We asked high-profile young New Zealanders about their reflections of 2013, and their hopes and resolutions for the New Year.
Loren Corbett, 22, won the youth award in the 2013 Attitude Awards. She recently graduated from the University of Waikato, and is now working full time at the university’s students' association. She has Achondroplasia.
The award was a lovely way to end a pretty full on year. It was incredibly special, and hugely surprising. It’s a big boost to the confidence, I’m someone that doubts themselves a lot, and asks ‘am I doing enough’. So being recognised for the work I have done so far is an honour.
There are a lot of young people with disabilities that are still struggling to overcome barriers – whether that is physical barriers, or they’re people’s attitudes to people with disabilities. Photo: Supplied
[In 2013] I travelled overseas to countries like Kyrgyzstan. That really opened my eyes to different cultures, which is awesome. Obviously finishing my studies was a huge thing, and preparing for the real world, as people like to call it. My mother was teaching in Kyrgyzstan, it was very different to New Zealand. Because of my parents living there, I got to experience the culture more than I otherwise would, so it was cool to be immersed in that. It was a huge year of personal growth.
I personally haven’t made resolutions. I tend to be a small goal person, I face things as they come up. Just continuing to have my eyes opened to the challenges for everyday New Zealanders, and to not get so caught up in myself.
There is massive amounts of work to do. When I received the youth award, it made me think of the opportunities I’ve had, and that I wouldn’t have had them without the people that came before me, 20, 30, 40 years ago. For me personally it’s women’s rights, and people with disabilities. We have come forward in leaps and bounds. But there’s still a long way to go, so hopefully we get there.
One of the huge things is employment. There are a lot of young people with disabilities that are still struggling to overcome barriers – whether that is physical barriers, or they’re people’s attitudes to people with disabilities. I’ve been fortunate to find employment straight out of university, but a lot of people are still struggling. I think that’s a huge thing we need to be working on, to kind of stand up. I think Mojo Mathers [New Zealand’s first deaf MP] has done fantastic work to be in Parliament, regardless of what political spectrum you are on. That she stood up and just said ‘you know what, we can be in parliament, we can do this, we can do that’.
The sooner that starts happening the better. As soon as the CEO of Air New Zealand is, maybe visually impaired, or something like that.
I think [New Zealand is] becoming a more inclusive society. And I think this year has kind of built on that, which is been encouraging, and I am talking inclusive of all demographics, and minorities. So hopefully we can build on that next year. There’s quite a long way to go, and the sooner we work on that the better.
One of the other finalists in the awards with me, Olivia Shivas, she wants to be a television presenter, and she’s in a wheelchair. So I think the sooner things like that start happening, the sooner we turn on the six o’clock news, and there’s someone in a wheelchair, or the sooner we turn on Shortland Street, and there’s someone with an intellectual disability with a role.
The sooner that starts happening the better. As soon as the CEO of Air New Zealand is, maybe visually impaired, or something like that. It’s just those little things. There’s definitely the people out there that can fill those roles, but the sooner those people get given a chance, the better. Because we are one in five, and you look at the top roles, and we’re not one in five.
