‘Rangatira’ is comprised of two Maori words – Raranga (meaning to weave) and tira (meaning a group of people). Rangatira translates to the word leader – someone who can bring people together towards a common goal.

Launched in 2012, Rangatira: The New Zealand Student Leadership Conference was an initiative inspired by Kelsey Crew, Liam Hae Hae and Shaquille Graham of Rotorua Boys’ High School. These three young men attended yLead’s signature event, The Australian Student Leadership Conference in Brisbane, where they developed a vision of bringing the experience to New Zealand.

Rangatira is an opportunity to gather and develop the finest young leaders from across the North Island.

Students return from the conference:

• Empowered with a stronger sense of self-awareness, self-worth & self-belief

• Prepared with essential skills & tools to effectively lead

• Motivated to make a difference in their school & community

• Equipped with clear goals & action plans

• Connected to a powerful network of young leaders from across New Zealand

In 2020 the Rangatira experience will be condensed to a two-day experience. Commencing after lunch on Day One and finishing at 3pm on Day Two. This will allow for travel time for those attending from locations of a greater distance.

Friday 9th October – Saturday 10th October, 2020
Hosted by Rotorua Boys’ High School, Rotorua

This year’s event will be accommodated in Tai Mitchell Hostel 

Speakers for 2020 are yet to be confirmed, please find following a sample of guests that have presented at Rangatira in the past.

Rowie McEvoy
Founder Max Fitness

Rowie is the founder of THE MAX, a group of Private, Prestigious and Exclusive International Fitness Businesses Colleges in Australia and New Zealand. Her business was listed in BRW magazine’s list of The Top 100 fastest growing companies in Australia. From runaway teenager to self-made millionaire, Rowie shares how to do what you love, stand out from the crowd (for the right reasons) and be fit, healthy and strong.

Shay Wright

Advocate for Maori Leaders

Shay is working to empower the next generation of Maori entrepreneurs and leaders through the organisation he co-founded, Te Whare Hukahuka. From the Far North iwi of Te Rarawa, he has been a longstanding champion for indigenous empowerment. Shay is particularly passionate about purpose-driven business and social enterprise. In 2016, Shay was named in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia-Pacific for his efforts, and in 2019, was named an Obama Fellow.

Noa Wooloff
Founder Increase Clothing NZ

Noa grew up on the Kapiti Coast, and was head boy of Aotea College in Porirua. Becoming a young parent at 16, he experienced first-hand the negative stereotypes that many teen parents face and wanted to do something about it. Noa learnt about social enterprise and was inspired to set up the clothing company Increase NZ, which uses profits to help support teen parents to experience life-changing youth development opportunities.

How do I register my students?
To register your students for this to be a part of this unique opportunity, please complete the registration form.  yLead will provide a link for students to provide dietary, medical and other personal information closer to the event.

Who will be looking after the students?
The yLead team will supervise students throughout the entire conference experience.  Males and females will be housed in seperate supervised accommodation overnight. Students requiring leave from the conference will need to provide written permission from their parent/guardian.

As a staff member, am I required to attend?
School staff are not required to attend the event.  However, we are more than happy to welcome you throughout the conference.  We are also able to arrange a meals and accomodation package if required. We strongly encourage you or other appropriate staff member/s to attend Rangatira on Day 2 (Saturday 10th October). Conference participants will be led through a vision and goal setting workshop. It is a great opportunity for you to sit down with their students and work together on building a strong 12 month leadership vision for your school.

Can I send students that are have not yet been elected into leadership positions?
Yes! Rangatira is an incredible experience for all senior students. The conference will suit students considering applying for leadership, stepping up to leadership or wanting to expand their personal leadership skills.

Do names of students need to be known at time of registration?
No. You can register numbers of students once registration opens, specific names and student details are due on Friday 11th September 2020.

Is there a maximum or minimum number of students I can register?
No. It is however a great conference for a number of student leaders to experience together. Schools send anywhere from 4 elected leaders to a pool of 14 students applying for leadership positions. When a group of students experience Rangatira together they become a more united team that has a greater ability to implement their ideas and share their knowledge with others.

What if students have a distance to travel?
In 2020 we are hosting a condensed Rangatira. Taking into consideration the travel distance for some participants, the conference will commence at 1pm on Day One. We appreciate that some students may like to make travel arrangements and arrive the night before. yLead does offer supervised accommodation the night before Rangatira. There is an additional charge of just $60 per person, which includes pizza dinner organised by yLead, accommodation, and breakfast the next morning. Please make us aware if you wish to take up this offering. **We are not encouraging this option if it can be avoided in 2020.