Learning to Lead – Boys’ School Leadership Symposium

In early May, the Boys’ School hosted a Leadership Symposium that brought together Year 8 leaders from across Auckland for a day of challenge, connection, and inspiration. Every Year 8 student in the cohort took part, recognising their role as role models for the younger boys and as emerging leaders in their own right. 

The day was deliberately split in two, reflecting a key truth about leadership: it is as much about listening as it is about doing. Sometimes, leadership is formed through the wisdom and stories of others – hearing how people have faced failure, navigated uncertainty, and led with courage. Other times, it takes being thrown into the moment, facing the uncomfortable, and learning how to lead in real time. This day offered both and students from Saint Kentigern Girls’ School, Saint Kentigern College, Diocesan, Baradene, St Cuthberts and Dilworth all joined the Boys School Year 8 cohort to take part in both sections of the day.

In the morning, one group of students rotated through a series of speaker sessions with an inspiring mix of leaders, from public servants like David Seymour to business professionals Hamish Gordon, James McGhie, Tracey Taylor, Mark Winter, and Jeremy O’Brien. The boys also heard from recent alumni, Daniel Presland now transitioning into university life and also Ken Diekema, a member of our Chaplaincy team. Each speaker brought a different lens to what it means to lead – through service, resilience, or quiet determination. Armed with a booklet, the boys took notes on what stood out, collecting insights to return to and reflect on. 

The other group of boys spent their morning in the gym-turned-problem-solving arena. Mixed-school teams tackled a series of fast-paced challenges that tested their communication, creativity, and ability to work together. It became quickly apparent that leadership doesn’t always mean taking charge, sometimes it means listening, adapting, or helping a teammate step up. The practical exercises gave the students a space to wrestle with leadership in the moment and to realise that good leadership is rarely perfect, but always growing. 

The day concluded with a Q&A panel featuring two standout alumni: Luka Patumaka Makata (Saint Kentigern College Head Boy) and James Hiddleston (Auckland Grammar Head Boy). Each of their appointments stand as a testament to the legacy of the Boys’ School Class of 2020, and many others of this era also hold leadership positions in schools across Auckland. Their reflections showed leadership in its next phase, grounded in values first shaped on Shore Road. Freddie Halliday reflected, “I really liked the Head Boy speeches because they’ve been in the same position as us and have had failures too. They were inspirational.” 

With wisdom, challenge, and community, the Leadership Symposium invited our Year 8s not just to lead, but to understand what kind of leaders they want to become.