Congratulations to Alex Stewart, winner of the 2021 Youth Welly Award
Alex Stewart, founder of WombatNET was the recipient for the Youth category at the 2021 Wellys Award
A budding teen entrepreneur worried that rural residents were being “forgotten” by the big telcos has won the Youth Award at this year’s Wellys Award.
Alex Stewart, 17, is the founder and Chief Executive of WombatNET, a rural broadband solutions provider that Stewart first imagined at age 13, the result of a stay in the remote settlement of Turakina Beach, near Whanganui.
The Wellys Awards ceremony was held on Thursday 12 May 2022, at the Embassy Theatre. The Youth Award is sponsored by Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
Stewart says that when he wanted to partner with existing businesses, he was all but laughed at. Instead, he entered Innovate, a competition for young entrepreneurs. He attracted the attention of private investors and by early 2020. WombatNET installed its first tower on private land just outside Upper Hutt. A further 10 have since been built around Mangaroa and Whitemans Valley.
Believing that people should not have to pay “exorbitant amounts for limited data at low speeds” Stewart says WombatNET has uncapped plans.
Professor Stephen Cummings, Co-Director, The Atom Te Kahu o Te Ao Innovation Space, Te Herenga Waka, presented the award.
Professor Cummings said, “despite the difficulties of the past few years, young people in this city continue to innovate and create amazing ventures. Alex’s work is a fantastic example of the kind of enterprise we want to celebrate”.
The category’s other finalists included:
- Jaistone Finau, National President of Tauira Pasifika, Living Wage Campaigner and successfully driving vaccination rates for Pasifika youth.
- Jess Jenkins, co-founder of Multiethnic Young Leaders NZ, Race Unity National Coordinator, APEC 2021 International Delegate and will attend Harvard.
- Sonny Ngatai, teacher of Te Reo Māori phrases and placenames, via his “taster” Tik Tok videos
- Ben Waine, soccer player whose breakout 2020/21 A-League season with the Wellington Phoenix saw him scoring six goals and representing New Zealand at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.