Kurt is a proud Canadian, born and raised.  However, as part of a multicultural Canada, Kurt has maintained a connection with his heritage.   His  parents immigrated to Canada from the beautiful island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean. When he talks to me about his whakapapa, this goes back to St Vincent, his maunga (mountain) is Bequia, and his awa is the water of the Atlantic, where it meets the Caribbean Sea.

Kurt was well-traveled before he made it to Aotearoa. Before settling in the best small island in the southern hemisphere, he has lived in seven other countries including South Korea, Egypt, England, the USA, Sweden, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and of course, Canada! Although he confesses he never planned to be a global nomad, it was due to his mahi and his ‘why’ that took him around the world.

Originally Kurt started out with a degree in Marine Environment studies which took him into the Marine Park Protection field. Having diving skills and sailing skills has also enabled him to work for government organisations. After five years of working in this space he decided to pivot and focus on youth, and that is what caused him to travel so much! He’s been a teacher and instructor for school-aged students,  developing programmes and curriculum to support and develop their skills, learning and confidence.

It was during his time in Korea that Kurt set up and established Enigmatic, the kaupapa is to empower individuals, communities and organisations to unlock the power of diversity, with a special focus on empowering young adults.

Alongside his work through Enigmatic, Kurt is also a fully qualified first-aid trainer and water safety expert and instructor.

When I ask him what brought him to Aotearoa, Kurt smiles and replies “my wife”.

Kurt and his wife met back in Canada during their school years, after many years of traveling the globe and 37 years of friendship Kurt moved to Tauranga in 2017 to be with his (now) wife and her children.

Due to the nature of Kurt's work, working from a coworking space like Basestation suits him down to the ground!

He’s held first aid training in our Berners-Lee meeting room and he often hosts his Global Ambassadors (one of the programmes run under Enigmatic) on site too.

Basestation is proud to be a sponsor and supporter of the Global Ambassador program.

Every now and then you can find him making full use of the standing hot desk we have.

Kurt is also known for his electric skateboard (probably the quickest and cheapest way to get around Tauranga!) and can often be seen skating down Durham Street.

When I ask Kurt what it is about Basestation that he enjoys, he shares with me it’s the inclusive culture and effortless community vibe that keeps him coming back.

So, to Kurt, and all those other Canadians who are overseas and away from home right now - Happy Canada Day!