Anja Filip

(18) ENVIRONMENTAL LEADER

Anja Filip is an Environmental Educator/ Outdoor Leader with a strong connection to the natural environment. The former Westlake Girls student says that from a young age she spent her days climbing trees, tramping, or exploring rivers and mangroves. She’s an avid adventurer, loves tramping, mountain biking, bouldering, kayaking, and bush bashing/ navigating to carry out pest control.

At Westlake Girls, Anja founded Westlake Kaitiaki, an environmental education group. Teaching other students practical conservation skills, such as pest trapping, tree planting and water testing, in an effort to share the outdoors and nature with other youth, to inspire them to be leaders.

Anja is a leader in Forest and Bird Youth Auckland and on national committees. She also volunteers at MERC – the Sir Peter Blake Marine Centre at Long Bay, and is a volunteer instructor with Experiencing Marine Reserves Auckland.

In future, she plans a variety of careers, including being a DOC Ranger; an Outdoor Instructor and Environmental Educator for schools and communities.

Anja took a big step towards these goals, moving to Christchurch in February to begin a Bachelor's Degree in Sustainability and Outdoor Education at Ara, the Institute of Canterbury.

In 2022, Anja was selected as ‘Auckland Region' delegate on the prestigious BLAKE Inspire programme, where she was able to develop as a young Environmental Ambassador. She received a full scholarship, learnt about land biodiversity, freshwater, adventure tourism, governmental policy and worked alongside leading scientists.

In 2021, she gained a scholarship from the Hyundai Pinnacle Programme, which provides leadership and mentorship opportunities for passionate, talented, young New Zealanders. Anja, one of 12 selected from 350 applicants for Stage 1, was then granted a second scholarship into Stage 2.

Anja is a high achiever academically, too many achievements to list! Some other awards include: North Shore MP’s 'Excellence in Community Contribution Award for 2022’; School award for ‘Outstanding leadership as Environmental Prefect’; School award for ‘Outstanding leadership for Westlake Kaitiaki'.

After completing her degree at Ara, Anja plans to tramp Te Araroa. Te Araroa is a trail the length of NZ, from Cape Reinga to Bluff (3000km). Along the trail she aims to stop at schools and communities to educate and collaborate with them on how to start conservation projects (providing the example of Westlake Kaitiaki). She then would like to make her Te Araroa/Westlake Kaitiaki initiative a national organisation, effectively similar to Westlake Kaitaki, but on a larger scale.

Anja Filip receives a North Harbour Club AIMES Emerging Talent Award, sponsored by Bellingham Wallace, and a cash grant of $7,500.