Innovative New Zealanders on Forbes Under 30 List

Four young New Zealanders have made this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list. They are: founder of the Conversion Therapy Action Group Shaneel Lal, 21; Emily Au-Young, 29, co-founder of period social enterprise, Reemi; and co-founders of mental health group Voices of Hope, Genevieve Mora, 28 and Jazz Thornton, 29.

“From innovative ways of delivering e-commerce and online learning services to venturing into the Web3 space – their forward-thinking vision shows determination and optimism. They are redefining the future of business and society in Asia,” Forbes reports.

Lal, an LGBTQIA rights activist, “spearheaded the campaign that led New Zealand to ban the controversial practice of conversion therapy earlier this year. Lal, who experienced the therapy as a child growing up in Fiji, founded the Conversion Therapy Action Group after moving to New Zealand as a teenager. Last year it helped deliver a petition with over 150,000 signatures to parliament, which responded with a bill to make the treatment illegal. Lal, a law student, was included in New York University Center on International Cooperation’s first cohort of Young Justice Leaders in February.”

Original article by Forbes, May 2022.