The sun shines, the cicadas chirp and summer events at schools bring noise, colour and excitement.

We had our Carnival Day today, with all the various shades of Whatipu Red, Piha Green, Muriwai Blue, Karekare Yellow and (singularly hued) Anawhata Black. With liberal (and frequent) applications of both sunblock and enthusiasm, our staff and students had a cracking day in friendly house competition, drawing together in their form classes to battle it out across the campus. These sorts of events help bring the school together as all year groups get involved in the day alongside each other. As yet, the points are not in, but to my slightly biased Whatipu mind, there did seem to be a lot of red smiling and red cheering, so here’s hoping!

As a ‘sporty-type’ myself, it was fabulous to see our 1st X1 Cricket team be awarded their caps. This was our inaugural capping ceremony for the cricketers, and it was very special to be part of. As those in attendance looked on, the proud wearers of caps one to eleven were told that on their actions the foundations of a tradition are built. And traditions in schools grow and become ingrained. As a holder of double sports colours from my own school, I still recall the pride that came with being part of a long tradition. My school was founded in 1350 and I don’t know who held cap number one, but my teammates and I were proud of being part of a tradition - and this 2026 team is instrumental in the start of our tradition at GBHS.

Our senior students will soon be sharpening their academic focus, as after five weeks in school, the first NCEA assignments have due dates just around the corner. Although we are enjoying the summer weather that has been so late in arriving, I urge them to take heed of their teachers’ advice and guidance. Our results for 2025 were very fine. Our students in 2026 can build on that combination of personal hard work and the experience of our staff to continue to drive forward on their own personal academic journey.

So cheers at the end of a wonderful day in the sun representing our houses, enjoy a lovely weekend to rest up, and be ready for the second half of this first term. We look forward to telling you all about our newly covered turf as it opens to the students in the next week.

All the best, Chris Woodward
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL