Term Four Week 1

Kia ora koutou

Welcome to Term 4. I hope everyone has enjoyed a restful break and is feeling refreshed and ready for the exciting opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Term 4 is always a significant time in the school year. For our senior students, it is a relatively short term as they prepare for and move into study leave ahead of their NCEA examinations. For our junior students, the focus will increasingly shift towards end-of-year assessments and examinations. These provide an important opportunity to reflect on learning throughout the year, celebrate progress, and identify areas for further growth and improvement.

This week marks one of the highlights of our school calendar as we announce our student leaders for 2027 at our Leadership Assembly. Our 2026 student leaders are wearing our new leadership ties. As part of this year’s Legacy Project, our current student leaders introduced the tie to complement our academic blazers and recognise the significant contribution made by our student leadership team.

Interestingly, ties were once a standard part of our school uniform and were removed when the uniform was updated in 2018. The new leadership tie reflects both our history and our future. The stripes symbolise our connection with our brother school, HBHS, while the crest proudly represents our school identity.

We congratulate all students who have put themselves forward for leadership positions. Leadership is an important responsibility and a privilege, and we look forward to seeing our new leaders continue to strengthen our school culture. Leadership begins with the choices we make every day. Every student has the opportunity to be a leader. Leadership is not defined by a badge, title, or position. It is demonstrated through the example we set, the decisions we make, and the way we treat others.

Throughout the year, I have had the privilege of meeting many students striving for excellence. What consistently stands out is not simply talent or natural ability but determination, discipline, and work ethic. The students achieving at Merit, Excellence, and Scholarship level are often those who have developed positive routines, study consistently, learn from setbacks, and remain committed when challenges arise. These students understand an important lesson: before we can lead others, we must first learn to lead ourselves. Leading ourselves means managing our time effectively, maintaining a positive attitude, putting in consistent effort, and taking responsibility for our behaviour and actions. We are fortunate to have many outstanding senior students who model these qualities every day. They represent our kura with pride on sports fields, in cultural groups, in classrooms, and throughout our wider community. Their example reminds us that leadership is not about being in the spotlight. True leadership is about service, commitment, integrity, and setting a standard that inspires others.

For our junior students, I encourage you to observe and learn from the senior students around you.

Consider:

What habits help them succeed?
How do they communicate with others?
How do they demonstrate respect for staff and fellow students?
How do they respond when faced with challenges?
How do they balance academic studies with leadership, sport, culture, and friendships?
As we move through the remainder of the year, I encourage every student to reflect on the type of leader they want to become.

Ask yourself:

Am I attending regularly?
Am I making the most of my learning opportunities?
Am I showing respect to my teachers and peers?
Am I demonstrating our values of manaakitanga, whakawhanaungatanga, whakaute, pono, and kaitiakitanga?
Am I striving for excellence in everything I do?
Small choices made consistently over time have a powerful impact on our success and the positive influence we have on others.

Remember that leadership and academic success go hand in hand. When you lead yourself well, achievement follows.

When you commit to your learning, you encourage others to do the same. When you strive for excellence, you create opportunities for those around you to aspire higher as well. The future belongs to those who are prepared to work hard, think deeply, act with integrity, and continue learning throughout their lives.

Lead yourselves well. Support one another. Take pride in your learning.

Ngā mihi nui to our whānau, Board of Trustees, community leaders, staff, old girls, and students who joined us for our Community Hui last night. The Hall was alive with energy as we came together to share ideas, hopes, and aspirations for the future of our school.

Together, we explored some important questions: What do we want our school to become? What do our young women need to thrive in a rapidly changing world? How do we honour our proud history while preparing for the future? And what will success look like for our girls in 2030 and beyond? Thank you to everyone who contributed their voice. Your insights will help shape the next chapter of our school’s journey.

Ngā mihi nui
Lisa Akers
Principal

Welcome back to Term 4! This final term is always a fast-paced, action-packed sprint to the finish line, which makes maintaining consistent attendance just as vital as ever to ensure our students cross the finish line strong and stay on track to reach their full potential.

We are looking forward to a special, celebratory Assembly on Monday, where we will come together to shine a spotlight on the outstanding dedication and achievements of our students. We will be proudly acknowledging students who have achieved Merit and Excellence in Term 3, alongside awarding prestigious Ākina badges to honour exceptional attendance and active involvement in extracurricular life.

Our summer sports programme is now in full swing and it has been absolutely awesome to see the participation across the board. Sport is a cornerstone of a well-rounded education – building resilience, fostering teamwork, and instilling healthy lifelong habits. Let’s bring that energy into every aspect of school life, support one another, and make this term our best one yet!

It is with great pride and excitement that we announce Payton Tautau and Jaz as our Head Girl and Amorangi for 2027.

Both young women are already familiar faces within our student leadership team, with Payton currently serving as our Academic Captain and Jaz as our Student Relations Captain. Throughout 2026, they have demonstrated a genuine commitment to our school, their fellow students and the values that make Hastings Girls’ High School such a special place.

Payton, our incoming Head Girl, has embraced the opportunities and responsibilities of student leadership this year, developing her confidence, communication skills and ability to connect with others. She understands that leadership is about bringing people together, working towards shared goals and setting a positive example.

Balancing her academic commitments with sport, employment and friendships has also taught Payton the importance of organisation, determination and a strong work ethic.

In her leadership application, Payton reflected on how much she has grown through her experiences this year, particularly in public speaking and communicating confidently with others. She hopes to build on these strengths in 2027, helping to create a leadership team that works collaboratively and continues to uphold our school values.

