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Hobsonville Point Secondary School Communication31 July 2026 PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGEKia ora e ngā whānau, It has been a fantastic start to the term, and I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the positive energy, commitment, and enthusiasm demonstrated by our students, staff, and wider community. Our Open Evening and recent day tours were a great success, providing a wonderful opportunity to welcome prospective students and their whānau into our school. It was a pleasure to meet so many new families and share what makes Hobsonville Point Secondary School such a unique and inspiring place to learn. We look forward to continuing to build these relationships as our new students begin their journey with us. I was also incredibly proud to support our students participating in netball this week. Despite the challenging conditions of cold temperatures and heavy rain, our students demonstrated outstanding resilience, commitment, and teamwork. Their willingness to persevere, support one another, and represent our school with pride was a wonderful reflection of the values we strive to develop in all of our young people. For our senior students, this is an important time as they begin considering their future pathways beyond secondary school. Many students will be exploring tertiary study options, preparing applications, and making decisions about their next steps, including applying for university. We encourage all senior students and their whānau to access the support available through our Pathways Team. Whether students need guidance with applications, exploring options, or planning their future direction, our team is here to support and guide them through this important process. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to such a positive start to the term. I look forward to seeing the continued growth, achievement, and opportunities that lie ahead for our students and community. Ngā mihi Kirsty Dowding Tumuaki Principal
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KEY DATES FOR TERM 32027 Year 12/13 Course Information Evening - Tuesday, 4 August, 5.00pm - 6.30pm. The evening is open to all current Year 11 and 12 students and their whānau to support them with selecting subject choices in 2027. Progress Reports sent to all whānau - 14 August. Winter Tournament Week - Week 7 (31 August - 4 September). Music Showcase - Wednesday, 2 September, 6.00pm. Cultural Evening - Friday, 4 September. Staff Only Day (Board) - Friday 11 September. NCEA Literacy and Numeracy Co-Req Exams - 7-18 September. IEMS: Yr 12-13 students - Wednesday 16 September 2pm - 8pm. Y11-13 Derived Grade Exams - Thursday 17 September to Friday 25 September. School Ball: Yr 12-13 - Friday 25 September.
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INFORMATION - 2027 YEAR 12 AND YEAR 13 STUDENTS COURSE INFORMATION EVENINGOn Tuesday, 4 August, HPSS will be hosting its annual Year 12 and 13 Course Information Evening. The evening is intended to support our current Year 11 and 12 students and their whānau in making informed subject choices for next year. The evening will begin at 5.00pm and finish at 6.30pm. In the auditorium at 5.00pm there will be a session on NCEA for parents new to the qualification. Parents familiar with NCEA can proceed straight to the cafeteria, where they will be guided to the different learning areas to learn from our staff about the diverse senior subjects on offer in 2027. The 2027 Year 12 and 13 course booklets will be emailed to Year 11 and 12 parents this afternoon, with course selection available by the SchoolBridge Student Portal next Friday.
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CONNECTEDNESS - HPSS OPEN EVENINGA huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our Open Evening on Monday. It was wonderful to welcome so many prospective students, whānau, and members of our community to our school. The evening provided a fantastic opportunity for families to explore our learning spaces, meet our dedicated staff and students, and experience the welcoming and inclusive environment that makes our school so special. We hope everyone enjoyed discovering the wide range of opportunities available and gained a real sense of our school community. We were delighted by the strong turnout and are excited to see such interest in joining our school. Enrolments are now open, and we encourage families who are considering our school to submit their enrolment applications as early as possible. Information about the enrolment process and key dates can be found on our website or by contacting the school office. A heartfelt thank you to our staff and team of student volunteers, whose enthusiasm, passion, and support helped make the evening such a success. We look forward to welcoming many of our visitors back as members of our school community in the future.
