Whanganui High School Model United Nations

On Wednesday 26 August, 13 Whanganui High Students attended a Model United Nations event at Whanganui Girls College. The event was run by UN Youth NZ, a university student-led volunteer organisation which aims to create spaces where young people can engage with global issues, develop leadership skills, and foster a deeper understanding of international affairs. Our students were allocated a country to represent before the event; ranging from Russia to Somalia. Students spent their own time researching their country and understanding their perspective on global issues. Students were also given a detailed briefing document on energy independence and a range of resolutions to vote on. On the day, the students took part in a negotiation workshop, before moving into the United Nations General Assembly part of the day, where they spoke on behalf of their country, and negotiated and voted on the energy independence resolutions. Somewhat unlike the real UN, agreement was reached! Our students were outstanding in how thoroughly they researched their countries’ positions, the confidence with which they spoke up, and their negotiation savvy. Model UN will definitely be a fixture on our school calendar in 2026!

26/8/25