Harvard President Receives Standing Ovation – What NZ Students & Leaders Can Learn from the Mome

At the start of Harvard’s 2025 commencement ceremony, the university’s president was met with a powerful minute-long standing ovation — a symbolic moment that’s now being discussed not just in the U.S., but right here in Aotearoa. For Kiwi students, educators, and institutional leaders, the gesture raises timely questions about leadership, resilience, and public trust in academic spaces.

New Zealand’s tertiary education sector has faced its own challenges — from student debt pressures and mental health concerns to leadership controversies and the push for bicultural transformation. Watching an international academic figure receive such a unified show of support reminds us how vital visible, trusted leadership is during uncertain times.

For Kiwi graduates stepping into a changing world, this viral moment from Harvard is more than just pomp and ceremony. It’s a reminder of what it means to lead with integrity, especially when under scrutiny. It also invites reflection on how we uplift leaders — in universities, politics, and communities — who stand firm on values that matter to Aotearoa: equity, transparency, and inclusion.

Whether you're attending a graduation at the University of Auckland, Victoria University, or Otago, the energy behind this standing ovation is a call to celebrate not just academic achievement, but principled leadership — something New Zealand needs now more than ever.

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Daniel Chyi 戚钊

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