Term Three Week 9

Tēnā koutou katoa

This week we have proudly celebrated Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week, and it has been wonderful to see both staff and students embracing the opportunity to learn, practise, and celebrate te reo Māori through a range of activities across our school.

The week began on Monday with Whaea Candyce Keelan presenting staff with a special keyring resource containing common phrases, mihi, karakia, greetings, pepeha, and our school haka. This practical guide supports everyone in using and understanding our Ngā Rau Huia o Ākina kawa in everyday school life. Staff also spent time working alongside a buddy to practise using our school values correctly, with a focus on both context and pronunciation.

Ka rawe, e te whānau! It has been inspiring to see the enthusiasm and commitment shown by our staff as they continue to strengthen their confidence in te reo Māori.

Throughout the week, students have enjoyed a variety of lunchtime activities. One highlight has been watching the games of kī o rahi, with students enthusiastically taking part or enjoying the sunshine while supporting from the sidelines. It has been fantastic to see so many of our tauira engaged, active, and connected during their break times. A huge thank you to our staff and the Te Hui Ā Kaimanawa Committee for their hard work in organising such an enjoyable and meaningful week of celebrations.

As we look ahead to next week, our focus turns to the end of term and the upcoming practice examinations. This can be an important and sometimes challenging time for our ākonga and parents often ask how they can best provide support at home.

Some of the simplest things can make the biggest difference. Providing a quiet space for study or encouraging students to make use of the School Library after school, supporting healthy eating habits, ensuring they get plenty of sleep, and encouraging regular exercise and fresh air can all help. The importance of moving our bodies and taking breaks cannot be underestimated. Physical activity helps refresh our minds and allows our brains to perform at their best.

I have been impressed by the way many students are taking advantage of the support available from their teachers and making the most of learning opportunities in class. There is a real sense of purpose and determination across the school at the moment. If any student requires additional support, please do not hesitate to connect with our Learning Support Coordinator, Ms Elworthy.

We also have plenty to celebrate beyond the classroom. We wish our Hip Hop Crew all the very best as they travel to Palmerston North this weekend to compete at the DanceNZmade Nationals. Reaching the national stage is a fantastic achievement, and we know they will represent Hastings Girls’ High School with pride.

Congratulations also to Arnika Warren on her selection for the Hawke’s Bay Central Zone Secondary Schools Netball Team. This is a wonderful recognition of her hard work and commitment to her sport.

And looking ahead to next weekend, we wish Teiyah, Valentyne and Maddy all the very best as they head to Auckland to compete at the U18 Rugby League Nationals. We are incredibly proud to see our students taking up opportunities and representing themselves, their teams, their whānau, and our kura at such a high level.

Alongside our focus on teaching and learning, I have also been working closely with our Board on the development of our new Strategic Plan. This is a very important document that will help shape the future direction of Hastings Girls’ High School for the years ahead.

Over recent months, we have gathered feedback through surveys at Parent Teacher Interviews, Open Evening, and through links shared in our Pānui. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to contribute their thoughts and ideas. We have also workshopped draft priorities with staff and students and consulted with local iwi as part of this process.

The next step is to hear directly from our wider community and we warmly invite you to join us at our Community Hui on Thursday 15 October at 5.30pm in the School Hall.
This will be an opportunity to share your thoughts, discuss the future direction of our school, and help shape the aspirations we have for our students and community. Your voice matters and we would love for you to be part of this important conversation.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our school. Together, we continue to create opportunities for our young women to grow, succeed, and thrive.
Ngā mihi nui
Lisa Akers
Principal

There is plenty happening across the curriculum as we head towards the end of Term 3, with our students working hard both inside and outside the classroom.

Our current Year 10, 11 and 12 students are in the process of selecting their subjects for 2027, with choices open until Friday 25 September. It was fantastic to see such strong engagement at our recent Pathways Hui, with students taking the opportunity to explore their options, ask questions and think carefully about the subjects and pathways that will support their future goals.

Over the past couple of weeks, many students have also completed their Literacy and Numeracy Common Assessment Activities (CAAs). A huge amount of preparation has taken place within our English and Mathematics classes, and it has been particularly encouraging to see the confidence with which students have approached and completed these assessments. We now look forward to receiving their results.

Our senior Benchmark Examinations began today, with up to 100 students at a time sitting exams in the Hall. Benchmarks are an important opportunity for students to practise working under examination conditions and identify where to focus their efforts ahead of the end-of-year NCEA examinations. The results also contribute to decisions around our senior academic awards for Prizegiving. Today also marked our first digital Benchmark Examination, with Level 1 Health completing their assessment online. I am pleased to report that everything ran smoothly.

