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Hobsonville Point Secondary School Communication23 October 2026 PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGEKia ora e ngā whānau, It has been a positive start to the term, and it has been pleasing to see our students settling back into their learning routines and engaging with the opportunities available to them. Thank you to our staff, students, and whānau for helping to ensure the term has started so well. With senior examinations approaching, it is important that our senior students maintain high attendance, focus on their preparation and establish effective study routines. Consistent preparation, good organisation, and a balanced approach to study can make a significant difference to students’ confidence and success. We encourage whānau to take an interest in their child’s preparation and provide support and encouragement at home. SchoolTV also has some useful resources on supporting young people as they prepare for examinations, which can be accessed through our school website. https://hpss.nz.schooltv.me/newsletter/exam-jitters We have noticed an increase in the number of students arriving at school with multiple energy drinks. While students may see these as a way to boost their energy, consuming multiple energy drinks is not an ideal way to begin the school day or maintain concentration throughout it. Good sleep, hydration, and a balanced breakfast all contribute to students’ ability to focus, participate, and learn effectively. We ask our community to be mindful of the impact that energy drinks can have on young people’s wellbeing and learning. Hobsonville Point Secondary School is proud to offer a wide range of sporting, cultural, and extracurricular opportunities that enrich our students’ experiences and help them develop skills, confidence, and a strong sense of belonging. These opportunities require considerable organisation, resources, and financial support to maintain. We would appreciate whānau taking the time to check whether there are any outstanding fees associated with sports teams or extracurricular activities and arranging payment where possible. Your contributions help us continue to provide the many valuable opportunities our students enjoy, and we are grateful for the support that enables these programmes to thrive. Finally, thank you to our whānau and wider community for your ongoing support of Hobsonville Point Secondary School. The partnership between home and school is an important part of our students’ success, and we appreciate the continued trust, encouragement, and support you provide. We look forward to another positive and productive term together. Ngā mihi Kirsty Dowding Tumuaki Principal
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KEY DATES AND INFORMATION FOR TERM 4Public Holiday: Labour Day – Monday 26 October Board Voting for Parent Nominations Close: Thursday 29 October 4pm Board Voting for Student Representative Nominations Close: Tuesday 3 November 4pm Year 13 Final Walkout: Wednesday 4 November 1.45pm Year 12 Prize giving: Wednesday 4 November 2.30pm Year 13 Graduation & Prize giving: Wednesday 4 November 5pm Year 12 & Year 13 Study Leave begins Thursday 5 November Staff Only Day: Friday 6 November NCEA Exams: Tuesday 10 November to Friday 4 December IEMs for Years 9,10,11: Wednesday 2 December 2pm - 7.30pm and Thursday 3 December 3.30pm - 7.30pm Year 10 Prize giving: Friday 4 December Year 10 Camp: Monday 7 December to Thursday 10 December Year 9 & Year 11 Prize giving: Thursday 10 December
School Board Parent Elections Voting is still open for the parent representative positions on the Hobsonville Point School Board. Eligible voters have been sent an email from My School Election with a link to vote. Candidate statements and photos are available to help you get to know the candidates before making your choice. Voting closes on Thursday 29 October at 4.00 pm. If you have any questions or experience any issues accessing the voting system, please do not hesitate to contact Returning Officer - Urszula Craighead urszula.craighead@hobsonvillepoint.school.nz
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CONNECTEDNESS: FONO EVENINGEarlier this week, we hosted our Term 4 Pacific Island Fono in the school auditorium. It was our largest gathering yet with around 100 people coming together to celebrate, connect, and support our Pasifika aiga.
The evening featured amazing Samoan performances that brought energy and cultural pride to the auditorium. A special thank you to all the performers, and especially to Ago who led the group.
A central and heartfelt moment of the night was honouring and farewelling our Year 13 Pasifika leavers as they complete their high school journey and head toward exciting future pathways. Our Ama Takiloa, Jade Dowding, addressed the group for the final time, speaking about remembering the past, and honouring the stories our elders have told us, as we move into the future. An emotional Niuean haka was performed by her dad in response to her speech, creating a truly moving moment for everyone present.
Kai was, as always, a huge highlight, featuring a massive feast that included sapa sui, palusami, funafuna, and a whole pig on a spit.
