Tauranga Teen Wins $10k To Chase Acting Dream In New York
Momenta has named Ōmokoroa student Koen McKenzie as the first-ever recipient of its new Live The Life You Love Award, a $10,000 grant created to support disabled people across the Bay of Plenty to pursue bold personal goals.
The award is a new initiative from Momenta, a Bay of Plenty-based charitable trust that works alongside people with disabilities to help them build a life they value. Through coaching, mentoring, advocacy and work readiness, Momenta helps people to discover their strengths and step confidently into their futures.
The Live the Life You Love Award financially supports people with disabilities in bringing ambitious, life-changing ideas to life, from creative pursuits to personal challenges, business ideas and physical adventure.
Koen, a sixteen-year-old who lives with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, plans to use the funds to help attend the Teen Advanced Acting Program at the New York School of Creative and Performing Arts (SOCAPA). The world-class programme is a three-week intensive for young actors from around the globe, who get to train with industry professionals in acting, stagecraft and screen performance. Koen plans to travel to New York in mid-2026 to take part, which is a major step toward achieving his lifelong dream of a career in the performing arts.
Applications for the inaugural award opened in April 2025 and were available for several weeks. The opportunity was open to anyone aged 13 and over, with a disability, living in the Western or Eastern Bay of Plenty.
Momenta Chief Executive Shelley Blakey congratulates Koen on winning the Live the Life You Love Award.
Momenta Chief Executive Shelley Blakey says the selection panel was looking for applicants who demonstrated clear ambition, personal drive and a goal that would push them outside their comfort zone.
'The application process asked people to present a bold, meaningful goal. There were no strict limitations, and applicants were encouraged to dream big and think creatively. They also needed to show why it mattered to them,' says Shelley. 'We were looking for someone with passion, tenacity and a clear plan. Koen's application ticked every box. His dream has been years in the making, and it was clear that this opportunity would be both life-changing for him and inspiring to others.'
'He's already doing the mahi and has the heart, ambition and the follow-through. Koen's a powerful example of what's possible when people with a lived experience of disability are given the tools and belief to go after a life they love.'
Koen's passion for performing began at the age of five. Over the years, he's taken on lead roles in school productions, directed children's theatre, attended the National Youth Drama School for three consecutive years, is a finalist in the Tauranga Performing Arts Competition, and has recently enrolled in Trinity Musical Theatre and Speech and Drama exams. Koen makes it clear his disability doesn't hold him back from doing what he loves.
'I've dreamed about performing on a big stage since I was little,' says Koen. 'I've always been taught that 'I can't' isn't something we say at home, and this award proves that. Just because I have a disability doesn't mean I can't go after something big, and I want others to know that too. This is a huge step towards really making performing arts my future, growing my confidence and encouraging others to set their sights on a really big goal.'
Koen is also a strong advocate for inclusion, representing young people with disabilities through the Instep Young Leaders Programme and serving as Arts Leader at his school. He regularly uses his platform to promote disability representation in the arts and encourage others to pursue their passions.
To help cover the remaining $7,480 needed for the full cost of the programme, Koen will begin actively fundraising. Supporters can learn more or donate via www.koenmckenzie.com. Any funds raised beyond what's needed for his trip to New York will be donated to the Cerebral Palsy Society.
The award funding is held in trust as a long-term endowment through the Acorn Foundation, ensuring its ongoing impact for years to come. Moving forward, the award will be offered annually to help other disabled people across the Bay of Plenty step boldly toward their goals.
