Ngā mihi nui kia koutou katoa,

The end of the term is always an excellent time for students and families to reflect on academic goals, and I encourage you all to take time over the next few weeks to chat with your child about their progress this year. Under NCEA, success in terms one and two is essential for success later in the year. So, if your child is struggling, now is a good time to reach out for support. Subject and raukura teachers are a great place to start, but our deans, heads of department, and senior leaders are all available to discuss and support your child's progress.

Congratulations to all students who participated in the summer tournament week. Several phenomenal individual and team performances were recorded, and a few national titles were earned. The sports section below has all of the results. Also, good luck to those students competing during the upcoming break.

Well done to Ruby Goodyear for earning the Most Outstanding Performer award at the recent Sheilah Winn Shakespeare competition. Ruby and the 5-minute scene team are off to Wellington later in the year to compete in the national competition.

SPORTS NEWSLETTER Dan Meade
Director of Sport

Kia ora koutou,

The best place to get all the information regarding muster and trial dates is the daily notices. Although we encourage students to take responsibility for themselves, parents and caregivers can access these at:
https://www.mmc.school.nz/NEWS-1/Daily-Notices.

Off-field Sports Uniforms
Off-field sports uniforms are available online at
https://codesport.co.nz/catalog/MMCSupporters-1106457.htmx
or in store at 94 Elizabeth Street. It is important to have all our sports players looking the part and we encourage students to buy a long sleeve or short sleeve tee and / or hoodie if they don’t already have an off-field uniform.

Sponsorship
A massive thank you to our amazing group of sponsors who make a genuine difference to our school sports programme. Please reach out on danm@mmc.school.nz if you’re interested in joining our amazing group of sponsors who make a genuine difference to sport at Mount Maunganui College. We have a range of packages and sponsor benefits available and would love to hear from you.
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High Achievers
Charis Broughton, Shamar Broughton and Riley McClenaghan head away in the holidays to attend the New Zealand Under 16 Girls Wider Squad Basketball Camp. Best of luck on making the team.

Cole Hopoi, Flynn Rapson and Josh Kelly also head away as part of the Junior Tall Blacks Squad. Congrats on this awesome achievement and best of luck on selection.

Sophia Maltai-Spence competed in the Division Two NZ Swimming Competition in Auckland where she brought home a gold medal in the 100m free, bronze in the 400m free and bronze in the 4 x 50m medley relay.

Zuma Falconer and Koby Eilering competed at the New Zealand Street Skating Championships held in Mount Maunganui. Competing in the open division, Zuma finished 5th and Koby 12th. Great achievement, boys.

What’s been happening?
BOPSS Swim Champs
Apologies to the following students who were accidentally not recognised in the last newsletter for their fantastic efforts at BOPSS Swim Champs.

Boys 13 & Under
Charlie Richardson
200m Freestyle – 2:23.79 (2nd place)
50m Breaststroke – 40.33 (6th)
50m Freestyle – 29.61 (12th)
100m Freestyle – 1:05.87 (4th)

Eli O'Fee
50m Breaststroke – 41.92 (10th)
100m IM – 1:24.48 (8th)
50m Backstroke – 41.68 (11th)
100m Freestyle – 1:15.61 (13th)

Taj Aitchison
50m Breaststroke
100m IM
50m Backstroke
100m Freestyle

Boys 14-15
Ryleigh McEwan
200m Freestyle – 2:03.02 (3rd)
50m Breaststroke – 36.36 (6th)
50m Butterfly – 30.19 (5th)
100m IM – 1:08.33 (1st)
50m Freestyle – 25.86 (2nd)
100m Freestyle – 56.99 (2nd)

Sam Cameron
200m Freestyle – 2:21.32 (9th)
200m IM – 2:47.95 (7th)
50m Backstroke – 36.51 (5th)
50m Freestyle
100m IM
100m Freestyle

Bryan Li'Wagener
200m IM – 2:38.62 (5th)
50m Butterfly – 33.98 (10th)
100m IM – 1:13.94
50m Freestyle – 30.39

Tobin Callahan
100m IM – 1:10.61 (5th)
100m Breaststroke – 1:21.20 (6th)
50m Freestyle – 27.94
100m Freestyle – 1:02.12

Summer Tournament Week Results
NZSS Triathlon
Ryder Matthews was Mount Maunganui College’s sole triathlete, competing at the NZSS Triathlon Champs held in Wanaka, finishing 20th. Well done, Ryder

NZSS Open Water Swimming Champs 2025
Yesterday’s event was held at Lake Tikitapu in Rotorua. Despite having a smaller contingent than last year, our team retained the title as NZ Secondary School Open Water champions, with a fantastic 257 points! Congratulations to this awesome swim team:
Ryleigh McEwan
1000m - 1st 16-19 yr male
500m - 1st 16-19 yr male
Cooper Everett
1000m - 2nd 16-19 yr male
500m - 2nd 16-19 yr male
Mitchell Everett
1000m - 3rd 14-15 yr male
500m - 4th 14-15 yr male
Cole Frazer
500m - 3rd 16-19 yr male
Sophia Maltai-Spence
1000m - 2nd 14-15 yr female
500m - 2nd 14-15 yr female
Grace Richardson
1000m - 4th 16-19 yr female
500m - 5th 16-19 yr female
Emily O’Driscoll
1000m - 1st 12-13 yr female
Quinn Murdoch
1000m - 2nd 12-13 yr female

Futsal (Nationals and regionals)
Our Premiere Senior and Junior Boys competed in the North Island Regional competition. The Senior Boys had a couple of tough games but continued to dominate and placed 1st after a 6-2 win in the final against Ōtūmeotai!

The Junior Boys played eight games which resulted in seven wins and one draw - they scored 63 goals and only 10 against to also come out 1st place!

