Ambition is passion: Kayla Christensen’s ambition story

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Fisher Funds hold the pursuit of ambition firmly at the core of their business. They believe that ambition is personal. Whether the ambition is modest or grand, Fisher Funds’ purpose is to help New Zealanders turn their ambition(s) into reality.

This year Fisher Funds partnered with WOW^® as the naming rights sponsor of the Fisher Funds New Zealand Design Award, celebrating Kiwi designers achieving their creative ambitions.

Recently they sat down with award winning WOW designer Kayla Christensen to talk about her personal ambition.

Watch her story.

“Kayla is an inspiring example of one young Kiwi working tirelessly to move towards reaching her personal ambition.” Fisher Funds

This year Kayla won the Aotearoa Section of the WOW Competition with her entry, Kārearea.

Kayla’s creation was inspired by the history of tapestry and her grandfather’s fighter pilot role in World War II. The garment featured three pieces modelled side by side to create a large triptych tapestry mural, all hand-painted and handstitched together.

Kārearea, Kayla Christensen, New Zealand

Kayla said that the main challenge when creating the garment was time and working around being a mother to a 2-year-old daughter.

“I gave myself a strict routine over a period of a few months and fully committed to finishing my entry.” The routine helped her slowly chip away at the mammoth task of painting the huge three-piece tapestry.

“It’s truly amazing what you can achieve even if you only manage to paint a few brush strokes or hand stitches each night.”

Kayla's journey with WOW has spanned 15 years (that's almost half her life!) and has included nine finalist entries in the WOW Competition.

In 2019, Kayla was awarded the Dame Suzie Moncrieff Award and third place in the Aotearoa Section, for her garment Waka Huia. In 2018, she was awarded second place in the Aotearoa section for her garment Ancient Dreamscape. And in 2017, third place for her garment Kuini, also entered in the Aotearoa section.

Waka Huia, Kayla Christensen, New Zealand

Ancient Dreamscape, Kayla Christensen, New Zealand

Want to talk to Fisher Funds about how they can help you achieve your ambitions?

If you'd like to know more about Fisher Funds KiwiSaver Scheme request a call from one of their KiwiSaver specialists or talk to one of their friendly advisers about Fisher Funds Managed Funds.

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