25 August 1999 South Island Leadership Hui for Senior Maori Students

Over 50 sixth and seventh form Maori students from South Island secondary schools are at Lincoln University today and tomorrow (26-27 August) for a Senior Students' Leadership Hui, Tu Mai Rangatahi.

Thirty different schools are represented, from Invercargill in the south to Motueka in the north.

The aim of the hui is to identify leadership potential among young Maori and help them identify and analyse goals and see how tertiary study can help make those goals a reality.

Specifically the students will be introduced to the Te Tapuae o Rehua environments of Lincoln University, Christchurch College of Education and Christchurch Polytechnic.

The hui is co-ordinated by the Te Tapuae o Rehua Partnership of Ngai Tahu Development Corporation, Lincoln University, Christchurch College of Education, Christchurch Polytechnic, the Careers Service Rapuara and Te Puni Kokiri.

"The main objective of the hui is to motivate Maori students to visualise their dreams and see how they can achieve them," says organising committee member Tim Ruthven of Lincoln University.

"It is about promoting the benefits of tertiary study to young Maori, a group which in previous years has been under-represented in the tertiary environment."

Sessions during the two-day gathering include –

• How to discover my leadership potential.

• How is studying in a tertiary environment different to learning at high school?

• What are employers looking for in a Maori graduate?

• How do I market myself to employers?

Current students and graduates from Lincoln University, Christchurch College of Education and Christchurch Polytechnic, will provide support, guidance and information throughout the hui. Celebrity guests for the team building sessions will include including Mark Mayerhofler of the Canterbury Crusaders and Farah Palmer, captain of New Zealand's world championship winning women's rugby team.

Members of the organising team are Tim Ruthven, Student Liaison Co-ordinator, Lincoln University; Sonya Low, Careers Consultant, Christchurch Careers Advisory Service; David Ormsby, Business Manager, Te Tapuae o Rehua; Adelaide Couch Snow, Kaiwhakarite, Te Puni Kokiri; and Maurice Nutira, Kaumatua, Lincoln University.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand