A group of 23 teenaged pupils from around the lower South Island convened in the mezzanine floor of the Queenstown Events Centre for a series of workshops, problem-solving exercises, debates and an evening ball at Rydges Lakeland Resort Queenstown.
A model United Nations was designed to give young New Zealanders the opportunity to experience international relations and the workings of the organisation first-hand.
It also was intended to develop their negotiation and public speaking skills and their knowledge of global affairs.
Wakatipu High School pupils Stephanie Arrowsmith, Rowan Biggs, Victoria Boult, Hebe Hilhorst, Laura Mclaughlan, Luke Petre, Tatjana and Rosa Woods took part.
The Greater Otago Model United Nations this year was based around the theme of sustainability.
Delegates were told if human consumption stayed at the same level, by 2050 three Earths would be needed to keep humanity supplied with food and resources.
If change was not made soon, massive permanent climate change would occur.
Each youth was assigned a country to represent and was given the previous week to study it.
Among the nations represented were the United Kingdom, United States, South Africa, Pakistan, Uganda and China, but not New Zealand or Australia, ''because it forces them to think of a perspective other than their own'', event co-ordinator and creator Mike Peebles said yesterday.
Each delegate advocated their adopted country's position on two topics - the question of enhancement of sustainable development and the question of climate refugees.
An environmental workshop tasked them with handling the hypothetical situation of a drought in Niger. Representatives described how they would mitigate this and adapt.
The conference was concluded yesterday with presentations on NZ Model UN, involving 240 secondary school delegates at Victoria University, Wellington, from July 5 to 8, and The Hague International Model United Nations, held earlier this year.
