Young Leaders Programme – David Vailala

David Vailala (Year 11) was selected to attend Auckland Council’s Young Leader’s Sustainability Programme.

From David:  This was a good opportunity and one I’m glad I took. There was such a diverse group of individuals with the same goal to protect and save our environment and build a sustainable future.

One very important thing I learnt from doing this programme was that we have to act now and we need to stop relying on older people because we are the future. Our Manukau harbour is so polluted from all the waste and rubbish, having travelled from our gutters. So many fish are swallowing plastic and birds who rely on the moana for food are getting bits and pieces of rubbish into their stomach and are lucky if they don’t get any of it stuck in their throats. In Auckland we have issues of people overfishing and oil spills.