Presbyterian Youth Ministries · 2026
Queenstown
Key Leaders
Retreat
Friday 11 – Monday 14 September 2026
Lakeland Park Christian Camp · Kelvin Heights, Queenstown
The Invitation
A retreat designed for those who lead the leaders
PYM is inviting Key Youth Leaders from across the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand to join us in Queenstown for our 2026 Key Leaders Retreat — a gathering designed to recognise, refresh, and equip those who carry primary leadership responsibility for youth ministry in their church or organisation.
A Key Leader is someone who heads up youth ministry at a church or organisation and oversees a team of youth leaders — whether in a paid or volunteer role. Most churches will have one Key Leader, though in some contexts the role may be shared. If you'd like more than one person from your church to attend, get in touch and we'll do our best to accommodate you.
Research consistently shows that youth ministries thrive when key leaders remain in their role for five to seven years or longer. This retreat is built to support exactly that kind of longevity.
What to Expect
Four aims. One retreat.
Acknowledging
We know how hard you work and how much you sacrifice. This retreat is our way of saying: you matter, and the work you do matters.
Gathering
There's real value in being together. This is a chance to connect with key leaders from across the PCANZ — sharing stories, best practice, encouragement, and support.
Refreshing
Good youth workers are pastors and role models, not just event organisers. Time away to pray and seek God isn't incidental to the work — it's indispensable to it.
Equipping
Alongside the space to refresh and connect, we'll devote focused time to soul care, spiritual formation, and the unique challenges of leading other leaders.
Keynote Speaker
Meet Maja Whitaker
"Passionate about spiritual formation and helping others understand how to follow the way of Jesus in contemporary cultural contexts."
Maja is the Academic Dean at Laidlaw College and one of Aotearoa New Zealand's leading voices in spiritual formation and practical theology. Ordained in the Equippers Church with over a decade of pastoral experience, she brings both scholarly depth and genuine pastoral warmth to everything she does.
She teaches into courses on spiritual formation, reflective practice, leadership, and pastoral ministry — which makes her a natural fit for a retreat centred on personal formation rather than skills training. Maja's gift is creating space for leaders to go deeper: not just thinking about faith, but being shaped by it.
Maja holds a PhD in Theology from the University of Otago, has published three books and numerous journal articles, and blogs on spiritual formation and pastoral theology at somewhitespace.blog. She is of Ngāi Tahu descent, based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, and is married to Dave — they have four daughters.
Full profile at Laidlaw College →Registration
Heavily discounted. Fully worth it.
The cost of this three-night retreat has been subsidised by PYM. All meals and planned activities are included.
Registration closes Wednesday 26 August or when 50 spots are filled.
Travel Support
We'll help you get here.
Flight reimbursements are available for participants travelling from around the country. Numbers are limited, so register and book early.
To claim your reimbursement, email your flight confirmation and bank account details to matt@pym.org.nz. Payments are made after the event.
Getting There
Everything you need to know.
Venue
Lakeland Park Christian Camp
496 Peninsula Road, Kelvin Heights
15km from Queenstown, overlooking Lake Wakatipu
Flights
Arrive before 4:00pm Friday 11 September. Depart no earlier than 2:00pm Monday 14 September.
Free Shuttle
PYM runs a free shuttle from Queenstown Airport to Lakeland Park, 2:00pm–4:00pm Friday, and a return on Monday departing ~1:00pm. Register for the shuttle before 20 August.
Schedule
Registration opens at 2:00pm on Friday 11 September. We're still finalising the full programme — view the 2024 schedule for a sense of the rhythm.
FAQs