At 15, he’s clocked more volunteer hours than most people contribute in a lifetime, starting at the ripe old age of six and showing no signs of slowing yet.Alexandra teenager Taine Ballantyne has already hit the big time in volunteering, contributing a whopping 650 volunteer hours for his community.Asked by his mum, Donna, why he does it, Taine, from a very young age, has always replied: “Because I love helping people, Mum.”From offering to mow elderly widowed neighbours’ lawns and cleaning their spoutings to turning up at the Cromwell Speedway early after a big meet to scrub the barriers and empty the rubbish bins, being kind to others is just in the Ballantyne genes.Mum Donna used to do the local Scout Hall lawns and gardens, Taine, when old enough, joining her with mowing the lawns.He’s also tagged along helping Dad Glenn clean out the local Scout Hall rubbish.A keen family of speedway racers – Taine himself up there in his youth mini stock race car.\Taine in his mini stock race car. Photo: SuppliedHe’s attended almost every working bee at the racetrack during the off-season from May to September, through many a chilly winter weekend. I’m the youngest there by 20 years,” he grins.He’s raced mini stock cars very successfully for two years: “The trophy shelf in my room is getting quite full,” he says – five trophies to be precise, all for participation, Most Outstanding Youth Driver and Riverview Contracting Youth Allrounder.Most special of these was the probably the Daryl Ainsley Memorial meeting and racing as part of the Rees Tour in Christchurch, Blenheim, Dunedin, Invercargill, Nelson, Greymouth and Cromwell.Taine’s always at the forefront during meets, volunteering to help the tow trucks and remove any pranged race cars, helping get them to the pit if he’s not racing himself. “Most weekends I’m at the racetrack.”Taine ready to ride. Photo: SuppliedMuch older brother, Liam, is also a speedway racer and Taine loves nothing more than to help him do a motor change.This love of tinkering with cars has instilled a long-held desire to do his motor mechanic’s apprenticeship.A 1st Alexandra Scout Group Kea at age five, Taine was well used to monthly rubbish collections, climbing up to the town’s famous clock and clearing the Central Otago Rail Trail.As an older Scout and Venturer, Taine’s also helped with Keas and assisted with the local Park Run every Saturday as a timekeeper or marshal.Scout Taine at your service. Photo: Supplied“When our elderly neighbour moved into Ventry Street, she needed help with her garden and lawns, so I said I’d be happy to do it for as long as she’s living here,” Taine says.And if there’s any spare time, Taine played softball during summer and does all his volunteer work after school and in the weekends. “I have to do my homework before I go to school.”A practical bloke, Wood Tech is his favourite subject, and you guessed it, Taine’s right there amongst it in the Dunstan High School Student Volunteer Army, his teachers regularly congratulating him on his selfless community efforts.“We meet once a month and report on what volunteer projects we’ve been working on,” he says.Unsurprisingly, Taine won the school’s Waldron Volunteer Cup in 2022, despite only being in Year 11, clocking 540 volunteer hours from Year 9 until now.The Can Drive at Christmas and Vincent Country Motorcycle Rally at Galloway are all on his repertoire, Taine even camping out at the rally for three days to drive participants to their campsites on the quad bike, sell tickets at the gate, or clean up rubbish.At Easter it’s Taine who erects the town’s large white cross on the hill and takes it down.If there’s a volunteer role needing filled in Central Otago, Taine’s usually the first stop, but it’s not like he can’t say ‘no’: “I just really want to help people,” he says. “People just expect to see me everywhere.”His reward comes in the kind words he receives: “My neighbour I help always says, ‘You’re amazing! You keep doing it.’” Taine says.There’s always nice baking and chocolates come Christmas and a nice cold drink or ice block mowing those lawns in the Central Otago heat.As if he’s not just busy enough, a man has to make a buck as well, especially when he’s competing at speedway meets around the country.Taine works full-time every school holidays at Eden’s Orchard’s Juice Factory, making and bottling the juice, or packing it into boxes.He’s keen to earn his forklift licence to load them onto the trucks.“I do all my volunteer work after that each day,” he says.There’s not much down time and while most parents are nagging at their kids to get off the Xbox, Mum Donna says she’s elated when Taine occasionally says: “Mum, I’m off to my room to play a bit of X-Box with my friends.”Donna couldn’t be more proud: “He’s just amazing, and he always initiates it,” she says. “You can’t say ‘no’ when your teenager asks for a ride to do good.Little Taine. Photo: SuppliedSometimes I get home from the speedway at 11pm and he says, ‘Mum, can you take me back up there early to clean up?’ I don’t think I’ve ever said, ‘no’.Why would you?” Donna says.After all he’s seen it modelled, tagging along on her volunteer duties from a young age.He was right there at primary school too with that giving heart, helping the kids with neurological disorders and learning difficulties, buddying up in particular with one wee boy who was non-verbal.On school athletics day it’s Taine who stays behind to pack up the gear. "Our friends were away for a few days, and they came home to a couple of barrow loads of wood at the door from Taine,” Donna says.It all comes back sooner or later.Taine’s just been accepted for the Spirit of Adventure sailing expedition north of Auckland in July, the local Lions Club donating him the money to get there.“He works his little butt off so it’s well deserved,” Donna says. “He would’ve clocked literally thousands of voluntary hours throughout the whole of his life so far.”Taine shouldn’t have any trouble getting a job. “I think I might eventually move up to Wellington when I’m working but I will carry on my volunteer work,” he says.“I’ll probably do a bit of overtime and work and not get paid for it.”We want to hear about someone who’s made a difference in the community or in your life. Nominate them as our Community Champion of the month
