Sam Johnson Gay Christchurch community leader Sam Johnson has been nominated for Young New Zealander of the Year. The 22-year-old is known for his Canterbury Student Volunteer Army, where he and like-minded students gathered thousands of young people together to help with the clean up of the quake-ravaged city. The Riccarton-Wigram Community Board member has already won a Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award and was singled out for praise by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her visit to Christchurch last year. Johnson is also involved with the UpRising Trust, which was established by gay community members to raise funds for community groups and reinvigorate the city's queer scene after the quakes. He is now among the nominations for Young New Zealander of the Year in the New Zealander of the Year Awards, which will be whittled down to three nominations per category by the judges in December, with the winners announced at a ceremony in Auckland in February.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 28th October 2011 - 3:54pm