What is CHOGM?
The biannual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) is where leaders of Commonwealth countries assemble and deliberate future policy direction. More information about CHOGM can be found here.
What is Student CHOGM?
Student CHOGM (or SCHOGM) is Commonwealth Youth’s annual flagship event. It provides an opportunity for high school students to immerse themselves in international relations and develop a greater understanding of world issues. The two-day event is rife with debate, discussion, and personal development.
During SCHOGM, students from across Aotearoa New Zealand will meet in Parliament and represent a Commonwealth country, acting as their Head of Government or Foreign Minister. The conference is designed for students to steer through political crises, issue press statements, and grapple with grave concerns facing today's Commonwealth countries.
Event details:
Date: Mon 9th - Tue 10th September, 2024
Location: Parliament Buildings, Wellington
Who It's For: Year 11, 12, 13 high school students, anywhere in New Zealand
Guest Speakers:
Dr Philip Fountain
Senior lecturer at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington
As an anthropologist, Philip seeks to go beyond public rhetoric to explore how international aid and development works in practice. He has conducted research on non-governmental organisations (NGOs), humanitarianism and disaster relief, human rights, and peacebuilding in both Asia and the Pacific. His research sheds critical new light on how religion inspires, facilitates, and also challenges development efforts. Philip was previously a research fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore.
Jan Henderson
New Zealand International Whaling Commissioner
Jan is a senior diplomat who has had a distinguished career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She has served as New Zealand’s High Commissioner to India, Ambassador to Turkey and inaugural High Commissioner to the Caribbean. Earlier overseas assignments were to Washington DC, Thailand and the Solomon Islands. Jan has also served as Head of the Chief Executive’s Office and Director of the Environment Division, where she was directly involved in International Whaling Commission issues. She is currently the New Zealand International Whaling Commissioner. Jan also teaches diplomatic tradecraft in New Zealand and the Pacific. Her career is marked by significant contributions to international diplomacy and environmental advocacy.
Juliana Lafaialii
Samoan Deputy High Commissioner
Juliana Lafaialii is the Deputy Head of Mission for the Samoa High Commission. A lawyer by profession, she was a Principal Foreign Service Officer at the Samoa Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, where she worked on the Pacific Framework for Regionalism and the Blue Pacific narrative. Her role includes preparing Samoa’s submissions for regional foreign policy initiatives like the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and addressing sea level rise and nuclear legacy issues in the Pacific. Previously, she served as Assistant Senior Crown Counsel at the Attorney General’s Office in Tonga. She holds a Bachelor of Law from the University of the South Pacific and a Master of Laws from Victoria University of Wellington.
Registrations have now closed.
Thank you for your overwhelming interest and support! Due to unexpectedly high demand, we had to close registrations early.
Fees:
Registration fees for this year’s event include Parliamentary catering and other event costs.
$200 per attending delegate.
$110 per attending chaperone (i.e. teacher/parent).
Student CHOGM is a not-for-profit event. We charge a registration fee to cover the costs associated with hosting the event (the largest cost being catering). If you'd like to discuss options for financial assistance, please reach out via email.
Please note that:
Your registration is finalised when we receive your payment.
If you wish to attend from outside of Wellington, you must make your own travel and accommodation arrangements.
Chaperones are not mandatory, i. e. the student may attend the event independently, with their guardians’ approval.
