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Empowering ākonga to achieve success and fulfilment, for themselves, whānau and community
Message from our Tumuaki
Message from our Tumuaki
Tena koutou katoa
The last few weeks have been full of activities and celebrations. Congratulations to all ākonga who were recognised for their achievements at our Awards and Prizegiving ceremonies this week. Of course, celebrating goes hand in hand with paying tribute to our extraordinary kaiako at Napier Girls' High School. Their commitment to our ākonga is outstanding and for that, as well as their expertise and care, we are grateful.
At the end of this term we say farewell to the following teaching staff: Ms Gardner, Mr Pipi, Mr Prasad, Ms Chandler, Mr Mather, Mrs McDowall, and after more than three decades of dedicated service - Miss Ching. We wish our staff leaving all the very best.
At our Prizegiving, it was a privilege to present my ninth Principal’s report and celebrate the milestones of another remarkable year. The evening centered on several key themes that define the spirit of Napier Girls’ High School — Te Kura Kōhine o Ahuriri.
The Power of Wāhine Toa
A major theme of 2025 has been exploring what it means to be a strong woman in a changing world. Drawing on insights from my sabbatical readings — The Secrets of the Sprakkar and How to Be a Māori Millionaire — I highlighted that strong women are shaped by their heritage, their relationships, and their communities. The concept of Sprakkar — extraordinary women who push boundaries and raise their voices — is alive in our ākonga. We are proud to nurture the wāhine toa of Aotearoa who are learning to lead, serve, and succeed on their own terms.
Success Grounded in Identity
True success is not merely financial but is built on self-belief, resilience, and knowing where you come from. Our ākonga show this daily — whether leading with quiet confidence, standing tall in their culture, or persevering when things get hard. Every effort towards kairangi whaiaro (personal excellence) honours our kura and its values.
Gratitude for Our Community
The heartbeat of our kura relies on the collective strength of our community. We extend our deepest gratitude to our kaiako, the School Board, the Old Girls’ Association, the Parents’ Association, and to you, our whānau, for your valued support.
Farewells and Future Horizons
As we farewell our student leavers, we remind them that they do not have to wait to be extraordinary — they already are. When they stand up for their beliefs, support their friends, and speak the truth, they are wāhine toa. The future is theirs to shape.
As we look back on this year, we celebrate not just the milestones and successes, but also the values and connections that make our school so special.
Wishing every member of our school community a Meri Kirihimete and a prosperous New Year.
Me te aroha nui ki a koutou katoa
Mrs Dawn Ackroyd
Phone: 06 835 1069 Web: www.nghs.school.nz Main Office email: nghs@nghs.school.nz Principal's PA Email: dmcpherson@nghs.school.nz
Important Dates Coming Up
Important Dates Coming Up
JANUARY 2026
Tuesday 27: Year 12-13 Course confirmation, 9am - 12noon. Students with surnames A-M
Wednesday 28: Year 12-13 Course confirmation, 9am - 12noon. Students with surnames N-Z
Thursday 29: Student leadership day - Prefects, Tuakana Teina Leaders and Form Captains in school
Friday 30: Teacher only day
FEBRUARY
Sunday 1: Year 9 and 13 hostel students return afternoon/evening
Monday 2:
Year 9 students start at school
Pōwhiri for new International students, new students and whānau
Tuakana Teina Leaders, Form Captains and Prefects required in morning
Orientation for new Year 10-13 students
Year 10-12 hostel students return afternoon/evening
Tuesday 3: Whole school in attendance. School photographs for day.
Wednesday 4: Whole school in attendance
Thursday 5: Whole school in attendance
Friday 6: School & Hostel Closed - Waitangi Day
Toi Whakaari - Performing Arts
Toi Whakaari - Performing Arts
Junior Carol Competition
Last Wednesday afternoon, the School Hall transformed into a festive wonderland, complete with tinsel explosions, multiple sightings of Father Christmas, bold bursts of Christmas colour, and even rock bands tuning up in the corner. The Year 9 classes took to the stage with gusto as they battled for top honours in our inaugural Junior Christmas Carol Competition.
From jingling their hearts out to circling the Christmas tree in perfect formation, from emotional throwbacks to Last Christmas (yes… more than once!) to full-scale theatrical extravaganzas, every class brought their absolute best. The audience was treated to a parade of creativity, enthusiasm, and pure Christmas magic.
A special thanks to Mr Atkinson and the Performing Arts team for all their mahi to ensure the girls donned the stage with confidence.
With eight fabulous performances, the decision wasn’t easy. But in the end, our wonderful Performing Arts leaders and adjudicators; Mia Nichol, Edie Croad and Sofia Irvine, had the tricky task of choosing who would claim the coveted top spots.
3rd Place: 9 Kauri with Summer Wonderland
2nd Place: 9 Mataī with Last Christmas
1st Place: 9 Īnanga with Jingle Bell Rock
A spectacular way to wrap up the day and launch us all into the festive spirit!
