HVHS Alumni Newsletter

A Weekend to Remember

We have planned a vibrant programme for the Friday and Saturday of the celebrations, designed to help you reconnect with the school and each other. Highlights include:

• The Welcome: We will begin with a mihi whakatau, followed later in the day with a mass singing of our school waiata, E Tipu. There’s nothing quite like the sound of hundreds of voices and instruments joined in song to bridge the decades.
• Walk Down Memory Lane: Delve into our extensive archive displays and memorabilia. You can also join a guided tour of the campus to see how things have evolved and what remains exactly as you recall! Honestly, for many of you, B Block and the hall will be the only familiar sight left!
• Student Showcases: Immerse yourself in the current talent of HVHS with a choice of dance, drama, music, film, and art displays.
• Action & Connection: We’ll have a range of sporting events to watch and, of course, plenty of opportunities to share kai (food) and conversation.
• Capturing the Moment: Don’t miss the scheduled decade photos—the ultimate keepsake from the weekend.

We are crossing every finger and toe that the Wellington weather plays along and gives us a beautiful, fine weekend!

Register for the 100th

You can register for the Centenary by clicking here. Registration is free and simply helps us track expected numbers and communicate details about the day. However, don't worry, you are still welcome to attend even if you don't manage to register beforehand.

Decade Get-Togethers

While the school will be the hub of activity during the day of Saturday 8 August, many smaller, more intimate gatherings are also being organised. We are incredibly grateful to the active alumni who are spearheading decade-specific events at various venues around the Hutt.

A special thank you goes to Jerina Corban-Banks, who has been doing a mountain of work, helping coordinate multiple decade groups and organising "The Swinging 60s Decade Dinner". We also want to highlight Pam Davis and Pauline Patchett, who are organising a "Fabulous 50s Luncheon" for up to 100 people at the Summerset Retirement Village on Friday, 7 August, and Christine Barnett and a group of classmates who are overseeing a "Groovy 1970s Meet n Greet". See the articles below for information on how to register.

Are You Organising a Get-Together?

If you are planning a Saturday night event for your cohort, please let us know! We want to help you advertise and ensure as many people as possible can reconnect.

A Special Invitation: 1940s Alumni

The school is honored to host a special Saturday Night Dinner specifically for our alumni from the 1940s. This event will be hosted right here at the school, with a menu prepared and served by our talented Hospitality students and staff. It promises to be a sophisticated and nostalgic evening.

More details and info will follow soon. Keep an eye on your inbox and our social media channels for the official ticket launches.

Share the event

We encourage you to share the event within your own circles. New Zealand is a small world, and it certainly seems that former HVHS students can be found in every corner of it, often in the most unexpected places. By sharing the details of the event, you increase the chance of reconnecting old classmates and bringing together members of our widespread HVHS whānau.

My own mum, for instance, is a resident at Summerset Palms in Napier. She recently discovered four other residents who also attended HVHS during the 1950s - the same decade she was there! I know they have been talking about the weekend and had questions about registering and the programme, which I hope will have now been answered.

We look forward to seeing you all in August.

Ngā mihi nui

Denise

One of the planned highlights of our upcoming 100th Celebrations on Saturday 8 August will be a massed musical performance of our school waiata, E Tipu. Current students, staff and alumni are warmly invited to take part in this special item, bringing our community together.

To help everyone prepare, below you can now download the instrumental parts to practise in the lead‑up to the big day in August 2026. They are also available on the school website.

For any questions, please email Jhan Lindsay (Performing Arts Coordinator / Teacher in Charge – Itinerant Music Programme) at music@hvhs.school.nz

Music Parts for E Tipu Performance

• Bass Instruments (Easy) e.g. bass guitar, double bass & tuba
• Bass Instruments (Intermediate)
• B Flat Instruments e.g. clarinet, trumpet and tenor saxophone
• C Instruments e.g. violin & flute
• E Flat Instrument e.g. alto saxophone
• Guitar, Chords
• Viola

The scanning of 99 years of HVHS yearbooks is now complete. To request a digital copy, please email alumni@hvhs.school.nz with the following details:

• Your first and last names
• The years you attended Hutt Valley High School
• The reason for your request (e.g., research, planning an alumni catch‑up).

For their help with this project, a huge thank you to:

• Hutt City Heritage Collections, who generously donated scanned copies of many of our earliest yearbooks.
• The Past Pupils & Friends Association (PPFA), whose financial support made this project possible.
• Our dedicated school archivists, for their careful management of our school's artefacts over many decades.

We hope you enjoy looking back through the memories.

A luncheon for former HVHS pupils from the 1950s is being organised for Friday, 7 August 2026, and it’s shaping up to be a wonderful chance to reconnect.

Hosted by Pauline Patchett and Pam Davis, the event will take place at Summerset Boulcott Retirement Village, beginning at 11:00am.

To register for the event, please Pam Davis at pameladdavis@outlook.co.nz and Pauline Patchett at drpbp11@gmail.com

Planning is well underway for the "The Swinging 60's Decade Dinner" (1960-1969) as part of the HVHS Centenary Celebrations 2026.

