Senior Awards Ceremony 2023

Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro, nōna te ngahere.  

Ko te manu e kai ana i te mātauranga, nōna te ao.  

Tēnā koutou. Tēnā koutou. Tēnā koutou katoa.

Tēnā koutou te rūnanga o Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri .

E ngā kaimahi, tēnā koutou.

Kua whakakotahi mai tātou ki te whakanui i ā tātou rangatahi e whakawhiwhi ana i ngā tohu mātauranga i tēnei rā.

Kāti rā, tēnā koutou, talofa lava, kia orana, malo e lelei, bula, fakaalofa atu, namaste, kumusta.  

We acknowledge and honour mana whenua, Ngāi Tūāhuriri, kaitiaki of the whenua on which we stand as we gather together this evening to celebrate senior student learning and success for 2023.  Haere mai to the 69th Senior Awards Ceremony of our kura, our first as our first full year as Te Aratai College.

We all come to this evening with the events of our lives, ranging from trivial – is it the green or red rubbish bin this week or why didn’t those flaming kids tell me we were running low on milk before they finished it off? – through to more major things – waiting for medical specialist appointments, caring for elderly parents and the cost of living. And I don’t really have the band-width to really take in what it is happening in the Gaza Strip at the moment, but I know that in our Te Aratai community there are people personally affected by this.

I mention all the above because this makes our being together here in Te Puna, our most wonderful auditorium, even more special. And for some whānau, it’s the third night in a row. Go you! Ngāi Tūāhuriri certainly got it so right in their precious gifting to us of our buildings’ names. Puna – a well, a spring, a pool – we gather, gain strength and refresh all on our Ara Tai journeys, pathway to the sea.

At the heart of everything is community: whanaungatanga and manaakitanga, and to finish our beautiful quartet: Rangatiratanga and Tūrangawaewae.

Before I move onto our gorgeous award winners I have one key point to talk about. Finlay Laird, our Board chair, will touch on this too later as it’s that important.

Property development. As I have written in community articles, our rebuild was always to be in stages. What we have now is Stage 1 for a roll of 850 learners. However since we returned to Aldwins Rd, even on the first day of being back, we have always been over 850 learners. As of today, our roll is nearly 200 more ākonga-learners than this. The Ministry of Education's predicted roll for us for next year, 2024, is 1170 learners. Therefore, this year has been difficult in a number of ways with our buildings having nearly 25% more learners in them than they are designed for. It is a relief to note that Stage 2 has begun. Stage 2 has two parts.  It is good to report that physical work is well underway on the first part, the 8 new classrooms for our Tāhuhu Yr 7-8 learners. This is 6 classrooms to be ready for the start of the 2024 school year and then 2 more during term 1. The planning for the opening of a new 16 teaching space block for Science and Food Technology, the second part, continues positively. This block will be constructed next year for opening during the 2025 year.

At the same time as the above, there are major conversations on the property development for Stage 3. We are wanting to keep the momentum going. Fortunately, this wish is shared by the Christchurch Ministry of Education staff - our partners - who work very hard and supportively for our school. They have our backs.

So, in these complex times, I mihi to our Board who deeply understand the moral imperative of education and who are most certainly putting in those hard yards that come with governance of any kura, but particularly a kura that is growing faster than had been forecasted. 

And now our prize winners. Yes, you lot sitting there all beautifully scrubbed up. I do hope that you have that quiet satisfaction of achievement – a job well done, success with integrity – and knowing that with every positive deed on your poutama, you are honouring your whānau-family-aiga – those who are right here now, those who can’t be, and those who have gone before. This evening we are celebrating your mahi and the rewards.  We – the Te Aratai College whānau – school, family, community – are proud of you. Truly you are diamond; truly you are pounamu. 

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou.

Thanks and Conclusion

As we honour Jason and Imogen, we think of the many people and organisations who contribute to our students’ learning and success, and to all, we are grateful. For this wonderful event tonight fa’afetai tele lava to all the organisers, the organisers and workers at the front, to the side, and out of back.  So’o le fau i le fau.

We have already thanked the Board so I turn now to other people within our school.

To our support staff – you are treasures in all that you do.  You give huge service to this community: student support, IT, cleaning, grounds and buildings, the office, accounts and others. Thank you ladies and gentlemen.  

To the Senior Leadership Team, my gratitude for your unstinting promotion of personalized student success and learning. 

To our 2023 prefects and Head Students: thank you for your leadership and guidance in this challenging year. You have made a difference and for that, we are all very grateful.  

To our leaving ākonga, our leaving young adults: go well in your next steps as we heard about in last night’s most wonderful hui whakapūmau. We all outgrow kura – that is the point of it – and now you move into the big wide world which is ready for you and you are ready for it. Get out there and knock your socks off! Go well. Farewell. Haere rā.  