You can follow Koen's journey and learn more about the Live the Life You Love Award at www.momenta.org.nz or on social media @MomentaCharitableTrust
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
15 hours ago
- Scoop
Tobiahs Releases Debut Project 'TO YOU, BY US (VOL. 1)
15 August 2025 After amassing tens of millions of views and over a billion streams across his recent releases, and fresh off sold-out tours across the US, UK, and EU, Naarm-based Lebanese-Australian dance producer Tobiahs today releases his debut body of work: an 8-track project titled TO YOU, BY US (VOL. 1). For Tobiahs, connection has always been at the heart of his artistry. Over the past few years, the producer and DJ has cultivated a devoted community, one that doesn't just listen to his music, but helps shape it. With TO YOU, BY US (VOL. 1), Tobiahs puts his community at the heart of the project. Each track is a fan favourite, chosen through real-time feedback, and the collective voice of his audience. It's the first in a series of projects shaped entirely by the people who know and love the music most. The eight tracks capture moments that have lived and breathed across Tobiahs' different communities - whether it's sample suggestions from fans in his DMs and Discord or late-night YouTube dives shared on Twitch. Each song holds a story of connection, chosen not just for how it sounds, but for how it resonates with the people who helped shape it. 'These are the songs my community backed - from sharing clips of me testing them at shows to jumping into Twitch sessions and dropping feedback in real time. So much of what I create is shaped by the people around me, and this project is a direct reflection of that.' - Tobiahs Today's release features new single 'Before You Broke My Heart' a track that was first debuted live by Tobiahs at his 004 Melbourne show and has had fans eagerly requesting its release ever since. It's a beautifully melancholic track that features soulful piano and vocal performances over a bouncy house beat, showcasing Tobiahs' softer side while maintaining energy for the dance floor. The project also includes Tobiahs' recent breakout releases, including the freshly dropped 'Cross Your Mind', and the massive 'Lifetime', a track that has amassed over 75 million streams, gained support from Tiësto and Keinemusik, and climbed to become the #1 global trending sound on Instagram. It also includes the back-to-back 90s soul-inspired house anthems 'Alone' and 'Angel of Mine', the latter of which has charted in the UK, hit the Top 20 on Australian national radio, and received strong UK airplay across Capital Dance, KISS, and BBC Radio 1. This run of success has been matched by widespread DSP editorial support, including a #1 spot on Apple Music UK's Dance XL and the cover of Massive Dance Hits. In under 18 months, Tobiahs has clocked over 125 million streams and 58 million social views, with sold-out headline shows across London, Delhi, and Toronto, and a debut of his new live show to more than 5,000 fans across Sydney and Melbourne. This project isn't just a personal milestone; it's a community artefact. TO YOU, BY US (VOL. 1) celebrates the power of direct artist-to-fan relationships. Tobiahs' sound lives in the tension between euphoria and melancholy, intimacy and energy, rooted in club culture but grounded in emotional storytelling. It's this duality that has cemented his place as one of the most compelling new voices in Australian electronic music.
Scoop
17 hours ago
- Scoop
Tauranga Teen Wins $10k To Chase Acting Dream In New York
Ōmokoroa student Koen McKenzie named first-ever recipient of Momenta's new award for people with lived experience of disability in the Bay of Plenty Momenta has named Ōmokoroa student Koen McKenzie as the first-ever recipient of its new Live The Life You Love Award, a $10,000 grant created to support disabled people across the Bay of Plenty to pursue bold personal goals. The award is a new initiative from Momenta, a Bay of Plenty-based charitable trust that works alongside people with disabilities to help them build a life they value. Through coaching, mentoring, advocacy and work readiness, Momenta helps people to discover their strengths and step confidently into their futures. The Live the Life You Love Award financially supports people with disabilities in bringing ambitious, life-changing ideas to life, from creative pursuits to personal challenges, business ideas and physical adventure. Koen, a sixteen-year-old who lives with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, plans to use the funds to help attend the Teen Advanced Acting Program at the New York School of Creative and Performing Arts (SOCAPA). The world-class programme is a three-week intensive for young actors from around the globe, who get to train with industry professionals in acting, stagecraft and screen performance. Koen plans to travel to New York in mid-2026 to take part, which is a major step toward achieving his lifelong dream of a career in the performing arts. Applications for the inaugural award opened in April 2025 and were available for several weeks. The opportunity was open to anyone aged 13 and over, with a disability, living in the Western or Eastern Bay of Plenty. Momenta Chief Executive Shelley Blakey congratulates Koen on winning the Live the Life You Love Award. Momenta Chief Executive Shelley Blakey says the selection panel was looking for applicants who demonstrated clear ambition, personal drive and a goal that would push them outside their comfort zone. 