Dunstan High School Year 12 student Isla Nelson gained new leadership skills at the Pacific Student Leaders Programme in Rarotonga earlier this month.

The leadership programme is for motivated high school students from New Zealand, Australia and the Cook Islands and is run by Future Leaders Academy Rangatira mō āpōpō. 

Isla told the Central App she chose to attend the course because “it looked like a cool opportunity to experience a different culture, while gaining leadership skills and meeting new people from across the Pacific”.

Isla, along with 60 other motivated Kiwi, Aussie and Pasifika students, spent seven days honing her leadership skills and learning about Rarotongan culture. 

She was kept busy visiting local businesses, attending cultural performances, and helping clean up beaches.

She had the opportunity to eat food from an umu, visit local markets and run a leadership session in a local secondary school, which allowed her to see how local Rarotongans live. 

Isla reported the experiences helped her improve her goal-setting skills, enhance her communication, and learn how to work with a diverse group of people. 

Isla said the “coolest activity” was visiting famous artist and carver Mike Tarioni’s gallery (a space for cultural learning and art for people of all ages and backgrounds) where she got to make some carvings and pareos (sarongs). 

She said she wholeheartedly recommended the programme to Central Otago students in Years 12-13 who are interested in learning more about Pasifika culture and meeting new people. 

Isla thanked Pulse Energy and the Alexandra Rotary Club for giving her funding to make the trip. 

The programmes run two to three times a year on various Pacific Islands. Applications for future programmes this year in Tonga and Samoa are open now.