Sonni Manning

Tena Koutou
Ko Tainui te waka
Ko Taupiri te maunga
Ko Waikato te awa
Ko Ngati Tipa te hapu
Ko Te Kotahitanga te marae
Ko Sonni Te Ora Manning toku ingoa

Kia Ora, my name is Sonni Manning and I am a 17 year old student studying at Auckland Grammar School. This year, I am a school prefect and a boarding prefect. Although I board in Auckland, I am from and live in Waiuku.

I have a diverse range of interests; spanning from basketball to performing arts. However, my greatest passions are singing, acting and modelling. At the conclusion of 2022, I was accepted into the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir for the 2023-2024 course. I am also a part of both of my school’s choirs. I was recently casted as Lucas Beineke in our school’s conjoint production with St Cuthbert's College in “The Addams Family”, where we hope to perform in late June. I also love to act. Last year I was casted as Jason Hohepa on “Shortland Street” which gave me a lot more confidence and experience as a young, teenage actor new to the industry. I also will be in a couple more projects which I am excited to work on further into the year. 

Another great passion of mine is basketball. I have played basketball for the past 8 years and played in my school’s Under 17 A team last year where we placed 2nd in our Auckland regional competition and hope to trial and make it into the premier team this year. Basketball has allowed me to keep fit and active and make so many new friends. 

I am also interested in modelling. I started modelling after I signed with my agency last year and I have been extremely lucky enough to shoot with brands such as Nike, Converse, Adidas, Puma, I love Ugly and more. Modelling has given me so much experience and skill in front of the camera which is extremely helpful for me since I would love to pursue a career in film as an actor. 

Away from the arts and sport, I also am a volunteer lifeguard at my local beach, Karioitahi. We patrol every three weeks and compete annually at the national IRB racing competition.

Finally, I would love to travel to USA to study Drama at NYU Tisch School of the Arts or New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, preferably once my course for NZSSC has concluded, but all in all, I am so grateful to be apart of this programme and am super excited to start my journey with Stage 1.