What do you hope to achieve this year?

Patrick | Te Tai Poutini

Patrick reflects on leaving school early, finding success and watching his daughter follow a similar path.

“I think there’s a lot of support, you know, if kids want to do something and they’ve got a bit of a drive, the community will surround them and help them through it.

I left school at 15 so I didn’t really have much of an education. I enjoyed my sports (it seems to be a Coast thing!). But I had my head switched on and I had ambitions and knew where I wanted to be. So by 17 I was self-employed and away I went.

My daughter, she’s of similar age, and she’s not going back to school next year. Most parents would think “oh my God, that’s terrible” but she’s already got jobs. She’s making money. She went to Polytech last year, did a hairdressing and beauty course, was top of the class, and is very focused.

She’s been offered an apprenticeship, so next year she’ll be going back to trades. She’ll be applying that skill. She’ll be working at the salon. And in a year’s time, she’ll be working there full-time so she knows what she wants to do.

The other two, I don’t know. Jimmy’s very much a homebody, so I think he’ll be close to home all the time. The young one, she’s a firecracker. I think she’ll be the traveller. She’s the one mingling with all the tourists. And I think at some point, she’ll fly the coop.”