Leadership, Collaboration, Connection

Throughout Term One and much of the April holidays, my fellow Head Prefects and I worked to organise the annual Massey High School Prefect Conference. It was wonderful to see our hard work come to fruition as we welcomed over 70 fellow prefects from across the wider Auckland region to our school on 4 May.

The day began beautifully with a pōhiri led by Te Whare Ahuru, welcoming our guests into the school. We also had the privilege of hosting Massey alumnus Megan Lee as our guest speaker. Megan spoke about her experiences as a professional soccer player and shared valuable insights into the importance of strong values in leadership. One visiting prefect commented, “The guest speaker, Megan Lee, was particularly inspiring, and we found her talk about her leadership journey in football both interesting and relevant.” Her words left a lasting impact on everyone present.

The remainder of the day was divided into two activity rotations. Our Academic Leaders facilitated an engaging Interactive Problem-Solving workshop centred around a Star Wars theme, fittingly held on “May the 4th.” The workshop operated as a formal role-play activity, where participants were divided into opposing groups tasked with resolving a central conflict. Prefects represented either the Rebellion or the Empire, debating issues around political representation and resource control across the galaxy. Through discussion and negotiation, students worked collaboratively to reach a mutual agreement.

Meanwhile, our Sports and Cultural Leaders delivered a high-energy workshop focused on teamwork and collaboration. Visiting prefects first participated in a Human Knot challenge, where groups worked together to untangle themselves into a complete circle as quickly as possible. They then took part in “The Cone Game,” competing in pairs to follow instructions and race to grab the cone first.

Prefects also participated in an “Around the World” activity led by our Cultural Leaders, responding to different Pacific locations with the correct movement and greeting associated with each place. The final activity was a dance relay, where teams worked together to pass a cultural dance move along the line before the final person performed it for the judges. This activity encouraged communication, teamwork, and the ability to work under pressure, while also celebrating culture in a fun and meaningful way.

The feedback from visiting prefects was overwhelmingly positive, with many leaving the conference feeling inspired and connected. My fellow Head Prefects and I would like to extend a huge thank you to our Sports, Academic, and Cultural Leaders for the time and energy they dedicated to planning and delivering their workshops.

We would also like to thank the wider team of student leaders who volunteered throughout the day to ensure everything ran smoothly and was enjoyed by all. Finally, thank you to the teachers and staff who supported and assisted throughout the event.

From your 2026 Head Prefects - Sabine, Leonidas, Saphira and Soni

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