Greer’s story: Learning to stand in the room

Greer’s story: Learning to stand in the room

Fifteen-year-old Greer Brader lives about 200 metres from the surf at Foxton Beach. It is the kind of upbringing that naturally shapes the way someone sees the world. The ocean is close, nature is part of everyday life, and plenty of time is spent outside. Surfing and skating are some of her favourite things to do, and when she talks about where she lives, there is an ease and appreciation in the way she describes it. “It’s a cool place to grow up,” she says.

A year 11 at Manawatū College, Greer is not someone who claims to have her future mapped out. In fact, she laughs about not really knowing what she wants to do after school yet. But what she does know is that she enjoys creating things, solving problems, and being part of experiences that feel meaningful. That curiosity is what led her into Girls who Grow.

One of her teachers encouraged her to join the programme a couple of years ago. “He said, ‘Is this something you want to do?’ and I just thought, oh yeah, I’ll give it a go.” At the time, Greer had no idea that simple decision would eventually lead to presenting environmental ideas to water industry professionals from around New Zealand and overseas.

Growing the next generation of guardians

Girls who Grow was created to support young women to explore leadership, environmental thinking, and the future of food and farming systems. Founded by Catherine van der Meulen and Aimee Blake, the programme encourages young women to think differently about the challenges facing rural communities and the environment. Importantly, participants do not need to come from farming backgrounds.

Catherine says the programme was intentionally designed to bring different perspectives into the sector. “If we don’t bring that diversity of thought to the food and nature sector, we’re just going to get the same old outcomes.”

Through mentoring, on farm experiences, environmental projects, and design thinking challenges, the programme gives young women opportunities to explore real world problems and imagine solutions.

For Greer, one of those challenges became something much bigger than she expected.

The W.A.T.E.R project

As part of the Girls who Grow Imagination Challenge, Greer and three other students developed an environmental concept they called W.A.T.E.R, short for Water Access Tapping Exiting Rivers. The idea was designed to support farms to manage water more sustainably during dry periods.

The concept captures excess river water during winter, stores it in large ponds, naturally filters and supports the water system through native planting and aquatic ecosystems, and redistributes the water through irrigation systems during summer drought conditions.

Explaining the project, Greer speaks about it matter of factly, but there is something remarkable about hearing a 15-year-old confidently discuss hydro systems, water storage, biodiversity, filtration, irrigation efficiency, and environmental sustainability.

Girls who Grow paired the students with mentors working within the environmental and water sectors, supporting them to think through the practical realities of their concept. “We were supported by a water expert,” Greer explains. “So we knew what had already been made and what was possible.”

The team spent the day brainstorming, building their concept from recycled materials, then presenting it to a room full of students and industry representatives. Their project won the challenge, and now they are working toward building a prototype.

Learning to stand in the room

For Greer, some of the most significant moments have happened outside the classroom. Last year, she travelled to Christchurch to attend a national water conference, where she presented the W.A.T.E.R project to a room of around 50 people working in the water sector. “It was quite scary,” she says honestly. “I was very shaky.”

There is no dramatic version of the story where suddenly all the nerves disappeared. That is part of what makes her reflections feel genuine. She was nervous, and she found it confronting. But she did it anyway; something quite remarkable for someone so young. “I learned that I can talk to pretty much anyone, no matter who they are,” Greer reflects.

It’s a simple statement, but a powerful one, because confidence often grows through experiences that expand what someone believes they are capable of. Greer also does theatre, something she says feels different because the audience disappears into the darkness. Speaking at the conference was much more confronting because this time, she could see every face in the room. Yet she still stood there and shared her ideas.

Still figuring it out

There’s something refreshing about the way Greer talks about the future. She is thoughtful, curious, creative, and engaged. She likes outdoor education and art at school, especially the more hands on, practical side of creating things. She talks excitedly about travelling one day. She openly admits she does not really know exactly where life will take her yet. And perhaps that is the point.

Right now, she is already learning how to collaborate, communicate ideas, solve problems, work with mentors, and stand confidently in spaces that would intimidate many adults. What Girls who Grow has given her is not simply a project, but exposure to possibilities and the opportunity to discover what she is capable of.

For Catherine, that is exactly what the programme is about. “We’re trying to build our next generation of guardians of the land.”

And in a small coastal town, not far from the surf, one young woman is already beginning to grow into exactly that.