HVHS Alumni Newsletter

Dear Alumni,

As I write this we are wrapping up a crazy busy eleven week school term term. Our school musical Urinetown started it's season on Tuesday night. The musical is a sharp, satirical comedy that pokes fun at capitalism, politics, populism, and even musical theatre itself. It is a fun and seriously good watch. As always, the students are incredibly talented and worked hard all term to be ready for their opening night. I hope that if you are local, you can come along and enjoy the talents of our current students. We have one last matinee performance on Saturday, 4 July; see the article below for how to book tickets.

Our centenary celebrations are being finalised. There is quite a team of staff and volunteers putting the finishing touches on the events for Friday night and Saturday. The 100th Magazine is finished and ready to go on sale. The 100th Magazine and the 100th Blazer Pin will be available for purchase at HVHS from Thursday 6 August to Saturday 8 August. We also have 100th branded tees, polos, hoodies and tote bags available to purchase online now. See the article below for more details.

Friday evening (7 August, 4pm–7pm) is set aside for former and current teachers, support staff, and Board members - to gather in the school staffroom. This reunion event is being organised by two current, long-term staff members: Lucy Chave and Fiona Pearson. To register to attend the event, please click here or see the article below.

The Sports staff are putting together a programme of activities that includes Alumni vs. Current Students: The Ultimate Showdown. We are actively recruiting players for both our Netball and Basketball alumni teams. If that sounds like you, it’s time to dust off your sneakers! If you are interested in playing please email Sarah Coales at sarah.coales@hvhs.school.nz

Most of you will remember B Block - the oldest classroom block on campus. It has had a weathertightness facelift but looks much as it did in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Various rooms have been set aside as Reunion Decade Rooms (40s–50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s). The idea is that there will be a place to go to rest, chat, and connect with others from your decade. My office is currently full of boxes of photos organised by decade, which we will display in each room. Please feel free to share any particular photos with me by emailing denise.johnson@hvhs.school.nz, and I can add them to the wall!

I’d like to thank the Hutt City Council Archives, who have been digging up Hutt Valley photos for us to share and display in the Reunion Decade Rooms. In addition, our archivist, Judith Gardiner, has prepared wonderful displays on a variety of topics for the Library. There will be many opportunities for memories to be shared.

Finally, a heartfelt thank you to our incredible alumni community, especially those who have spent countless hours organising alumni dinners - we greatly appreciate all your hard work. You can find the details for these events below and on our website.

We are looking forward to hosting you, very soon! See you on August the 7th and 8th to celebrate 100 years of HVHS.

Ngā mihi nui,
Denise Johnson, Principal

Commemorative 100th Magazine & Blazer Pin

To celebrate our centenary, we will have 100th Blazer Pins ($7) and our 100th Magazine ($20) on sale at the HVHS Office from Thursday, 6 August to Saturday, 8 August.

The special commemorative 100th Magazine, researched and written by Peter Bidwell, celebrates a century of HVHS history. Inside the magazine, you’ll find a look back at the school's history through the eras of our principals, as well as nostalgic 'then & now' photo collages covering school camps, reunions, sports days, and the evolution of our buildings. Also included are our official rolls of honour celebrating our dux recipients, head students, major school productions, and more. It is perfect for alumni, families, and friends of the school.

100th Branded Clothing

Alumni and friends of HVHS can also purchase 100th branded clothing, including polo shirts, T-shirts, and hoodies. If your order is placed by 17 July, you will receive it in time to wear to the 100th Open Day. To view the items available, please click here.

1. Staff & Board Member Reunion on Friday, 7 August from 4-7pm
2. Principal's Welcome & Mihi Whakatau on Saturday, 8 August at 10am-10:45am, and repeated again from 12:00pm-12:45pm
3. ** REGISTRATIONS CLOSED** Special Early Dinner for 1940s & 1950s Alumni on Saturday, 8 August from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

How to Register:

1. Click the green button below this article once.

2. Inside the form, select all the HVHS events you wish to attend.

3. Submit the form. You only need to complete this form once.

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.

Highlights include:

• The Welcome: We will begin with a principal's welcome and mihi whakatau at 10am (and repeated again at 12 midday), bookings are essential.
• School Waiata: Followed later in the day with a mass singing of our school waiata, E Tipu at 3pm. 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 sights left!
• Student Showcases: Immerse yourself in the current talent of HVHS with a choice of dance, drama, music, 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! There is no fee to attend the 100th Open Day, and everyone is welcome to attend. Please see the timetable below and information on how to reserve your seat at key events (with limited seating).

