The Mackenzie district is well known for its ability to grow great leaders. As with many rural communities, the need to be self-sufficient and have a strong, supportive community means that everybody is required to take on their fair share of responsibilities and leadership. Therefore, Mackenzie College is privileged to be supported by an active community of parents, caregivers, Board, students, locals and staff.

The College acknowledges its responsibility to grow great leaders of tomorrow and has therefore invested a significant proportion of its time into building leadership within the school. Our student leadership team is designed to give students the experience with genuine leadership of the school and its direction.

The formal student leadership roles the College offers come in the following forms:

• Head Students – these four leaders, two head students and two deputies, are selected to represent the student body formally.
• Committee Captains – these students lead committees of students with specific objectives in mind. These promote service to the community and beyond, sporting endeavours, the Arts, Māori culture, our magazine, the environment and the academics. Committee captains also have a vital role in training future leaders within their committees.
• House Leaders – the aim for our house leaders is to motivate and strategise to ensure that their house is well represented in the various house competitions throughout the year. Examples of such events include athletics, lunchtime sports, ‘Spirit Week’ activities, effort grade points, swimming competitions, house singing, lip sync battles, and much more.
• Student Forum – the forum consists of elected representatives from all year 7 to 11 classes. This group of students collect the ideas and opinions of the majority of the school students for presentation and discussion at school council meetings.

Application and selection for formal leadership roles are completed by the end of Term 3, with head students announced at the end of year Awards’ Ceremony.