush walk all within close proximity and it’s very safe. Weirdly, I’ve wanted to do acting my whole life. I didn’t … More ANTONIA PREBBLE
JACKI KEY Photographer Growing up in Northland, I was lucky to have an amazing free and almost wild childhood. We lived in a low socioeconomic part of town where the river came up under the house if it rained a lot at high tide, and with it came the sewerage. One of my favourite things to … More JACKI KEY
MALIA JOHNSTON Choreographer & Performance Director Growing up in the South Island, my parents were ‘country service’ teachers so we moved around a lot. We lived everywhere, from Hinds to Clandeboye and Otira, all of which were a long way from any action. Then we moved to Christchurch when I turned fourteen which is where I … More MALIA JOHNSTON
SOPHIE ROBERTS Artistic Director – Silo Theatre I grew up in Auckland on the North Shore, but went to a steiner school in Ellerslie. I always enjoyed drama at school, but definitely wasn’t a kid who always wanted to be an actor. I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I finished high school … More SOPHIE ROBERTS
LIVI REIHANA Comedian / One half of the musical comedy duo – The Fan Brigade I grew up in Mangawhai where I lived until age five, then we moved to a little town called Te Kauwhata in the Waikato which is about fifteen minutes north of Huntly. It sounds really dodgy, but we basically packed … More LIVI REIHANA
RYAN EDWARDS Singer/Songwriter I was born in Hastings in the Hawke’s Bay, the most ideal place for a young sports-mad kid to grow up in. We had a quarter-acre section with tons of fruit trees in our backyard, each of those making great cricket stumps. Then my dad got transferred to Wellington and my parents … More RYAN EDWARDS
MEL PARSONS Musician I grew up down south in a little place called Cape Foulwind, just outside of Westport. My parents are definitely not musical but there was always music around. I still can’t describe the feeling, but I remember from a very young age that playing and listening to music always made me feel … More MEL PARSONS
SOPHIE HAMBLETON Actress I was born and raised in Wellington. My Dad is an actor who worked solidly in theatre as I was growing up and my Mum taught acting, clowning and ran performing arts schools. While my parents always encouraged me to have a big imagination, there was never any pressure to become an … More SOPHIE HAMBLETON
POPPY WRITES 