Fri 17 Feb 2012 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Student Volunteer Army founder, gay community leader and Christchurch community board member Sam Johnson has been named Young New Zealander of the Year. “What an incredible honour. Thank you for your incredible and most humbling support over the past months and years,” he has posted on Facebook in response. Johnson is a Riccarton-Wigram Community Board member who 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 Christchurch gay community members to raise funds for community groups and reinvigorate the city's queer scene after the quakes. Fellow UpRising Trust trustee and Human Rights Commissioner Richard Tankersley says with the standard of the semi-finalists and finalists being so high, as in previous years, this award marks Johnson’s outstanding achievements in the Christchurch community in a very special way. “In addition to his work for the Student Volunteer Army, Sam has committed himself to the LGBTIQ community in Christchurch through his work for the UpRising Trust. It is great to see a young person from our Rainbow community acknowledged for his outstanding service to the wider community, and he can't help but be a positive role model for his peers. I look forward to continuing our work together.” You can discuss this New Zealand gay community news story in the GayNZ.com Forum.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 17th February 2012 - 10:30am