Ms Tess Tobin - HoLA Performing Arts
Hākinakina - Sports
Hākinakina - Sports
Give it a Go Day
Last week, the Sports department ran a "Give it a Go" Day for our Year 9 students, who got to try a whole range of new activities they may not have experienced before.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this day possible:
Boxfit with the crew at Giants Boxing Club
Squash with Eden from Squash Eastern
Volleyball with Tracy Bedford & Year 11 student Emma McLachlan
Pilates with Miss Chesterman
Rippa with Kaya Whaitiri, Jack & Teilah from HB Rugby
Fast 5 Netball with Georgia & Aimee from HB Netball
Kapa Haka with Morgan Anderson & Meeha-May Sullivan (Year 12)
Orienteering with Jane from HB Orienteering & Miss Creagh
Skateboard with Sarinah from Skateboard Wellness Riders
Water Polo with Emma from Water Polo HB
Dance with India from House of Dance
Christmas Crafts with Ms Poole and Mrs Golding
A huge thank you especially to Esther and Kaitlin for organising such a fun and varied day for our students.
Jetsprints
Year 9 student, Ruby Verry, participates in jetsprints. The aim of jetsprints is to follow a certain rotation around a bunch of man made islands on a small track - fastest time wins. Ruby is participating in 4 qualifiers and the fastest time from one of those determines the top 3 to race off for the podium. This year Ruby is participating in the newly introduced next generation class. There are 7 (10-15 year olds) competing this year and there are 4 tracks around the country with races 2-3 weeks apart.
Volleyball
Fantastic achievement from our Junior A Volleyball team – winners of Division 1.
A special mention to Annastasia Moefiti and Melodee Thompson-Cole, who were both named in the tournament team. Annastasia was also recognised as the overall MVP of the Tuesday Secondary School Volleyball Competition. Thanks to coaches Emma McLachlan, Abigail Smith and manager Natasha.
Junior Blue – third in Division 2
Junior Green – second in Division 5
Across all volleyball teams, development and teamwork have shone through this season. A real highlight has been seeing players step out of their comfort zone to officiate matches. As always, we are truly grateful for the ongoing whānau support.
Ka mau te wehi koutou!
Volleyball HB Representative Teams
Congratulations to students who have made Volleyball HB representative teams. 🏐😀🏐
Aora Shroff, Kaira Shroff and Melodee Thompson-Cole into the 2025 Hawke's Bay U15 Girls IGNITE Representative Team.
And Manea Robin for her selection into the 2025 Hawke's Bay U15 Girls Premier Representative Team. Both teams are preparing for the New Zealand Inter Provincial Championship, held in Hamilton 13 - 15 December.
Rippa Rugby Tournament
Last Tuesday, a group of Napier Girls' students went to Taradale RFC for a rippa rugby tournament. One of the highlights was winning every game but the last one.
The day started with our first challenge - assembling our gazebo - a funny but frustrating team work exercise! As we waited for our game to start, the organisers walked around having fun and getting us hyped up. One activity involved trusting your team mate; one player places a drink bottle on their head, then their team mate would throw the rugby ball and try to hit it off your head.
In our first Rippa game players had the opportunity to get ’mic’d up’ and the camera man videoed from the sideline. It was all fun winning three games, then it came to the last game. It was a bit of a challenge but we came out alive. We headed home with trumpet ice creams to celebrate a successful day.
- Eva Arnold & Zahra Little
Rowing
Our rowing squad competed in their first club regatta in Karapiro Club Regatta 29-30 November. The girls had a great start to the season. Placings were:
* Novice Double Sculls, A Final - 2nd place: Lucy Porter
* Women's Novice Coxed Octuple Sculls, B Final - 1st place: Meja Mason, Ula Chan, Scarlett Westaway (coxswain)
* Women's Novice Coxed Four, C Final - 5th place: Monique Brown
* Women's Novice Coxed Eight, A Final - 6th place: Hazel Laurence, Monique Brown, Scarlett Westaway (coxswain)
* Women's Novice Coxed Quad Sculls, A Final - 1st Place: Lucy Porter!
NZSS Athletics Nationals
Well done to our 18 students who competed at the NZSS Athletics and Road Race Nationals over the weekend. Thank you to Mr Roderick for his support of this team.
Day 3 finals day in 33 degree heat. 🌟Fantastic effort especially as Year 11 athletes competing in the Senior category.
Senior 400m - Zita Meo won bronze.
Senior 1500m - Paige Dobson placed 7th.
4 x 400m placed 4th. Well done Isabel (Y9), Paige (Y11), Jamie (Y13), Zita (Y11).
✨Ka mau te wehi, we are so proud of you!✨
Aluma
We are super proud to congratulate Aishling White who has accepted a scholarship with the University of Eastern Michigan. The scholarship fully covers the 4 years of her undergraduate degree; this includes accommodation, food, and tuition. Aishling plans to study Economics and Finance and then go onto competitive law schools, sit the bar exam and practice law in the US. Aishling completed Year 9 -12 at NGHS before finishing off Year 13 at Iona College. She has passed on her gratitude and appreciation to NGHS and will always take the values and preparation NGHS left her with. Aishling full story can be found here US Scholarship Story - Aishling White
Marching
Congratulations to Zahara-Lee (Year 11) and Kailer Fontaine (Year 9), who competed in the North Island Marching Competition in Hāwera over the weekend. They achieved an outstanding set of results — 1st Technical, 1st Display, and 1st Overall Display in the U18 grade. They are now the U18 North Island Champions. Ka rawe, kōrua!
