A future Maori leader, Te Rika Temara Benfell

At the tender age of just 17 Te Rika Temara Benfell was a case manager at the Maori Land Court. Now 24 he's the Kaihautu, Chief Executive, of Te Puna Ariki Charitable Trust and is on Toi Kai Rawa, the Maori Economic Development Agency for the Bay of Plenty. He's running for office on the Lakes District Council and is part of a wave of emerging Maori leaders born in this century.