Message from the Headmaster
Kia Ora Koutou
With two busy formal occasions behind us, Sports Prize-giving and Senior Prize-giving, it gives us a chance to reflect and recognise the achievements that have been 2022. It is most heartening to see students who entered as Year 9 boys in 2018 leave as fine young men in 2022. The Sports Prize-giving and senior academic prize-giving gave us the opportunity to applaud the successes of both individuals and teams. Our goal has always been to turn out fine young men, young men who are both clever, innovative, yet caring and compassionate. There will be many fine young men that have not been formally recognised, but your time will come.
To seniors sitting NZQA external exams, put aside all your social plans and dedicate your time to study and revision, there will be plenty of time afterwards to enjoy the rewards of your endeavours.
As with all of my end of year summaries, I ask that you treat everyone with respect and dignity. Help and support those less able than yourselves, be fine young men we can all be proud of.
Nga mihi nui
Headmaster
Introduction to Employment - November
He covered topics like employment contracts, interview skills and problem solving within the workplace.
Police Recruiting Expo
Police Recruiting Expo November 12th, 2pm at the Ellwood Function Centre, Hastings.
Have you ever considered a career in the NZ Police Force?
Either as a sworn officer or one of the many support roles? This is a great opportunity to head along, pick up some info and have your questions answered.
Must haves:
- You need to be 17 years old to apply and 18 by the time you start Police College.
- You must be a NZ or Australian citizen or have NZ permanent residency.
- You must be physically fit.
- You must have a full NZ Driver Licence.
- You must have good eyesight.
- You must be able to read, speak and write in English.
CHECK IT OUT!
Badminton Champion
In addition to last week's amazing results of winning the NZ U19 Badminton Title, Lezhi Zhu has also finished the National U17 championships as:
Winner of the National U17 Boys' Doubles
Semi Finalist U17 Mixed Doubles
He then lost in round 3 to the eventual winner in the U17 boys singles.
CONGRATULATIONS Lezhi.
Badminton Nationals
During the week, the team had the opportunity to play against several different teams - Tauranga Boys' College, Palmerston North Boys' High School, Hutt Valley High School and Onslow College - a few teams ranking as some of the best teams nationally. The competition was fierce as the week unfolded. And yet HBHS held their own, in both singles and doubles matches, securing a superb result the team should be proud of. Highlights include Anthony’s win against Hutt Valley, Cameron’s close match against Palmerston, and Shusil and Kyle’s strong finish to their badminton careers as Year 13 students. However, the most memorable moment was Lezhi's contribution to the decisive match against Hutt Valley, which ultimately came down to points, where he secured an extraordinary 21-0 21-6 victory. All the boys' efforts throughout the week should be celebrated. The wider badminton community at HBHS is hoping to build upon this year's success in 2023.
Congratulations to Mack Chandler-Williams
Mackenzie Chandler-Williams is now Reserve Champion in the National U18 Individual Mounted Games Competition. He also won the Interschool Senior pairs competition with a young lady from the South Island and his team were Reserve Champions at our North V South Island annual competition so huge congratulations to you Mack! .
Geography Trip to South Island
The Geography wing of the Social Sciences Department has had another busy year. While Covid again proved to add disruptions into the programme we still managed to get out and about and expand on the learning that took place in the classroom.
The Geography courses offered at HBHS include the NCEA Level 1 -3 classes and also the IGCSE (Cambridge) course that is offered in Year 11. Students taking the subject learn about the key issues facing society at a local, regional and global scale. It is important to gain an understanding of these issues, as they affect all of us in our daily lives. Knowledge is power and students who understand the key issues we face can become part of the solution. Students who have this awareness are well sought after by employers in most industries. This is what Geography is all about at Hastings Boys’ High School.
Part of our student learning is to conduct field trips to various locations to help students gain a wider understanding of what they are learning in class. The most notable group field trip the department went on this year was to the South Island in Term 3. Joel Van den Hout, a Year 13 geographer was on the trip and his report follows:
On the 28th of September, a group of students from Years 11, 12 and 13 Geography went on a 7-night trip down to the South Island to look at possible careers available in Geography. The flight at 6.25 am meant an early start for the boys, and after a smooth flight, we arrived at Christchurch Airport.
The first two days of the trip were spent in Christchurch, where we spent time looking around the city and learning about how engineering had advanced following the devastation of the 2011 earthquake to make buildings safer. Our guide, Brandy from the University of Canterbury, also took us to the red zone of Christchurch, which was interesting to learn about as what was once a whole suburb now looked like a big open field. We also visited the Antarctic Centre and took a quick tour around the University of Canterbury campus, led by last year's Head Boy, Sam Connor. The food in Christchurch was a highlight for the boys, especially the Riverside Market and the Little High Eatery.
On the third day, we began our journey southwards, setting up camp in the stunning Lake Tekapo. During our time here, we visited the Church of the Good Shepherd and also walked the Hooker Valley Track, which had amazing views of a glacier lake and Mt Cook. But the best scenery came from Reuben when he blessed our eyes with his budgie smugglers at the hot springs in Tekapo and Twizel Lakes. The night sky in this area is phenomenal, and Mr Barclay took us outside at night and taught us about some constellations.
Day 5 began with a helicopter flight up to the mountains. The views from the mountaintops were breathtaking, especially when we landed on a glacier above the cloud. We then made our way southwards to Queenstown, our final destination. We stopped at Arrowtown to attempt gold panning.