If you were a student at HVHS between 1960 - 1969 (that is, starting year in third form) or if you joined HVHS later this would have been when your classmates started, then this is your decade!

As interest and numbers are growing fast, Chris MacKay and I have looked at venues for a buffet dinner that can accommodate accordingly. If you are planning to attend the dinner, to secure the perfect venue, we do require your RSVP as soon as possible.

To register your interest, please email me at jerinacorbanbanks@gmail.com and include your:

• First and last name
• Years attending HVHS (an approximate guess is completely fine)
• Names & number of people attending with you.

Unsure if you're part of this decade group? You're also welcome to drop me an email and I can advise you if you are in the right decade, or point you in the right direction. Looking forward to welcoming past pupils to reconnect and celebrate this Centenary.

Kind regards,

Jerina Corban-Banks (1968-1972)

Did you start school in the Groovy Seventies? If you began at HVHS between 1970 and 1979, you’re warmly invited to register your interest for a get‑together with fellow ex‑students. This gathering will follow the HVHS Centenary Open Day (10am–4pm).

Event: A Groovy 70s Meet n Greet

Date: Saturday, 8 August 2026, 5pm Onwards

Venue: Convenient Hutt Valley Location (dependent on numbers - TBC)

Details: Cash Bar with Nibbles & Snacks

Register Now!

To help with numbers and catering, please register your interest with either:

• Mike Hanley — mikehanley1964@gmail.com, 027 749 4904

• Paul & Christine Barnett (née Davis) — christinebarnett@xtra.co.nz, 027 457 7738

• Martin Goodyear - 63emgee@gmail.com

Martin Goodyear is part of the Class of 1980 (7th Formers) and is keen to get in touch with old classmates ahead of the 100th Celebrations to see if others are keen to help organise a casual meet-up, drink, or meal out ahead of the 100th Open Day on Saturday 8 August 2026.

To get in touch with Martin, email him at 63emgee@gmail.com.

Alumni from our Class of 2004 are already gearing up to be part of the HVHS 100th celebrations. After a special 20th reunion earlier this year, they’re keen to get the crew together again.

Plans are underway for a Class of 2004 year group catch-up on Friday, 7 August 2026, in the evening, potentially at The Crooked Elm nearby to HVHS, with everyone joining the full school celebrations at the Open Day on Saturday, 8 August 2026.

Matt Renata and a group of classmates and friends are helping to coordinate plans for the Class of 2004. If you’re part of this year group and would like to be involved, please get in touch with him to connect and stay updated by emailing Matt at matthewrenata@outlook.com

- by Christine Barnett on behalf of the PPFA Committee

Way back in 1986 the school had its 60th anniversary. The HVHS Parents' Association compiled the ‘Celebrating Sixty’ cookbook to commemorate this special occasion and to fundraise for the school. Hundreds of cookbooks were sold and students today may have seen or even used this cookbook at the homes of their parents or grandparents. Along with over 100 recipes, many anecdotes and photos from the school’s archives were included.

Scholarship Fund

As a result of the success of this cookbook, the profit was invested to benefit students in the upcoming years. This fund formed the cornerstone of the Scholarship Fund which was administered by the PPFA. Scholarships were awarded to leaving Year 13 students to support their future tertiary studies.

Over the past 20 years, more than $50,000 has been awarded to students from this fund. The PPFA incorporated in 1997, with the vision to act as an alumni for ex-students and also contribute financially to school projects and student scholarships.

PPFA Newsletter & Alumni Hosted Catch-ups

The PPFA newsletter called ‘Network News’ was written by the committee and initially copied and posted to members. An email database of ex-pupils was started and continues to grow daily.

The PPFA held an afternoon tea once a year at the school. These ‘Tea n Chat’ events were for the 1st decade ex-pupils and continued for many years, eventually including the 2nd decade. The most popular fundraising activity was the Light House Cinema movie nights. Each year, these would raise nearly $1,000 and would pay for one of the two annual student scholarships. Other initiatives included a ‘Fun Run’ and establishing ‘Satellite Groups’ in Orewa, Sydney, Kapiti/Levin. A very successful HVHS 75th Reunion event was organised in 2001. In 2016, the school celebrated its 90th year. A small but successful 90th reunion was organised by the PPFA and enjoyed by those who attended.

Newsletters continued to be posted to members until the ‘Network News’ was re-named ‘Alumni News’ in 2016. By this stage the database had grown to a level where it made sense to email the newsletter out to all members on the database. As a result, there was no longer the need to pay a membership fee to cover copying and postage.

The current version of the alumni newsletter that you're reading now is also accessible on the school website. This newsletter is for former pupils and staff, and the wider school community and is critical for promoting the 100th celebrations this year. A number of active Facebook Alumni pages are also instrumental in connecting ex-pupils and ensuring the 100th is a success.

PPFA's Work Promoting the 100th

To support the promotion of the 100th celebrations, the PPFA produced a large canvas photograph of the school from 1936. The PPFA has currently loaned this canvas to the War Memorial Library (just down the road from HVHS) and you can see this on display by the entry. The PPFA see this as another way to connect with ex-students and staff ahead of the 100th.

