A COMMUNITY EFFORT – GARY DIPROSE
One major life pivot and decades of dedicated service to Mahurangi's young people have culminated in a well-earned honour for Gary Diprose, recently named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM).
Gary’s life took an unexpected turn back in the 1990s. He and his wife Michelle were well on their way to farm ownership, an obvious path given his family’s dairy farming history. But he always carried a deeper calling to help people, and in 1998, the couple made the bold decision to sell their herd and follow that instinct instead. In August 2002, Gary started working with at-risk youth in the Mahurangi area, teaching them agricultural skills. He quickly realised the challenge went far beyond farming. These were young people excluded from mainstream education due to severe truancy, fighting, and behavioural issues.
The early days tested Gary at every turn – students slipping away to smoke, fights, defiance, walkouts. The first group of students in his alternative education programme banded together and placed bets on how long it would take him to quit.
Gary recalls experiencing “20 second windows” – small moments of vulnerability where his students would open up about their home life or what was going on for them. They would shut down just as quickly.
The 20 second windows moved Gary and Michelle deeply. To Gary, these were teenagers already being written off, operating from hurt and disappointment, and it wasn't fair to tell them they'd never amount to anything, or that there was nowhere for them to belong.
“I just couldn’t give up on these kids,” Gary says, “that was the beginning of Springboard.”
That conviction deepened the couple's commitment to build wraparound support. What began with seven young people in the old bowling green in Port Albert is now an organisation of 40 staff, running twelve programmes and three social enterprises on land they own at Sheepworld.
Today, Springboard supports more than 600 young people each year, offering driver licensing, counselling, mentoring, job preparation and placement, education qualifications, and holistic wellbeing support. "To sow self-belief and a chance for a positive future is vital to get these young people to try something different. As they face their challenges, they build resilience and stand up and try new things," says Gary.
The impact on the wider community has been profound, contributing to lower youth crime rates, reduced unemployment, and countless personal transformations. Springboard’s success has drawn national attention over the years, with visits from former Prime Minister John Key and other senior ministers, All Black legends, and the Principal Youth Judge of NZ, alongside numerous national and regional awards and television documentary features.
Reflecting on his MNZM honour, Gary remains characteristically humble: "It’s been an amazing journey, really. This recognition is truly a community effort. Lives change when a community comes together."