Sophie | Point Chevalier

“Cool. Kia ora, my name is Sophie, and I live in Point Chevalier. I think in the New Year I would like to go and do some more exploring of the world.

So I’ve just come back from a trip, and it’s given me some travel itches and I’ve also been thinking a little bit about the Christchurch massacre, and how I’ve sort of started trying to figure out how I could be a part of honouring that and creating an event where different people come together, and learn more about each other so we don’t have so much ignorance and hatred within our communities, and we learn to appreciate everyone and celebrate diversity. I don’t think I’m particularly wise, but have a passion for ending this thing called social distancing, which is where you grow up in pockets, and you don’t know anyone who doesn’t look like you, or have the same beliefs as you or the same sexual orientation as you. And I think if we’re to prosper and understand each other, then we need to break those down and create opportunities whether it’s in your work or in anything that you do. Figuring out how other people think and understanding them so that we’re not ignorant and we celebrate diversity and learn to appreciate each other and just make for a better world. 

So my dad is from England, the place that he kind of calls home is a place called Salcombe in Devon, near the ocean, and my mum is third-generation Pākehā with her ancestors from Germany, Ireland and Scotland and England, and I’ve lived quite a lot of my life in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland and I’ve also spent some time in Wellington, and in Spain. 

I think community is really, really important to me, and becoming more important to me as I get older, and I think by working together with people around us, whether that’s communities of friends or our actual geographic community, I think we really are going to need that in the future because it seems like the future is quite scary and we can find strength in each other. So I’m really passionate about building community and finding strength in each other and that way we can look after the world around us and build a beautiful future that will be amazing. Thank you.”