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Celebrity Ambassadors
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Faye Smythe
“This weekend I am going to Queenstown and I am really, really excited about spending some time with the kids. I love children and their energy, it’s just so grounding. It brings so much reality and it’s fantastic. I never been to Queenstown, you don’t know how excited I am, it will be the second time I’ve been on a plane since I’ve been in New Zealand. I think we are going to have a ball and hopefully we’ll make a difference.”
Faye Smythe was born in Capetown, South Africa and immigrated to New Zealand with her family at the age of eleven. She caught the performance bug early, going to drama school in South Africa before taking drama at highschool in New Zealand, where she enjoyed all parts of the process from directing to acting to stage managing. |
It was Faye's fifth form drama teacher who put her forward for her first Shortland Street audition - for the part of Mihi Hudson, Tama's sister. Faye didn't get the part, but she made an impact on the producers. She was asked to audition for Shannon, before being offered the six-week role of Tama's cat-burgling friend Kat. Faye finished school and started a Communications Degree, before putting her tertiary study on hold to train as a fitness instructor. She was still pursuing acting, but after auditioning unsuccessfully for a number of parts, including Shortland Street character Tania Jeffiries, Faye decided to put her acting ambitions on hold for a year and re-enrolled for university. When she got a callback for Tania, she wasn't sure she even wanted the part - but she did the audition, and was asked to join the Shortland Street cast as part of the Jeffries family! |
Faye has enjoyed catching up with David Wikaira-Paul (Tama) again, and has made some good friends among the cast, especially Jaime Passier-Armstrong (Jay) and Amber Curreen (Shannon) with whom she shares a dressing room. In her spare time she loves hitting the gym and is training as a fitness instructor. Faye also spends time at her church and enjoys chilling out with her sister and mum. School gave her an enduring love of classics and history and she is often reading books on classical mythology or history. She has a fascination for numerology and astrology and hopes to soon be able to indulge her passion for travel - first stop is definitely the Greek Islands! |
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Benjamin Mitchell
“I’m counting down the sleeps until I get to go to New Zealand’s goldmine that is the gorgeous town of Queenstown. I hope you guys are ready, because ‘I can’t wait to meet with you, eat with you, laugh and cry; high five and eat French fries.’ I hope the weekend will be everything it promises to be.”
Shortland Street has a distinguished reputation for picking young new talent and 25 year old Benjamin Mitchell is no exception.
After working as a personal trainer, Benjamin had already made a name for himself as a winner of Mr New Zealand in 1999. In 2000 he packed up his things and made the trip up the motorway from Hamilton to Auckland. |
Benjamin soon realised after making movies with friends in his new Auckland flat that acting was where his passion lay. He promptly hired an agent in search of acting roles. Benjamin's first television part came as a reporter on Shortland Street in 2000 and was followed by roles in The Strip, Power Rangers, Interrogation and Outrageous Fortune. At the end of 2005 Benjamin joined the cast of Shortland Street to play handsome young doctor TK Samuels. Over the past year his performances as TK have gained him great popularity throughout New Zealand, especially with female viewers.
Benjamin views Shortland Street as the ideal training ground and tries hard to enjoy every day as it comes. Like many of his cast mates, Benjamin enjoys staying fit in his spare time and frequents the gym. He has a passion for languages and is a fluent speaker of Te Reo Maori which is his second language. In 2006 Benjamin lent his support to Maori Language Week. |
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Shrek
Cure Kids is SHREK’s charity of choice. The world’s most famous hermit merino has raised over $100,000 for Cure Kids since April 2004 when he was discovered at Bendigo Station. Shrek’s owner John Perriam will be bringing Shrek along to the Welcome Party for the kids to meet the worlds most unique celebrity!!
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Brendon Pongia
A long time Cure Kids Ambassador Brendon Pongia is joining Cure Kids on their Ticket To Hope on Friday 11th May. Brendon and his dance partner Hayley will be dancing for the kids and parents on Friday night.
Brendon Pongia played basketball with the Tall Blacks for nearly a decade, during which time he captained the team for eight years. Brendon was also involved in the historic win over Australia to qualify for the World Championships. |
He still plays basketball, these days for the Century City Saint 1st division team in Wellington. After his basketball career Brendon went courtside in front of the camera, presenting a number of basketball and sports shows. Brendon was also part of the very popular morning crew on Flava FM.
Brendon has a degree in marketing and is on our screens every weekday morning presenting TV One's Good Morning, live from Wellington. |
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Hayley Holt
Hayley has had 11 years experience in Ballroom, Latin American and modern dance. She has also trained in jazz dance and studied for many years with Candy Lane. She was placed 19th in the Blackpool Rising Star Professional Ballroom Competition, and was sixth in the US Open Rising Star Professional Ballroom Competition.
Hayley has been very busy this year; she is also a professional snowboarder and featured in TV2's Treasure Island: Pirates of the Pacific as one of 'The Others'.
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