1940s-1969 Alumni - Recommended Timetable

We'd recommend that alumni from these decade groups book a seat at the Principal's Welcome / Mihi Whakatau starting at 10am, attend the 100th cake cutting at 11am, and walk over to decade photos starting at 11:30am for 1940-1959, and 12 midday for 1960-1969 group. After that have tea and coffee in the staffroom, visit the archives display next door in the library and take a tour of the school (these are running all day).

1970-1989 Alumni - Recommended Timetable

For this group of alumni we'd recommend they attend the 100th cake cutting at 11am, book a seat at session 2 of the Principal's Welcome / Mihi Whakatau starting at 12 midday, then head over to decade photos starting at 1:00pm for 1970-1979, and 1:30pm for 1980-1989 group. After that have tea and coffee in the staffroom, visit the archives display next door in the library and take a tour of the school (these are running all day).

Decade Reunion Rooms: We also invite you to visit our decade rooms to relax and catch up with old classmates. The decade rooms are located upstairs in B Block: 1940-1959 (B18), 1960-1969 (B16), 1970-1979 (B24), 1980-1989 (B25), 1990-1999 (B19), and 2000-2025 (B20).

We're inviting current and former teachers, staff and board members of Hutt Valley High School to a reunion catch-up on Friday, 7 August 2026 from 4pm to 7pm.

Join us upstairs in the staffroom to celebrate 100 years of Hutt Valley High School to catch up with old friends, share kai, reconnect and share stories. There is no fee to attend this event.

How to Book a Seat: Click the green button in the article above titled 'Booking Form (Covers All 3 HVHS Events)'. This form covers all 3 HVHS Events, and should only be completed once.

A special early dinner for our 1940s decade and early 1950s alumni is planned for Saturday, 8 August, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. The event will be held in the new C‑Block, with doors opening at 5:15pm. The event is now full and registrations have been closed.

At the Special Early Dinner, our Year 12 and 13 (6th & 7th Form) Food & Hospitality students will prepare and serve a three‑course meal for our guests, along with a glass of wine or a non‑alcoholic drink. Alumni from the 1940s decade and 1950s are very welcome to bring a guest to join them at this event. To attend the event, a suggested koha (donation) of $20 per person at the door is appreciated.

For any questions, please email Lana Goddard (Principal’s PA) at lana.goddard@hvhs.school.nz

• 1950-1959 Alumni - Fabulous 50s Decade Luncheon (FULLY BOOKED)
• 1960-1969 Alumni - Swinging 60s Decade Dinner* (FULLY BOOKED)
• 1970-1979 Alumni - A Groovy 70s Meet n Greet* (FULLY BOOKED)
• Alumni (Started 3rd Form in 1980) - Drinks & Nibbles Event at Speights Ale House*
• 1988-1992 Alumni - Reconnect at the Abandoned Taproom*
  
• 1981 Alumni - Get Together Event at Tattlers Room at The Angus*
• 1993-1995 Alumni - Two Events for the Class of 1994 and Friends from ’93 & ’95*
• 2004 Alumni & All 2000s Alumni - Celebration & Reunion at the Crooked Elm*

This event has had a wonderful response and is now fully booked. Registrations have reached the maximum capacity of 100 attendees.

If you’re already registered for Fabulous 50s Decade Luncheon, for any questions please email Pam Davis at pameladdavis@outlook.co.nz or call 04 5695338.

Registration is now closed for the “Swinging ’60s” Decade Dinner on Saturday, 8 August at the Hutt Events Centre (formerly the Old Town Hall) as the venue has reached full capacity. Please note that entry is strictly limited to paid guests only.

If you have already registered and have any questions about the event, please email email Jerina Corban-Banks at jerinacorbanbanks@gmail.com

Registration is now closed for the 1970s Decade get-together on Saturday, 8 August, 2026, as the venue has reached full capacity. Please note that entry to the event is strictly limited to pre-registered guests only.

If you have already pre-registered and have any questions about the event, please email Paul and Christine Barnett (née Davis) at christinebarnett@xtra.co.nz

We would love to reconnect with all our old friends from our HVHS years (1980-1984) and this a once in a lifetime chance to catch up and reminisce! We’ve booked a private room upstairs at the Speights Ale house in Petone on Saturday, 8 August. The cost for the venue, a welcome drink & nibbles is $30 per head. There will also be a cash bar.

How to Register & Pay

1. To register for the event email Carolyn Crawford-Smith at crawfordsmith@kinect.co.nz with your full name, (maiden name too please) email address and contact number by Saturday, 18 July.
2. Make your payment by depositing $30 per person into the following BNZ account:
   Carolyn Crawford-Smith
   02-0466-0248382-008
   Please use your full name as the reference.

Please note: Because we need to pay a venue deposit and pre-order food, we are unfortunately unable to offer refunds once paid.

For any questions, please call Carolyn on 022 034 7117 or email her at crawfordsmith@kinect.co.nz and remember to register by Saturday, 18 July.

With HVHS reaching it's 100th year, it's a great excuse to reconnect with some old classmates.

Come and catch up, share some old memories, create some new ones, and maybe even have a boogie! The private event starts at 8pm, but feel free to pop down earlier if you are around!

• Date: Saturday, 8 August, 8:00pm-1:00am
• Location: Abandoned Taproom, 38 Fitzherbert Street, Petone
• Cost: $30
• Register: Ticket bookings are online via TryBooking.com
• Latest news: Visit the dedicated Facebook event page

There will be a few nibbles available, and the kitchen will be open. Abandoned can cater for most dietary requirements, just remember to stipulate if you have any when booking your ticket, so that we can advise them.

Please share with others from this year - we don't want anyone to miss out! (We know that a number of you may no longer be based in Wellington, but if you happen to be visiting or planning a visit, it would be great to have you in attendance!)

The Class of 1994 is taking the opportunity to reconnect as part of the Hutt Valley High School 100th Celebrations in August, bringing together those who started at HVHS as third formers in 1990 and finished as seventh formers in 1994. Two events are being planned across the celebration weekend for the class of 1994:

1) Friday Night Reunion – 7:00pm, Friday 7 August 2026: Join us for a relaxed evening catch-up in the Woburn Room at the Angus Inn Conference Centre. This is the largest function space at the venue and will be a great setting to reconnect.

• Cash bar available
• Partners welcome
• Open to all who identify with the Class of 1994

Many attendees will also be joining the wider school community at the 100th Open Day on Saturday, 8 August.

2) Saturday Morning Brunch – 9:30am, Saturday 8 August 2026: Continue the catch-up over brunch at Mariana's Kitchen Eatery (entrance by the Little Theatre, next to the War Memorial Library on the Queens Drive side). This event is a casual and easy way to reconnect before the rest of the day’s celebrations take place over at HVHS.

A strong contingent of Auckland-based 1994 alumni has already booked flights down to Wellington and accomodation in Lower Hutt for the weekend, making this a particularly special reunion. Coordination is being led by Leanne Jones, Hunter Tretheway, Mark Tanner, Rees Ward and a wider group of classmates and friends.

Get involved: If you’re part of the Class of 1994 (or nearby years) and would like to join, please get in touch with Rees at reesward@gmail.com to stay updated.

Calling all HVHS alumni from the classes of 2000 through to 2009! As part of the HVHS 100th celebrations, we're inviting our 2000s crew to come together for an evening of reconnection, memories, and celebration.

• Date: Friday, 7 August, 5:00pm-10:00pm
• Location: The Crooked Elm, 25 Laings Rd, Lower Hutt
• Cost: $20
• Register: Ticket bookings are online via EventBookings.com
• Latest news: get in touch with Matt Renata at matthewrenata@outlook.com

As numbers at The Crooked Elm are limited, this will be a ticketed event, buy your tickets now by clicking here! We'll have a live DJ, food, giveaways, and time to catch up with old friends (maybe even new!) before joining the wider school community for the Open Day celebrations on Saturday 8 August 2026.

A group of alumni from the Class of 2004 are coordinating the event, and we'd love to spread the word far and wide. For more information or to stay updated please get in touch with Matt Renata at matthewrenata@outlook.com

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.

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 friendly bragging rights. If you're keen to get involved please email Sarah Coales at sarah.coales@hvhs.school.nz

This year's major production is Urinetown - tonight's performance is sold out but there is one last matinee tomorrow (Saturday, 4 July) at 2pm with 20 tickets left so buy your tickets now and don't miss out! It's an absolutely brilliant comedy musical featuring a hugely talented cast.

👉 Click Here to Buy Your Tickets via TryBooking.com

This award-winning musical satire takes on capitalism, bureaucracy, environmental collapse, and power… all with sharp wit, big laughs, and unforgettable songs. Set in a drought-stricken city where citizens must pay to use the bathroom, Urinetown follows one unlikely hero who decides he’s had enough - and starts a revolution. Don’t miss it! Get your tickets now.

