Ziggy Coleman: Relational Leader
“I’ve always liked helping others and leading others, I’ve always naturally fallen into that role.” Those were the words of the 2024 Head Boy Ziggy Coleman. As he entered an interview with a Year 10 class with a humble demeanour, his hands folded in his lap and his badges shimmering, it was clear that Ziggy was not just a leader by position but by nature. He has been shaped into the position of Head Boy by his commitment to help others and create meaningful relationships. But who is he?
Ziggy grew up in Gisborne before coming to Hamilton because of a job opportunity his dad had received. “I’ve actually been to a lot of different schools, I’ll probably talk about that later how that has helped me [get] to where I am today.” He mentioned a few schools he had been to, including Gisborne Central School, Waikato Waldorf School and Southwell School here in Hamilton. It was in Southwell that Ziggy attained his first leadership position, becoming a prefect for the school.
When Ziggy arrived at HBHS, he was shocked by the sheer size of the school like many new Year 9 students. He “never stepped into year 9 thinking I wanted to be Head Boy”. Ziggy worked hard and got into the Accelerated Learning Programme. He also became a Year 10 Leader and Junior House Leader of Tait House, showing his extensive leadership skills at a younger age. The young Ziggy continued to work hard through his school years all the way up to Year 13, thinking to himself, “one year at a time”.
Ziggy has said that he sees himself as a “relational leader”. He does his best to “take that first step” and introduce himself to others. One way he embodies this idea of being a relational leader is by the way he interacts with the other Prefects. Deputy Head Prefect Kaelan Haggie was asked about Ziggy and he said that he could always rely on him for anything. He stated that Ziggy would always be there to help him and others with whatever it may be. “Ziggy is very supportive of me and my ideas, he has never thought of my ideas as bad.”
Another way he embodies the idea of being a relational leader is how he responds when he is asked about people in his life. When asked the question, “have you got a teacher or a coach, someone that has positively influenced you in your time at HBHS?”, Ziggy takes a long pause. After a few thoughtful seconds he explains how he values his relationships. “I’m not thinking hard because I don’t have any, I’m thinking hard because I’ve got heaps that have kind of, I don’t wanna take credit away from one or another.” In the end he names multiple different people, not just attributing his success to one person, which shows how he doesnt rank anyone higher or lower and instead views and values his relationships with others equally.
At just 17 years old, Ziggy Coleman has shown himself to be an incredible leader who prioritises relationships and is committed to helping others. He serves as a beacon of inspiration to all students throughout HBHS. Through his kind nature and leadership abilities, there is no doubt that his future is bright, and that he will be able to achieve anything that he sets his sights on. Ziggy has made his mark in HBHS, achieving many accomplishments, but the question is, how will you make yours?