Netball
Congratulations to Arna Paewai and Emily Crowther on their selection for the Netball New Zealand National Development Camp in January.
Being selected as one of only 90 players nationwide is an exceptional achievement and reflects the hard work, commitment, and consistency they have demonstrated throughout the season!
Congratulations to Hannah Field on being selected to the Central Manawa training squad, in preparation for the 2026 National Netball League (NNL) .
Central Manawa players provide a core component of the Central Pulse succession planning.
Touch
Touch season has come to an end and well done to all involved. Congratulations to our Year 10 touch team (and coach Dan Waenga) for winning the Taradale, term 4, touch competition.
2026 all events.pdfCamp_Flier_2026.pdf
Let Us Know Your Sports News!
We love to acknowledge our students’ sporting achievements outside of school. If you have any representative selections, results, information or photos from external sporting events that occurred over the holidays or during the term, please send them to sport@nghs.school.nz
This information may be placed in the school newsletter and on our celebration wall in the gym or held for future consideration for school sports badges and achievement awards.
MJ Durkin - HoLA Sport
The Duke of Edinburgh Hillary Award
The Duke of Edinburgh Hillary Award
With our Bronze qualifying tramps now completed and seven of our Gold students currently out completing their qualifying tramp as I write this, we are celebrating an outstanding year for Duke of Edinburgh at Napier Girls’ High School.
Final details and student achievements will be shared in the upcoming School Magazine.
A very special thank you to Brooke Duncan, who has led our students so well this year and has also completed her own Gold Award. We look forward to celebrating this incredible achievement with her at Government House next year.
We are thrilled to have over 100 Year 9 students already signed up to begin their Bronze Award in 2026. This is an exciting reflection of the value our school community places on the Duke of Edinburgh Award. If you are a Year 9 student who has not yet registered but would still like to take part, it is not too late — please email me NOW. For those already signed up, please ensure I have received your enrolment form and that you have registered online at www.onlinerecordbook.org.
Finally, a huge thank you to Don Poulgrain, Sarah Raggett, Stacey Chandler, Jenna Buchanan, Jacqui Harrison, Phillip Otto, Megan Mannering, and our amazing parent helpers for your ongoing support of this programme. We simply could not run Duke of Edinburgh without your time, commitment, and encouragement.
What an incredible year it has been — and we are already looking forward to what 2026 will bring.
Mrs Louise Bassett-Foss - TiC Duke of Edinburgh
Our 2026 tramp and training dates have been confirmed:
February 13: Bronze Training (in school)
February 21–22: Silver/Gold Training
March 14–15: Bronze Practice 1
April 4–5: Bronze Practice 2
May 8–10: Silver Practice
September 11–13: Silver Qualifying / Gold Practice
November 7–8: Bronze Final 1
November 21–22: Bronze Final 2
Please make sure you save the dates relevant to your award level.
NZ Switzerland Exchange Programme
NZ Switzerland Exchange Programme
We have two students taking part in the Year 12 NZ Switzerland Exchange Programme where around 20 students across Aotearoa host a student for 8 weeks in Term 3 then the NZ group fly to Switzerland in early December for a similar length of time.
Keira Knowles and Camryn Scott hosted Claire and Joana sharing kiwi culture and the Swiss girls had a taste of our school life. Our girls flew with the group last week. Camryn's host family live in Pully and Keira's live in Sion. They are in French speaking Switzerland and attending different Swiss schools which they have shared is a challenge, yet a fascinating experience. Imagine learning through French for all of your subjects. Keira and Camryn are also out exploring with their families and will experience the winter wonderland of Switzerland including a winter Christmas and New Year. And yes there is plenty of snow for them. We will share more news about their experiences next year. Meanwhile we wish them a fabulous ongoing experience.
Miss Anna Jackson - TiC French
2026 Stationery
2026 Stationery
If you have any questions, please email: info@nzschool.shop.co.nz
New Bus Network Launches 25 January 2026
New Bus Network Launches 25 January 2026
Get ready for a better-connected Napier and Hastings — the new Hawke’s Bay bus network launches on 25 January 2026. The redesigned network will be more direct and simpler to understand services, better connect the cities, and offer new connections to Hawke’s Bay Airport and the Regional Sports Park.
In preparation, you might notice some work happening over the summer months as new bus stops are installed in Napier and Hastings. These new stops will provide access to the new network for passengers. We appreciate your patience while this important work is carried out and look forward to welcoming you on board the new network early in the new year.
To see a map of the planned routes and more information, visit the GoBay website.
Phone: 06 835 1069 Web: www.nghs.school.nz Main Office email: nghs@nghs.school.nz Principal's PA Email: dmcpherson@nghs.school.nz
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