YWCA's Y25 2021: Meet the young female future leaders tackling climate change and equality

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Award winning creative writer Ruby Macomber, who features on this year's Y25 list, runs creative writing workshops with rangatahi Māori and Pasifika at Mt Eden prison in Auckland.

Across all walks of life, wāhine toa under the age of 25 are being recognised for their contributions to society.

This year’s Y25 list compiled by the YWCA celebrates 25 young women, from New Zealand’s youngest citizen scientist to a karate and skateboarding champion.

“Many of these young women are rejecting the status quo and doing the hard work and smart thinking to make real change happen,” said Dellwyn Stuart, YWCA Auckland CEO.

The second Y25 list was judged by influential women in New Zealand, including Green Party and central Auckland MP Chl oe Swarbrick; Lora Waqabitu, West Auckland branch president of the NGO Pasifika ; and Irihapeti Edwards, who received the Prime Minister’s Scholarship in 2019.

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Ruby Macomber connected with her own heritage through creative writing, and wants to share her passion with rangatahi Māori and Pasifika.

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Here are some of the young women featured in 2021’s Y25 list to look out for.

Ruby Macomber

Macomber holds creative writing workshops in Auckland’s Mt Eden correctional facility.

Ruby Macomber, 19, holds creative writing workshops through Te Kāhui in Auckland’s Mt Eden correctional facility to “increase creative equity”.

“I want to ensure more rangatahi Māori and Pasifika can be more exposed to creative writing, and hopefully find a passion in that,” she said.

Macomber’s work is recognised and is published across multiple journals, but she is anticipating the day she can publish a poetry collection on her own.

Of Polynesian and Pākehā descent, Macomber has connected to her heritage through her writing.

Restoring local awa is the aim of Rangipo Ngaire Takuira-Mita’s work.

“Pacific people are orators, we are speakers and creative people, so it has been a way for me to connect back to my culture in that way, and tell stories the way my nan told me and tell my children.”

The inspiration for her work is her nan, who passed away in 2017, who was a big supporter of her work and “someone I will carry with me for the rest of my life”.

Various Pasifika communities who have supported her are also an inspiration.

Takuira-Mita helped create water quality testing kit to help the youth and local communities identify problems in their local awa.

“I guess the idea of leading with service and being able to give back to them is what I hope to do with my work.”

Rangipo Ngaire Takuira-Mita

Part of rangatahi-led group Te Pū a Ngā Māra, 18-year-old Rangipo Ngaire Takuira-Mita brings young female innovators from south Auckland marae together to find indigenous solutions for a sustainable future.

Together with the collective, Takuira-Mita has created water quality testing kits to help the youth and local communities identify problems in their local awa.

“We want to bring life back to our awa and revive the awa,” she said.

Brianna Fruean is making the voices of Pasifika youth heard in climate discussions.

The collective aimed to begin their work within iwi, hapū and whānau, and it has now expanded to all the reach all the marae across the country, and as far away as Tonga and Italy.

Te Pū a Ngā Māra is currently teaching school kids how to use the kits and then adopting a local awa to protect.

“I feel so happy being a part of the list, but I think the credit goes to Te Pū a Ngā Māra,” she said.

Takuira-Mita hopes to expand the rangatahi-led collective into a business that will help create a sustainable future worldwide.

Brianna Fruean

Growing up in Samoa, 22-year-old Brianna Fruean’s activism over climate change grew as she saw the impact it had on her home.

“I have such a passion to fight for my island,” said Fruean.

At the age of 11, Fruean was instrumental in advocating for climate change policy in Samoa, becoming one of the founding members of 360 Samoa.

Her work as a leader for environmental activism in the Pacific has led her to become the youngest winner of the Commonwealth Youth Award, and she met with the Queen at the age of 16.

Fruean, who now lives in Auckland, continues climate campaigning, spotlighting climate injustices through the group Pacific Climate Warriors.

“In the future, I hope people don’t have to be doing climate activism,” said Fruean who believes that climate change is an urgent issue.

Currently, she is a youth representative on the Council of Elders for the Pacific Climate Warriors, which brings Pasifika voices into climate discussions.

In the future, Fruean hopes to return to Samoa and “serve the people”.

Being part of the 2021 Y25 list was an “honour”, said Fruean, adding that she is “grateful to be alongside other wāhine”.

“I have been moulded by many great mentors who have helped me find my place.”