Twenty-three students attended MUNA- the Model United Nations Assembly for two days at the end of May.
After seven weeks of intense research, decisions about which remits to choose, and preparation for what to wear to best represent each team’s country, our students donned their outfits and corporate wear and headed off to MUNA.
This year, the event was at Rosmini College, and 109 teams signed up from schools as far north as Kerikeri and as far south as Hamilton.
MUNA was a fantastic opportunity for teams to display their quick wit and eloquent speaking skills, dress in character, and exercise their adept use of rebuttals and points of order.
Westlake Girls is the resident press team, and the students do a wonderful job each year. They created a video of proceedings, interviewed teams, attended and reported on bloc meetings, and interviewed the Secretary-General (this year held by Shanan Halbert, who did a sterling job). After attending many meetings and taking notes on witty banter, the press team is now busy creating the final newsletter for Rotary.
Our three delegate teams were:
Cambodia: Jana Kak, Shivani Arivuchelvan and Tina Kim
Hungary: Fiona Yang and Vacky Oh
Japan: Laura Mackenzie, Jasmyne Howker and Taarini Soni-Singh.
Georgia Martin and Amelie Preece ably led the press team, followed by Tazkia Ahmed, Ajrin Ahmed, Rebecca Gunawan, Mia Christie, Tanushri Dev, Foram Patel, Ann Chen, Scarlett Haynes, Diya Kansara, Meera Mistry, Kanna Sakamoto, and Cindy Tang. Unfortunately, Lana Mourad was absent due to sickness.
Our special thanks go to Rosmini College who donated the use of the Tindall auditorium free of charge and to the Rotary clubs: North Shore, Takapuna North and Downtown Auckland Central CBD . They worked tirelessly to ensure that students had an opportunity to pretend that they were indeed the real United Nations Assembly and to Jan Malcolm who ran the event like a well-oiled machine.
Team Japan won ‘best team costume’, and Team Cambodia won ‘best overall country’.
Main image above: Team Cambodia