Hastings Boys' High School
Newsletter 2024 March Volume 2
Message from the Acting Headmaster
This year we have set ourselves demanding, but achievable school goals. Each one represents an important part of the educational journey, each one significant in our goal to help turn out fine young men of character. One of our main areas of focus is to sustain the Ākina Man values through character education impacting positively on student well-being.
Respect, Communication, Integrity, Empathy, Courage, Initiative, Diligence
With Summer Tournament Week over, a big thanks to all our young men and staff for their mahi and efforts in representing the school and upholding the mana of our badge and kura. All teams registered creditable performances with our J16 Waka Ama team bringing home a National title, our Senior Canoe Polo team bringing home a National silver medal and our 3x3 Basketball team finishing 4th in their national tournament. We also had six members of Te Roopu Manu Huia perform on the Regional Kapa Haka stage with three of those boys qualifying with their respective groups to perform at Te Matatini 2025. We also celebrated 45 young men who gained an excellence or merit course endorsement for 2023.
Hastings Boys' High School will start the Junior Graduation programme (Y9 and Y10) at the start of Term 2.
The aim of the graduation programme is:
1. To encourage students to work to achieve their best
2. To provide timely and indicative snap shots of progress and achievement
3. To actively reward both achievement and effort at all ability levels
4. To further support our identification of students who require additional support
5. To provide data that can be used by form teachers in their role as academic mentors
6. To provide additional understandable data to parents on academic achievement and attendance
Students will be graded on four criteria every fortnight and the outcomes will be readily available to all students and families/whānau on their student app accounts. The criteria are:
Learning progress, Attendance, Co-curricular participation, Ākina Man Values.
Students who are not meeting the expected criteria will be quickly identified and provided with additional support and guidance to assist them in improving their performance.
At the end of the year the students will either:
1. Graduate with Achieved
2. Graduate with Merit
3. Graduate with Excellence
4. Fail to Graduate
All graduates will be recognised at Junior Prizegiving at the end of the year.
Q A Crawford B.Ed., T.T.C., Dip.Tchg.
Acting Headmaster
Message from our Head Boy - Osiris White Munro
Tīhei Kahungunu
E tangi ana te manu ā te Huia, hui e, hui e
Ko te whare o ākina, tū maia, tū pākari, tū rangatira e
Mauri ora ki ngā whare pā o Ākina
Heretaunga o Ākina
Manu Huia o Ākina
Te Kahu o Ākina
Te Mata o Ākina
Nō reira
Ākina, ākina tukua!
As Head boy at Hastings Boys’, it's been a privilege to lead our kura and see our brothers - especially our year 9's picking up the wero, wearing the Huia badge with pride. As a school that encourages boys to form a brotherhood bond with one another, it was a real honour to teach most of the year 9 brothers the school haka Ākina Tukua. This is a way for me to give back to the school, which has done so much for me. I’d also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the activities of every single student. It doesn’t matter what you do this year, we will always be proud of you guys! Just some advice to take on, never forget who you are and who helped you along the way. No matter where you go in life embracing the Ākina Man Values: Communication, Respect, Integrity, Initiative, Empathy, Diligence and Courage is what makes us, as Hastings Boys’ stand out. With term one coming behind us, the leaders of Hastings Boys' want to express our Aroha for everyone. Remember, we are here to help you guys! Each brother represents an important part of our school, so make it a goal to become a true Ākina Brother!
Nāku iti noa nei.
Message from our Deputy Head Boy - Brayden Reeve
The start of 2024 has been extremely eventful for the whole school. It’s been fantastic to be surrounded by a cohort of dedicated prefects who are supporting and demonstrating the initiative to step up.
Starting the school year, I was privileged to captain the First XI in Super 8 Cricket. Our journey away to Palmerston North culminated with a historic win over Hamilton Boys' High School for the first time in history on the way to finishing 4th. This trip was a true test of character for the team and is a testament to all the hard work not only of the team but also of our two coaches.
