We are incredibly proud to celebrate the graduation of the Special Olympics New Zealand Athlete Leadership Programme Class of 2024.
On Thursday August 8, the six graduates; Rāwiri Hawker, Richard Langford, Katie McMillan, Tom Morland, Jack Rowe and Ella Yarndley took part in their official graduation ceremony at parliament. During the ceremony the Class of 2024, along with their friends and whānau, were officially welcomed to parliament by Parliamentary Kaumātua Kura Moehau before also being addressed by the Minister for Disability Issues, Hon Louise Upston and Special Olympics New Zealand Chief Executive Fran Scholey.
Next it was the graduates’ turns to take the stage, each of whom spoke inspirationally about what being an athlete leader meant to them and their journeys to this point before being presented with their graduation certificates by the Minister, Fran, the founder of Special Olympics in New Zealand, Grant Quinn and this class’ athlete mentor, Ryan Smith.
Special Olympics New Zealand would also like to extend a huge thank you also to all the mentors, friends and whānau who play such an invaluable role in the journey of all our athlete leaders.
The full ceremony and each athlete’s graduation speech can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/1oXwUXI7gXI?si=5KC0QsDGBuImtULa
The Class of 2024
Rāwiri Hawker
Katie McMillan
Jack Rowe
Richard Langford
Tom Morland
Ella Yarndley
Want to be part of the Class of 2025?
Nominations for the 2025 Athlete Leadership Programme are now open and we invite all Clubs, athletes and whānau to consider this great opportunity and nominate any athlete you think is well suited and ready for this next step in their development.
For more information including an outline of the programme, selection criteria and the nomination/application forms, follow this link: https://specialolympics.org.nz/call-for-nominations-2025-athlete-leadership-programme/