I’m Sean Takai from Shirley Boys’ High School in Christchurch. 

With both my parents being Japanese, I consider myself both a Kiwi and Japanese, being born in New Zealand while still having strong connections back in Japan. 

Being chosen as a Young Ambassador for 2016, I’m looking forward to the opportunities ahead of me this year with the tour and beyond. 

I think it’s going to be an interesting experience discovering more about the involvement the ANZACs had, fighting alongside the French, and find out more closely the impact it has had on the regions, such as the Somme’s today.

With my mum’s side coming from Hiroshima, where the atomic bomb fell in 1945, it would be intriguing to see how different places and times coped with the aftermath of the war. 

While I still can’t imagine how this tour will turn out, I look forward to meeting new people, making new friends and creating connections in France that will last well into the future and have a positive impact as a member of the Young Ambassadors Tour 2016.