ACES Weekly Buzz !

Welcome to the latest ACES Weekly Buzz! 🥳

While training up Maungawhau (Mount Eden Summit) over the weekend, I bumped into the great Tongan All Black wing Doug Howlett. Our conversation was highlighted by an importance piece of wisdom, his Father gave him to focus on, in order to succeed not only in Rugby but in life, "If it was meant to be, then it is UP TO ME!". (video link in blue). This is sage wisdom for our Tuakana, as they finish strong this term! Malo aupito Doug.

As we countdown to the launch of the very first ACES Exhibition, in the first week of December, we take a sneak peak at one of the live interactive displays showcasing our wonderful Muay Thai Coach Richie Hardcore! Richie talks about his excitement in contributing a live Muay Thai Padwork display, featuring top students Jericho and Tehea (Boy).

We take a journey back on the ACES Timeline to our 2020 Prize giving celebrations - as we countdown to our 25 Year Celebrations and Combined Prize giving at Alexandra Park. Finally we farewell Maungawhau's favourite Tutor Mark Pomare, as he restarts his career in the Police Force. Ma te wa!

ACES Legend Buchanan Niuapu, loved old school RnB music and his favourite band of all time was the mighty Earth, Wind and Fire. One of my lasting memories of ACES events was he would always play the song "In the Stone" to set the excitement level and "ambience" of an event.

Please enjoy a flashback to our ACES 2020 Prize giving, held at Ellerslie Event Centre. Buchanan would work long hours to ensure the prize giving was organised with high production values, demanding excellence at all levels. This was because of his determination to ensure students were honoured and able to make their whanau proud.

This handsome man on the left, is Maungarei Alumni, Sam Puna; whom was one of our big winners on that day back in 2020. He surprised all by showing up to the ceremony, fitted in a smart suit and setting a high standard yet to be beaten.

Sam journeyed from a lost young student when Greg first brought him onto Campus, to fast forward now currently working as a abseil rigger at Sky tower, making great money but "always grateful to ACES and their awesome people Francis, Gaza and June for believing in me."

As Mark Pomare’s final day with ACES Kaiako dawns this Friday, our campus bids a heartfelt farewell to man whom was a true "breath of fresh air". Campus leader Reuben Feetau captures the essence of this special man perfectly: “What I love about Mark is his nurturing, humble nature, gentle but firm manner, and unwavering love for our rangatahi and our mahi.” After enriching our community with his special mana, Mark returns to the Police force, where he hopes to focus on working with rangatahi—Avondale, watch out! We wish him every success on the beat and look forward to reconnecting in his new role soon. Ngā mihi nui, Mark—haere rā, e hoa.

Get ready to feel the energy surge at the ACES Exhibition with a live interactive Muay Thai display that’s set to ignite the stage! Led by powerhouse coach Richie Hardcore Steward - Director of Hardcore Muay Thai Academy.

This electrifying session showcases two of our brightest stars—Tehea and Jericho—who’ve graduated from our Electives programme , straight onto Richie’s competitive team. Richie, currently working overseas, can’t join us at for our main prize giving this year but shares his excitement for the ACES Exhibition: “I’m so stoked to share what our awesome students get up to in my Elective Class, both Tehea and Jericho have been dedicated in training and have rad skill!” Expect jaw-dropping pad work, lightning-fast combos, and an open Q&A where Richie, Tehea, and Jericho spill the secrets behind their drive to learn the discipline of Martial arts.

This isn’t just a demo—it’s a celebration of skill, grit, and heart, as our Akonga unpack why they train and how Muay Thai fuels their school life, strengthens whānau bonds, and uplifts the community. Don’t blink—you won’t want to miss a single strike!

Mark it in your Calendar @ the ACES exhibition (Session 1: 1030am, Wednesday 3rd December).Mauri Ora

🎉 ACES Moving to 75 K Road! (video link attached)

We're excited to announce that ACES has signed off the lease for a fantastic new space at 75 K Road!

Following a fit-out, we anticipate moving in shortly after December 15th.

