Hastings Boys' High School

In May Bowen Steffert competed in the Super 8 Senior Oratory Competition held in Taupō. He delivered an inspiring and empowering speech on the need for Race Unity in Aotearoa today. His speech called 'Pull With Me' was thoroughly deserving of his First Place win. Well done Bowen.

Our Head Boy Osiris White Munro attended the ABSNZ (All Boys' Schools New Zealand) conference this month, and the photo is of the Head Prefects of the Super 8 Group of Schools. They had the opportunity to engage in leadership development alongside other Head boys from ABSNZ.

Here are the Head Prefects from the Super 8 Schools from left:

Tauranga Boys' College, Rotorua Boys' High School, Palmerston North Boys' High School

Gisborne Boys' High School, Napier Boys' High School, New Plymouth Boys' High School, Hamilton Boys' High School, and Hastings Boys' High School.

Mr Karaan Crawford joined the staff at Hastings Boys’ High School on 29 September 1976 as an assistant teacher of Mathematics and general subjects for lower stream classes. In early 1977 he was appointed manager of Transition Studies and Alternative Senior Learning Programmes. This involved liaising with a wide range of trade training organisations, arranging the placement of students in the agricultural, horticultural, forestry, mechanical and construction industries.

He developed strong ties with many organisations including the Hawke’s Bay Community College (now EIT). He also established a strong link to the Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre in Masterton, where selected students spent a week learning various aspects of farming.

Karaan coached the 1st XV rugby team in the late 1970s with Mr Tori Reid and had considerable success with the team. He thoroughly enjoyed his stint as coach and forged lasting friendships which still endure today.

On 10 February 1993, Karaan was appointed Property Manager by the then Headmaster Graham Thomas. This appointment came about due to the ever-increasing need for the oversight and management of building, maintenance and general property management. Karaan’s extensive network of contacts in the community made him the ideal person for the job, which continued until his retirement at the end of term one 2024.

During his time as Property Manager Karaan put in a huge amount of time and effort dealing with the Ministry of Education and contractors to get the best possible results for the school.

The pavilion and later extensions, the astro turf, the refurbishment of the Penlington Block, extensions to the gymnasium, the covered astro turf (yet to be completed) and the new Mathematics and English block adjoining the library are all testament to Karaan’s untiring work and effort to get the jobs done in the best interests of the school.

We would like to thank Karaan for 48 years of dedicated service to Hastings Boys’ High School. The Hastings Boys’ High School Old Boys’ Association recognised his 30 years of service with the presentation of an Old Boys’ Blazer and life membership of the Association.

The Hastings Boys’ High School Board and the acting-Headmaster Mr. Quentin Crawford are pleased to announce that Mr. Jamie Hall has been appointed as the new Business & Property Operations Manager, he started work on Monday May 20th, 2024.

Jamie is a senior manager and leader of people, and he has extensive experience in Human Resource management, Health and Safety risk management, strategic business planning, business systems and administration, asset and project management, staff training and coaching, financial reporting, and a private sector Board Secretarial role across a range of local, national and international companies.

Jamie is very community minded and has been heavily in football through coaching, managing and

governance roles with Taradale AFC, Hawkes Bay United and Central Football, where he has held

positions including as team coach/manager, Board member, Club President and Board Chairperson.

Jamie will be managing and leading the Administration, Finance, Property, Catering and Co-curricular and Event organisational teams across the school. We warmly welcome Jamie to the Hastings Boys’ team and we look forward to him adding value and leadership to our support staff teams and the vital work that they do, as well as him providing additional business acumen across our whole school operation.

Jamie is happily married to Gail and they have two boys with the youngest training to be a primary

school teacher, and the eldest being a first-year Geography teacher here at Hastings Boys’ High

School. Jamie says, “I am very pleased to be joining the staff of such a fine school, and I am excited

by the prospect of working alongside and leading the support staff teams in their important work

supporting the students and the teaching staff here at Hastings Boys’.”

Xin chào Vietnam!!!

It is exciting to announce that the biannual Social Sciences Trip to Vietnam is back underway after a four year postponement due to Covid. A tour party of 33 including 25 students, 5 parents and 3 staff will depart in late September for the trip of a lifetime.