A huge fa'afetai tele lava, mālō 'aupito, fakafetai lahi, and vinaka vakalevu to all the whānau, staff, and student leaders who attended and helped make our biggest Fono yet such an overwhelming success.
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YEAR 12 & YEAR 13 KARANGAHAKE GORGE CAMPOur Year 12 and Year 13 Outdoor Education classes headed down to Karangahake Gorge for a few days of biking, hiking, camping and having a good time outdoors. On the first day, we went on a 30km bike ride along the Hauraki Rail Trail. It was a really hot day, which made the ride pretty challenging, especially towards the end. We rode past dairy farms, alongside the river and through a 1km-long tunnel, which was probably one of the coolest parts of the ride. After spending hours in the sun, jumping into the river back at camp was definitely a highlight. On day two, we went for a hike along the Dubbo 96 Track and through the Windows Walk. We got to explore some of the old mining tunnels, walk through the bush and check out some awesome views of the gorge. It was a good walk, although our legs were still feeling the bike ride from the day before. We stayed in tents at Dickey Flat Campsite and had to cook our own meals, organise our gear and help out around camp. There was also plenty of time to hang out with mates, swim in the river and relax after the activities. Overall, it was a pretty awesome camp. The biking and hiking were challenging at times, especially in the heat, but everyone got through it. We had plenty of laughs and made some great memories along the way. It's also pretty crazy to think that this was the last school camp I'll ever go on. After all the camps we've been on over the years, it was a pretty cool way to finish. Definitely one I'll remember. Thanks to Edd for all the awesome experiences we’ve had in Outdoor Ed(d)!
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INNOVATION: ARTS SHOWCASEOn Tuesday, we celebrated the creativity and talent of our students at our Art Showcase. It was wonderful to see our student artwork on display to share with whānau, friends and our school community. The showcase highlighted the incredible range of creativity, ideas and perspectives of our young artists. A big thank you to our Visual Arts team and everyone who helped make the evening a success and congratulations to all our student artists.
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INNOVATE: YES AUCKLAND REGIONAL FINALIST ANNOUNCEMENTHuge congratulations to our Year 13 business team, Hobby Jobs (Emma Udomphol, Grace Ng, Loretta Gutsell, Juliet Shin, Kristina Orog, Vanessa Wang), who have made it through to the regional finals and have been named as award recipients. Their online platform connects local students looking for part-time work with community members needing help with odd jobs like lawn mowing, dog walking, and babysitting. It has been fantastic seeing their hard mahi and initiative pay off. The team will be delivering their final pitch to the judges and receiving their awards on November 2nd. We are extremely proud of what they have achieved so far and are looking forward to seeing how they go in the finals.
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CONNECTEDNESS: INTERNSHIP STORY - SAI GOVENDER THE BODY ARCHITECTS PHYSIOTHERAPYMy day starts by first seeing Nala the Swiss Shepherd, greeting Jason and the patient if there is one. Typically my day includes me observing Jason delivering treatment to patients and teaching and assessing students from AUT. I most enjoy the social interaction, Jason is very relaxed. He puts patients at ease and is a cool mentor. He is also very knowledgeable and we enjoy lots of friendly banter. Every week, I meet new patients and follow-ups. I am able to observe Jason assessing their symptoms and delivering tailored treatment. Physiotherapy isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. It’s much more intricate. Delivery of service & care can also include fun. This has opened my outlook into the pathway of physiotherapy. While Jason goes in depth in teaching and assessing AUT students this has been a great learning opportunity for me.
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EXCELLENCE: THE QUEEN’S COMMONWEALTH WRITING COMPETITION Congratulations to Ronald Wang (Year 12) who was given a Gold Award for his personal essay that was submitted to The Queen’s Commonwealth Competition 2026 that attracted 53,840 entries from across the 56 member countries of the Commonwealth.
