As with many community organisations, the idea for Zeal was birthed out of a tragic and sobering event; the murder of Wellington teen Jeff Whittington in Wellington's CBD in 1999.

"Jason Morris Meads and co-offender Stephen Smith picked up Whittington on a central Wellington street about 4am on May 8, 1999. The teen was discovered less than an hour later having sustained an horrific beating. He suffered severe brain damage, had a ruptured bowel and died in hospital the following day.
The killing became one of the most high profile gay-hate crimes. It so sickened the gay community that American-born playwright Ronald Nelson wrote an acclaimed production, Corner of 4am and Cuba, about it."
(Sunday Star Times, 20/03/2011, retrieved from http://www.stuff.co.nz)

It also outraged local CEO of the 'Body & Soul National Care Network Trust', Anthony Walton.  Anthony was so impassioned to address youth safety in the city that he set up a meeting with the mayor (Mark Blumsky) to look at solutions immediately.  A few months later Zeal’s first youth centre was established.

Zeal now has two fully functioning youth centres providing youth safety in Auckland and Wellington and is looking to set up a third youth facility in Hamilton's CBD.

The youth centres focus on developing young people in the creative arts, leadership and education and consistently offer a safe place for youth to hang out and events for youth to go to, both during the week and on weekends.

What began as a response to an horrific event has impacted the lives of over 150,000 youth in the last twelve years.  This single event was the catalyst for the birth of Zeal.