The Decision to Wind Up the PPFA

As HVHS now oversees the alumni newsletter and database, the PPFA does not have the purpose it once had. Unfortunately, the existing committee could not find enough volunteers to continue with ongoing fundraising for the scholarship fund. The committee of the PPFA made the decision last year to wind-up with the final PPFA scholarships being awarded in 2026 to four Year 13 students, and the remaining PPFA funds donated back to HVHS to support the centenary celebrations and the school activities.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all previous committee members for their many hours of voluntary work to keep the PPFA operating for the last 28 years. Specifically, I have to thank the school archivist – Judith Gardiner, as she is so passionate about her work and has been a dedicated supporter of HVHS and the PPFA for many years. I hope that all past and present PPFA committee members can enjoy the centenary knowing that they played a part in the success of the PPFA, the Alumni and numerous reunions.

So, it is farewell from the PPFA and we hope everyone enjoys the upcoming centenary events.

Retiring Committee 2026

• Christine Barnett (President/Treasurer/Secretary)
• Judith Gardiner (Archivist)
• Hugh Williams (Staff Representative)
• Pam Davis (Cookbook Committee/Alumni)
• Moira Gough (Auditor/Alumni)
• Noeline Hannan (Former Staff Member)

Image: Judith Gardiner (Archivist/ PPFA Member) & Christine Barnett (Retiring PPFA President) pictured at the War Memorial Library with the canvas print of HVHS.

🗓 Week 3, Term 3, August 2026 | 🏫 Open Day: Saturday 8 August 2026, 10am-4pm

We’ll be opening the school doors for a special Open Day on Saturday, 8 August 2026, a chance to revisit your old classrooms (those that are standing!) see what’s changed, and reconnect with friends and former teachers. There will be displays, performances, concerts, sports events, student-led tours, spaces to relax and reminisce, share kai, and maybe a coffee or ice cream from the student-run cafe.

For our recent newsletter subscribers, we’ve done all we can to ensure this celebration is inclusive and accessible to everyone. While some will remember gala balls and huge sit-down dinners, we know that in reality, few people want to pay for that kind of formality today. Instead, our focus is on creating a weekend that welcomes everyone — regardless of cost — and allows for meaningful connection.

There is no fee to attend the Open Day. We’re planning decade group photo sessions and casual morning and afternoon teas in the library and staffroom. The day will begin with a mihi whakatau, a warm welcome back to HVHS on Saturday morning, and I’m sure there will be a cake to cut at some point, as no celebration is complete without one! We hope this relaxed and inclusive approach allows as many people as possible to reconnect, share stories, and enjoy the incredible talents of today’s students.

Look out for information in the next newsletter for the timetable for the Open Day events and activities.

Construction of the new C Block is progressing to schedule to finish in time for our 2026 Centenary celebrations. Once finished, C Block will house specialist classrooms for Dance, Drama, Music, and Food Technology & Hospitality, providing modern facilities to support our students’ learning. Check out the progress made in the photos below from September 2026 and today (Friday, 6 March).

C Block Construction, September 2025

C Block Contruction, March 2026

• Host a reunion or year group gathering

• Send us stories or photos from your time at HVHS to contribute to the archives

• Share your journey since school — we’d love to feature alumni profiles and today’s students learn so much from the stories of former students.

Please get in contact with Deena Anderson at alumni@hvhs.school.nz if you’d like to send us your story or for help promoting your reunion or finding classmates.

Our English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Teachers are always looking for different ways to build language skills, and they are currently seeking sets of knucklebones that families may have at home. I'm sure many of our alumni will remember playing with knucklebones as children!

If you have any spare knucklebones you’re happy to donate, please drop them off at the School Office, which is open from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday during term time or alternatively post them to: Hutt Valley High School, Attn: Victoria Mitchell, 84-114 Woburn Road, Lower Hutt, 5010, Wellington.

• HVHS Alumni Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/hvhs1926
• HVHS Alumni Newsletter & Facebook page - Deena Anderson at alumni@hvhs.school.nz
  
• HVHS Archives - Judith Gardiner at archives@hvhs.school.nz

Friday 7 August 2026:

• 1950s Luncheon - Summerset Rest Home, 11am Start*
• HVHS Teachers & Staff Reunion - HVHS Staffroom, 4pm to 7pm
• Class of 2004 - Currently Being Organised*

Saturday 8 August 2026:

• HVHS Open Day 100th Celebrations - HVHS, 10am to 4pm
• Groovy 70s Meet n Greet - Venue To Be Confirmed, From 5pm Onwards*

Being Planned:

• The Swinging 60's Decade Dinner" (1960-1969) is also being planned*
• Class of 1980 depending on interest, may also host an event ahead of the 100th Celebrations on the 8 August.
• A special 1940s Early Dinner is being planned for Saturday 8 August, to be hosted by our Food & Hospitality students. More information in the next Alumni newsletter.

* To register, please refer to the articles in the newsletter above from the event organisers. Registering early is strongly recommended!

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