DEPUTY HEAD BOY, 2010
John came to First Foundation with strong praise from his
teachers at De La Salle College. 'As Principal, I am continually
impressed by John's leadership, stepping up to guide and intervene
when necessary. John is polite, courteous, loyal and reliable - an
asset to any organisation.' In addition to being the schools's
Deputy head Boy, John proved to be an outstanding sports player,
public speaker and contributor to his Church community.
Rich Easton from Telecom recalls that 'when we met John, he struck
me as focussed, motivated and having a passion for learning new
things'. John has enjoyed working at Telecom and the support they
have given him. In John's own words: "This is an opportunity that I
don't want to pass me by because it will pave the way for my
future."
In 2012, John was a part of the Festival of Transitional
Architecture (FESTA) and saw his group's design built in
Christchurch. "It is always humbling helping out a community. I am
proud that I was apart of Christchurch coming together."
John graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Architectural
Studies and also
went on to graduate with his Masters of Architecture from
Unitec. His research topic was an exploration of Pacific Art's
influence in New Zealand's architectural environment. This topic
was explored through the architectural interpretation of Le
Malofie, or the Pe'a, which is the traditional Samoan tattoo. With
this project he intends to bring awareness the influence Pacific
art and architecture has in New Zealand and where it can go.
John intends to travel abroad for a few years to study
public spaces and how international precedents have approached
incorporating cultural concepts into their designs. From
there he wants to apply it to Auckland, or in particular in to
Manukau.
View John on the
Kiwis Can Fly series
View his profile in our news
section