We will fly into the capital city of Hanoi and work our way south to Ho Chi Minh City. Stops on the way will include the amazing karst landscape of Halong Bay (with its 1600 islands), the rice growing region of Mai Chau, and the Old Town of Hoi An (famous for its tailors, restaurants and beautiful lantern lined streets)

The rich culture, amazing food and interesting history make Vietnam a bucket list destination to travel to. The fact that it is a safe and relatively cheap destination also makes it the ideal country for a school visit.

Mr Greg Barclay
HOD Geography

For the past four years, a review of the NCEA curriculum has been occurring across New Zealand. Hastings Boys' High School has put in considerable effort to determining the most effective way to ready our students for NCEA Level Two. Level Two holds significance for all students, with a particular emphasis on our higher-achieving students who rely on these grades for university admissions and hostel placements.

In order to address this requirement, Hastings Boys' High School has opted to expand its IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) program. IGCSE is an esteemed and widely acknowledged international qualification.

Hastings Boys' High School is offering English, Science, Physical Education, Mathematics, and Geography in 2024. This is a unique chance extended to some of our Year 11 students. We are confident that these courses will help our students achieve their full potential and get them ready for higher education.

The curriculum of Cambridge IGCSE, a rigorous and interesting study choice for 14 to 16-year-olds, is created to cultivate accomplished students using a focus on skills in both teaching and assessment. Students can expand their knowledge, enhance critical thinking skills, and set the stage for academic achievement by engaging in this programme..

Cambridge programmes and certifications are known worldwide for their exceptional quality. Crafted by specialists in the field, these resources are esteemed for their scholarly thoroughness and are up-to-date with the most recent educational studies. They also enable students to measure their academic advancement with numerous other students in New Zealand and globally.

Additional information can be found on our Academic Pathways page.

In Term one, the Year 11 Geography class went for flights over the Heretaunga Plains. This was a great way to look at the geography in our local area, both in terms of the natural processes that shape our environment (Rivers, Coasts and Tectonics) and also the way that people interact with it.

Thanks to Air Hawkes Bay Limited for providing the amazing experience. The boys were buzzing for weeks about the flights, especially those that got to actually have a turn to fly the planes. Some of the boys were naturals!!!

A career in aviation is very achievable so if you would like to find out more contact Mr Hill or Mrs Waite in the Careers Department.

Taylor Guthrie living the dream, flying a Cessna 172

On the 17th of May, 2024, our class (13HOS) departed on an educational trip. We visited multiple facilities where staff informed us about the process of manufacturing or producing different types of food product.

We first travelled to Progressive Meats, a Hastings meat processing plant that focuses heavily on producing lamb products. Our first observation was of the beheading of a sheep, noting the intricacies of this very important process as it requires a certified muslim known as a Halal. They must promptly pray before slaughtering the stunned animal, making sure they meet a quick and painless death. The sheep move along a hook hanging mechanism, similar to a conveyor belt. It is along this mechanism where we witness most of the process, in which the sheep carcass is turned into pieces of lamb, taking note that 100% of the animal was being used, “nothing wasted”. This plant supplies not only NZ, but also exports to different countries all around the world, most notably California, USA.

Our second visit was to Saltwater Seafoods, a seafood market, also located in Hastings. This market does not export its product to other countries, it operates solely in New Zealand, making it one of NZ’s biggest fish suppliers. The class was first shown how the fish is kept cool, this being through the “chilling room” where all the different types of fish are kept in containers filled with ice. They hold a variety of fish, from Snapper to massive Tuna.
Lastly, we had the pleasure of getting our hands dirty, being instructed on how to open Mussels (molluscs).

Our final stop was at Hohepa Farm, located in Clive, this is a farm which specialises in producing a variety of cheeses, and milk. We were welcomed with the opportunity of tasting their different types of cheese.

Izaiah Kairau-Mainini 13SJ

On Friday the 10th of May a team of 13 chess players from Hastings Boys’ High School competed in the Hawke’s Bay Interschools’ Schools Chess Tournament. We had good results with 3 players getting placings.

If you want to play chess and potentially play in a tournament, make sure to come to the chess club in the library every Tuesday lunchtime.

Among other results, Alfie Jones came 1st in the year 11 category with 5 wins and 1 loss, and Riley Russell came 2nd in the same category with 5 wins and 1 loss, but because he lost to Alfie he was pushed down to second. In the open category, with year 13’s and 12’s, Dion Wilson won the category with 6 wins and 0 losses, coming first in the whole event. This is especially good when considering he is a year 11 and chose to play in the open division.

