Leading with Purpose. Serving with Conviction.
Beyond his creative practice, Best Apisit Uthakhamkong has committed a significant portion of his time and energy to voluntary community leadership. He founded and chairs The Peace Club, a youth-led registered charitable trust operating across the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic, where he manages a voluntary executive team of 20 and over 250 student members. He serves as a Trustee on the governing board of the Dunedin Midwinter Carnival. And as Communications and PR Coordinator for the Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs (CAYE) Pacific, he works to support young business founders and entrepreneurs across New Zealand and the wider Pacific region.
This work is not peripheral to Best’s practice. It is an expression of the same values that shape every brief he accepts: that skills carry obligations, that creativity directed toward community is as serious as creativity directed toward commerce, and that the people and places around you deserve the same quality of thinking you would give a paying client. All of this is done after hours, voluntarily, and without reservation.
Founder & Chairperson | The Peace Club (Charitable Trust)
2019 – Present | Dunedin, New Zealand
Best founded The Peace Club, a youth-led registered charitable trust operating across the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic. Managing a voluntary executive team of 20 and over 250 student members, he dedicates his after-hours time to running major community-wellbeing programmes focused on mindfulness, the arts, documentary production, and global language outreach.
Mindfulness & Stress Relief
Hosting regular, free public meditation and mindfulness classes across Dunedin to provide students and families with crucial mental health support and emotional resilience tools.
The “Art for Peace” Competition
Spearheading an annual creative initiative that has engaged over 500 local students, encouraging youth to process complex societal emotions and express themes of global harmony through visual art.
“Peace is Possible” Community Documentary
Directing and producing a local documentary funded by the New Zealand Ministry for Ethnic Communities. Best volunteered his production talents to interview international scholars, diplomats, and local leaders to amplify diverse cultural perspectives on social justice.
Global Language Outreach
Coordinating student volunteers to run free, 12-week online English language and peace-education courses via Zoom, reaching over 700 underserved youth across Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.
Board Trustee | Dunedin Midwinter Celebrations Trust
2019 – Present | Dunedin, New Zealand
Best serves as a Trustee on the governing board of the Dunedin Midwinter Carnival, one of the city’s most iconic and deeply cherished public arts events.
Strategic Pro-Bono Governance
Volunteering his professional expertise in marketing, brand architecture, and corporate strategy to guide the Trust’s public reach and long-term sustainability.
Supporting Local Arts
Collaborating on governance for the annual winter solstice celebration, ensuring thousands of Dunedin families can access immersive public spaces filled with art, light installations, and giant lanterns.
Communications & PR Coordinator | CAYE Pacific
2023 – Present | Pacific Region
Volunteering on the regional executive committee for CAYE Pacific (established in collaboration with the Commonwealth Youth Programme), Best works to empower young business minds and start-up founders across New Zealand and the Pacific.
Mental Health for Founders
Actively building platforms that give young entrepreneurs access to business mentorship networks and critical mental health resources to combat burnout.
Economic Advocacy
Advocating for inclusive policies, youth-led post-pandemic recovery, and sustainable business environments across New Zealand and the Pacific.
Being Part of the 3 Kapu Kawhe Programme
Selected for a cross-cultural mentoring cohort connecting young leaders with senior NZ executives.
Trustee at Dunedin Midwinter Carnival
A year as trustee of the charitable trust behind Dunedin's much loved annual Midwinter Carnival.
A Year of Brand Production at Otago University
A year-end reflection on leading a small creative team through brand and video production at Otago.
Joining the CAYE Pacific Executive Team
Appointed Communications and PR Coordinator for the Pacific youth entrepreneurship network CAYE.
Documentary Project for a Better World
A filmed interview series with ambassadors, high commissioners, and government ministers on peace.
Shortlisted for Commonwealth Youth Awards
Shortlisted among 50 young leaders from 39 Commonwealth countries for development work in Dunedin.
Art for Peace Competition Dunedin 2022
A city-wide Dunedin student art competition on the theme of World Peace, drawing over 500 entries.
Founding The Peace Club in Dunedin NZ
Founder of The Peace Club, a Dunedin charitable trust promoting peace, mindfulness, and compassion.
Working with Non-Profit Organisations
Best works with non-profit and community organisations as a core part of his creative practice. The Peace Club, CAYE Pacific, the Ethnic Communities Development Fund, and the Dhammachai International Research Institute are all organisations whose missions he believes in, and each has received the same quality of creative attention as any commercial client.
He offers reduced rates for non-profit organisations and pro bono support for projects that align closely with his community focus areas. The standard of the work is the same. What changes is the commercial arrangement, because organisations doing the most important work are often the ones with the least capacity to pay market rates for professional creative services.