Selected students from 11 Western Bay of Plenty high schools were invited to attend a two day noho at Whareroa Marae to kick off Priority One’s 2021 Instep Young Leaders Programme.

Three of our Tauranga Girls' College senior prefects (BOT rep; Ella Mitchell, Prefect; Shannon Clampett and Head Girl; Teia Kahura) had the privilege of attending a two day noho at Whareroa Marae alongside other Bay of Plenty senior leaders. 

The noho was run by the Instep Young Leaders programme, a local initiative that supports senior secondary students in leadership roles to reach their full potential and contribute back to their communities through service. Featuring a traditional pōwhiri and range of team bonding activities and inspirational guest speakers, the event was a great opportunity to collaborate with other student leaders and build whanaungatanga across the Bay. 

"The historical overview of the history of Tauranga Moana by Tauranga City Council’s Josh Te Kani was a highlight for me. There was an awesome leadership panel discussion featuring; MP Rawiri Waititi, Awhina Ngātuere and BOPRC’s Councillor Stacey Rose. The key messages from the panel was: “If service is beneath you, then leadership is beyond you.” And “learn all the ways of the world so that you can bring them back and serve your community.” - Teia Kahura

Ella also valued the messages behind the Māori Leadership Panel.

"It demonstrated the importance of embracing cultural diversity as a strength when leading others" - Ella Mitchell

Using some of the key principles shared by the panel, the young leaders wrote a waiata about leadership which was translated into Te Reo and will now be used at future Instep events. Overall, the noho was a wonderful experience and provided some inspiring insight as to how everyone has the potential to lead if they’re willing to step up and reach out.

The noho was followed by a breakfast hosted by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council in Te Puke, where students were able to give their opinions on aspects of the BOP area’s long term plan and learn about working towards community goals. It was an intriguing opportunity to discuss what the future of the Bay of Plenty might look like and what steps are being taken to get there. The breakfast also highlighted the importance of incorporating youth into long term planning as there were lots of different ideas as to which direction would be best for our district. It was wonderful to see so many young leaders getting involved with initiatives within their communities; it’s clear to see that the future of the Bay of Plenty is in capable hands!

The Instep Young Leaders programme will continue to run throughout the year with a focus on student-led community projects. Collaborative teams of student leaders from different BOP schools will use the insight gained from the noho and breakfast to make impactful change and give service to their school and wider communities. The final takeaway from the week’s events was a wonderful quote from the noho: “if service is beyond you, leadership is above you.” It will be great to see how the Instep Young Leaders put this into action in the coming months. 

The noho was an inspirational opportunity to grow our leadership skills which will help us serve and lead our community here at Tauranga Girls’ College.

Thank you to Priority One and Mrs Wilson for making this happen.