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EXCELLENCE: NATIONAL YOUTH ART AWARDS AND JOHN LOCKE GLOBAL ESSAYCongratulations to Ronald Wang (Year 12) who has been selected as a finalist in the National Youth Art Awards 2026. His art work “The World is Served” has been chosen as one of 64 finalists from 514 entries. The finalist exhibition will be on 7 August 2026. Ronald has also been shortlisted to attend the John Locke Institute’s Award in the UK in October, after his submission to the John Locke Global Essay Competition 2026. Out of 100,227 entrants from 183 countries, only the top 17.5% have been shortlisted. Together with other shortlisted students from around the world, he will attend a three-day programme to listen to lectures and take part in discussions that will feature academics, policymakers and public figures. We wish Ronald all the best for these events and his academic future.
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CONNECTEDNESS: INTER-COMMUNITY CULTURAL DANCE COMPETITIONLast week, we had our Cultural Dance Competition. This competition was the result of weeks of practice, during which each community performed a different cultural dance and celebrated it with the whole school. We had a Samoan Sasa from Onekiritea, a Bollywood Performance from Tiriwa, a Fijian Meke from Waiarohia, and an East Asian Fan Dance from Tāheretikitiki. Each group was judged on its synchronisation and presentation. Congratulations Waiarohia for coming first! Thank you to everyone who participated and looking forward to seeing it again next year.
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COLLABORATION: PATHWAYS INTERNSHIP - TYLER AISH: AUDIO VISUAL HIREI’ve been fortunate enough to secure an internship with Audio Visual Hire, which has been an incredibly valuable learning experience. A typical day with the team includes a mix of setting up and testing audiovisual equipment, optioneering designs to suit customer event requirements, and supporting the team on-site by running cabling and implementing final system designs. These experiences have helped me build a practical understanding of how acoustical and audiovisual principles are applied in real-world environments. The team have been exceptionally supportive, always willing to answer my questions and teach me the fundamentals of what my future career may look like. Since starting my internship, I’ve also become an affiliate member of the Acoustical Society of New Zealand (ASNZ), which gives me access to resources, potential university pathways, and up-to-date news on developments in the audio industry. What I appreciate most about my internship is the way the team have made me feel included from day one. A special thanks to my mentors, Zac and Lauren, for their ongoing support and the fantastic opportunities they’ve given me.
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COLLABORATION: EPRO8 COMPETITIONEPro8 is an engineering competition where students compete in teams of four to build crazy contraptions against the clock. This year, students could choose to build a solar panel power station, a balloon obstacle course, a banana-dispensing Mario Kart, or a scissor lift. They use a supplied set of equipment to build as much as they can in two and a half hours, scoring points for progression and avoiding penalties. We entered two junior teams and two senior teams this year. One junior team and both senior teams won their heats and are through to the semifinals in a few weeks. All of our teams showed ingenuity, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills at a very impressive level.
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COLLABORATION: GIRLBOSS WE THE WOMEN HACKATHONIn the last weekend of the term 2 holidays I attended the “GirlBoss We the Women Hackathon” through a $500 scholarship sponsored by Spark given to successful applicants from all around New Zealand. Throughout the weekend we heard from inspirational speakers and got together in teams to collaborate on a project centered around real world problems in UN Global Goal #5- Gender Equality, forming a solution based around technology, science, and mathematics. We also spent time learning how to network, connecting with women from a diverse range of backgrounds, life experiences, ages, and career stages. I was one of the 18 people chosen to pitch their spur of the moment project ideas - I wanted to create an app, Girlhood, that connected women-founded businesses and startups with a map function to find these places and a community aspect where others could donate to these businesses, learn about upcoming events and opportunities, and ultimately be inspired by their stories to found their own business. Throughout we got constant feedback from our mentors, previous hackathon winners, and Spark employees. A big thank you to Alexia Hilbertidou, the founder of GirlBoss, Forbes 30 under 30, Queen's Young Leader awards recipient (and much more) and her whole Hackathon team for the unforgettable and empowering experience. Megan Wiggill (Y13)
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EXCELLENCE: SIDETRACKED ROCKQUEST UPDATECongratulations to Madi Mclellan and her band Sidetracked who have made it to the top 8 of 1000 bands across Aotearoa New Zealand! They will now go to the National finals, which will be held in Wellington on 18th September. The band will be playing on Friday, 31st July at Te Atatū Peninsula library, and they have a gig on Sunday, 2nd August at Big Fan in Morningside for anyone who would like to attend and support.
