Bishop Helen-Ann has spent this week taking part in the Waikato Diocesan School for Girls' Year 12 camp, to National Park.  Each year the 120 girls of Year 12 spend four days in National Park mountain biking, tramping, caving and undergoing a Search and Rescue simulation exercise, all with a focus on developing leadership skills. Bishop Helen-Ann joined the Year 12s two years ago for their Year 10 camp at Raglan.  That camp brought a new experience for Bishop HA: surfing; this time it was mountain biking that taught Bishop HA a new set of skills, as she joined the girls on a challenging course through the Erua Forest.  

The camp itself began with a visit to Pāpākai Marae by Tongariro, where the girls heard stories from the local iwi about the mountains and the surrounding area.  This was followed by a hangi at the Marae and an opportunity for the girls to demonstrate the work that they had done in small groups to illustrate important aspects of the talks that they had listened to.  On Thursday morning, the Bishop was with a small group who trekked part of the Tongariro crossing.  Although the weather was rough, this accompanying photo suggests that a good time was had by all!  The girls (and the Bishop) learnt invaluable skills about undertaking a search and rescue exercise, from professionals in the field who had set up a real-life scenario for the girls to work through: two missing German tourists in the forest.  As the girls worked to find the missing couple, the staff present were given roles to play (based on real experiences) to distract from the task at hand.  Bishop HA found herself portraying the German Ambassador, and a TV reporter.  Over the course of the three-hour exercise, the girls worked as a team to cover a wide search area, communicating back to base with the search management team.  

Bishop HA said of the camp: 'it was an absolute privilege to join Waikato Dio for their Year 12 camp.  Two years ago I was with the same group of girls in Raglan, and it was wonderful to see how they had developed both as individuals and as a year group.  They are remarkable and inspiring young women, and I was deeply moved at how they worked together, looking out for one another, and ensuring that everyone was included.  I was inspired by the dedication of the teaching staff, who worked tirelessly to put this camp together, and ensure its smooth running.  It was so good to be able to also spend time with the staff, and they made me feel absolutely part of the team!  The girls are current and future leaders in society, and I know that at Waikato Dio they are being instilled with the attributes of discipleship and care for others and for our world.  Our Anglican schools do a magnificent job, and it is right that we give them all the support that we can.'