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 here:

https://alana.co.nz/pages/freedom-wines

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, see links below and also watch a live recording of E Tipu by clicking on the video below. We've had a fantastic response to the planned massed performance with hundreds of alumni now dusting off their instruments and learning E Tipu for the performance at the 100th Open Day on Saturday, 8 August.

For any questions, please email Nicholas Kovacev (Assistant Head of Learning Area - Music Performance) 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 was completed at the start of the year and we've now had hundreds of alumni request PDF copies of their old yearbooks. If you'd like to request a digital copy as well, 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).

We hope you enjoy looking back through the memories.

Huge congratulations to former HVHS teacher, Whaea Nan Walden-Moeung, who won the 2025 Prime Minister's Science Teacher's Prize at the ceremony in Wellington on Tuesday, 24 June.

An excerpt from the article published by Radio New Zealand (RNZ) notes: 'It was her time in Japan teaching English that Nan Walden-Moeung (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki) credits with both finding her love of teaching and the inspiration to embrace her Māori whakapapa. A technology teacher at Wellington East Girls College, 'Whaea Nan' has been awarded the Prime Minister's Science Teacher Prize.

She uses Mātauranga Māori values as the overarching framework for her education approach, she says. "Taking the values of whanaungatanga, manakatanga, kaitiakitanga, and using them to inform my practice, especially for my students. How to take care of them first, how to believe in them, how they can believe in themselves, and then from there how we can use their identity, who they are, to then create something that reinforces that."

Using her fashion industry training and career background, Walden-Moeung combines traditional and contemporary approaches to korowai-making to provide choice for students - whether that's harvesting and preparing harakeke, or using a sewing machine, or even 3D printing'.

Walden-Moeung told Our Changing World that after two decades of teaching, the best part of her job is helping a student get to a place of confidence in their own abilities. "You come across a girl who is a little bit downtrodden, and a little bit down on herself... And you teach them how to use a sewing machine, and you show them how to stitch some feathers, and you make a korowai with them, and they display it at Kohara2Shine. And they're like, oh, actually, I'm da bomb. I'm real cool. And I got this."

To read the full RNZ article and learn about the other awards for New Zealand's best and brightest in science, please click here.

Article Photo Credit: Whaea Nan Walden-Moeung, Royal Society Te Apārangi

• Share your journey since school — we love to feature alumni profiles (and today’s students learn so much from the stories of former students) in our Alumni newsletter and on social media.
• We're collecting memories from alumni and plan to share them with participants on the 100th Celebration Day. Our plan is to turn rooms in B-block into Reunion Rooms for each Decade, spaces where alumni can connect, rest, and relax on Saturday. The plan is to display these memories on the classroom walls for each decade. To share your memories with us, please complete this form: Share Your Memories.
• Host a reunion or year group gathering

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.

• 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

Please note: Hutt Valley High School is closed for school holidays from Saturday 4 July and will re-open on Monday, 20 July.

Friday 7 August 2026:

• 1950s Luncheon - Summerset Rest Home, 11am Start (FULLY BOOKED)
• HVHS Former Teachers, Staff & Board Members Reunion - HVHS Staffroom, 4pm to 7pm*
• Class of 1994 & Friends from 1993 & 1995 - Friday Night Reunion, Angus Inn, 7pm*
• Class of 2004 & All 2000s Alumni - Celebration and reunion at the Crooked Elm, 5pm-10pm*

Saturday 8 August 2026:

• Class of 1994 & Friends from 1993 & 1995 - Saturday Morning Brunch, Mariana’s Kitchen Eatery, From 9:30am *
• HVHS Open Day 100th Celebrations - HVHS, 10am to 4pm
• HVHS Open Day - Principal's Welcome / Mihi Whakatau (Session 1) - 10am-10:45am*
• HVHS Open Day - Principal's Welcome / Mihi Whakatau (Session 2) - 12:00pm-12:45pm*
• Groovy 70s Meet n Greet - Hutt Old Boys Marist Rugby Clubrooms, From 5pm Onwards (FULLY BOOKED)
• Special Early Dinner for 1940s & 1950s Alumni - HVHS C-Block, 5:30pm-7:30pm (FULLY BOOKED)
• 1960s Decade Dinner, Lower Hutt Event Centre, Mix & Mingle Starts From 5:30pm/Seated by 7pm (FULLY BOOKED)
• Alumni / Started 3rd Form in 1980 - Drinks & Nibbles Event at Speights Ale House*
• 1988-1992 Alumni - Reconnect at the Abandoned Taproom, 8:00pm-1:00am*

* To register or book a seat, please refer to the articles in the newsletter above from the event organisers.

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