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COLLABORATION: PATHWAYS INTERNSHIP - ALYSSA WROBLENSKI - HOBSONVILLE POINT DENTAL At Hobsonville Point Dental, my internship there involves assisting during appointments, sterilising tools/equipment, and making sure everything touched during appointments is wiped down and clean for the next patient. I've especially enjoyed doing the setting up of different trays and learning what tools are used depending on the appointment, and I look forward to learning about the note taking process and dental terminology related to oral health therapy. I've loved working alongside the team at Hobsonville Point Dental, I found everyone so welcoming as soon as I got there, and they've been so good with finding tasks I can do to keep myself busy. All this experience so far has really encouraged me to carry on with oral health therapy in the future, so I definitely appreciate the opportunity to intern there every Wednesday.
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CONNECTEDNESS: LIGHT IT UP ORANGEToday, the school is dressed in Orange to promote awareness around the important work that SHINE NZ does to end violence in homes and support those affected. The Peer Mediators worked hard to organise the event, and the money raised was donated to SHINE on behalf of the school.
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INQUIRY: HPSS MOCK ELECTIONSThis term, our students will be taking part in a fun Mock Election, giving them the opportunity to learn about civics and New Zealand's political system. As this is an election year, junior students will explore how elections work, the role of Parliament and government, and why every vote matters. A reminder for our senior students and whānau: if you are 17 years or older, you can enrol to vote or update your enrolment details. You can enrol as soon as you turn 17, and you'll be ready to vote once you turn 18.
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SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY: MASSEY BUSINESS SCHOOLA Business Excellence Scholarship Opportunity for an HPSS Student at Massey University Business School Massey Business School has reserved a Business Excellence Scholarship specifically for an eligible student from Hobsonville Point Secondary School who intends to enrol in either the Bachelor of Business (BBus) or Bachelor of Accountancy (BAcc) at Massey University next year. The Business Excellence Scholarship provides up to $6,000 towards tuition fees over three years and recognises students who demonstrate strong academic achievement, leadership and community involvement. Full eligibility criteria and application information can be found here: Business Excellence Scholarship - Massey University Applications close on 1 September 2026 Scholarship Information Session - To help students better understand the scholarship and application process, we would be delighted to visit your school and run a short information session for interested Year 13 Business and Economics students. This session can be tailored to suit your timetable and cover: Scholarship eligibility and application requirements What makes a strong application Studying Business or Accountancy at Massey Scholarships and support available to prospective students
Supporting Your Students Alongside the Massey Business School team, our Future Students team is available to provide personalised support to students and whānau with scholarship applications, study options, enrolment and any questions they may have.
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KEY DATES 2026All key dates for the year can also be found on the Calendar on our SchoolBridge app, along with Attendance, Daily Notices, Reports, Results, and Payments. Term 1 (10 weeks) - Friday 30 January - Thursday 2 April Term 2 (11 weeks) - Monday 20 April - Friday 3 July Term 3 (10 weeks) - Monday 20 July - Friday 25 September HPSS Open Evening for 2027 new students - Monday 27 July 5.30pm - 7.30pm Staff Only Day (Board) - Friday 11 September IEMS: Yr 12-13 - Wednesday 16 September 2pm - 8pm Derived Grade Exams - Wednesday 16 September to Friday 25 September School Ball: Yr 12-13 - Friday 25 September
Term 4 (9 weeks) - Monday 12 October - Thursday 10 December Public Holidays: Labour Day – Monday 26 October Year 12 Prize giving - Wednesday 4 November 2.30pm Year 13 Graduation & Prize giving - Wednesday 4 November 5pm Staff Only Day (MoE: Curriculum) - Friday 6 November NCEA Exams - Tuesday 10 November to Friday 4 December IEMs: Yrs 9,10,11 - Wednesday 2 December 2pm - 7.30pm and Thursday 3 December 3.30pm - 7.30pm
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