My Account
He may be doing a degree in computer science and targeting a career at one of Google’s overseas offices, but Taila Johnston, aged 20, of Arkles Bay, is no computer geek. Best known for setting up the Clean Coast campaign on Facebook, he also stood in this year’s local government elections for the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board – an effort that required fitting campaigning around full time university study and working shifts at the local cinema. As he told Terry Moore, if you stay busy, being bored is not an option.
When I was very young I decided that, one day, I would work for Google. That is the first goal I can remember setting for myself, I imagined it happening and it’s still what I plan to do. I have a massive ‘Google’ sign above my bed. At the same time I don’t see myself in a room typing code for the rest of my life, but if I understand it, I can drive a team and be in a leadership role – I like pushing people and getting things done.
I was in an ICT class at Whangaparaoa Primary but asked mum to shift me to Gulf Harbour School because of the digital classrooms they have there. More than half the work there was done on computers so it suited me. I went to Westlake College, because many of my friends from Gulf Harbour School were going there and it was the best decision I ever made. It was good discipline, focused on behaviour and punctuality, the way you look and present yourself out in the community, and leadership. I was a prefect and Pacifica leader there in Year 13. Although I consider myself a Kiwi, the Pacifica thing came about because my Mum’s Rarotongan. We go to Rarotonga every three years or so and take that culture into account in various ways, but the main influence it’s had in my upbringing is the strong family focus of the Pacific Islanders. Dad’s from Bluff, so my twin brothers (aged 14) and I are definitely a blend. At college, I also took part in lots of fundraisers, like the 40 Hour Famine, and that made me feel really good – I experienced karma, which I believe in a lot. If you put good things into what you do, good things come back.
The Clean Coast Facebook page is something I started up partly because when I was at Primary school, Mum was strict about making sure I had eaten all my lunch before I could have a treat after school. I used to throw the contents of my lunchbox out on my way home, down a bank on a walkway in Arkles Bay, so I could get those treats. It never bothered me until one day I was running past there and saw the huge piles of rubbish that had collected from other people doing the same thing. I swear I could still recognise packets and things I’d chucked out years before but there were also plastics, skateboards and all kinds of stuff people had turfed down the bank – it looked like a pile ready for the inorganic rubbish collection. When I saw all that rubbish I knew it wasn’t right. I’d come to the realisation that the Coast is a beautiful place and not to be taken for granted. I went back and we cleared it all out and got it ready for Council to take to the tip. It was an enormous pile and I wrote on it ‘Keep the Coast Clean’ – then it became huge on social media. A lot of young people got involved and became more aware of what we throw away and how to keep this beautiful area clean. I started working at a local skate/surf retailer as a manager a couple of months ago and when we take groups of kids out for surf lessons I’ll be making sure we clean up the beach and I’ll talk to them about the environment. I enjoy hanging out with younger kids – could be because I’m a big kid myself – and I want to help turn them into respectable youth. Teaching skating and surfing comes pretty naturally as I like keeping fit and have always been into sport – any type of sport. As well as surfing, running and skate boarding I’ve played for Raiders, Hibiscus Coast Hawks, soccer, volleyball, tennis club and many, many times for Mum’s netball team.
Last local government elections, I stood for the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board and was not successful, but I think the work I’m doing instead will give me plenty of opportunities to improve my leadership skills and increase my networks. What I wanted to do in politics was to give the kids a voice and help make the community better for them. But when I talk to kids now, they are more likely to listen to me as their surf or skate instructor than if I did it as a politician. In some ways I think not getting into local government was a blessing in disguise – this way I get more life experience, get to meet new people and in three years give it another shot. The campaign was a cool experience and I learned a lot. A lot of people I talked to, of all ages, were confused about local body politics and the processes involved. I learned it is important to be honest: if you tell any fibs, you dig yourself a really big hole. I got a lot of support from running mate Gaye Harding and John Kirikiri, but I think inexperience and not having wide enough networks was why I didn’t make it in.
While I was campaigning, I was also at University and the last semester was really difficult because I had to put all my energy into the election campaign. At the same time I was working at Hoyts Cinema, sometimes doing double shifts, and of course, like anyone my age, keeping in contact with all my friends. Next year I’ll be doing another full time year of study towards my Bachelor of Computer Science, as well as working. I like to keep busy; I don’t like having too much time on my hands. Of course computer science is a rapidly changing field and that was one of the first things that our lecturers told us on day one: ‘by the time you graduate, everything that you’ve learned is not going to be relevant’. I used Facebook and other social media quite a bit during the election campaign, but I’ve pulled back on it since. I do website and IT work in my job at the store, but I don’t want to be using a computer all the time over summer. Despite my study in computer science, I have always believed it’s not right to sit in front of a screen too much – it’s not healthy, but you have to understand the problem before you can solve it. If I do eventually work for Google I want to focus on keeping people balanced and making sure they do plenty of exercise – it’s important to realise the risks that come with using digital devices.
My Mum is the kind of person who knows everyone and I’m sure that’s where I get my enjoyment of working with people from. We moved to the Coast from Nelson when I was nine years old, because of Dad’s work. I love Nelson, it’s still home in a way, and when I went into politics I was hoping to make the Coast more like that, with great markets and lots going on. My Dad is a master mariner and can drive anything that floats, so he is generally only home for about half the year. When I was campaigning he was studying and he made sure he was here which was great – I think I saw him for the longest time at one stretch that he’s ever been home, and it meant when it had been a full on day I didn’t have to mow the lawns!
