We are excited to announce Kirsten Smedley from Dress for Success Incorporated as your 2024 Westfield Newmarket Local Hero!

Westfield is proud to award a community grant of $20K to help Kirsten at Dress for Success Incorporated to continue to grow their impact in the local community.

The 2024 Westfield Local Heroes program will award 125 grants across Australia and New Zealand – totaling $AUD1.24 million to support local communities.

Nominations for the 2025 Westfield Local Heroes program are open now. If you know someone who's making a positive impact, nominate them as a Westfield Local Hero - nominate here.

Your 2024 Westfield Newmarket local Hero is:

Kirsten Smedley

Dress for Success

Inclusive. Bold. Kind.

Kirsten Smedley supports women facing challenges by providing professional clothing and career services to help them gain employment or commence study.

Kirsten began volunteering with Dress for Success over ten years ago. During that time, she has been instrumental in developing the two-year wrap around Career Centre support offered to clients through workshops, networking and coaching.

Kirsten is now the central manager and oversees a team of 91 volunteers, manages the distribution of five tonnes of donated clothing, and organises community sales. Annually her efforts ensure more than 1,100 Auckland women are supported towards achieving financial independence.

"We all need a helping hand at some point in our lives. Our charity supports women in need to succeed in their professional and personal lives," Kirsten explains. "We help women raise their self-esteem by providing appropriate clothing at no cost to them. That way, they can look and feel confident when they attend an interview, start a job or study."

Kirsten goes above and beyond to provide an open, caring and non-judgemental environment where women can thrive, enabling meaningful connections to take place on a daily basis between clients, volunteers and staff.

Westfield Local Heroes are nominated and voted for by their communities. The finalist with the most community votes is the Westfield Newmarket Local Hero for 2024, receiving a $20,000 grant for the organisation they represent. Dress for Success will use the grant to cover the cost of providing specialist dressing and career services to 80 clients.

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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 Ferens from Recreate NZ

As the head of Recreate NZ’s employment program, Sarah Ferens empowers young people with disabilities. She is passionate about helping forge pathways for rangatahi (youth) towards independence and social inclusion. Through her leadership, Recreate NZ supports over 300 people annually, offering work skills education, employment opportunities and fostering belonging and inclusion within the community.

Starsha Samarasinghe from Youthline Auckland Charitable Trust

Starsha Samarasinghe overcame personal mental health challenges and now supports other rangatahi to do the same. As the volunteer coordinator at Youthline Auckland, she trains and supports volunteer counsellors who staff Youthline’s 24/7 Helpline. Her efforts ensure volunteers provide life-saving support to thousands of rangatahi.

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

Recognising all our 2024 nominees

View all of the Westfield Newmarket nominees and their organisations.