“You just have to start”: Students receive Girlboss awards
Last month’s Canterbury Girlboss Awards shone a spotlight on female excellence, with two University of Canterbury students taking home awards.
At just 18-year-old, Elisa Harley is the founder of Enivo pots, an initiative that provides biodegradable plant pots.
Her journey began at the age of 12, by selling succulents to fundraise gymnastics competitions, leaving her with a bunch of plastic plant pots. Further discovering, that Aotearoa uses 350 million single use plastic plant pots every year, that’s when she knew there was a problem that she could solve.
Elisa Harley. Photo supplied.
Harnessing this idea to become a product, in 2022, Harley collaborated with scientists at the New Zealand Crown Research Forestry Institute.
“They coached me through the whole process, looking into different plant particles and the properties we had to achieve to make sure that the material held together in nurseries, but then also biodegraded in the correct amount of time” Harley explained.
In recognition of her efforts, Harley received the Innovation Girlboss Canterbury Award.
Now a first year Industrial Product Design Student, Harley’s story is even more inspiring given that she dropped all sciences during high school.
Today, she has experienced so much more then she could ever dreamed, speaking to young students through the National Youth Leadership Day speaker, touring the country.
“I spoke to 7,600 students between year five to year eight, it was the highlight of my life.” Harley shared.
“I had young girls coming up to me being like ‘I’m going to change the world.’”
Looking forward to the future of Enivo pots, the product is moving into a pilot trail with a manufacturer in Auckland, to produce a small batch and then going commercial.
“Things are moving really fast at the moment,” she shared. “It’ is such a privilege to be able to make mistakes while we are young.”
Elisa Harley. Photo supplied.
17-year-old Ruby Love-Smith is the co-founder for Kicks for Kids - an initiative run by the Christchurch Youth Council, where shoes are collected by donation, cleaned and then redistributed.
So far, the team as seen over 1200 pairs sent out to tamariki across Ōtautahi, providing those without warm and durable shoes.
Her dedication earned her the Leadership Girlboss Canterbury Award.
“Meeting the kids and seeing them sort through the shoes, showing us the ones that they've got, we see parents as well coming in and getting shoes for themselves and for their family,” Love-Smith shared.
Ruby Love-Smith. Photo supplied.
During the distribution phase, Love-Smith finds herself cleaning days on end to get shoes ready.
“Having to find the matching pair to the shoe, and figuring out what size it is, takes a while too,” she explained.
Despite the hard work, the experience is deeply rewarding.
“It’s awesome to see the excitement and how we're able to actually help people and see the lives that this is impacting” Love-Smith said.
Alongside this mahi, Ruby also serves as a Youth Member of Parliament (MP) for Banks Peninsula. A four-month tenure, that simulates parliament.
During her time, Love-Smith was passionate about supporting unpaid carers, a role that holds a huge value in society, with around 500,000 New Zealand’s providing vital care.
“When we did public consultation, we found cuts to respite care and payments were having a negative impact on people” Love-Smith said. “I thought these cuts appalling, carers know what's best for them.”
Ruby Love-Smith. Photo supplied.
Ruby, is finishing her final year at Hagley College, having completed a STAR course in semester one. She plans to study a Bachelor of Laws in 2026.
“You just have to start, especially while we are young,” Love-Smith concluded.
Together, Elisa Harley and Ruby Love-Smith are powerful examples of how young women can use passion to create meaningful change in their communities and the rest of Aotearoa.