Anti-spiking device wins YES awards

16/10/08

A device designed to stop drink spiking has won its Catholic Cathedral College company this year’s Canterbury regional Young Enterprise Scheme Award. 

“Spikey” grabbed local and national media attention for the “Clever Kids” company behind the device and means the team members Rodelyn Avila, Hannah Freestone and Jeanette Butler have won $250 , the regional YES trophy, the Outside The Square Co-ordinator’s Media & Marketing Award, and a trip to Wellington to compete in the national awards on Wednesday, November 5. 

On top of all that, Rodelyn Avila has also won the University of Canterbury College of Business and Economics Student of the Year Scholarship, worth $4300 , towards first year fees.

The awards, organised by Canterbury Development Corporation’s Outside The Square team, are assessed on a combination of marks from their business presentation to business judges, the year’s progress, operation of their business and their annual report. 

Presenting the awards at the Christchurch City Council Chambers today, Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker enthused that the young people were a “necessity” for the city’s future.

The Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme attracted 266 senior students in 50 companies from 14 Canterbury secondary schools vying for the regional awards.  Regional runner-up team “Zweet” from Rangi Ruru Girls’ School won the ASB Bank Excellence Award for Financial Management and the Outside The Square Co-ordinator’s Communication Award.

The inaugural Science Alive Innovation Award went to “Eminence”, an Avonside Girls High School team.

Other Outside The Square Co-ordinator awards went to the following teams:  Sustainability:  “Envirofern” (St Thomas of Canterbury); Business Practice:  “EB Tech” (Rangiora High School); Commitment:  “Knights” (Middleton Grange).

Catholic Cathedral College’s Richard Jolly won Outside The Square Canterbury YES teacher of the year and Mark and Jocelyn Larson who worked with Kaiapoi High School team “Aspirations” won the Outside The Square Canterbury YES mentor of the year awards.

“The YES programme is only possible because of the enthusiastic school teachers involved, who are assisted by a broad range of business mentors who offer their time for free to encourage the next generation of business people,”  Outside the Square coordinator Karen Goldsworthy says.

Canterbury Development Corporation Chief Executive Bill Luff thanked the generous support of local business people for making the awards possible.

“Canterbury Development Corporation supports the YES scheme because the whole idea is to embed a more enterprising culture into Canterbury.  It’s wonderful that local businesses and organisations also value the development of an enterprise future by sponsoring awards".