Of course, learning continues well beyond the classroom. Recently, our English Language students spent a fantastic day exploring conservation at Cape Sanctuary, while our Year 9 Outdoors Hub headed to the Central North Island for their snow trip. Experiences such as these allow students to apply their learning in different environments, build confidence and make connections that simply can’t be replicated in the classroom.

It is a busy time of year, and I encourage all students to keep making the most of the opportunities and support available to them as we finish Term 3 strongly.

E tipu, e rea, mō ngā rā o tō ao.
Nurture your learning today to thrive in your world tomorrow.

This year, our Te Reo Māori learning pathway set the foundations of our school values: Manaakitanga, Whanaungatanga, Whakaute, Pono, and Kaitiakitanga. We are proud to celebrate the incredible growth, strong connections, and achievements of our students across all levels.
We were proud to introduce Te Reo Rangatira to our learning platform this year, providing targeted extension to tautoko our fluent ākonga and nurture them as passionate advocates for the language.

MATARIKI CELEBRATIONS
Earlier in July, our student leadership group Te Huia Kaimanawa officially opened our week of Matariki celebrations. Students were invited to reflect on the three key themes of Matariki—the past, the present, and the future—through the stories of the Matariki stars:

Pōhutukawa: Encouraged us to look back and reflect on our favourite memories and proudest moments from the past year.
Waitī & Waitā: Challenged us to think about how we can care for our school environment and the world around us.
Hiwa-i-te-rangi: The wishing star, inspired us to share our hopes and aspirations for our kura and the year ahead.

Te Huia Kaimanawa also introduced a week full of activities, including Mahi Toi (art), preparation for Hautapu, and our special Hautapu celebration on Friday. The assembly concluded with two whakataukī that reminded us of the importance of coming together, reflecting on our values, and embracing new beginnings.
A huge thank you to Te Huia Kaimanawa for leading such a meaningful start to our Matariki celebrations. We look forward to celebrating together throughout the week as we honour the past, celebrate the present, and look with hope towards the future. Mānawatia a Matariki!

YEAR 9–13: HE KŌRERO TUAKIRI – IDENTITY & BELONGING
Our students explored their identity and connection to place through rich cultural learning and language skill development:
Kōrero (Speaking): Explored He Kōrero Tuakiri (personal identity and story).
Whakarongo (Listening): Connected to Tūrangawaewae (strengthening their sense of belonging).
Tuhituhi (Writing): Documented He Kōrero Tuku Iho (unpacking histories, traditions, and ancestral pūrākau).
Pānui (Reading): Engaged in focused reading celebrations across ngā iwi katoa, highlighting an awesome week of learning during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

YEAR 11–13: RANGATIRATANGA
Our senior students stepped up into the Realms of Leadership Expectations, serving as role models, language champions, and cultural guides across our school community.

NGĀ MANU KŌRERO & TOITŪ TE REO MĀORI
A major highlight of our year was our participation in Ngā Manu Kōrero, centered around the kaupapa of Toitū te Reo Māori.
Our students embraced the opportunity to manaaki and tautoko this crucial annual event, embodying our school values on and off the stage. A special acknowledgment goes to Miss Hiria Tangaere, who represented our school with excellence as a speaker in the Senior Māori section.
Nāu te rourou, nā taku rourou, ka ora ai te iwi.

Thank you to our students, whānau, and community for making this year’s journey such a success!

Kia ora koutou katoa, me te hari Wiki o te Reo Māori!

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is such an important week across Aotearoa. It gives us all a dedicated space to honour, uplift, and normalise te reo Māori as a vibrant, living language that unites us. It is a time to reflect on our country’s rich history, celebrate indigenous culture, and ensure our language thrives for generations to come.

Here at our kura, it has been an action-packed week full of energy, learning, and pride in our language and culture. We hosted engaging kēmu like wharewhare and tākaro, ran energetic Kī o rahi whakataetae during lunchtimes, shared meaningful whakataukī in the daily notices, and experienced a powerful, inspiring te ao haka performance during Assembly. Events like these mean the world to our committee – they give us a platform to fully showcase our Māoritanga and encourage everyone to embrace te reo with enthusiasm.

As the year comes to a close, Te Huia Kaimanawa is deeply grateful and proud of everything we have achieved together – from our Matariki celebrations to this vibrant reo week. We are excited to keep building on this strong foundation next year, strengthening our current kaupapa while bringing fresh, exciting initiatives to life.