The school has relished in achievements to start the year from Cricket to Waka Ama, Robotics and so much more. Seeing my peers walk the stage at assemblies is always an exciting and proud moment to be a part of a school with so much success.
Both the annual swimming sports and athletics competitions were stellar days which not only showcased personal brilliance but the Ākina Man spirit throughout.
As I reflect on the first 9 weeks of the school year I’m filled with gratitude as I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment and can’t wait to experience the last terms of my final year at Hastings Boys' High School.
Highlights
Waka Ama NZSS Champions
Congratulations to our J16 W6 Waka Ama Team who won Gold in the 250m Sprint in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Waka Ama Championships, held in Rotorua last week. We are extremely proud of you: Hamiora Fatialofa, Artorious Honotapu, Teariki-Joseph Maui, Mapusanga Papa, Tawa Paringtai, Jeremiah Qaranivalu, Jake Rapaea and Bryan Tamoe
Academic and Field Trip News
BP Business Challenge
(Why you should do the BP challenge)
For future year 11s who are thinking about taking on this challenge, you totally should.There are lots of different things you will gain from this. Firstly, you will gain lots of knowledge about starting a business and all the planning you will need to do. Secondly, you will gain experience with working at a place where you don’t know everyone. This will help you in the future when you get a job and don’t know anyone there. Additionally, you will learn lots of different things from your teammates from Hastings Girls'. Lastly, you will learn the struggles of having to get an enormous project done in a short amount of time. Only being given two days to create the business will be very challenging but rewarding for all, and everyone will gain tons of experience afterwards! It’s a lot of fun whilst learning new things.
Personally, one of my favourite aspects of the BP challenge was the interesting ‘rain clap’ because I had never seen this before and it definitely managed to get everyone’s attention towards the hosts of the event, and it was rather enjoyable. Additionally, being put into a group of people we didn’t necessarily know well was a great idea because it taught us how to work with people that we’ve never met before. Furthermore, the coaching sessions were a nice way to get suggestions on how we could improve on our current idea and things we could add to it. Lastly, I liked how there were seven different judges, giving us lots of different people to get advice from and we heard from people who are successful in business.
Bhupinderpreet Singh 11CL
The winning group consisted of students Aken Bambaranda, Tye Engelke and Beau Chilcott. Their product was Bambottles.
Year 9 Ākina Man Day Trips
All of our Year 9 students enjoyed a day trip out to Te Mata Peak, getting to know each other, a challenging walk to the top, followed by a haka.
Then out to Waimarama Beach to play Volleyball, and other games. They also enjoyed a BBQ lunch there. It was a great, but tiring day out for all. A huge thanks to all the staff involved to make these fun trips happen.
Year 13 Geography Trip to Tongariro
The year 13 Geography class set out on a three-day adventure to Tongariro National Park, which included a quick tour of Whakapapa and Tūroa Ski Fields located on either side of Mt Ruapehu. The purpose of this trip was to allow us to gain a deeper understanding and insight into the surrounding environments and how it's important to us, and which would help us with our internal and external examinations.
Over the three days, we were able to conduct research while travelling around the National Park to get the information we needed. Our first day was a wicked one - the sun was hiding behind the rain clouds, so we didn’t do much but just observe the cultural and natural environment. On the second day, the weather wasn’t too great but was promising. So, we set out for our adventure and arrived at the National Park once again before beginning our hike. At first, the clouds hid the mountains away, but eventually after they moved away, and the scenery of the national park was spectacular! Mr Barclay gave us the rundown of sediment, lava flows and timeframes of the eruptions whilst also teaching us how the cultural environment can have devastating effects on the natural environment. After teaching us a few things, a DOC staff member approached us, giving us the full rundown of how Tongariro National Park came to be. One thing that interested me from his kōrero though, was how he explained that the mana whenua there removed the bodies of their chiefs from the volcanoes and buried them elsewhere due to tourist and sightseekers disregarding their tapu, their sacredness. Therefore, after considering that it gave this restless thought of how people would like it if they saw thousands of people walking over their ancestor's grave.
