Leaders Development Camp
28th - 30th November 2025
Woodend Christian Camp
124 Woodend Beach Road
Supporters
A massive thankyou to the businesses and organisations who have supported our 2025 Leadership Development camp!
Whats happening?
Our Speakers
Part of this weekend is growing our knoweldge and skills as leaders and we have some top notch speakers to help us do that
Saturday Morning Speaker
Sandy Hitchens
Doors of Hope, Neufeld Aotearoa
Sandy lives in Christchurch, New Zealand She is married with four adult children. She has over 30 years experience of working with children and young people across a number of various roles including church based programmes, youth leadership, preschool music programmes, perceptual motor programmes and counselling at Doors of Hope.
Sandy will be running and elective looking at the power of true play in how we connect with and lead our young people, and help them form healthy attachements.
Saturday Afternoon Speaker
Laura Hewett
Riccarton Community Church
Laura is a friend, a sister, a daughter, a teacher, a mentor, a book enthusiast, a theologian, a writer, an adventurer, a missionary, and a Jesus lover.
You can also buy her books here
Laura will be running an elective looking at how we answer and enagage well with tricky questions that our friends, young people, and ourselves have.
Sunday Speaker
Mike Dodge
Canterbury Youth Services
Mike is the big boss of Canterbury Youth Services, which runs Southern Easter Camp, and spends lots of his time coaching and cheerleading youth leaders at many levels of leadership to do their roles really well.
Mike will be running a Sunday workshop on Spirit lead life and youth work.
Saturday Morning Speaker
Brett Hitchens
CDN Trust Board
Brett loves Christian camping and has been a camper, leader, and speaker at Curious Cove since 1978. He is married to Sandy and they have 4 adult children. He graduated teachers’ college in 1996 and spent 7 years teaching before beginning as a youth pastor in Ashburton and Nelson. Brett now teaches Yr9/10 Christian Studies, Te Reo, Science and Math at Emmanuel Christian School.
A speaker at camps all across the South Island Brett will be running an elective focusing on storying telling and speaking at camp.
Weekend Speaker
Peter Dobbs
Christian Camping New Zealand
Peter is born, bred, and resides in the Waikato with his wife Jessica and their five sons where is holds the role of CEO of Christian Camping NZ.
Peter holds a PhD in Theology from the University of Otago. His research looked at the governance, strategic focus, and practices of Christian non-profits in New Zealand. His findings relating to mission drift and the relational tension and pressures experienced between faith-based organisations and the local church. Peter is motivated by a desire to love God, love other people, and teach others to do the same.
Plus you can listen to his podcast Between Camps.
Peter will be speaking at our main sessions on how we stay on track and dont drift from our mission as Christians and leading an elective looking at mission drift in Christian Organisations (hey thats what he did his PhD in).
Saturday Speaker
Emma Robinson
Jesus Time
Emma felt called to create and encourage a community of people to spend time with Jesus through the Bible in the way God created them which she is doing through Jesus Time
She is excited to open up the conversation on what it looks like to spend time with Jesus and create content, tools and resources to help us all grow in this.
Emma will be running an elective looking at how we connect and spend time with Jesus, and showing off some of her awesome Jesus Time material.
Camp Activities
We are learning and having fun this weekend, Woodend has some epic activites we will be doing, and our friends at Word of Life will be bring some of their toys as well. (Please note these activites are subject to change)
Go Kart
Archery Tag
Campfire
Photos and other media from the weekend
Download Peters Dobbs, Staying Close to Jesus: Personal Reflection & Next Steps Questionnaire