HVHS Newsletter
Friday, 26 June - Week 10, Term 2
Dear Parents, Whānau, and Caregivers,
We have one week to go, and that week is musical week with our production of URINETOWN. If you haven't purchased your tickets, here's the link to buy via TryBooking. I've watched the rehearsals - it is something quite special. A lot of fun and seriously good acting and singing. I have to admit though, that when Derek Wood and Nick Kovacev pitched the idea to me a year ago, I was a little flummoxed by the name; however, now I understand the storyline. Ultimately, the musical is a direct, comedic, and tragic exploration of the ultimate David versus Goliath battle where the "little man" tries to take down a seemingly unstoppable capitalistic giant.
Urinetown is set in a dystopian future, a devastating 20-year drought has made water an absolute luxury. To control consumption, the government has banned private toilets. All restroom activities must take place in public amenities controlled by a mega-monopoly called the Urine Good Company (UGC), run by the greedy CEO, Caldwell B. Cladwell… I won’t say anymore or I’ll spoil the show! I do hope you come along with friends and family to support our very hard working students and staff.
Matariki: A Time for Reflection and Renewal
As we look toward Matariki, the Māori New Year, we welcome a significant public holiday on Friday 10 July. This is a meaningful time for us all to pause and honour our history, celebrate our current achievements, and turn our eyes toward future aspirations with optimism. It serves as a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with your whānau and friends while establishing new dreams for the year ahead. To see what is happening across our city, here is a link to the various events scheduled in Wellington.
Relay for Life: An Incredible Success!
We are absolutely thrilled to share the results of our recent Relay for Life campaign and Non-Uniform Day, which together raised over $25,000 for the Cancer Society. A massive well done must go to Hugh McWhinnie (13JDPN) and Izzy Fogarty (13JDPN) for their exceptional leadership in spearheading this major service and fundraising initiative. This superb achievement speaks volumes about the generosity and community spirit of our students and staff. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who walked, ran, or donated. Your support has truly made a difference!
Important Reminders: School Policy & Uniform
To ensure a focused and productive learning environment, please take a moment to review these two important reminders with your child:
- Mobile Phone Rules: A quick reminder that our mobile phone policy is strictly enforced. Phones must be turned off when entering our school grounds in the morning. The phones are placed into phone pockets during class times and in student's bags at all other times. Let's work together to keep distractions out of the classroom. It is making a difference - let's not get complacent.
- Correct Uniform (Black Pants): We expect all students to take pride in wearing the correct school uniform. Please note that black pants must be standard tailored school trousers. These can be purchased at the Resource Centre. Jeans, cargo pants, leggings, and track pants are not permitted. Thank you for ensuring your child leaves the house in the correct attire.
Year 9 Enrolments for 2027 (Siblings)
Planning for the future is already underway! If you have a younger child who is a sibling of a current student and will be starting Year 9 in 2027, please ensure you submit their enrolment application by 22 July. Early enrolments are absolutely crucial to help us manage staffing, resources, and class planning effectively. Thank you for your promptness. To enrol your child please click here to complete the online application form.
Coming Soon: Our 100th Celebrations & Staff, Teachers, and Board Members Reunion
We are excited to be hosting a special Reunion afternoon on Friday, 7 August from 4:00pm-7:00pm for past and present staff, teachers, and board members! This will be a wonderful opportunity to reconnect, share memories, and celebrate the history and leadership of our school. To register for the event please click here. We'd also appreciate your help to spread the word to any former staff or board members you might know.
Have a wonderful week ahead!
Warm regards,
Denise Johnson (Principal)
Two of our students shared their experiences:
Sheyne Tuffery came to our class and showed us a fun new printmaking technique using objects with nice textures like feathers and leaves. I enjoyed working with him because he taught me not to be afraid to mess up or use unconventional methods to create interesting art. It was great having an experienced artist like Sheyne in the classroom. - Mak McCartan (11CI)
Sheyne Tuffery has taught us how to create art using his signature found object relief printing technique. It was great to be able to watch an accomplished artist work and to listen to him explain his artistic process. This experience has helped us develop our own art making techniques and processes, which will be sure to help us in our upcoming assessment! - Alexander Britton (11SA)
- By Lloyd Ward (Counsellor / AOD Practitioner)
Students recently spent three days at Blue Mountains Lodge Adventure Centre, where they took part in activities including rock climbing, big swing and white water rafting. It was a good chance for them to challenge themselves, step outside their comfort zones, and spend time building stronger connections with each other.
The camp was supported by David Prendergast (Youth Worker, HVHS) and Josh Morris (Youth Worker, Salvation Army), who run the Aspire Programme at HVHS. Aspire is based on the Circle of Courage model and focuses on giving young people a supportive space to connect with others, build skills, and take responsibility for their choices while having a positive, fun environment to grow in.
Overall, it was a really positive few days away, and students came back with a sense of achievement and pride in what they’d done.
Congratulations to William Sanders (11TU), who has successfully auditioned and retained his place in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Brass Band for a second year! William will be representing the school on the cornet. The national ensemble is scheduled to gather in Christchurch this September for a series of rehearsals and performances.
We wish William the best of luck as he joins top young musicians from across the country for this event.
Our Tala Filipino Club has continued to grow throughout the term, providing opportunities for students to connect and build a strong sense of community within our school.
One of the highlights of this term was the Tala Filipino Volleyball Showdown, a once-a-term after-school event that brought students together through friendly competition and teamwork. Students participated in mixed teams, creating opportunities to meet new people, build friendships, and develop confidence on and off the court. The afternoon was filled with energy, encouragement, and good sportsmanship.
