Gisborne man on United States Leadership Tour

Te Wai Coulston

GISBORNE'S Te Wai Coulston has been chosen to be part of The United States Leadership Tour where he will meet the biggest players in foreign affairs.

In January he will travel to the USA where he will compete in the the world’s largest, oldest and most prestigious Model United Nations conference: the Harvard National Model UN.

Te Wai, who is studying in Auckland, found out he had a place in the New Zealand delegation while waiting for a ferry back from Devonport last weekend.

“I had been expecting the call and was so excited to find out. I was literally shouting into the phone while waiting in a long queue for the boat.”

He will be joining 13 other talented New Zealand tertiary students selected by UN Youth New Zealand to be young ambassadors for their universities and country. They will form an international delegation and embark on an educational tour of the United States, visiting five cities over four weeks.

“I’m really looking forward to visiting San Francisco and checking out their entrepreneurial space. We will also be going on official visits to Washington and touring the US Senate. The Model United Nations Conference is the pinnacle of the trip. We’ll be up against delegations from American universities like Harvard and Columbia. Just seeing Harvard will be a dream”

He said they will be given a country to represent and engage in international diplomacy but without any global ramifications.

This is not the first time Te Wai has represented his country on the world stage. He spent January 2016 in Europe as part of the New Zealand delegation to The Hague International Model United Nations.

Earlier this year he was part of the New Zealand delegation for Ship For World Youth (SWY) an intensive six-week programme in Japan, at sea and at international ports including New Zealand and Fiji.

SWY is designed to foster global citizenship, and build cross-cultural, leadership and project management skills.

While on board, delegates discussed common world issues and took part in activities that foster international cooperation.

Te Wai is in his second year at the University of Auckland doing a conjoint degree (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Commerce), majoring in politics and international relations, sociology, economics and international business.

The US Leadership Tour overlaps with Te Wai’s internship this summer at Treasury, so he is moving the start and end dates forward, and sitting his university exams while working in Wellington.

When he finishes his studies he hopes to get into management consulting.

“I’d like to some day build a network of social enterprises, balancing business with social impact.”