Jaz, our incoming Amorangi, brings a thoughtful and reflective approach to leadership. Through her role as Student Relations Captain, she has developed a strong understanding of the importance of relationships, supporting others and creating an environment where everyone feels valued.

In her leadership application, Jaz shared a particularly meaningful reflection on what it means to lead. She spoke about how leadership comes in many different forms, recognising that some people naturally lead from the front while others make just as significant a contribution by quietly supporting those around them.

Jaz describes herself as someone who has traditionally preferred to lead from behind the scenes, providing encouragement and support to others. However, her experiences in student leadership this year have challenged her to step outside her comfort zone, find her voice and grow in confidence.

For Jaz, kindness, humility, integrity and respect are at the heart of good leadership. She believes that understanding yourself, recognising your strengths and being willing to grow are all essential parts of becoming an effective leader.

What makes this partnership particularly exciting is the different strengths and perspectives that Payton and Jaz bring to their roles. Both have already demonstrated their dedication to our kura, and both understand that leadership is not simply about holding a title, but about the positive difference they can make in the lives of others.

As they prepare to lead our student body in 2027, we know they will build on the foundations established by the leaders before them while bringing their own ideas, energy and personalities to these important roles.

We are incredibly proud of Payton and Jaz and look forward to watching them continue to grow as young leaders, role models and ambassadors for Hastings Girls’ High School – Ngā Rau Huia o Ākina.

Congratulations to Year 13 student, Jada Smith, who took home top honours at the recent FotoFest Hawke’s Bay Youth Competition!

Competing against more than 80 entries from talented young creatives across the region, Jada took out overall winning best image/life category.

Awards and prizes generously provided by Harvey Norman, Wardini Books, and the Hastings Youth Council were presented at a special celebration last Saturday alongside the IHCNZ Capture the Moment national photography competition prizegiving.

We are incredibly proud of Jada’s creative vision and technical excellence.

On Thursday, a group of our senior students headed to Flaxmere for the Rise Up Careers Expo, hosted by Kainga Pasifika and Whānau Ora Services!

Our students got to connect directly with Pasifika role models across so many incredible industries – from the NZ Police Force, NZ Defence Force, NZ Corrections, and Fire and Emergency NZ, to Unison and various education providers.

With awesome music, delicious food, and an amazing vibe, it was such an inspiring day for our future leaders!

Over the school holidays, a number of our Hastings Girls’ students represented their regions and countries across rugby league and rugby, achieving some fantastic results on the national stage. We are incredibly proud of these girls and their efforts!

Irie Nikora – U14 New Zealand Māori Rugby League

Earlier this year, Irie competed in the NZRL Māori tournament, where she earned selection for the New Zealand Māori side. Over the holidays, she travelled to Auckland to compete in the Pacific Youth Cup (PYC), taking on other national sides, including Tonga and Samoa. Irie and her team performed exceptionally well, making it through to the final and finishing as runners-up in the tournament. Congratulations, Irie!

Magz Greig and Haelyn Karora-Hawkins – U15 New Zealand Cook Islands Rugby League

Magz and Haelyn also competed at the Pacific Youth Cup, representing the U15 New Zealand Cook Islands team. Competing in this grade meant the girls were playing against athletes a year or two older than themselves, providing a fantastic opportunity to gain valuable experience and game time alongside and against some of the country’s talented rugby league players. Well done, girls!

Valentyne Manutulila – U17 New Zealand Tonga Rugby League

Valentyne travelled to Auckland to compete in the Pacific Youth Cup, representing the U17 New Zealand Tonga team. After dropping their opening game to Samoa, the team showed great resilience and bounced back strongly, going on to defeat Niue in the final and claim the championship. Congratulations, Valentyne, on being part of this fantastic achievement!

Valentyne Manutulila, Maddy Seumanutafa and Teiyah Fomai, – U18 Manawatū Rugby League

These three girls represented Manawatū at the NZRL Youth Tournament in Auckland, where they came up against some strong opposition, including Auckland and Canterbury, whose players compete in rugby league throughout the year. The girls performed well throughout the tournament, finishing fifth overall and taking out the Bowl competition. Awesome effort, girls!

Mel Savaii, Keela North, Brooke Lemalu, Kayla Rota, Peyton Grey and Aaliyah Heenan – U16 Hawke’s Bay Rugby League

Six of our students competed in the NZRL Youth Tournament, proudly representing Hawke’s Bay against some of the country’s strongest provinces, including Waikato and Canterbury. This tournament marked the first time Hawke’s Bay had entered an U16 girls team, and they certainly did not disappoint! The girls put in some impressive performances and finished eighth in the country. A fantastic achievement for the team and a great milestone for Hawke’s Bay rugby league.

Brooke Lemalu, Faith Sanele, Sophia Seilala, Brooklyn Waihua, Salome Pailate and Peyton Grey – Hawke’s Bay U16 Rugby

These girls represented Hawke’s Bay in the Hurricanes Youth Competition held at Napier Boys’ High School. The team performed brilliantly throughout the competition, defeating Manawatū 29–12 in the final to become back-to-back champions! Congratulations to the girls on another outstanding result and on continuing to build on their success.

We are incredibly proud of all our students who have represented their regions and countries over the holidays. Their commitment, hard work and dedication to their sport are outstanding, and it is fantastic to see them competing and succeeding at such a high level.

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