Renz Resilience Award Winner

Wednesday the 6^th of June 2018 is a day that will pass in to legend here at Capital Training. It will also be a day that Renz Harris-Matoe will never forget. I know that this sounds really dramatic; but we are really quite proud of what Renz achieved on that most fateful of dates and we believe that he deserves a dramatic ceremony around his accomplishment.

Renz was a learner at our Capital Training centre in Upper Hutt during 2017. Renz started off in the level 1 class, trying to get his New Zealand Certificate in Foundation Skills Level 1. I’m not going to sugar coat this, it was hard for Renz. He didn’t really have that much of a background in academics due to a bit of a hard upbringing and struggling at school.

Renz found that school wasn’t his thing and decided to move in a different direction and signed up to Capital Training, not really knowing if education was for him or not. Even though it got tough at times and Renz questioned his resolve and decisions, he didn’t give up and the staff at our Capital Training Upper Hutt centre didn’t give up either. Instead, together they embarked on a journey of education and self-discovery. Renz discovered a resilience in himself and throughout his time at Capital Training, he ended up completing both the level 1 and level 2 qualifications.

Renz’s tutors decided to nominate him for the Resilience Award at the Upper Hutt City Council’s Young Achievers Awards. Every year, the Upper Hutt City Council holds the Young Achievers Awards to recognise youth in the region for their hard work. The Mayor of Upper Hutt, Wayne Guppy and MP Chris Hipkins were in attendance to celebrate the youth in the Upper Hutt community.

As Renz’s name was called out as the winner of the resilience award, his face lit up with shock, awe and most predominantly, pride. This young man with the rocky upbringing and recently found appreciation for education had won a major award. After the awards ceremony was concluded, Renz was shocked, humbled and enjoyed the opportunity to get a few photos with the mayor.

Renz is a good guy and I personally think he has a bright future ahead of him if he wants it. His attitude changed while he was at Capital Training; he matured a lot. He has continued to grow and mature since leaving Capital Training and is looking at getting in to the trades. I think Renz is going to make an excellent tradie; he showed promise while completing our Building and Construction qualification.

On behalf of Capital Training, I would like to wish Renz all the best. We are proud of you and we really do think that you can go out and do what ever you want in the world.