Laura O'Connell Rapira
Laura O'Connell Rapira (born 1988) is a grassroots leader, speaker and community activist from Aotearoa New Zealand.[1][2] She advocates for equality around ethnicity, gender and LGBTIAQ peoples, the environment and political power for youth.
Biography
O'Connell Rapira was born in Taranaki[3] and later moved to West Auckland where she attended Green Bay High School. She is Māori of the iwi Te Ātiawa, Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa and Ngāti Whakaue.[4] She was inspired to work on big festivals in the United Kingdom and went on to work on both the Glastonbury Festival and the Secret Garden Party.[5][6]
As a young person she was part of an accelerator programme for social enterprise initiatives. From this O'Connell Rapira co-founded RockEnrol in 2014 to encourage young people to enroll to vote in New Zealand's general election.[7][8]
O'Connell Rapira held positions at Greenpeace and Oxfam when she was living in the United Kingdom.[7] In 2012 O'Connell Rapira raised awareness of the environment in her local area of West Auckland by proposing an environmental education centre and ecological retreat.[9]
In 2014 she became the director of campaigns at social justice organisation ActionStation, where she focuses on digital campaigning.[7][10][5] An advert for a new director appeared in October 2020, and in November O'Connell Rapira let people know she has accepted a new role of Executive Director of Capacity Building at the Foundation for Young Australians.[11][12]
O'Connell Rapira is a contributing writer to New Zealand news website The Spinoff.[13]
Recognition
In 2017 she was nominated for the Te Whetū Maiangi Award for Young Achievers.[14]
Personal life
O'Connell Rapira identifies as queer bi-sexual[15] and is frank about this being a driver for her to seek social justice and equality in society.[5] Her identity and stand about a range of areas has made her a target for online abuse.[15]
References
- ^ Rapira, Laura O'Connell (15 July 2018). "Free speech as a cover for hate". Medium. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ Ani-Oriwia Adds (21 July 2017). "Rising Star finalist Laura O'Connell Rapira the new face of activism". Māori Television. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ McLaren, Esther (18 July 2017). "Laura O'Connell Rapira". The Generosity Journal. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Our staff and volunteers". ActionStation. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ a b c "On culture, young people and activism by Laura O'Connell Rapira". Storyo. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "Laura O'Connell Rapira". Māori Television. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ a b c "Laura O'Connell Rapira". NZHistory, New Zealand history online. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Laura O'Connell Rapira". Inspiring Stories. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ Vaimoso, Hinerangi (11 July 2012). "$1 from a million people". Stuff. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Laura O'Connell Rapira". TEDxChristchurch. 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Director". Do Good Jobs - NZ's #1 ethical jobs board. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ Action Station e-newsletter 9 Nov 2020
- ^ "Laura O'Connell Rapira". The Spinoff. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Te Whetū Maiangi Award for Young Achievers". Māori Television. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Case Study – Laura O'Connell Rapira". Amnesty International NZ. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
External links
- Talk by O'Connell Rapira at an event in 2014 called Festival for the Future https://vimeo.com/106451253
- CS1 maint: url-status
- Use dmy dates from July 2020
- Articles with short description
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- Articles without Wikidata item
- Articles with hCards
- AC with 0 elements
- 1988 births
- Living people
- New Zealand women activists
- Women political writers
- New Zealand environmentalists
- New Zealand women environmentalists
- New Zealand politics articles by quality
- People from Taranaki
- Te Āti Awa people
- Ngāpuhi people
- Te Rarawa people
- Ngāti Whakaue people