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COLLABORATION: COMPETITIVE PUBLIC ARTCongratulations to Kayla Laubscher (Year 13), who has achieved exceptional success in the art community recently. Kayla was selected for two competitive public art opportunities this year: The Shaun the Sheep Trail (Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation): She was one of only 30 artists selected nationwide to design and paint a Shaun the Sheep statue for the charity fundraiser. After being painted, the statues are set on a trail around Christchurch and later auctioned off for the charity. Her design is inspired by the insomnia remedy of "counting sheep" and features a cloud-textured body, a night sky motif on the face and legs, and a sleeping mask on top of the head. KiwiRail Beautification Project: Over the past few years KiwiRail has used various artists, from the established to the newcomers, to add colour and interest to various of their railway corridor assets. The initiative regularly posts artists open calls, from where people can submit designs for the available spaces and a selection committee chooses the designs to be used in the spaces. Kayla’s submission will be featured on a signal box near the Wiri railway. Her design blends 2D and 3D elements inspired by the local wildlife to help add color and life to the railway corridor.
Her school artwork is exceptional and she's also designed and painted murals for various other public spaces over the last two years.
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CONNECTEDNESS: HPSS K.O!On October 9th, HPSS K.O! Dance crew members Isis Devlin, Tiffany Lenders, Candice Mapobpan, Chanel Mongoso, and Janneke Mandemaker performed at the K-Beat Nationals in the K-high category alongside the help of Dana Lee and Layla Hogg. This was a great opportunity for our group members to interact with the local K-pop community, compete amongst other amazing dance crews, and grow as dancers.
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CONNECTEDNESS: INTERNSHIP STORY - JOLIE PAPST SCOTT POINT PRIMARYA typical day involves signing in every Wednesday and saying good morning to the teacher I am assisting and following through if they need any assistance with any kind of admin work so they can focus on more urgent tasks. As we are only at Scott Point for only one day out of the week, it’s always important to offer any help to the staff and help make their jobs even a little bit easier, as teachers are one of the most important contributors to our society and shape the youth to reach our full potential. What I enjoy most about my internship is the genuine curiosity and honesty. In a classroom, teachers are there to support us, show a genuine interest in how we’re doing, and make sure we feel heard and understood. I love how passionate the children at Scott Point are, not only about their learning and friendships, but also about the relationships they have with their teachers. It’s lovely to see how much they care about their teachers and how comfortable and connected they feel with them.
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EXCELLENCE: PAN PACIFIC BJJ CHAMPIONSHIPCongratulation Dhenith Amarasekara (Year 9) for winning gold at the Pan Pacific BJJ Championships in his first international competition in Melbourne last week. Currently, Dhenith is ranked No. 5 overall in New Zealand and is the second-ranked BJJ athlete in New Zealand for 2026.
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FORMER STUDENT EVE TURNBULLCongratulations to one of our former students Eve Turnbull who has been chosen for the Vice-Chancellor’s Amokura Leadership programme at AUT. Eve is currently in her second year at AUT studying a Bachelor of Architecture and Future Environments. More information can be found here: https://www.aut.ac.nz/student-profiles/eve-turnbull
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Learner Licence 2-Day WorkshopChamberDRIVE will be delivering their 2-day Learner License training program at HPSS on Tuesday & Wednesday the 8th and 9th of December (Week 9). This effective and entertaining workshop prepares students to successfully pass their Learner's test, with the theory content/training delivered on Tuesday, and the mobile VTNZ testing van coming to us on Wednesday. Important info: Dates: Tuesday 8th and Wednesday 9th December, 9am start both days. Cost: $198 per student, which includes the test fee of $96.10. Payment to be made via KAMAR by 4th December. Registrations: We need a minimum number of students in order for the workshop to go ahead. Registrations are required by Parents/Caregivers via this form. If you have any questions, please contact Emma in the Pathways Team - emma.honeybone@hobsonvillepoint.school.nz
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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 Term 4 (9 weeks) - Monday 12 October - Thursday 10 December Public Holiday: Labour Day – Monday 26 October Board Voting for Parent Nominations Close: Thursday 29 October 4pm Board Voting for Student Nominations Close: Tuesday 3 November 4pm Sports Celebration Evening: Tuesday 3 November Year 13 Final Walkout: Wednesday 4 November 1.45pm Year 12 Prize giving - Wednesday 4 November 2.30pm Year 13 Graduation & Prize giving - Wednesday 4 November 5pm Year 12 & Year 13 Study Leave begins Thursday 5 November Staff Only Day - 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 Year 10 Prize giving - Friday 4 December Year 10 Camp - Monday 7 December to Thursday 10 December Year 9 & Year 11 Prize giving - Thursday 10 December
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