Tuesday 20 October 2026
On Friday, 4 September, the Democracy Society (DemSoc) had the great honour and privilege of hosting Hon. Erica Stanford at King’s College. DemSoc is a Round Square-affiliated club aimed to promote student engagement in political discourse, expression of opinions and current events that shape our world today.
As a senior minister in Cabinet and holding multiple ministerial portfolios, she spoke to the audience about her role in Government, especially exploring her ongoing and very consequential tenure as Minister of Education. She also shared her thoughts on a variety of different topics, with particular focuses on education, the economy, social media, and her vision for New Zealand’s future.
The Minister was well received, and we saw great turnout with almost 150 students and staff in attendance. Gathered in our Toi Manawa Flanagan Theatre, our audience heard interview questions which were insightfully balanced yet respectfully challenging for Minister Stanford. This included hearing her response to the intriguing posit ‘New Zealand’s best days are behind us’, and asking after her goals for and the process behind replacing NCEA.
At the end of her interview, the Minister was asked to give her message to us as students, and her response was equally as inspiring as it was pragmatic. She encouraged us to work hard, because only through hard work can we find new opportunities and open doors to new paths in life that we might otherwise not be able to cross. Her message strongly correlates with what King’s continuously encourages us to do: to take every opportunity available to us and make the best out of them, that resonated with many of us.
In addition to the talk, the Minister was shown a small number of the College’s classes during the period before lunchtime, and she was very impressed with the engagement of the students, the quality of the teaching, and the College facilities.
This is the first time King’s has hosted a major political figure in this interview style. Working with the Headmaster, Mr Patrick Gale, and our teacher-in-charge Mr Grant McKibbin, since March this year to secure the date and organise the arrangements, this was a highly anticipated occasion for DemSoc. We thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to bring this long-planned lunchtime to life. The feedback we received was very positive, and we’re incredibly happy that we could make this event something people enjoyed.
Without a doubt, Minister Erica Stanford’s interview and visit has become our headline event of the year.
Leeora Wu (Year 13, Marion Bruce) and Brendan Lian (Year 13, Peart) - Democracy Society Student Leaders