Macleans College students experience world politics at Model United Nations
Posted on June 17, 2024
Across two days, three groups of Macleans College students representing the countries of Ecuador, Tonga and Poland participated in the Rotary Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA).
This year the annual event was held at Rosmini College in Takapuna. Secondary school students act as representatives of their country and lobby for decisions and remits from the perspective of their respective countries.
A total of 105 teams across the North Island participated, representing more than 100 countries from around the world.
Annabelle Harrison (Snell House), Mabel Zhang (Te Kanawa) and Amelia Hu (Mansfield) represented Ecuador. Leo Mamedov (Kupe), Amber Ho (Upham) and Takatoki Sakimoto (Rutherford) represented Tonga. Mika Ramsing (Kupe), Cecilia Ma (Mansfield) and Behrad Etemadipour (Batten) represented Poland.
Day one consisted of regional meetings, passionate speeches, animated debates and note-passing. This highlighted the importance of efficiency and negotiation when it comes to problem-solving within the United Nations (UN) and served as an important lesson in policymaking.
Day two involved further policy and decision-making for the delegates while considering the impacts of modern remits in the 21st century.
The guest speaker, Hon. Chris Carter, the former MP for Te Atatū, offered the delegates advice in regards to pursuing a job with the UN, his personal experiences serving as a UN ambassador to Afghanistan and his experience in politics.
The students witnessed lively debates and discussions while considering important global concerns and commitments. This provided the students with an opportunity to negotiate and deliver opportunities in a modern political climate.
A special thank you to Mrs Heeney for helping to organise the event and for supervising the delegates.