It was an Inspiring weekend for 20 Canteen Leaders from Aotearoa who had the opportunity to travel to Sydney for the Canteen Australia Leadership Festival. 

The festival opened with a Welcome to Country and then a Haka Pōwhiri performed by a Sydney-based kapa haka group led by Kiri Barber. Once the Festival was opened and leaders welcomed, rangatahi heard from Canteen Australia CEO, Peter Orchard and Canteen Aotearoa CEO, Nick Laing.

Bruno Maurel OAM, the founding chairman of Tour de Cure Australia, delivered the Festival's keynote address, and then throughout the weekend, rangatahi heard from a range of speakers, through discussions, panels, and workshops - all centred around the theme, 'Dare To Grow’. 

Business and Leadership Panel | Carlos Antonius, CEO of Chatime and Guy Alexander, CSO of Groov and previous Canteen Aotearoa member inspired our leaders by discussing the importance of leadership in business, why they choose to lead, being resilient during times of difficulty, and the core values that underpin their work. 

Sports and Leadership Panel | Leaders heard from Australian Institute Of Sport (AIS) Community Partnerships ambassador and ex-rugby league player, Brett Greinke, and Diving Australia Limited member Olivia O’Rourke. The panel was moderated by Katrina Webb OAM from the International Paralympic Committee. The group were able to talk to the leaders about the importance of managing your priorities, energy and mind, as well as what leadership means to them. 

Canteen Aotearoa CEO, Nick Laing said, 

"It was special to be surrounded by incredible rangatahi from both sides of the Tasman. Our future is in excellent hands indeed."

Canteen has a proud history of rangatahi leadership and aims to provide rangatahi with opportunities to develop skills and connections that will benefit their long-term future while also contributing to the direction of the organisation.