Dion Wilson 11Cl

On Friday 17th May, 10 young men travelled to Waipukurau to take part in the Hawkes Bay Schools Golf tournament. There was a lot of buzz from the boys on the journey down with anticipation of some good scoring. The course and the weather could not have been better, and some great scores came in. The team of Taylor Guthrie, James Lawrie and Tayven Dunn, shone like the brightest star, coming in 3rd place overall, with Taylor shooting the round of his life 72. A great day was had by all with Hastings Boys' providing the most young golfers of any school. Onward and upward for these fine young men.

Congratulations to three of our students for being selected for the U17 Men's Representative Squad for Volleyball Hawkes Bay - Conner Abraham-Smith, Terrell Temira Cassidy and Karaan Crawford.

On Thursday 11th of April, our two senior debating teams competed at Hastings Girls' High School in the first round of the regional debating competition. Each team won both of their debates and represented our school with mana and conviction. The first event was a prepared debate on the moot: 'This House believes that every citizen in Aotearoa New Zealand should be entitled to a basic income regardless of employment status.' The Year 12's affirmed this moot, whilst the Year 13s negated it. They then each participated in a limited preparation debate about the need for Governments to prioritise space exploration. Due to time restrictions, the teams had only 20 mins to prepare their 6 minute speeches. Well done to all of you.

The Year 12 team consisted of: Roman Lauvao-Purotu, Alex Wilson, Phaizon Parkes and Cowan Scotton

The Year 13 team consisted of: Carter Smith, Bowen Steffert, Brayden Reeve and Jonah Cooper.

Our school made us all proud when we hosted Kelston Boys' for the R. G Sturch Memorial Cup Rugby game. The final score was 28-26 to HBHS.

One of the standout events this year was the 2024 Super Eight Cultural Festival held recently in Taupō

. Our Senior Music Class Band had the incredible opportunity to perform three iconic songs: "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green, "My Girl" by The Temptations, and "Rock With You" by Michael Jackson. Despite the competition results not falling in our favour, the experience was invaluable. The students received enthusiastic applause and constructive feedback from industry professionals, which will undoubtedly contribute to their growth as musicians. The festival was testament to their hard work and passion for music, and it was heartwarming to see them perform with such confidence and joy.

At the Super 8 tournament in Taupō, our chess team consisting of 4 students, Dion Wilson, Lincoln Mackie, Riley Russell, and Angus Logan, played well, placing 4th out of the 8 teams competing. The team played each of the other schools once, in a round robin tournament where our best player played their best player, second best played second best, and so on.

We won against New Plymouth Boys’ High School, Palmerston North Boys’ High School , Tauranga Boys’ College, and Rotorua Boys’ High School . We drew against Gisborne Boys’ High School, and lost to Napier Boys' High School and Hamilton Boys’ High School .

Our most valuable player was Dion Wilson who won 6.5/7 games and came first out of the best players from each school.

Dion Wilson 11Cl

Tālofa Lava, Mālō e Lelei, Bula Vinaka.

The Super 8 Cultural Festival 2024 is the event that Tama Ākina looks forward to the most each year. Why? Because there is a title up for grabs and we are competing against seven other Super 8 schools across New Zealand. But more importantly, we get to celebrate and share who we are as Pasifika and showcase one of the treasures of Pasfika culture, traditional songs and dances.

This year we had a big influx of juniors join Tama Ākina. Over twenty year 9 and 10 students, which was very pleasing. They practised every lunchtime and late after school to prepare for Super 8. The leaders had the hard task of balancing sport and Tama Ākina commitments. It was an experience for them and part of developing and growing as a leader and as an Ākina Man. They did a great job of it. Mike Brown, Loma Utalia, Isi Qaranivalu and Jay Jay Lilo Iosefo took the lead to teach and bring Tama Ākina together.

We had forty boys travel to Taupō, nervous and excited to get on stage. After the Pōwhiri we got straight into it, preparing ourselves, and going through the last of our rehearsals hyping each other up. The boys got dressed into their Pasfika attire, oiled up, last-minute press-ups and a quick run-through. During the run through one of our boys dislocated their toe and had to go to hospital, but thanks to Mr Lindsay, he was ok. The show must go on after all and the boys put on a great performance. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for us to get a placing but the experience for our junior boys especially, was a win for us.

Back to the drawing board, we go. New leaders will arise, more students will join and together Tama Ākina will be back at the Super 8 Cultural Festival 2025. We would like to thank our staff, parents and community for their support. Special mention to Mr and Mrs Utalia and Soane Utalia for your time and effort going into helping with costumes and tutoring.

