On Tuesday 27 September, Kiola Visser and I had the pleasure of representing Katikati College at the 2022 National Student Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Although originally set to be a two day event, National Student CHOGM’s coincidal with Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day led to a reduced schedule, but an eventful one nonetheless.

Held at New Zealand’s Parliament Buildings in Wellington, the event saw delegations from schools across the country proposing, debating and (sometimes) passing resolutions on a wide variety of topics relevant to youth today. These included Climate Change, The Ukraine Response and Trade and Migration. Each session opened with an address from a keynote speaker, providing ample opportunity for students to learn from experts in every field.

Kiola and I were allocated the nation state of Uganda and thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with other students (sometimes forming alliances with other small town schools) to become one of only six delegations to have our proposed resolution passed by consensus.

Our resolution as published in the Student CHOGM Communique:

'To establish a non-partisan body responsible for the effective and responsible distribution of climate response funds and resources, providing a mechanism for independent direction. This body would be funded by all Commonwealth nations in accordance with their differing circumstances.'