Toby Ireland
Kia ora my name is Toby Ireland and I am a student from Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) who has been on the Youth Council since 2025. From a young age, I had a love of sport and recreation, participating in cross country, gymnastics, rock climbing, swimming, sailing, triathlon, athletics and most recently, rowing. I hold a number of NZ age-grade running and world indoor rowing records. While I love competing, I am also passionate about access to recreation for everyone. Over the last 18 years, I have bungee jumped, tramped, abseiled, skydived, rafted, zip lined, jumped off numerous high bridges and cliffs, gone on Outward Bound and was lucky enough to get a scholarship to NASA to participate in astronaut training at space camp. I am legally blind and use the platform the Youth Council provides to try and help make access to sport and recreation easier, sustainable and more accessible for those who follow. My hope is that one day soon, access and inclusion will have improved so much that we will not need the Youth Council.
