Our Mentorship Program

Celebrating West Coast people who are made of gold.

West Coasters don’t like to blow their own trumpets, so we’re doing it for them. We’re celebrating the achievements of some of our most accomplished locals and matchingthemup with talented youngsters from the area who dream of following in their footsteps. Just like our gold, our people are also a precious resource and our mentorship programmes will help them strike gold in their own lives.

How it works

Success is better when it’s shared, so we’re celebrating the achievements of some of our most accomplished West Coasters and matching them up with high-potential Tamariki from the area who want to follow in their footsteps. Together, we hope they can strike even more gold and create more West Coast world-beaters.

Application Process

If you think you’ve got potential and would like some guidance and inspiration, then put your name in the hat by emailing us at hello@madeofgold.com

Tell us your name, school, contact details, a bit about your passions and goals that you would like to nurture with our luminaries.

Mentor Pairing

We will match successful applicants with our talented mentors based on their interests and needs.

The Program

Through a combination of informal discussions and formal learning, we hope to take that raw West Coast talent and refine it. All going well, some of the recipients might end up doing the mentoring for the next generation of Coasters.

Meet our Luminaries

Luminary: A person who inspires or influences others, especially one prominent in a particular sphere

Athlete | Paralympian in Javlin

Holly Robinson

Holly Robinson specialises in the javelin and was selected to represent New Zealand at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.

Since then, she has won a number of medals at international events, but it wasn’t until the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games that she struck gold for the first time. Holly was born in Hokitika and of Ngāi Tahu descent, she arrived into the world with a congenital limb reduction and her left arm ended below the elbow. Holly started para-athletics when she was 12 and competed in her first major international competition at the age of 17.
Outside sport, Holly completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Physical Activity Health and Wellness in 2015 and has done a lot of work developing fundamental skill programmes in Dunedin schools. More recently, she has been working for Drug-Free Sport New Zealand in the education space and Athletics New Zealand in the inclusion space. And through the Gold for Good programme, she’s aiming to help inspire others to overcome their obstacles and shine as brightly as she has.

Musician & Songwriter

Katie Thompson

Katie Thompson is an alt-country artist who hails from the West Coast - and, like Made of Gold, is regularly inspired by it.

With three full-length studio albums under her belt, she garnered recognition as a finalist in the 2020 New Zealand Country Music Awards, earning nominations for Best Country Song and Best Country Artist, and she has opened for legendary artists such as Sir Elton John in 2011 and performed at the Christchurch Town Hall in 2023.
Beyond her own achievements as a musician, she is also committed to nurturing talent. She is a mentor for MMF Aotearoa, a songwriting mentor for the NZ Music Commission and is spearheading a programme to assist artists outside the main centres of New Zealand. She also played a pivotal role in creating the SOLE Speaker Series in Ōtautahi / Christchurch.
Made of Gold also backs local artists and designers and, to celebrate the company’s launch, Katie was commissioned to write a song about it. Appropriately enough, it’s called ‘Made of Gold’ and it’s an absolute banger.

Athlete | Rugby & League

Rosie Kelly

Hokitika-born Rosie Kelly developed a deep love for the outdoors in her young years, finding solace in the rugged landscapes that surrounded her.

Sport was also a big part of her life and she embraced a wide range of athletic endeavours, excelling in sprinting, cross-country, netball and rugby. That excellence continued and, in 2023, she made her international rugby debut for New Zealand when the Black Ferns played Australia, marking a significant milestone in her sporting journey.
Her passion, skill, dedication and unwavering loyalty to her team are qualities that make her a formidable force on the field. And her enthusiasm makes her an inspiring force off it. By getting involved in this mentorship programme, she wants to show talented young women like her that it’s possible to come from the Coast and perform at the highest level.

Keep up with our Luminaries

Our founder Shaun and luminaries Holly, Rosie and Katie ventured to Westland High School to talk to the Senior School about their journey starting out on the Coast to striking gold on the New Zealand and international stages. In this candid Q&A, we hear all about their challenges and triumphs, their goals...