Inaugural Puāwaitanga Leadership Conference set to inspire

Inspiring the next generation of Maori leaders and sharing stories of success will be the focus of the inaugural Puāwaitanga Leadership Conference to be held in Parliament tomorrow, said Associate Education Minister Hon Dr Pita Sharples.

The conference brings together the 90 inaugural recipients of the Puāwaitanga leadership scholarships, awarded to secondary school students attending one of the six Maori boarding schools.

Dr Sharples said “the Puāwaitanga scholarships are about recognising and fostering leadership for the future. This forum will bring together our budding rangatahi leaders, and put them in front of our Maori leaders of today, so that they can learn, share, be inspired and take that knowledge with them back to school.”

“We have some excellent speakers lined up from a range of areas, such as New Zealander of the Year and Hato Petera old boy Dr Lance O’Sullivan; Waimarama Taumaunu, ex Silver Fern and current Silver Fern coach; Sir Mark Solomon Chairman of Te Rūnanga Ngāi Tahu; as well as some special surprise guests that I am sure will delight and wow our rangatahi,” said Dr Sharples.

“It’s a dynamic group of speakers, and it’s important that our young people are able to see what can be achieved with commitment, dedication, hard work, and a good education.”

“The forum will be an annual event, and I consider it to be a vital component of the Puāwaitanga scholarships. It is all about fostering excellence and leadership in our rangatahi, and our children are never too young to start on that journey.”

“I look forward to welcoming our visitors here to Parliament tomorrow,” said Dr Sharples.

ENDS

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