Aspiring Leaders Forum Nominations
Aspiring Leaders Forum 2026
Each year Aspiring Leaders’ Forum on faith and values (ALF) brings together a diverse, gifted and courageous group of young people and its leaders to discuss leadership from a narrative point of view. All young adults that attend Forum have been nominated by someone who believes in them and are aged between 18 – 26 years old. ALF is about encouraging young people to become better leaders in their sphere of influence – be it community, arts, business, politics or sport.
Over four days in Wellington participants will discuss why faith and values are foundational, by informing and developing one’s character and one’s leadership.
Programme
Highlights include:
- A day spent in Parliament House
- Keynote addresses from senior politicians
- Keynote addresses from inspiring leaders of varying societal spheres
- Small group discussions
- A community service project
- A sports afternoon and an epic barn dance
To view the full programme, please go to aspiringleaders.org.nz
What is the Aspiring Leaders Forum like?
Hannah Speakman 2025
To the Waitaki District Council, Waitaki District Youth Council and Otago Community Trust,
I want to take some time to express my thanks and gratitude for supporting me to attend the 2025 Aspiring Leaders Forum in Wellington. I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to attend, and I know it wouldn’t have been possible without your sponsorship.
The forum was an inspiring and powerful experience. Over the four days, I met other young people from all around New Zealand, each with different backgrounds and stories, but all passionate about people. We heard from a wide range of speakers from politicians to community leaders and business owners. We had took part in intimate group discussions, visit Parliament, whole forum sports day, and community service to reflect on what leadership really means.
One of the biggest takeaways for me was understanding that leadership isn’t about status or titles, "the best leaders know that they are actually servants", it’s about how we can best serve others. One quote that really stuck with me was, “If service is below you, leadership is beyond you.”. To me this captured the heart of the forum. I learned that qualities that contribute to leadership is selflessness, empathy, understanding for others and bandwidth to listen. Another quote I recall was "Everyone wants to change the world, but nobody wants to help mum do the dishes", to me this emphasized how big of a contribution we could make in our families, friendship groups, neighbourhood’s, workplaces and local communities and how important it is to show up for our people.
Another part of the forum that meant a lot to me was how openly people talked about their personal values, beliefs, and faith. It made me reflect more on my own, and I came away feeling more connected to my faith than I have in a long time. It reminded me that strong leadership is often rooted in knowing who you are.
This experience helped me grow in confidence and encouraged me to really consider how I have been showing up in different areas of my life. I have come home with a new perspective, some amazing connections, friendships and a strong sense of purpose/fulfilment that I’m excited to keep building on.
Thank you again for investing in myself and our people. Your support helped me take part in something that I’ll carry with me for a long time, and I hope to reflect the values I learned in the way I contribute to my community going forward.
Warm Regards,
Hannah Speakman
Kirsten Rogers 2025
My name is Kirsten and I was lucky enough to attend the 2025 Aspiring Leaders Forum.
Going to the Forum I was a little bit sceptical about what I was attending, unsure of what to expect. Very quickly my ideas of what I walked into changed.
This forum was about learning what it means to be a leader, and what values you should bring into your workplace or life. We had a lot of guest speakers and these are some of my favourite takeaways.
The most important message I took away from this forum was the quote from Paulo Garcia “you need to have no judgement to be a leader. If you don't listen than you will miss out” To me this means if you focus on your ideas and only your ideas without hearing anyone else's then you will miss out on what could of made your ideas flourish into something so much greater.
I don't know if any of you have walked onto a maree but if you have you will know that the leaders walk on first and everyone else follows those footsteps. Cushla Tangaere - Manuel reminded us that One day you will be the one that is being followed. Are you prepared for this?
Rob Cromb said “you will inevitably get it wrong so don't take risks to avoid it.” This meant a lot. You shouldn’t live a life worrying about failing, not being successful or doing something wrong because you will, you'll make mistakes but as long as you learn you have the potential to do anything you want.
I left the Forum with one more message and that is “if servantship is beneath you then leadership is beyond you.” You don't have to have faith or a religion to understand that this quote from Josiah means that if you aren't willing to help those around you then you do not deserve to be a leader.
What does a leader mean? It means you should be kind. You should love everyone for who they are and you need to listen. Leadership isn't a title. It's a Responsibility. So I leave you with the same question. What does being a Leader mean to you?
It was truly an honour to be a part of such an amazing forum. I got to meet people who although came from all different backgrounds we all had one thing in common, and that's wanting change. It was an incredible experience to be surrounded by such inspirational people which encourages you to think more about how we can help make the right change for our future.
Eligibility Criteria
To be considered for the Aspiring Leaders Forum sponsorship, you must:
- Be aged between 18 - 26
- Be able to demonstrate strong leadership potential in your sphere of influence
- Be able to discuss leadership from a personal perspective
- Be living in the Waitaki District
- Be a New Zealand Citizen or Permanent Resident
How to Apply
To apply, please fill in the application form below by 20 May 2026.