James Avenell

Hi, my name is James. I am 16 years old and I go to Dunstan High School in Alexandra.

I am very passionate about Technology and the Outdoors. With my Technology passion, I run several businesses. I am currently working on a new company called Kekule Games (Kekule-games.com). The rest of my time is spent doing anything and everything outdoors from ski touring and biking to jet boating and hunting in addition to working towards my Gold Duke of Edinburgh award and volunteering within Central Otago.

I am currently in NCEA Level 2 however last year I completed a Level 3 Computer Science course. This year to complement the Computer Science course I completed last year I am doing two first-year university papers at Waikato, COMPX101 and COMPX102. 

Last year I developed a project called Intent Huts NZ (intenthuts.nz) whose aim was to enable and encourage people to venture further into the New Zealand backcountry and help them plan their adventures. This was a great endeavor and Is still running and being used. I'm not particularly good at sitting still however so I am now beginning to develop a new project for people like me who are applying for their driver's license and don't want to constantly check the booking site to see if a slot has opened up.

At the beginning of the year, I got to go on my Spirit of Adventure voyage and had an absolute blast, I'd been on a 5-day voyage so i figured that the 10 days would be 2 times better, it wasn't, it was 100 times better! I really enjoyed sailing the luggers (small sailboats) and the mast climb, so much that some of us did it twice! It was an amazing trip and I am extremely grateful to the Pinnacle Programme for the amazing opportunity.

To end, a quote from Ernest Hemingway which I admire "There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self."