This new central site will house our Maungawhau Site, serving as a hub for potential One School (cross-campus) electives, projects, and events with Maungarei Campus, we aim to optimize and re-imagine our spaces in our new season.

75 K road will also accommodate our Nurses, ACES Manager Karyl Puklowski and key members of the Attendance Advisor and Student Support teams. We are thrilled to begin this new journey as one school! We will announce the official 2026 opening date in our final edition of the year.

One of the main reasons we have worked hard to create a One School event calendar in 2025, where we combine campuses and connect with our external stakeholders every term, was inspired by the famous ACES Sports Tournaments, pioneered by Buchanan Niuapu, under our previous model pre 2019. The photo below is from our 2018 Tournament held at Trusts Stadium, featuring our provider partners at the time.

Buchanan loved nothing more than to see everyone in our AE eco-system coming together through sport, laughter and demonstrating the ACES heart value of "Kanohi ki te kanohi"!

In 2026 our Term Calendar connection events are likely to be (once signed off by Campuses) the events we ran this year, which were.

Term 1: Amazing Race

Term 2: Futsal

Term 3: Indoor Netball

Term 4: ACES Exhibition (December)

In the first week of December ACES celebrates our very first ACES Exhibition. The show will feature a mix of tangible outcomes from our project-based learning programmes, live displays from our electives, video and music AV, along with our very own ACES cafe.

Sessions will be 45 minutes long and car parking is available on a first come, first serve basis (limited to 10 only). All event management is being organised by our wonderful ACES Ākonga from both campuses.

If you would like to reserve a spot for you and your team, please email thelo@aces.school.nz. Places are limited to 20 people per session, so please ensure you book your spot early to avoid disappointment. Entry is free but we encourage Koha through our ACES Donation Portal on the day, to support our school. Mauri ora!

The ACES Annual Prizegiving is a highlight of our academic calendar, celebrating the hard work, dedication, and outstanding achievements of akonga. We're excited to look back at the success of last year's event and, more importantly, share the confirmed details for this year's celebration!

Flashback to ACES Prizegiving 2024: (Video link) A Resounding Success - Our prizegiving event successfully recognised a large number of our students across various disciplines, acknowledging not just academic excellence, but also contributions to the arts, sports, and leadership within our school.

We are thrilled to confirm the essential details for the 2025 ACES Prizegiving! Please mark your calendars and take note of the important information below:

ACES Prizegiving 2025

Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Venue: Tasman Room, Alexandra Conference Centre, Epsom

Time: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Because of our larger school roll this year and in order to provide for all students, whanau support will be restricted to one person per student as a general rule. Closer to the time there may be some pull outs etc which will allow for flexibility around openings, however please plan for one whanau member/caregiver only at this stage, to accompany their student.

An email has now been sent to all addresses on file, and RSVPs will be tracked closely. Updated information on RSVPs and tables will be notified through this newsletter.

If you have not already please update your best contact email with Roopu Tutor, Campus leader or calling ACES on 0800 020 378 0r 09 302 0426

Thurs Nov 27 - Final Projects and Electives day students.

Mon Dec 1 - Fri Dec 5 - ACES Exhibition Week and self direction for students not working on event.

Mon Dec 8 - Campus whakawhanaungatanga.

Tues Dec 9 - Campus whakawhanaungatanga.

Wed Dec 10 - ACES Prizegiving and 25 Year Celebration.

Thurs Dec 11 - Final Half day (Leavers Breakfast). School Holidays commence.

Mon Dec 15, Tues Dec 16 and Wed Dec 17 - Drivers Licence Courses (Tuakana) & 75 K Road move.

Wed Dec 17 Last day Maungawhau Campus move (before commercial cleaners come in).

Thurs Dec 18 Commercial cleaners in at Maungawhau.

If you are a local Auckland business keen to connect or advertise, we are looking for the right Partner to join ACES on our learning waka. Contact me on 021 913576 or thelo@aces.school.nz for a confidential chat.

If you would like to contribute directly today to the ACES Mahi in a small or larger way, please feel to click here.