Paritutu Room 2026

Welcome to Paritutu class for 2026. Paritutu class is a classroom full of 26 wonderful year 7's & 8's. We look forward to sharing our year with you here. 

At Midhirst School we live the KAHA values by alwasy showing:

K -Ka Eke Toku Pai / Our Best Always: Engaging in leadership roles, such as house leaders, and school councillors.

A -Auaha / Innovative Creative Learning: Using inquiry-based themes (the school’s Korowai) such as “Aotearoa / NZ Culture and History”, “Cause and Effect / Nature of Science”, and “Auahatanga / Creativity and Innovation”. These help students explore and use creative thinking.

H -Hauora / Well Being: Studying topics like pubertal change, personal hygiene, exercise, sleep and kindness to one another — showing focus on their holistic well-being.

A -Ako - Reciprocal Learning: Exploring community responsibilities, belonging, relationships and how they as learners contribute and learn from one another.

Round 1:

The tournament began with Midhirst having a bye in Round 1. This actually worked in our favour, giving the boys some quiet time to practise their openings and discuss game strategies. During this practice time, Evan, our number one-ranked player, played what was probably his best game of the day, finding a fantastic queen sacrifice tactic to checkmate teammate Jethro! This gave the boys a real confidence boost heading into Round 2.

Round 2:

The boys were matched up against another smaller school, Egmont Village. The matches began with a handshake and the boys tournament was officially underway! Vinnie and Beau, our number three and four players, both came up against tough opposition in closely fought games. Vinnie's match was particularly close, with the touch-and-move rule ultimately costing him the game, a new experience for the boys! Jethro and Evan, however, both secured wins. Jethro won by checkmate, while Evan secured his victory after time expired, having been judged to have the superior position.

Round 3:

After a great result in Round 2, the boys were drawn against the Devon Intermediate A team. Playing against this team was a fantastic learning experience and gave the boys an opportunity to see what high-level chess can look like at their age. Although all four boys were beaten, they continued to battle hard and their morale remained high.

Round 4:

Round 4 saw the boys take on Francis Douglas and it was certainly a round of highs and lows. Evan overcame some early challenges, including an accidentally played illegal move and an incorrectly set-up board, to secure another win. Jethro and Vinnie unfortunately lost their matches after some close battles. Beau's game was perhaps the most frustrating of the day. An illegal move went unnoticed by both Beau and his opponent, costing Beau an opportunity to checkmate. He ultimately went on to lose the match.

Round 5:

The final round saw the boys take on Te Pae Pae School. Evan continued his strong form with another win, while Jethro fought through a long battle before eventually being beaten.

Vinnie was winning for much of his match but unfortunately stalemated his opponent, resulting in a draw. In one of the longest and most back-and-forth games of the day, Beau came from well behind in material to fight his way back and salvage a draw.

Overall, the boys did an awesome job, particularly considering that three of the four had never competed at this tournament before. They showed great sportsmanship, resilience and a willingness to learn throughout the day. There were wins, losses, draws, frustrating moments and plenty of lessons learned, exactly what competitive chess is all about!

We are incredibly proud of Beau, Vinnie, Jethro and Evan and hope they continue to play, develop their skills and, most importantly, enjoy the game.

A massive thank you to Shevelle for coming along to support the team and for helping transport the boys home. Your support was hugely appreciated!

Ka pai, boys!