It was an honour to see the beauty of our nation in person, rather than on the screen because the feeling of actually standing in front of it is unreal. Walking to where we needed to go wasn’t the challenge, it was rather the limited amount of water we had going up. But in the end, it was worthwhile because the sights of the red crater were beautiful as well as the green lakes above the volcanoes.
Huge thanks to Mr Barclay and Mr Wilson for taking us on this amazing experience.
Osiris White Munro 13MI
Sport and Cultural News
Waka Ama J16 World Cup Qualifiers
Congratulations to four of our boys who have qualified for the Waka Ama J16 World Club Championships in Hilo, Hawaii. The Nationals were held at Lake Karipiro in January, and our boys placed 5th overall out of around 40 teams. They had to place in the top 6 to qualify. They had two qualifying rounds, a 500m sprint and a 1000m turns race. Their team is named Te Rau Oranga o Ngāti Kahunguru, consisting of Teariki-Joseph Maui, Jeremiah Qaranivalu, Tawa Paringatai and Hamiora Fatialofa. They are currently fundraising with raffle tickets, so if you see them around, please show your support.
The Waka Ama regionals at Pandora Pond recently saw Teariki-Joseph Maui take out Gold in the J16 W1's, Jeremiah Qaranivalu Silver and the J19 Silver W6's 250 and 500m sprint.
Kapa Haka Regionals
We had six boys participate in the 2024 Ngāti Kahungunu Regional Kapa Haka Competition in late February.
Ropata Henare, Tyrese Ripley and Shaedyn Tangohau were part of the Te Rerenga Kotuku roopu along with staff member Mr Josh Hurae.
They placed 2nd overall which will see Te Rerenga Kotuku qualify to perform at Te Matatini 2025.
We also had Kingston Reid, Robin McKenzie and Te Iwi Teneti perform at the same competition. Kingston's group Te Kapa Haka o Ngati Kahungunu placed third which also booked them a place at Te Matatini 2025.
Congratulations and thanks to those six students and Mr Josh Hurae for upholding the mana of the kura and our own Kapa Haka group Te Roopu Manu Huia. We are immensely proud of you all.
Senior Canoe Polo win the NZSS Canoe Polo Regionals
New Zealand Secondary Schools Canoe Polo Nationals place Silver
From left to right: Reuben Pope, Blake Anderson Rose, Riley Russell, Joshua Massingham, Beau Heibner (C), George Hunt, Trace Rowe, Blair Gordon and AJ Bowden (Coach)
Canoe Polo National Tournament Team
Congratulations to George Hunt and Rueben Pope who were selected for the National Tournament Canoe Polo Team.
Disc Golf Champion - Tye Engelke
Tye has taken part in three big tournaments over the last few months. The 46th New Zealand National Championship took place in Auckland over two courses for the amateurs, Bella Rakha Resort and The Orchard course in West Auckland. Tye was competing in the MJ18 (Mixed Junior 18 category). After 4 days and 72 holes played in rain, strong wind and extreme heat, Tye finished up as National Champion clocking a final score of 11 under par. He was the only amateur player playing these courses to go under par so was top of the field in the Mixed Amateur 2, 3, 50's and Junior categories (about 80 players).
In early January he also won the Mixed Amateur 2 category at the North Island Championship tournament in Inglewood (Taranaki) and came second in the mixed amateur 2 category at the recent January Taupō Classic tournament.
He has had a very successful start to 2024. And HBHS now has a New Zealand National Junior Disc Golf Champion.
If you are interested in getting more involved in this as a cheap, "gets kids active" alternative, please chat to Tye.
