Kia Ora Koutou, my name is Maddy Karauna and I am the Head Girl for 2021.

I started at Papamoa College as a year 7 in 2015 and I was at Tahatai Coast Primary School before then. Over the past 7 years that I have spent at Papamoa College, I am grateful to have experienced so many sporting, cultural, academic, and leadership opportunities that have helped me to grow from a shy year 7 to a well-rounded role model. 

I feel privileged to have been selected as Head Girl this year and look forwards to doing the role justice. Other exciting roles of mine this year include President of the Leos Club and the Student Representative on the College Board for 2021. 

This year I’d like to support student advocacy, unity, participation, and wellbeing. I aim to be a strong advocate for students of all year levels and would love for student voices to be recognised. I would like to achieve an improvement in campus culture so students continue to feel comfortable and confident in their everyday environment. 

I’d like to encourage students to do good around the community, whether that is helping out at the local Lions Market or volunteering with a younger year-level class. 

Opportunities such as attending Māori youth leadership programs and Māori speech competitions have further supported my growth as a young Māori leader and I believe that growing these opportunities at school would help other Māori students to make connections to their culture and strive to be role models. 

A major goal of mine is to encourage students to get actively involved and push themselves outside of their comfort zones. I would also like to enhance the unity between the lower, middle, and senior schools so that students feel supported by peers of all ages. 

I would love to support a shift in the attitude students have towards academic and cultural achievements. This would mean students who have previously shied away from their full potential would feel more encouraged by positive peer support and school culture. I want students to feel proud of who they are and all of the different sides to them.