'The application process asked people to present a bold, meaningful goal. There were no strict limitations, and applicants were encouraged to dream big and think creatively. They also needed to show why it mattered to them,' says Shelley. 'We were looking for someone with passion, tenacity and a clear plan. Koen's application ticked every box. His dream has been years in the making, and it was clear that this opportunity would be both life-changing for him and inspiring to others.' 'He's already doing the mahi and has the heart, ambition and the follow-through. Koen's a powerful example of what's possible when people with a lived experience of disability are given the tools and belief to go after a life they love.' Koen's passion for performing began at the age of five. Over the years, he's taken on lead roles in school productions, directed children's theatre, attended the National Youth Drama School for three consecutive years, is a finalist in the Tauranga Performing Arts Competition, and has recently enrolled in Trinity Musical Theatre and Speech and Drama exams. Koen makes it clear his disability doesn't hold him back from doing what he loves. 'I've dreamed about performing on a big stage since I was little,' says Koen. 'I've always been taught that 'I can't' isn't something we say at home, and this award proves that. Just because I have a disability doesn't mean I can't go after something big, and I want others to know that too. This is a huge step towards really making performing arts my future, growing my confidence and encouraging others to set their sights on a really big goal.' Koen is also a strong advocate for inclusion, representing young people with disabilities through the Instep Young Leaders Programme and serving as Arts Leader at his school. He regularly uses his platform to promote disability representation in the arts and encourage others to pursue their passions. To help cover the remaining $7,480 needed for the full cost of the programme, Koen will begin actively fundraising. Supporters can learn more or donate via Any funds raised beyond what's needed for his trip to New York will be donated to the Cerebral Palsy Society. The award funding is held in trust as a long-term endowment through the Acorn Foundation, ensuring its ongoing impact for years to come. Moving forward, the award will be offered annually to help other disabled people across the Bay of Plenty step boldly toward their goals. You can follow Koen's journey and learn more about the Live the Life You Love Award at or on social media @MomentaCharitableTrust
Newsroom
19 hours ago
- Newsroom
The Sunday Poem, by Mark Prisco
cat the cat mourns like it feels pain, silently. he doesn't give himself away like a nightingale. talks only when he has to; slinks crevices of what you think when you're not thinking looking out the window. he came to inspect the hole i dug at the end of the day & sniffed it before i filled it up again. he knows death. like me there's a dark spot in him somewhere which he gets used to & forgets. Taken with kind permission from the new anthology Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2025 (Massey University Press, $37) edited by Dr Tracey Slaughter, and available in bookstores nationwide. It's the latest annual of the yearbook founded in 1951 by Louis Johnson and serves as a subjective, sometimes eccentric best-of round-up of new poetry in New Zealand. The 2025 iteration has 141 new poems by 127 poets, including Victor Billot, Fiona Kidman, Damien Levi, Amber Esau, Diane Brown, Michael Steven, and Erik Kennedy, and three winners of its schools' competition, Ellie Zhou, St Andrew's College (Year 11), Jasmine Liu, Rangitoto College (Year 12) and Chloe Morrison-Clarke, Papanui High School (Year 13). The yearbook always shines a light on a featured poet and in 2025 the honour belongs to Hamilton-based Mark Prisco, with 15 poems. Tracey Slaughter describes him as a 'writer who lives and breathes his craft and is willing to work nights at Countdown if it means [he] gets to keep scratching down lines'. In his dazzling review of the Yearbook, Charles Bisley singled out Prisco, writing, 'Prisco's phantasmagoric reveries have stayed in my mind…[his poems] are holding on for dear life.' Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day will take place next Friday, August 22. The full programme of nationwide events includes live performances of poetry and music by David Eggleton and others at Te Puna Creative Hub, Henderson; an open mic night at HB Williams Memorial Library, 34 Bright Street, Gisborne; a poetry and pizza event at Firebird Café, Levin; and an all-star cast led by poetry czar Nick Ascroft will read their own work as well as poems by such as the late Fleur Adcock, Vincent O'Sullivan and Paula Harris at Rongomaraeroa, Te Marae, Level 4, Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington. .