Membership is open to anyone who identifies as Filipino (migrant or NZ born). The club meets every second Wednesday at lunchtime, usually in the pavilion. If you would like to find out more, chat or email the Club Leader, Elisha Jhel Casinas (11MY) or Victoria Mitchell (English Language Teacher). Notices and announcements are made through a dedicated Google Classroom which members access for news, information, and updates.
A huge congratulations to Stella Phillips (10DRCR), who was named as a national finalist in Play It Strange's Peace Song competition.
While Stella did not gain a placing, as a finalist she won $50 and a recording session worth $850. Stella is pictured performing with her band, After June, at the Smokefree Rockquest Wellington regional heats.
The Play It Strange charitable trust was established in 2003 and runs national competitions for young Kiwis to write, record and perform their original songs.
Photo credit: Becky Isherwood for Smokefree Rockquest
Congratulations to Idrees Munshi (13SHGA), Névé Groom (13KT), Akshara Bansal (13WL), and Seungwoo Ryu (13LE), who placed first in the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry (NZIC) annual competition for senior secondary students at Victoria University. A special congratulations also to our Year 12 students – Merak Manze (12TI), Ayaan Arora (12NI), Amber Aung (12TI), and Cedric Bell (12TI), who came sixth despite the challenge of not knowing the Year 13 content.
Both teams showed high levels of chemistry general knowledge and pop culture science.
After a warm welcome from the outreach team the students split into three practical workshops:
Spatial Design: Students built physical scale models of shelters before using photogrammetry and LiDAR scanning to drop their designs into digital software, where they added custom environments, lighting, and people.
Screen Arts: This session dived into 2D animation using Brush Ninja. Students experimented with core principles like squash, stretch, and fluid morphing to bring their drawings to life.
Concept Design: Following a professional industry pipeline, students designed their own unique creatures by blending traditional drawing techniques with digital rendering tools.
A real highlight of the day was seeing profiles of former HVHS students who went on to study at Massey and are now working successfully in the design and tech industries. The kids were absolutely buzzing on the bus ride home. The sessions were incredibly well structured and engaging, giving everyone a rare chance to use university grade equipment and get direct feedback on their ideas from university lecturers.
It was just as valuable for our teaching team, who loved seeing how the university runs its workshops and getting a look at the software and tech they use. We are incredibly grateful to the Massey team for making this possible and very much hope to establish this as an annual trip for our Technology students!
Congratulations to Merak Manze (12TI) and Teram Manze (11GS) on their outstanding achievements at the annual Chinese Bridge Competition – Wellington. Merak achieved third place in the Senior High School category and was also selected as an Ambassador for this year’s Chinese Language Week. Teram achieved second place in the same category and received the Original Content Award.
At the competition, both students impressed the judges and audience with their engaging speeches about their experiences and memorable moments while travelling in China last year. Their personal stories, delivered with genuine emotion and enthusiasm, made a strong impact.
Merak has been invited to the New Zealand Chinese Language Week 2026 Opening Ceremony and Awards at Parliament on 30 June.
Students can help themselves to free period products. We also encourage students to take products home for the school holidays and during exam leave to cover their full menstrual cycle, and so families can skip adding them to the family grocery list!
Students are welcome to help themselves to period products, they are located in the tall white cupboard in the hallway between the Student Counter and the First Aid Room (Sick Bay). In the cupboard, students can select from pads and tampons in sizes regular and super, and also liners.
To mark Hutt Valley High School’s centenary, we are proud to offer this limited-edition collection of commemorative wines, featuring a Shiraz, Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
Created as a lasting memento of this significant milestone, each bottle celebrates the people, memories, achievements, and connections that have shaped our school community over the past 100 years.
More than a keepsake, every purchase helps invest in the young people who are part of our school community today. Funds raised will help create opportunities, remove barriers to participation, and ensure more students can access the experiences, connections, and personal growth that come from being involved in school life.
Whether you're a former student, staff member, whānau member, supporter, or friend of Hutt Valley High School, your purchase helps honour our past while investing in the next generation.
Raise a glass to 100 years, order your wine by clicking here.
As part of our Centenary celebrations on Saturday, 8 August, we are bringing a bit of healthy rivalry back to the main gym! The Sports Office is looking for former HVHS students to lace up their sneakers for basketball and netball games against our current top teams.
The Game Day Lineup:
Basketball Match: 11:00am, Main Gym
Netball Match: 1:30pm, Main Gym
Don't worry if your fitness levels aren't quite what they were when you wore the school uniform, these games are all about fun, connection, and bragging rights. If you're keen to get involved please email Sarah Coales at sarah.coales@hvhs.school.nz
We are always looking for new host families to help with hosting international student attending HVHS. We have a large number of one-term students from Japan and Brazil arriving for Term 3.
If you are considering having an international student in your home, then this is a great way to find out if hosting works for your family and if you would like to host long term.
What's Required?
If your family:
Can provide a welcoming and supportive environment,
Has a spare bedroom available, and
Lives in-zone (preferred).
We encourage you to consider becoming a homestay family. Homestay families receive $350 per week, and it is a wonderful opportunity to learn about diverse traditions, cultures, and languages while supporting a young person during their time in Aotearoa.
For more information or to express your interest, please email our Homestay Coordinator, Anna Kingsford, at anna.kingsford@hvhs.school.nz, and include a short bio about your family and a contact phone number.
Contact Information
Email: office@hvhs.school.nz
Website: hvhs.school.nz
Location: Hutt Valley High School Woburn Road, Woburn, Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Phone: 04 566 4584