Mayor Stoltz gives crisis tips to Aurora Leadership students

Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz turned teacher for an Aurora Leadership course. She is pictured with students (from left) JC Van Wyk , Sienna Greaves, Zebrina Cowley, Araya Mullooly, Jah Tawera, Maddy Moore, Sophie Phelps, Kahu Ripaki , Mila Beachman-Hodges and Cooper Lines. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell

Future leaders got a lesson in crisis leadership from  Mayor Rehette Stoltz.

Students taking part in this year’s Aurora Leadership course met with the Mayor at Makauri School.

“This year’s programme is called Aurora Leadership For a Crisis: We Get Stuck In,” Aurora Education Foundation executive director Sunny Bush said.

“Obviously, the title reflects the regional situation we find ourselves in regarding disaster relief and post-cyclone recovery. This was the first workshop in a series of five intensive activity days planned over the next two terms.

“There are 18 schools taking part in our largest higher learning strand, with 46 leaders.

“We were delighted to welcome students, for the first time, from the lower East Coast, which includes Tolaga Bay and Whangara schools.

“Our eager Aurora Leaders 2023 were thrilled with the opportunity to host the Gisborne Mayor and listen to her experienced words of advice for a major crisis.

“The Mayor seemed amazed at the “extremely healthy buzz of people working together.”

Mayor Stoltz outlined the relevance of foundation values for any leadership in action. She emphasised the importance of two key things — “effort and attitude.”

“The leaders loved her unparalleled and hard-won wisdom,” Ms Bush said. “They readily took on board Rehette’s recommendation to always be well prepared and get stuck in with the hard mahi, no matter how you feel.”

Turning up every day to make the lives better for people in the community was especially important at the moment, Mayor Stoltz said.

“Working together and having a can-do attitude are the key ingredients to rebuilding our broken community after Cyclone Gabrielle.”