Ngā mihi nui! Te Huia Kaimanawa

Congratulations to Maieke Thompson and Mennat Quazi who have been recognised as Hastings Girls’ High School’s recipients of the Lions Club of Hastings Young Achievers Awards 2026.

Both students have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement throughout their senior years, achieving NCEA Levels 1 and 2 with Excellence Endorsement and continuing to work towards Excellence at Level 3. Alongside their academic success, they have each made a significant contribution to leadership and service within our kura and wider community.

Our Amorangi, Maieke, has demonstrated exceptional leadership through her commitment to te ao Māori and her advocacy for Māori students. As leader of Te Huia Kaimanawa, she works to ensure student voice is heard and valued and leads with integrity, humility and purpose. Her academic achievements include receiving an outstanding Te Reo Māori Scholarship in Year 11, an exceptional achievement attained by only 0.4% of recipients nationwide.

As Head Girl, Mennat has represented HGHS at public events, leadership conferences and community functions. She has also served as Academic Captain and represented our school on the Hastings District Youth Council. A thoughtful and compassionate leader, Mennat is a strong advocate for others and an outstanding role model for younger students.
Both young women intend to continue their studies at the University of Auckland next year and we know they will take the same determination, leadership and commitment they have shown at HGHS into this exciting next chapter.

We are incredibly proud of Maieke and Mennat and delighted to see their hard work, leadership and contribution recognised through the Lions Club of Hastings Young Achievers Awards. They are outstanding representatives of Hastings Girls’ High School – Ngā Rau Huia o Ākina and wonderful examples of the young wāhine our kura strives to empower.

Our debating teams have been putting their skills to the test recently with both our Senior and Year 10 teams achieving fantastic results in regional competitions.

Last week, our senior debating team of Paige, Khushi, Pippa and Elizabeth travelled to Napier Boys’ High School for the Secondary Schools Regional Debating Competition. Their first challenge was an impromptu debate against Napier Girls’ Blue on the moot, “This House would ban private health insurance.” Taking the negating position, our team delivered a strong argument and narrowly lost by just four points.

Following a short break, the girls returned for their main debate, again taking the negating side on the moot, “This House would make the destruction of rare books illegal.” This time, their preparation, confidence and ability to respond under pressure secured them a well-deserved win against Napier Girls’ High School.

Our Year 10 debating team of Riddhi, Vardeep and Anamika also had reason to celebrate after travelling to Napier Girls’ High School to debate the moot, “This House believes school sports should not be competitive.” Arguing the negating position, the girls secured an impressive and closely fought victory.

What makes their result particularly exciting is that this is their first year competing in debating. Stepping up to speak, think on their feet and defend their arguments in a competitive environment takes courage and confidence and they did an outstanding job.

Congratulations to all seven of our debaters. It is fantastic to see our students developing their confidence, critical thinking and public speaking skills while proudly representing Hastings Girls’ High School.

Some of our very lucky students recently spent a fantastic day at Cape Sanctuary, getting hands-on with conservation and learning more about the incredible environment right here in Hawke’s Bay. The girls were hosted by David and Alexia from Afoot, who shared their knowledge of the sanctuary and the work being done to protect our native flora and fauna.

Our students explored the thousands of native plants being grown for restoration planting each year and learned about the important connection between healthy native vegetation and the survival of our taonga bird species. They visited bird-feeding stations and discovered some of the ways conservationists are helping our native birds flourish.

The day also took the group into the dunes, where they learned about tapu midden sites and how remnants of the past can tell stories about those who came before us. They explored the constantly changing dune environment, the threats posed by invasive plants, vehicles and unwanted animals, and the special native plants that help bind and protect the sand. The story of Tangaroa’s eyelashes added another layer to their understanding of this unique landscape.

A definite highlight was carefully opening a wētā hotel and discovering the amazing native insects resting inside!

Our students returned from the sanctuary tired, happy and inspired, with a greater appreciation for our local environment and plenty of enthusiasm for conservation.

A huge thank you to David, Alexia and the team at Afoot for giving our girls such a special opportunity to learn outside the classroom and experience conservation in action.

Congratulations to Arnika Warren on being selected for the Hawke’s Bay Central Zone Secondary Schools Netball Team!

Arnika is just one of nine Hastings Girls’ students to have been selected for this team since 2021, making this a significant achievement, especially as she is still only in Year 11.

The team will travel to Palmerston North this weekend to compete, where players will then be considered for selection to the New Zealand Secondary Schools Netball Development Camp. From this camp, a New Zealand Secondary Schools team will be named.

This is a massive step forward in Arnika’s netball journey and we are incredibly proud of her achievement.

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