The Prefects are central to the culture of the school, and carry many leadership responsibilities. Here is Rebecca Yuan's inspiring speech to her fellow Prefects from this year's Induction.

Morena koutou katoa! Zao shang hao. I hope you’ve all had an amazing start to your day so far, and that you’re all pumped to get to know a bit more about your Councils today!

First of all, a huge congratulations to you all on receiving a Prefect role! Everyone - quickly turn around and congratulate the person next to you. Every single one of you in this room has already achieved so much, and I cannot wait to see what else you accomplish in 2022. Thank you again for putting yourself out there and stepping up to lead our kura through the year.

I’m so honoured to be able to serve as your Head Girl, and will try my best to make this year a memorable one for us all. For most of you, I don’t need to introduce myself much because we’ve already shared so many experiences in the past four years - happy ones, sad ones, crazy ones - but at the end of the day, they’re all ones that I’ll cherish. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Rebecca Yuan, and I can’t wait to get to know you better throughout the year.

I’d like to start off with a bit about me, I was born and raised here in New Zealand, and have a younger brother, Allen. Both of my parents are both from Northeast China. I’m passionate about cinema and film-making, and my aspirations include becoming a film director someday.

Just to switch things up a bit, I’d like to get into a quick round of two truths and a lie about myself. Out of the following three statements, only two are true. I’d like you all the guess which one is the lie:

1. I was almost in a Taco Bell commercial.

2. I finally went and got my learner’s last week.

3. I’ve been dancing since I was 5 years old.

Does anyone have any guesses?

If you guessed that the lie was about me getting my learner's, then you’re absolutely correct. The point of this was just to show you all that while it may seem like I have my life all put together, there are definitely many areas that I’m still working on. For example, learning how to drive!

How does this relate or have anything to do with leadership? Being a good leader doesn’t mean that you need to be ‘perfect’ or always know what to do. It also doesn’t mean that you need to be the best at everything. Instead, a good leader is simply someone who takes the time to recognise the individual strengths of others, and uses those collectively to achieve a shared goal.

Look around you, sitting in this very room are the people who will be with you every step of the way. Always know that if you ever need any guidance, we’re all happy to help. We’re all in the same boat here, and are learning as we go.

Be kind to others, as well as yourself. Have the confidence to share your ideas, have the courage to make tough decisions. But most importantly, have the compassion to listen to the needs of others. Remember, leadership isn’t just a title - it’s an action, a choice which you can choose to make everyday. If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then you have succeeded as a leader.

While this year will be extremely busy, keep in mind your goals for the future as you push through any challenges that may come your way.

I hope you all enjoy the activities we have planned, and that you’ll come out of today feeling more prepared for the year!

Thank you.

Rebecca Yuan