2025 theme: HIKITIA | ELEVATE

Are you ready to take the next step, to challenge yourself, to elevate yourself and others?  

Hikitia | Elevate signifies growth, innovation and the pursuit of excellence. It encourages us to rise to new challenges, improve our skills, and to think beyond our current roles, envisioning new possibilities for ourselves and for Waipapa Taumata Rau. It is all about taking what you’ve built, what you’ve learned, what you know, and what you do, and taking it to the next level! It is about driving your own development by using the resources around you and drawing on the strengths of your peers and teams.  

Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe, me he maunga teitei   

Seek the treasure which you value dearly. If you should bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain.  

This whakataukī challenges us to pursue our dreams and goals, to persevere through adversity and only slow down if the obstacle is truly great. It sets a wero (challenge) to think about goals, barriers, desires and aspirations. It encourages us to step up and to elevate those around us.