Christchurch Girls' High School / Te Kura o Hine Waiora Wahine Toa speak at the 2023 Canterbury Principals and Leaders Conference.

Bethany Crossan, Ngārita Mackenzie, Izzi Leifi and Annabelle Kelly attended the Canterbury Principals and Leaders Conference.

Keynote Speakers included Nigel Latta and Dr Natalie Flynn.

The Conference kaupapa was "Is there space for me?" and the purpose of the conference was to come together with other education professionals to gain insights and practical solutions for better supporting children and families in our schools.

The Prefects were invited to present as well as be part of a panel that addressed these three questions. 

• What did I love about school and why? 
• What hasn't worked well and why?
• As Principals, what better could we do for our young people?

In their presentations to the Principals and Leaders, the students spoke about genuine authentic connections with family and community. They enjoyed the enthusiasm and the exposure to culture which enabled them to grow and develop.

They all challenged the Senior Leaders to grow in their courage to develop their knowledge of the Tiriti of Waitangi and to share with their staff. To lean into the culture, language and identity of their diverse schools but also model this in all areas of the school. Topics around equity and wellbeing was also top of the list for our Prefect panel as well as motivational educators in the classroom. 

This is the feedback received from one of the attending Principals sent to our school:

I am a Principal at a local primary school and helped facilitate a regional conference this week. We invited Bethany to coordinate a small group of Rangatahi to share their experience of school and offer advice to primary principals. Bethany was joined by Izzi, Annabelle and Ngārita. The girls were amazing. They were articulate, thoughtful and superb role models for your school. They offered heartfelt and considered responses to the questions provided.

The leaders in the room were in awe of our Christchurch Girls' High School / Te Kura o Hine Waiora four representatives. Bethany, Ngārita, Izzi and Annabelle delivered some food for thought for all that were present and reminded them to strive for the best for our learners and our community.