During the Term 1 holiday, I had the privilege of travelling with a group of young leaders over to Rarotonga with the ‘Future Leaders Academy’.

At first, all 44 students started as strangers. There was a mix of people from all over New Zealand, Australia, and the Cook Islands but we would soon come to learn that these would be friendships for life. 

The seven days we spent over there were filled with laughter, leadership, excitement, challenges that required determination and so much more. At the beginning of the trip, we were split into groups called syndicates. I was put into Syndicate 4 which we later named Syndicate Tropics (Top Dogs for short). Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were allocated to Syndicate activities, travelling around the island to all sorts of events, tasks, and missions which we had to complete. These activities included: the cross-island hike, an Umu (hangi) experience, business visits, community projects, local school visits, island survival, public and environmental health, and beach clean-ups. Throughout the week, my syndicate managed ups and downs, challenges, and disagreements, and spending hours a day with each other helped the team grow into a family. The leadership, determination, grit, and commitment shown by my team members and everyone in the academy inspired and strengthen me as a person. Learning about leadership and working in a team has been valuable experience and the knowledge I have gained  will provide inspiration going forward. I am grateful for the amazing experience the academy has given me, and the skills and family I have gained from it.

I would also like to thank Ms Andrew the Pacifica/ Māori Dean for encouraging me to take this opportunity.