To our leaving staff, and those who left during the year, we are deeply grateful for all that you have done for our ākonga. We thank you for your service. Nga mihi nui ki a koutou for 2024 and beyond.

And I am one of the leaving staff which feels a bit weird. This school has been a major part of my life and I treasure you all. As many of you know this is my second time in this school. I first started teaching at Linwood HS in 1990 and met and promptly fell in love with a fellow teacher, Linda White. We married - still are! - and our three children were born while I taught here. Then, staying in the area I went to Aranui HS for a number of years, then right to the other side of town to Hornby HS as Principal, and then in 2016 back to our beloved Aldwins Rd. A senior leader at Aranui, Hornby and finishing at Te Aratai College. How lucky have I been or what?

Above those doors as we walked into Te Puna, we were embraced by the whakatauki, Titiro whakamuri, Kia anga whakamua: Look to the past in order to move forward. I want to honour one particular member of our community, our school whānau, who is here this evening. Their surname is Derham. This person is past, present and future. Mr Rodney Derham, please stand. When I first began at Linwood as a young teacher you were one of the experienced wise hands with your having began in 1970. You became the the school’s first Computer Studies teacher and when I arrived you were in leadership roles including the school timetabler. You have been Linwood Salvation Army for ever. And like the river on to the sea your legacy lives on with your sons coming here in the 80s and 90s. One of them, Wayne, is on our Board (and Bromley’s) and of course we all know about the Derham name and people continuing in our school to this very day and beyond. Rodney – ka whakahonore matou ia koe; we honour you.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, may I invite our present staff of Te Aratai College to stand. 

To all our staff, support and teaching, tēnā koutou from the Board, and from me, for your commitment and dedication.  You understand the moral imperative in education, the mahi tahi of our response. 

Ladies and gentlemen – we mihi to both our staff and to Jason Prakash and Imogen Donnelly. 

To us all, mauri ora ki a koutou, ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa. 

Tena koutou. I am Finlay Laird the presiding member of the Te Aratai Board. 

It is great to be here in Te Puna for this year's senior prize giving. During the time our Year 13's have been at school we have gone from holding the Linwood College prize giving in the old earth quaked hall, to be Linwood College at Otākaro where we held a couple of outdoor events, and then back here to Te Aratai where we have this modern auditorium. It is pleasing to see the variety of use Te Puna is getting outside of school hours. It is used by the school in holding events such as the stunning production of Grease, and the sold out fundraising quiz night to support next years Vietnam trip. The community use includes local sport club functions, University of Canterbury celebrations and events for our partnership primary schools.

As you may know, we recently had an important election and as a result the Board has welcomed Zac as the new student trustee.The Board thanks Destiny for the time she has given in providing a students' view to inform Board decisions. We hope she found being a Trustee enjoyable, and the experience to be useful in the future. It was fascinating to hear of her recent voyage into the Southern Ocean; it certainly shows that our students get opportunities to visit some unique places. 

As we farewell our Year 13's this week we have another person heading off to a new pathway. That's our Principal, Richard Edmundson. Dick has been a transformational leader of our school, 

taking Linwood College from a roll in the 500's and doubling that at Te Aratai to take it well past 1,000. Initially it was 'build it and they will come', but we are now 'they have come so we have to keep on building it'.

He hasn't achieve this alone and the Board is grateful to all our staff who go above and beyond to make our school the best it can be.

It has been a pleasure working with Dick. He does whatever he can to help people be the best they can, be that as a Trustee, staff member or student. He is a great example for all of us in showing that a lot of the time the best way to help yourself is to help others.

Dick is leaving Te Aratai but not Christchurch so you may see him around town. I know from experience with my daughter and her school friends that when he meets students from his time at school he is genuinely interested in how they are getting on. If in the coming years you see Mr Edmundson, go up and have a chat, I am sure he would love to hear what you are up to.

The Board congratulates all the students receiving awards tonight  and joins with their whanau in celebrating their success.

Ngā mihi nui.

Stella Derham

Thomas Rhodes

Kia ora, I am Stella Derham and I have had the privilege of being your head girl for 2023. 

I am the third generation of Derham at Linwood High School, Linwood College, Linwood College at Otakaro and now Te Aratai College. 

My grandfather, Rodney Derham, who is here in the crowd amongst you this evening, taught at Linwood High School for over 40 years, alongside a few familiar faces such as Mr Edmundson, Ms Johnson, Ms Whiteman, Mr Patterson, and even our lovely Kerry and Debbie.  

Both my uncle and father went to Linwood High School, and like my younger brother and I, were involved in their whole sports department. And now there’s myself and Zach, who as you may know, juggled playing 5 winter sports this year, and is going to be your Board of Trustees student representative for 2024.

