Your 2025 Westfield Manukau Local Hero is:

Toko Manuel

Passion to Profession

Optimistic. Knowledgeable. Realistic

Thanks to Toko’s mentorship program Passion to Profession, young creatives in South Auckland can gain advice, education and industry experience to help them turn their passions into sustainable careers. 
 Passion to Profession equips young people exploring music and fashion with the tools to flourish, through workshops, partnerships with local enterprises, and exposure to real-world creative projects. It also runs community events, including school open days, live concerts and Mākete events for Māori that celebrate Māori culture, creativity, and enterprise. 

The 10-week course offered by Toko and his team teaches a wide range of skills – from business operations, to live sound, scriptwriting, DJing, graffiti, sewing, and studio recording and producing. He and his fellow mentors connect with their students with a friendly, down-to-earth approach towards teaching and learning. 

“I’m motivated by offering our local entrepreneurs the tools they need to succeed, and by creating opportunities out of passionate alignments,“ says Toko. 

The program promotes sustainable practices, encouraging eco-conscious production and waste management in the creative arts.  
Through his environmental approach and by creating career pathways, Toko also impacts the economic and cultural landscape of South Auckland.  

He says, “I feel blessed that what I have created people have benefited from and are running their own businesses with their creative entrepreneur ideas.”  

The $20,000 grant will be used to fund two 10-week programs, paying for tutors, project management and operational costs.

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We’d like to thank and acknowledge our finalists who will receive a $5K grant for the organisation they represent...

Sarah Page from Kindness Collective

Sarah founded The Kindness Collective to support vulnerable New Zealanders with food, warmth, safety, and opportunity. Her work reaches over 40,000 South Auckland whānau through initiatives like winter aid, Christmas gifts, and community gardens. Driven by personal hardship, Sarah harnesses the kindness of communities to create a fair and equitable life for all.

Stacey Dangen from PINC & STEEL Cancer Rehabilitation Foundation NZ

Stacey delivers life-enhancing cancer rehabilitation physiotherapy to patients across South Auckland. Inspired by her own sister’s cancer diagnoses, her work restores strength, independence, and confidence to those facing physical and emotional suffering. Stacey advocates for accessible rehab care, so that all cancer patients have the opportunity reclaim their lives.

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If you need support, please phone Lifeline Aotearoa: 0800 543 354

Recognising all our 2025 nominees

View all of the Westfield Manukau nominees and their organisations.