Kia ora e te whānau. It has been a great week at GBHS, with two events that have really highlighted the talent of our students and the range of opportunities they have to get involved.

Last night we held our annual Sports Awards, celebrating what has been an outstanding year for sport. I am so proud of what our students have achieved this year, and it is really exciting to see sport continuing to go from strength to strength across the school.

This year, 48 students represented GBHS at national championships across nine different sporting codes, eight students competed internationally in their chosen sports, and six teams won their grades during the winter season. We have had national champions, some historic firsts for our school, and incredible achievements across a huge range of sports.

Alongside these achievements, we have also seen a significant increase in sporting participation. Last year, we recorded just over 1,000 sporting registrations, and this year that number has grown to almost 1,400, an increase of 32%. This is something I am equally proud of. We want every student to feel that there is a place for them in sport, whether they are competing at the highest level, trying something new or simply enjoying being part of a team.

A huge thank you to our Sports Department, coaches, managers, staff, parents and whānau who give so much of their time to make these opportunities possible.

We’ve also been celebrating the talents of our young people in a very different setting. Today we hosted the Kōtuitui Speech Competition, bringing together students from schools across our local community to compete in te reo Māori and English speech competitions. It was great to see so many young people delivering their speeches with such confidence.

Events like this provide a great opportunity for students to share their ideas, grow their confidence and build connections across the schools in our community. A big thank you to everyone involved in organising the competition and supporting our young speakers.

Enjoy the long weekend.

Ngā mihi nui,
Fiona Barker
PRINCIPAL