Without the teachers at school, there would be no way we can learn what to do in a lesson or from our mistakes. 

As you may know, Ms Helen Mora passed away in May last year, and she had a special part in all of our lives. Mine being from e pro 8, being in her and Miss Silvester’s forensics integrated studies class in year 9, and when I was in her level 1 general science class back in 2021. She managed to get to prize giving that year, and I surprisingly placed in science for the first time. She was the teacher who pushed me to carry on with taking sciences and encouraged me to try my best in and out of the classroom.

The teachers at Te Aratai shape us to be the best versions of ourselves we can be; 

I remember on my first day ever, there was a Mihi Whakatau and a young man was giving his mihi. My parents and I thought he was the head boy for that year. Turns out he wasn’t a student, but our very own Mr Harding, who started the same year as me, and played a part shaping me into who I am today.

From the organisation of Ms Nijdam’s structured lessons to Ms Blomfields love for flashcards, worksheets and my notes, all the things we learn will stay engraved in our brain. There are too many amazing teachers to name; the list goes on forever.

But the teacher who’s had to put up with me the most is Mr Russell. I've been in his ako class for 5 years, and am also the student at school who he’s taught the longest, as he’s been stuck with me in music since I started here as a year 7. 

Mr Russell has been my rock at school, from getting me into singing lessons in year 8, to forcing me to learn bass guitar for jazz band so I could play another instrument, to even giving me the power of being the jazz band leader for 2 years in a row. He truly is a one of a kind teacher and I’m so grateful you put up with me for 7 years and helped me continue my love for music.

I’m going to miss makingLoren and Mr Osborne’s trim flat whites and even Tessa’s hot chocolate with no marshmallows.

I’m going miss sneaking into teachers' classes during my study period. 

I’m going to miss the ‘oi head girl’ or the ‘oi canteen lady' around school by certain junior rugby boys. 

But I'm especially going to miss all the Year 9 girls. Giving me either a friendly smile, raging in our basketball games, our mad butcher runs during grease rehearsals and even them stalking me around school sometimes. 

And of course the whole of the girl’s basketball team. Five juniors and five seniors only one of them being year 13 and four year 9, playing in the open grade of under 18s, so I could play. They put in loads of effort and stuck together throughout the whole season, and I’m so proud of them all.

Most of all, I’m going to miss all the friendships I’ve made with students at Te Aratai. And all of the teachers who have pushed us to show our full potential and excel in our learning. I am very excited and can’t wait to be Facebook friends with all the staff once exams have finished. 

Being one of your head students has been a great privilege and I am so happy I’ve got to do it alongside one of my best friends. Tom, you have been a great partner in crime. I will always be the Bea to your Dan and you the Sonny to my Marty. 

I am so proud of the amazing young man you have grown into. Your empathy and leadership is a great asset to your bubbly and outgoing personality, and I believe you can go far if you believe in yourself as much as your Te Aratai family believe in you.

 I’m gonna miss annoying you all the time in class and as your other half. This is a friendship I won’t forget, I am so grateful to have a person like you in my life.

Mr Edmundson would generally mention at assemblies that he believed someone in the room would become a millionaire by 30, find the cure for cancer or help stop poverty. I too believe that the students at Te Aratai are capable of anything they put their minds to. Remember everyone has potential, they just may need someone special in their lives to help them reach it.

Mr Edmundson is going on a sabbatical in term one next year and then continuing on his education journey working for Ero the education review office. Your contribution to this school is exceptional and we will miss your support and commitment to our kura. All the best on your new educational pathway.

If you were to ask my year 7 self if I was going to be a head student or even take sciences as a year 13, I would have laughed in your face and said don't be silly I can't or won't do that. But now I am here and I am achieving what I thought was impossible. This means that you too can be whoever you want to be and do what you feel passionate about.

Yes, teachers were a big part of our schooling but I would also love to say a big thank you to my family. My parents, who have put up with me for almost 18 years and have pushed me to be the best I could be. And my grandparents for being great role models for me to look up to. Your love for me and my faith will always mean alot to me. 

But especially my grandma, she makes me strive for excellence and pushes me the most. She is one of my biggest motivations in life, as her morning messages stick with me throughout the day. E kore e ea i te kupu taku aroha mōu; words can’t express how much I love you. I couldn't have gotten as far as I am without all of your help.

Titiro whakamuri Kokiri whakamua: Look back and reflect, So you can move forward

As you May remember this is the whakatauki Tom and I shared with you guys at the start of the year. Sharing the message: Look back at the year you had and reflect, so we can move forward and get on with 2023. 

But now my message to you is look back at this amazing year we’ve had all our sporting success, cultural success and most of all our academic successes which is why you are all here today celebrating your accomplishments. You should all be very proud of yourselves.