Super 8 Volleyball
Congratulations to our volleyball team for competing in the recent Super 8 Tournament, placing 6th overall.
Super 8 Golf
Twelve eager young men donned their spikes and HBHS Golf shirts for the Super 8 Golf Tournament held in Gisborne on the 18th and 19th of February. Against some pretty amazing competition, the boys did themselves proud, producing some scintillating golf. Both the A and B teams achieved success, with many boys producing their best ever rounds. Taylor Guthrie produced the best scores from the A team and Laurenz Gehler taking the honours for the B team. Our development squad played a great number of shots over the three rounds, with all boys persevering in some tough conditions. Onwards and upwards for these boys, with next year's tournament in Tauranga being something to work hard for over the next year. Congratulations to all these fine young Ākina men.
Interhouse Competitions
Athletics Results
Swimming Results
General News
Prefects' Breakfast
Earlier in March Hastings Boys' High School Prefects met with Hastings Girls' High School for Breakfast. This was a chance for the leaders of both schools to get to know one another, and swap ideas.
Head Boy and Head Girl and Deputy Heads - Osiris White Munro, Caity MacDonald, Brayden Reeve and Kendall Ah Kiong.
Please Be Safe In and Around the Water
Old boy Arnie Cave had a very lucky escape when in the ocean recently. Please read the below story with the reasons why you need to be conscience when in the water.
New Zealand Defence Force Helicopter
The New Zealand Defense Force Helicopter made a grand entrance onto our front field, welcomed by a haka. This was to commemorate the 1st anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle. They also visited various other schools that were affected.
As part of a day of remembrance on the first anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle the NZDF brought a helicopter to HBHS. They then gave year 12 and 13 students a chance to look through the helicopter and ask questions. Our Head Boy Osiris White Munro and Deputy Head Boy Brayden Reeve were then transported by helicopter to Eskdale School to deliver a Koha from our school. Eskdale School was devastated by the Cyclone.
The aircraft and crew were welcomed by our Kapa Haka group.
Hawkes Bay Flood Memorial Silence and commemoration
A minute's silence was held on the anniversary of the devastating Cyclone Gabrielle.
Hastings District Youth Council for 2024.
We would like to congratulate Phaizon Parkes for being successful in gaining a seat on the Hastings District Youth Council for 2024.
They had 30 applicants and interviewed 16 rangatahi for these places.
Building News
Food Technology Department Upgrade
Between the end of last year and the beginning of this year, the Food Technology Department had a massive upgrade. Turning 5 workstations into 10. Doesn't it look great?
New Build Update for the English and Mathematics Department
Building Academy Progress
Steady progress in our building academy for the two new houses being built.
Hastings Boys' High School Old Boys' Association
Calling all Old Boys'
We are thrilled to announce a very special occasion - the celebration of 120 years of our beloved school!
Please mark your calendars for Saturday, October 26th, 2024. This is an event you won't want to miss, so be sure to keep the date free!
Event Details
Time: 5:00 PM: Walk around the school premises and reminisce on cherished memories.
7:00 PM: Join us in the school hall for drinks, mingling, and dinner.
Entertainment:
Our cultural groups will provide entertainment throughout the evening, adding to the occasion.
This celebration isn't just about commemorating our school's rich history; it's also a chance
to reconnect with old friends
Proposed Activities:
Cricket Game: Sunday, October 27th, 2024 - for those who enjoy a friendly match.
Golf: Also on Sunday, October 27th, 2024 - a perfect opportunity for a leisurely round.
Ticket Prices: Details regarding ticket prices will be announced soon. Stay tuned for updates!
RSVP: To help us plan accordingly, please register your interest by completing the form at the link below and pressing the SUBMIT button by the end of April.
We can't wait to celebrate this milestone with all of you! Keep an eye out for further updates as we finalize the order of events and ticket information.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1oLyoOpn8OAv0jVUoWQCgy5M1AuY8g75hxzcv0H853_4/prefill