Amani Faioso
TIC Pasifika

On Tuesday 10th April the schools kapa haka group Te Roopu Manu Huia were invited to do the powhiri for the New Zealand Olympic Swimming Trials which were held at the Hawke's Bay Regional Aquatic Centre. The boys also sung the national anthem. Well done to these young men for representing the school and our community on the national stage. We are proud of you

Jay Jackson a year 9 student recently went on a trip to Australia with the New Zealand U14 ISA Softball Team which he captained. Jay had a week of high level coaching, a series of warm up games against NSW Association selection teams and competed in the 2024 Blacktown Junior International Challenge Series against teams from NSW, ACT and Japan. As well as being named captain, he was also selected for the All Star Team, that played an exibition game against an all Japan Selection at the end of the tournament.

Congratulations Kevin Spargo, who has now achieved a Black Belt in Taekwon-Do

Hastings Boys' High School went to Tauranga on March 22nd and played several games, a big thank you to Mount Maunganui College for hosting us at their school Marae where the boys got to play against Mount Maunganui College and Tauranga Boys' College in a basketball exchange Junior A won 2 from 2 and our Senior A won their first game and only narrowly going down to Tauranga Boys' College in the last few minutes, this was a good hit out for our boys knowing their season is about to kick start in Term 2

After winning the WAICOL Tournament in the first week of the school holidays, the Hastings Boys' 1st XI Hockey team travelled to the ANZAC Tournament in Hamilton which features the top school hockey teams in New Zealand. There are five games in three days which is a pretty tough schedule. Results have been excellent with wins in every game, apart from the draw with St Kentigans where we had enough clear chances to win.

Results:

• Wednesday 25/4 - Game 1: St Peters 5-0
• Wednesday 25/4 - Game 2: St Kentigans 2-2
• Thursday 26/4 - Game 3: Rongotai 4-0
• Thursday 26/4 - Game 4: Hutt International 5-2
• Friday 27/4 - Game 5: Cambridge HS 2-1

On Tuesday the 14th of May, our annual Interschool Cross Country was held. Congratulations to all who participated on the day, and to our staff for all their support.

Year 9: 2nd place Logan Mason, 1st place Lachie Clifton, 3rd place Ricky Sutherland

Year 10: 2nd place Isaiah Cooper, 1st place Joshua Lubbe, 3rd place Kordell Willacy-Kaka

Year 11: 2nd place Freddie Ives, 1st place Alfie Jones, 3rd place Amanjot Singh

Senior's: 3rd place Brayden Reeve, 1st place Alexander Wilson, 2nd place Rhys Llewellyn

In a significant development for Hastings Boys' High School, six century-old trees were destined for

removal due to concerns over potential risks to individuals and school buildings. These

majestic giants have long been an integral part of the school's landscape and history, serving

as iconic landmarks that have helped shape the identity of the school.

The history of these trees intertwines with that of the school itself, with their presence dating

back over a hundred years. Planted during a time when the school was in its infancy, they have

stood as silent witnesses to generations of students passing through their shade. The decision

to remove these venerable trees has not been made lightly. Recent assessments have revealed

that their advanced age posed a significant risk to the safety of individuals and nearby

structures. Concerns over falling branches and weakened trunks necessitated their

removal to ensure the well-being of the school community.

Beyond their physical presence, these trees hold a deep symbolic significance for the school

community. They embody resilience, longevity, and the passage of time, serving as a tangible

link to the past. In recognition of the special role these trees have played in the school's history,

efforts are underway to preserve their legacy. Some of the wood salvaged from the trees will be

repurposed to create an award, to be presented annually at the school's prize-giving

ceremony. This symbolic gesture ensures that their memory will endure for generations to

come, serving as a reminder of their enduring influence on the school community.

Hugo Moffett, a student at Napier Boys' High School has created a website where you can sell your 2nd hand uniform, or alternatively buy some. If you would like to take a look, here is the link.
https://nzschooluniform.mysharetribe.com/
There isn't any HBHS uniform on there yet - but we could get the ball rolling, or you may find uniform for children not at HBHS.

Our Building Academy students attended a two-day course, held in the library by the Red Cross Association. Very valuable lessons were learnt.

Marked to be finished in week 7

Hastings 4120

Ph: +64 6 873 0365
email: paoffice@hastingsboys.school.nz

http://www.hastingsboys.school.nz