Sir Edmund Hillary once said it is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. So if you're someone who zoned out of my speech at my name is Stella, then just remember that you are special. Every single person in this room is unique and special in their own way. It is okay to be yourself or different from others. 

There will always be someone out there who appreciates you for being just you. Never change yourself to please others that’s something I Learnt here at te Aratai I am me and I am okay with that, remember to love yourself

Lastly I would like to say how proud I am of all the year 13s for making it this far and persevering to stay in school. What an amazing night last night celebrating every single one of you. You guys are a great class to be graduating with and there are so many faces still here since 2017 what a great achievement but always remember 7 ros is better than 7 and 8 ml.

Good luck out there in the big scary world remember to ALL come back for your externals next week until we meet again

Thank you for your time, enjoy the rest of this celebration.

But as a musician my last words have to represent who I am as a person so... mic drop!

Kia ora koutou. My name is Tom and I have had the honour of being Te Aratai’s head boy for 2023.

My journey started here 5 years ago when the school was formally named Linwood College. I can still remember my first day. I came feeling as if I knew no one at the school as all my friends from my intermediate went to a different school. Because of this I felt lost and confused, until a stranger approached me and asked to stand next to me and pretend we knew each other. This stranger has now been one of my best friends for the past 5 years. This led to the most fun 5 years of my life and started me on this pathway to the sea at Te Aratai. I was able to make so many friends in my first year, and most of them are in this room today, which I will talk about in a bit. I just wanted to share this to show how easy it is to connect with people at this school and feel so welcomed. 

Connecting with not only fellow students at this school but teachers has been my favourite part of my time at Te Aratai. The teachers at Te Aratai are the most kindest, loving, and connecting teachers that I have ever met. Teachers at Te Aratai care so much about the students at Te Aratai and love seeing their students strive for success. They have all had a part to play in my life that has made me the person that I am today. Especially the best drama teacher in the world, Samantha Boyce-Da Cruz. She has had an important role in my life to build my confidence to be able to stand in front of you all today. Introducing me to drama in Year 9 and making me play Romeo has made me fall in love with acting so much and has made me a better person all because of you Ms Cruz, and I thank you for that and appreciate you so much. I would also like to acknowledge Mr Jolly, my business teacher. Mr Jolly has taught me for the past 3 or 4 years now and he is such an incredible business teacher. So are you Mr Davidson. Mr Jolly has led me and my team to create our business Decalify and win two regional excellence awards which we are incredibly proud of. Mr Jolly is a kind, supporting, loving man and I will remember you forever and wish you good luck on your studies next year. And to the rest of the teachers here I would like to thank you on behalf of us students for putting up with us and you are all doing such an amazing job and we all appreciate you very much.

Now I would like to acknowledge a few of my friends, as they are the ones that shaped me into the person I am today. Harry. We only became friends this year but for the time that we had I have really enjoyed it, even when you are mean to me, I am truly thankful to call you my friend. Next, Blake. I am extremely thankful for our friendship over the past 5 years and I have adored the time we spent together inside and outside of school. I can’t wait to continue Decalify next year with you. Stella. My partner in crime. You have been by my side for the past 5 years I have known you. Asking for my advice, working together, solving problems and creating solutions. You have been the best head girl I could have asked for and love you so much for it. Melody, your kind caring heart will always be one of the most amazing things about you. I am so happy to have met you last year and all the memories we have created in this short time I will cherish forever. My lil cousin Kade. The first person to become my friend at this school. You have been such a great friend. Even when you have your incredibly sassy moments. The memories we have made over the past 5 years I will never forget. I love you lil cousin. Mr Armstrong. My longest friend. All the sleepovers we had in year 9 and 10 were some of the best times of my life. I can still remember your very inspirational speech about seagulls from Chisnallwood. You are and forever will be one of my best friends. Finally, Mark Le’mon. Mark has been my brother since year 9. The first day I met you I remember you coming into 9H a few weeks late and thinking “who is this kid?” little did I know you would become family to me. From all the times after school when we would go to Linwood park and just throw a ball around. To our brains joining together to be like Einsteins in Mr Vjays stats class last year. I am so proud and honoured to call you my brother for life. And to everyone else I haven’t mentioned, please note that I love you all very much and I will never forget any single one of you. 

Anyway, that is enough from me. I would like to congratulate all the seniors that have received an award today and would also like to congratulate the year 13s on finishing high school. We’ve made it. Also a massive thank you to Richard Edmundson for the past 8 years he has been principal here and what an amazing job he has done. Now I would like to leave you all with an inspirational quote I have found. “Don’t worry, about a thing, cause every little thing, gonna be alright. Singing don’t worry.” Thank you all and good luck to 2024.