Owning It

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐛𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞?

According to Stats NZ, the unemployment rate for 15–24-year-olds rose from 13.1% to 15.2% in the year to September 2025.

Yet, my eldest son walked into a fast-food restaurant last week and was offered a job within a day. A few days later, a retail pharmacy called inviting him for an interview for a Christmas casual role.

So… what’s going on here? Are there jobs for teens or not?

Here’s what happened.

For nearly six months, my son had been applying for part-time roles online — with hardly any response.

But a week and a half ago, he decided to do it the old-fashioned way — printed CVs in hand, walking into stores and asking, “Do you have any Christmas casual or part-time roles?”

Most people told him to apply online. Some took his CV and set it aside.

But when he walked into one fast-food restaurant, the regional manager happened to be there. She chatted with my son, took his CV, scheduled an interview the next day — and offered him the job the day after that.

The lesson?

When you apply online, you’re just one of hundreds (if not thousands) of files in a system.

But when you walk in confidently, introduce yourself, and show initiative — you stand out. You might just meet someone who can make a decision on the spot.

So to young people out there:

👉 Be bold.
👉 Show up.
👉 Sometimes, the “old-school” way is still the best way.

𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 15 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐭 𝐎𝐧 𝐌𝐲 𝐎𝐰𝐧 (𝐌𝐈𝐎𝐌𝐎), 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 "𝐎𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐭"!

Yvonne Godfrey laid the foundation with a life-changing programme that equipped teenagers with the essential life skills to truly “make it on their own.” In 2020—right in the middle of the pandemic—she passed the baton to me.

Together, over the last 15 years, MIOMO has impacted more than 700 young people and their families, leaving a lasting, positive mark that continues to grow.

Our “why” has always been the same: to equip and empower young people to take ownership of their lives, and to support parents with the skills to guide them. That hasn’t changed. But in recent years, we’ve heard feedback such as:

- “We don’t want our young people to be alone.”
- “Our culture values collective interdependence, not independence.”
- “Faith teaches our young people to rely on God, not themselves.”
- “I struggle to pronounce your organisation’s name.”

None of these reflect what MIOMO was ever meant to communicate.

At the start of this year, I sensed it was time for a shift—a nudge into a new era. The mission remains the same, but the name and identity will evolve, carrying the work forward with fresh clarity and the same heart.

So here’s to taking ownership of our lives, our future, and our destiny. We are OwningIt!

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐈 𝐃𝐎 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈 𝐃𝐎

As part of Budget 2025, the government will tighten benefit eligibility for 18- and 19-year-olds. From 2027, nearly 9,000 young people will no longer qualify for unemployment support — shifting the financial responsibility back to parents unless the young person is working or studying.

𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 — 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖?

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 — 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆?

After years of working closely with young adults, teaching them essential life skills — identity, purpose, emotional intelligence, communication, motivation — I’ve seen a clear gap between what’s taught in schools and what’s actually needed to thrive in the real world.

Many assume “life skills” means cooking, changing a tyre, or gardening — things that can be learnt in 30 seconds on TikTok. But the deeper, more transformative life skills are about who you are, why you do what you do, and how you connect and contribute in society.

Unfortunately, these skills are often viewed as a “nice to have”:

- Not part of the curriculum, so schools deprioritize them.
- Not immediately measurable, so parents overlook them.
- Not urgent — until it’s too late.

But here’s the reality:
- A student with top grades who can’t hold a conversation? Struggles to get hired.

- An athlete with accolades but no internal drive? Struggles with long-term direction.

- A teen who's never been taught to navigate conflict or failure? Struggles with resilience.

Parents will invest thousands in music lessons, sports, or overseas trips — but hesitate to invest in coaching that prepares our young people for life.

This might sound self-serving — but it’s not about me. It’s about asking the hard question:

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦?

Let’s start having that conversation.