Future Ready: Experiential Leadership in Aotearoa, New Zealand
Learn from expert experiential educators how to lead with confidence, care and purpose, guided by te ao Māori, the Māori indigenous worldview, and the landscapes of Aotearoa New Zealand. Come home with the leadership skills employers look for, and the stories to prove it.
5 - 25 July | 21 Days | 18 - 24 yrs | US $4,500
Program Description
Join us at Experiential Education New Zealand (ExpedNZ) for a 21-day leadership journey across Aotearoa New Zealand. For 40 years our educators have been helping young people become confident, capable leaders by learning through doing.
Designed for undergraduates who want to build real-world leadership skills for their career, this program puts you in the lead from day one. You’ll paddle as a crew in waka ama (traditional canoe), sea kayak the Abel Tasman National Park coastline, explore underground, and hike into ancient West Coast rainforest. Each challenge is followed by structured reflection and coaching, so you understand what you did well, what to do differently, and how you can translate these experiences to future study or your career.
Throughout the program you will learn from te ao Māori, the worldview of the Māori people. You will be welcomed onto a marae and learn the values that guide leadership in Māori communities: whanaungatanga (belonging and connection), manaakitanga (care and hospitality) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship of people and environment). These ideas will change how you think about teams, responsibility and success.
The program ends in Wellington, the capital city, where you will see leadership in action across government, science, culture and the creative industries. You will finish knowing your own leadership story and strengths with a plan for your next steps in personal development.
Learning Objectives
- Leadership Through Experience: Lead, follow and support others in real outdoor and team challenges, and learn to adapt your leadership style to the situation and the people around you.
- Values-Based Leadership: Explore how te ao Māori values, including whanaungatanga, manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga, offer a people-centred and long-term approach to leadership that applies in any workplace.
- Teamwork and Communication: Build trust, give and receive feedback, and communicate clearly under pressure, from a waka ama crew to a group presentation.
- Resilience and Adaptability: Build confidence by taking on unfamiliar challenges, managing setbacks, and staying effective when conditions change.
- Cultural Understanding and Global Perspective: Engage respectfully with Māori communities and the bicultural story of Aotearoa, and reflect on how culture shapes the ways people lead and work together.
- Career Self-Awareness: Identify your strengths, set goals for your future, and turn your experiences into clear examples you can use in résumés, applications and interviews.
Program Inclusions
- All technical equipment is provided
- Group tents and cooking gear (hiking backpack can also be provided if needed)
- Instruction and facilitation from industry-leading instructors
- Observation days - participating alongside existing school programs and supporting real-time program delivery
Facilitation
Work with our team to build leadership & group facilitation skills
Rock Climbing
This is a challenging and rewarding adventure activity to build your skills & confidence in the outdoors.
Kayaking
A wonderful way to experience the Abel Tasman National Park or Nelson Lakes regions.
Bush Survival
Learn how to build survival shelters, light fires and grow your bush skills to become independent & safe in the outdoors.
Caving
The Takaka Hill is also known locally as the 'Marble Mountain' with some incredible cave systems to explore.
Mountain Biking
A fast-growing sport in our region there are lots of mountain bike tracks to access at various levels of the activity.
Accommodation
- Unique marae stay in a traditional Māori meeting house
- Camping and/or hut accommodation during the Abel Tasman journey
- Lodge/bunk-room/hostel accommodation
- Mix of twin-share and shared rooms, with some shared bathroom facilities
- Designed to build connection for those you journey with and your hosts
Cost Inclusions
- Accommodation (a mixture of bunk-room accommodation, camping, cabins and backcountry huts)
- Food while on program. Some 'free' days you will self-cater.
- All transportation while on program – includes airport pick-up and drop off from Nelson (our local airport).
Not included in the cost:
- Arrival and departure flights (estimate $2000 return)
- Insurance
Not-for-profit
Ethical & Sustainable
