Tristan’s Story

We take great pride in building and further developing the skillsets of our team at Kilmarnock. However, alongside learning new skills, we must have the confidence to use them. Therefore, supporting our team to grow their confidence is one of the most impactful things we can offer at Kilmarnock.

When Tristan joined Kilmarnock in 2019, he was a reserved young man, his supervisors noting that it was a challenge to receive any response from him. For the most part, Tristan was a closed book and was unable to engage confidently with those around him.

Over two years have passed since Tristan joined Kilmarnock, and he is now completely unrecognisable from his former self. Tristan has become a bold and engaged member of the Kilmarnock whānau and a meticulous worker. We believe that Tristan’s new-found confidence can be attributed to, in large part, Kilmarnock’s model of encouraging skill-building through trial and error in a safe and supportive environment. Our model supports our team to feel competent and trust their judgement.

We were delighted to receive an email last year from Tristan’s mother describing an experience highlighting how significantly Tristan’s confidence has grown.

Tristan’s mother wrote that while out for lunch, Tristan spotted a co-worker from Kilmarnock and leapt up to greet him. Tristan’s mother was taken aback and said she could not recall Tristan ever voluntarily engaging in public like this, preferring to avoid eye contact and ignore others. Her email concluded with a thank you, attributing the growth in Tristan’s confidence to his time spent at Kilmarnock.

Tristan’s transformation is incredible, and we are proud to have been a partner in building his confidence. We look forward to seeing all that an empowered and confident Tristan will achieve.