Tēnā koutou katoa I have recently attended the national Presbyterian Schools’ conference held at Scots’ College in Wellington. This annual gathering of representatives from our 12 schools is always a valued opportunity to connect with colleagues and reflect on our Presbyterian special character

It is a privilege to have time together to pray, learn, think and share. Each of the 12 schools is very different – independent or integrated, co-ed or single sex, decile 7 or 10 – and are geographically spread. It is fascinating to share with fellow principals, chaplains and trustees our experiences in this unique schooling environment.

This year the conference theme was ‘shalom’, an ancient Hebrew idea meaning peace, justice, hope, and wellbeing. We were challenged to help our young people to cultivate a peace aptitude and find more ways of becoming more peace oriented. One of the tools for shalom that we experienced was mindful contemplation, with time for meditation during the busy conference proceedings.

Also attending the conference this year were student representatives from each school. From Columba Year 12s Morgan Seal and Ximena Botafogo travelled with Rev Skilton and me to Wellington where they experienced a marae-based residential forum on action for justice. They gained an insight into issues of child poverty and domestic violence, and considered messages and actions they could bring back to their community. It was a great joy to share this conference experience with our young people, ensuring as leaders we remain focused on what is our moral purpose by having them alongside us.

Presbyterian schooling offers quite a point of difference to that of other education contexts. The Presbyterian schools were all formed around 100 years ago due to great vision by church leaders of the time – a time of great turmoil due to World War I. Their commitment to providing a strongly faith-based yet inclusive education with a focus on excellence in academic outcomes for boys and girls remains strongly evident, with New Zealand’s Presbyterian schools such as Columba College among the highest achieving in the country.  

The Presbyterian Schools’ conference will be hosted in Dunedin next year and our community will have the opportunity to engage with others who value an education with a special character.