Kia ora! I'm Miro-Thomas Ireson, a Year 13 student from Wellington, New Zealand.
I study a mix of sciences, humanities and social sciences, but geography and climate science are where it all comes together for me. Living in New Zealand makes that pretty easy — we're on the boundary of two tectonic plates, and the landscape that creates is hard to ignore when it's literally outside your door.
Most weekends I'm on Te Awa Kairangi (the Hutt River) training as a Grade 2 whitewater guide. The river runs off the Tararua Range and the rapids are a direct product of the same tectonic uplift I study in class, which i find really interesting (It's like mixed media geography). Outside of that I tramp the Tararua Ranges, look after beehives (Wellington's native mānuka flora makes for incredible honey), and fish Cook Strait — where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean run into each other in what is honestly one of the roughest, most interesting bits of coastline on the planet. I'm also a Venturer Scout, the highest youth level of Scouting NZ, so a lot of my life revolves around reading and exploring the Motu (Island/s) of NZ.
Back at school I lead debating and get involved in politics where I can. One thing I love about New Zealand is that anyone can walk into parliament — no appointment, no security theatre, just open doors. That kind of accessibility shapes how young people here think about civic life, and it's something I find worth talking about.
I'm keen to connect with delegates from all over, especially South Korea — I'd love to compare notes on how geography and political culture shape the way young people live in different places.
Ngā mihi,
Miro-Thomas Ireson
Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand 🇳🇿
