News ~ Pānui

It has been another busy and rewarding week at Hastings Girls’ High School. With only two weeks of the term remaining, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on our recent highlights, acknowledge the hard work of our students and staff, and share what lies ahead.

We are excited to announce our student leadership team for 2026. This year, we have made the purposeful decision to appoint our leaders earlier than usual, a change driven by feedback from our current leaders and our shared goal to strengthen leadership across the school. By providing the new team with more time to shadow current leaders, they can take part in a meaningful handover, appoint their own committees, and step into 2026 fully prepared. We believe this change will help create more confident leaders and ensure greater continuity in student-led initiatives across the kura.

Amorangi: Maieke Thompson
Head Girl: Mennat Quazi
Academic Captain: Payton Tautau
Performing Arts Captain: Maddee Marsh
Sports Captain: Leilani Brown
Student Relations Liaison: Jaz Hohipuha-Godtschalk
International Ambassador: Jasmine Cassin
School Community Captain: Khushi Bijalwan
House Captains:
Blue: Paige Cunningham
Green: Faimafili Sa'e
Gold: Eternity Peni
Purple: Danielle Mark

We are incredibly proud of them and excited to see them grow and inspire.

This year we introduced a Year 10 Junior Leadership Programme and have been thrilled with the calibre of students involved. These students have proven themselves as excellent ambassadors while maintaining strong attendance and performance, and we were pleased to congratulate them at assembly this week. The future is bright, and we look forward to seeing many of them step into senior leadership roles in the years ahead.

We have now begun the numeracy and literacy CAA exams. Most students will have completed these by today, with catch-up opportunities running next week for those who need them.

Additionally, we held our Senior Pathways Hui for all Year 10, 11, and 12 students today. This was a valuable opportunity for students to learn more about subjects ahead of course selection for 2026. You can find information on our academic and vocational pathways on our website under the Senior Curriculum section, and instructions on how to complete subject selection will follow shortly.

Today, we joined schools across Aotearoa in celebrating Learning Support Awareness Day. We marked the occasion with a special morning tea to thank our dedicated teacher aides and all staff connected with learning support services. Their work ensures that every student in our kura is supported to learn, thrive, and succeed.

Our Year 9 Māori students spent an inspiring day with the Whakapiki Ake team. They took part in hands-on workshops exploring identity and their purpose, while hearing encouraging kōrero about setting goals and shaping success through small, daily actions. A highlight was hearing Dion encourage them with the memorable quote, “Stand up, you don’t achieve anything sitting down!”

Finally, our junior English language students had a fantastic environmental education day. They began by identifying marine life and testing water quality in the rivers of Ahuriri before travelling to Waitangi Regional Park. There, they learned about the history of the area, the importance of wetlands, and the stories woven into our natural environment. It was a wonderful experience connecting with both biodiversity and cultural heritage.