During our time in Queenstown, we met up with an Old Boy from the school, Luke Place, who talked to us about his job as an Urban Planner for Queenstown Lakes District Council and the challenges they are facing in the next 30 years. We also experienced some of the tourism in the area, doing the luge and zipline, which was one of the trip's highlights. This was partly due to Briarne’s enthusiasm (or over-enthusiasm, some would say). The final day for me was the best day of the trip. We spent a whole day skiing at Cardrona Ski Field, and upon figuring out how to stop and turn without falling over, the boys had a blast. The views from the top of the ski field were simply out of this world. The trip back to the Bay wasn’t relatively as smooth as the way there. A polar vortex hit and cancelled our flight out of Queenstown, meaning a slightly stressful 7-hour drive back to Christchurch to catch a 6 pm flight. In a way, it was a fitting way to end such an epic trip. The views of the snow-covered Ida Valley and surrounding mountains on our way back to Christchurch were amazing.
A big thank you must go to Mr Barclay and Mr Crawford for the massive effort in the trip preparation and for transporting us around the South Island. The boys performed a haka for Mr Barclay and Mr Crawford at Hawkes Bay Airport to show our appreciation for this, and they were presented with taonga. It was such an awesome opportunity to see our backyard in New Zealand, with the anxiety around Covid-19 finally gone with the total relaxation of the rules.
For me, and I’m sure for many others, this trip was the year's highlight.
Joel
Zoram Smiler
Thank you Caltex for your Sponsorship
Gateway Pre-employment Course
They would also cover the aspects of self-understanding and career planning, good work ethics, interpersonal communication, job search methods and job interview skills.
All good skills for our students to have when they are looking for jobs.
Trip of a lifetime!!
The goal of the cultural exchange was to understand how Indigenous people around the globe are using their knowledge to make decisions about their tribal territories, plants and animals that they consider taonga. A significant part of this cultural exchange program was to experience how the Dënesųłıné indigeonous people are supporting and developing the capacity, wellness, confidence, and resilience of their youth to confront the challenges of the future.
This trip was in the making for five years and was put together by landcare researchers at Manaaki Whenua, Phil Lyver and Puke Timoti. There are absolutely no words to describe how thankful, privileged and thrilled I was to travel to a country I have only dreamt going to! I would like to give a big Ngā Mihi to them for giving me this opportunity. I enjoyed meeting new people, participating in activities, creating fond memories and listening to stories the Dënesųłıné had to tell. A highlight I recall is the absolute beauty of the pristine nature, with little to no human interaction! Canada has a varied landscape, with majestic mountains, rolling plains, forested valleys, immense barrenlands and beautiful blue rivers and lakes. There was never a dull moment. I’ve made a lot of friends and I wish to go back in 3 years.
The trip involved travelling to Yellowknife in Northwest Territories, and then on to Łutsël K’é - a settlement only accessible by boat, plane or snowmobile in winter. From there we flew by float plane further north to our campsite for the next 2 weeks at Artillery Lake, or Ɂedacho Tué as it is called in the Chipewyan language.
What a fantastic opportunity given to one of our Boys - we are so happy for you. Thank you for the great article and photos Osiris. Photo to the right: Myself and Chase - A Dënesųłıné Legend
New Director of Rugby
Hastings Boys’ High School are delighted to announce the appointment of Mr Jason Shoemark as the Director of Rugby and 1st XV Rugby co-coach for 2023.
As the current Hawke’s Bay Rugby Player Development Manager, Jason brings with him an extensive wealth of knowledge and experience to the role. He has also represented the Highlanders and the Blues at super rugby level and has coached Hurricanes age grade representative teams.
Headmaster Mr Rob Sturch has said that, “Jason will be a great addition to an already strong coaching team, and will provide pivotal support as we push for top honours in 2023.”
As a former Magpie captain, Jason will also join former Magpies Mr Karl Lowe, Mr Sona Taumalolo and Mr Jason Bird as part of the coaching and management team.
Youth Potential Award 9th August 2022
These awards were held in the Toitoi Function Centre in Hastings. The Youth Potential Awards seek to recognise commitment, hard work and resilience. These awards are to acknowledge rangatahi who have achieved success in the face of adversity, may not get recognised for this in their current setting and continue to be successfully engaged in school and/or a youth programme.
Award categories are Tāne (Male), Wāhine (Female) & Rōpu (Group).
All nominees must:
- Be part of a Youth Provider programme or service and/or currently be attending school
- Reside in the Hastings district or be Hastings-based residents
- Be between the ages of 13 and 19
Ngā Tohu Aumangea - The Youth Potential Awards seek to recognise commitment, hard work and resilience.
Students from Hastings Boys' High School recognised at this event were:
Shayden Pere, Maiti Leef, Storm Hepi-Tilton, Kayden?? and our Kapa Haka group.
Photos below
Ākina Tukua
A lot of hard work by the staff and students must be acknowledged. Lots of time spent planning and practicing and it was well worth it.
Former Students who have Graduated from Victoria University of Wellington
Congratulations to these former students of Hastings Boys' High School who graduated between June 2021 and May 2022
Brett Clayton MSS - Master of Strategic Studies (Passed with Distinction)
Campbell Whitworth BSC - Bachelor of Science Data Science
Drue Joseph BCOM - Bachelor of Commerce Finance (Management)
Jacob Paget BA - Bachelor of Arts (International Relations; Political Science)
Latu Amani BA - Bachelor of Arts Education; (Pacific Studies; Samoan Studies)
Mathew Rolle BDI - Bachelor of Design Innovation (Industrial Design)
Michael Vaisigano PGCDE - PGCert Designed Environs Architecture
Robert Pruckmuller BA - Bachelor of Arts (Criminology)
Sachan Dadrah BAS - Bachelor of Arch Studies (Interior Architecture)
Sam Treweek MSC - Master of Science
3rd XV win the Unison Shield
They beat Lindisfarne College 2nd XV 36 - 12 in the final
