Inside Our National Leaders’ Hui

Over the school holidays, our Year 12 National Leaders came together in Ōtautahi Christchurch for three days of connection, collaboration, and plenty of laughs! From the get-go, this crew hit it off, diving into hands-on activities that challenged their teamwork, leadership, and creativity. Between brainstorming big ideas, tackling tricky challenges, and a few laughs, there was never a dull moment.

By the end of the hui, it felt like these leaders had known each other for ages, rather than just a few days! The SADD team were seriously impressed by their insight, fresh perspectives, and commitment to making a difference. A standout moment was an epic brainstorming session where leaders refined their project ideas, sharpened their direction, and began mapping out how they could help improve road safety outcomes for young people across Aotearoa.

 Alongside the big ideas and important mahi, there were plenty of memories made too – from a scavenger hunt to an epic laser tag showdown!

Scroll down to check out some of the highlights and hear directly from our leaders about what made this year's hui one to remember.

Everlein:

I have an amazing opportunity to spend time with amazing people with amazing energy. We not only have fun but also discuss and dig in a lot of ideas and SADD activities together.

Izzy:

Mark losing to me in laser tag. 

Jaya:

When me and Izzy left our room key in our room and starting stressing not knowing we could just go to the reception and get another one printed most embarrassing moment(we got told to look after them ourselves)

Georgii:

Do something that genuinely interests you as that will make it fun and possible along the way. 

When we were in the Santa Fe going to the Fire station Marcus said he speaks Spanish and in Spanish I asked him how he is and he said dieciséis.

Jack:

Overall the NLP event has been a good and educational experience but on top of that I was able to meet more like minded people and connect with everyone.

Khamasua - James:

I really loved meeting my fellow sadd nlp, I enjoyed my time here and am motivated to get sadd projects done at school!

Ellie:

NLP has been a place where memories have been made and friendships have been formed. I was certainly nervous but it has been something I've come to enjoy. From going to Duck Island for ice-cream to meeting Ex-SADD students we have had so many laughs, including when we said hi to Rebecca and sounded like we were in a cult 😂. I definitely learnt a lot about what it means to be a leader and how to work alongside people with unique skills and strengths. It has been the best experience. The time went by so quick and I really wish we had more time, but bring on next July!!!!

Sienna:

The NLP event was so much fun! The time went by so fast, laser tag was goated and I want it to be known that I was cooking rather than getting cooked. The people here are so cool and I can't wait to see them all next year. Welly here we come 🤞

Marcus:

This event was so much fun, I especially enjoyed meeting new people and learning about who they are. I’ve made so many friends and the SADD staff are so nice! I can’t wait for the next steps with the team and to work on my project!

Khushi:

The hui was honestly so much fun! My favourite parts were laser tag, playing Imposter, our late-night deep talks and walking to Duck Island for ice cream. It was so nice finally meeting all the amazinggggg National Leaders and getting to know everyone properly, everyone is soooooo sweetttt🫶🎀.The SADD staff were so lovelyyyy and supportiveeeee too. I genuinely loved every moment and I am already missing everyone and all the fun memories we made together!

Jerry:

I absolutely loved meeting my cohort for the first time and getting to know everyone! It's so cool how quickly we built such a strong bond and made everyone feel included. My favorite part of the hui was seeing everyone bring their own ideas and perspectives into the mahi we’re all working towards. It really showed me how everyone has something unique to contribute and how much we can learn from each other. I'm so excited to see what we can achieve together and continue building on the connections we made !!!