Tanya Perese-Scott

- Story by Alex Lowrie

It was such an incredibly humbling experience to talk to Tanya; within the first few minutes I could tell there was something incredibly unique about her.

It’s not hard to get caught up and take what may seem like simple aspects of life for granted, for example, shelter, warmth, food and water. There are thousands of people in New Zealand who are not so lucky to have these simple luxuries. It can also be all too easy to ignore the issue and not feel responsible for the lives of those who need support. Tanya is not one of those people.

Currently in her second year studying a Bachelor of Business majoring in Marketing and Business information systems, Tanya has always showed an interest in helping people, “whether it be in call centres or in customer service, I love to help.” What sets Tanya apart, and what made me so eager to talk to her were the incredible lengths in which Tanya has gone to do so. 

Tanya attended Aorere College and describes her years there as difficult due to the fact that she felt as though she didn’t fit in. However being the incredibly resourceful young woman she is turned this into something meaningful. She explained that this was part of the reason that she felt so attached to the Pay it Forward cause, as she knows what its like to feel like an outsider.

Having finished work for the day at a call centre, Tanya went outside where she saw a man looking through a bin. She was further brought to tears when she witnessed him pull out a box and start chewing on some old chicken bones. Having witnessed this act of desperation Tanya offered the man some food and began talking to him. Intrigued by the man, Tanya ventured with him to the Symonds St cemetery where this man along with a group of others had been living. “They had what were kind of apartments. They had their cardboard set up and they didn’t go into each others areas.” 

This was the beginning of an incredible journey through something that Tanya now describes as a hugely important part of her life. 

Determined to make a change Tanya set out to enlist other, like-minded individuals to help feed Auckland’s homeless. Although first admitting she thought it may be a long shot, she reached out on Facebook to her friends to see if anybody was interested, “I was so shocked with the amount of people who wanted to help. On one of the nights we even had a guy from Shortland Street come along.” It was here that Tanya’s charity Pay it Forward was formed. 

The charity set out to do a dinner run once a month for homeless people all around Auckland’s CBD. Not only offering meals but also companionship to those who are in need. A local centre offered their kitchen for free and Tanya and her crew set to work, cooking and packaging meals, which they would then go on to hand out to over 200 people in need. In addition to this, Tanya’s admirable commitment to the cause saw her gather and donate piles of clothing, “I put my address on Facebook and asked anyone who had any spare clothes to just chuck it over the fence, and came home to a huge pile on my lawn” soap, deodorant and toiletry items to many members of the homeless community.

It can be such a rarity to see such generous selfless acts of kindness today from anyone let alone someone who at the time was just 20 years young. Tanya shared with me the mantra that her dad always told her, “it is better to give than to receive”, a statement which has obviously inspired a greatness and enthusiasm to help.

Being the middle child out of ten, family has played a huge role in Tanya’s life. I asked about her what her parents thought about her work, as I’m sure most would be immensely proud of such achievements. 

“My mum is very proud of me…at first Dad was hesitant about it but after meeting Christine, a young homeless woman who was 6 or 7 months pregnant at the time, he began to see that they are just people.” Tanya went on to explain that this is a very significant aspect of why she does what she does. She reiterated the importance of being gracious and open minded about people who you see living on the streets, “I want to change peoples minds about the homeless so they don’t just see the stereotype.” It can be so easy to pass judgement but as Tanya so beautifully put it, “that person has a family, that’s somebodies son.”

Amongst her other pursuits, Tanya is an AUT ambassador and peer mentor, furthering her commitment to her pastimes and her incredible audacity to give back as much as she can. Being the first out of her siblings to attend university, she hopes she will inspire her younger brothers and sisters to do what makes them happy.

With such dedication to all aspects of life Tanya is most definitely one to watch, to have actively induced change on such a scale so early on one can only expect incredible things. 

What a truly amazing young woman.