Our Premiere Senior and Junior Girls Futsal teams travelled to Wellington to compete in the NZSS competition. Both teams had some tough pool games but fought hard and represented the school with pride.

The Senior Girls placed 5th in NZ which is an awesome achievement up from 10th last year.

The Junior Girls placed 6th which is another impressive result.

NZSS Rowing
Competing against some of the strongest teams from throughout New Zealand at Karapiro for Maadi, our six novice rowers faced tough competition. Despite the challenges, Lennox, Josh, Rosa, Georgie, Ella and Piper never gave up, pushing through every stroke with determination and unity. While the results may not have reflected their effort, they supported each other, stayed focused, and kept a positive mindset. That’s what true sportsmanship is all about.
So, while our school’s rowing team may not have secured a podium finish they walked away with something even more valuable— unshakable resilience, unwavering team spirit, and an attitude that made the entire school proud.
Well done to our rowing team for embodying the true spirit of competition.
We look forward to seeing them back on the water, stronger than ever in 2026!
By Mrs Young

NISS Div 2 Waterpolo
Congratulations to the Senior Boys Waterpolo team, who for the second year in a row have won the North Island Secondary School Division 2 waterpolo competition. They were undefeated in this tournament and faced stiff competition in the final against Aquinas Boys. Congratulations also to Griffin Hunt who was named MVP of the tournament.

Well done to our Senior Girls Waterpolo team who attended the NISS secondary schools tournament in Auckland.

The team featured a mix of seasoned players and promising development players. The girls won 4 out of 5 pool games heading into the top 8 where there was some stiff competition, finishing 8th out of 20 teams, a great achievement.
Well done girls and best of luck for New Zealand secondary schools in Hamilton.
By Mrs Everett

NZSS Tag Team Surfing
The NZSS Tag Team Surf Event was held in Māori Bay, Auckland.
The girls ended up taking the win, being crowned back to back champions. The boys put on some cracking performances but just ended up coming short in the final behind a strong Whangamatā team. Overall it was a great week with some high level surfing going down left right and centre.
By Mr Fredrickson

CNI Sailing
Our sailing team headed to Taupo to take part in the Central North Island Championships. The team came home with a bronze medal in the top division and now prepare for nationals in April. Well done team.

NZSS Kayaking
A team of 16 mainly surf club ski paddlers travelled to Lake Tikitapu to take on the might of the kayaking strongholds of Auckland and Gisborne. Day 1 saw glorious conditions for the distance events with the U14s and 16s taking on two laps with one portage each and the 18s three laps and two portages. Quinn Murdoch came away with the best result in the U14 females, gaining a SIlver medal. Sunday morning was a stark contrast with overcast conditions and strong winds blowing across the course making conditions difficult for those in the more unstable boats, in fact, all K2 events were postponed after difficulties with the U16 Girls. Racing over 250m, the K1s continued until eventually, the sun broke out and the wind died and racing climaxed with the school relays. Mount Maunganui College showed strength in depth by collecting a range of relay medals, including Gold in the U18 mixed.

RESULTS
U14F Distance
Silver - Quinn Murdoch

U14F K1 250
Silver - Quinn Murdoch

U14F K2 250
Silver - Quinn Murdoch and Emily O’Driscoll

U14F 3x100m Relay
Silver - Mia Labone, Emily O’Driscoll and Quinn Murdoch

U14M K1 250m
6th Charlie Richardson

U16F - Distance
4th - Isla Frazer
11th - Poppy Richardson

U16F K1 250
Bronze - Maia Symes
7th Harlow Horn

B FInal
1st - Poppy Richardson

U16F K2 - 250
Bronze - Harlow Horne and Mia Labone

U16 3x100m Relay
Silver - Harlow Horne, Maia Symes and Poppy Richardson
Bronze - CRNZ team inc Lilly Akagi

U16M K1250
B FInal
8th Sam Cameron
9th Will Ferris

U16M K2 250
7th Sam Cameron and Charlie Richardson

U16M 3x100 Relay
Bronze - Sam Cameron, Will Ferris and Charlie Richardson

U18F K1 250
6th Grace Richardson

U18M K1 250
6th - Cole Frazer

U18M K2 250
Bronze - Tama Hawkins and Cole Frazer

U18M K1 Distance
5th Cole Frazer
6th Tama Hawkins
9th Lockie Cairns

U18 Mixed 3x100 Relay
Gold - Grace Richardson, Cole Frazer and Tama Hawkins

Waka Ama
Manaia-Rose Eketone - Single
Finals 9th in NZ

J16 girls Gold
Semis for 250m straight 6th (overall 17th out 98).
Semi 4th in the 500m turns (overall 15th).

J16 girls Black
Semi for 250m came 5th.
Semi for 500 came 3rd.

J16 Boys Red
Semi for 250m came 10th
Semis for 500m came 6th

J19 White
Semi for 250m came 10th and beat their first time by 10 seconds.
500m came 5th in the heat and semi 5th also. Were in div 3.

W12 J16 mixed
7th in semi in div 2

Cricket
Our 1st XI boys' cricket team had a challenging week at the Northern Districts Gillette Cup Regional Qualifiers in Hamilton last week. They faced tough opposition, suffering losses to St Peter's Cambridge, Pukekohe High, and eventual winners St Paul's Collegiate. However, they managed a narrow victory against Otumoetai College 1st XI by 14 runs, earning 7th place. The team now faces the challenging task of clearing local Bay of Plenty qualifying to secure entry for next year’s tournament.
By Mr Golding

WBOP Athletics
Junior Girls
10th, Madeline Orchard (100m)

Junior Boys
5th, Ashton Mitford-Burgess (3000m)
2nd, Jay Eilering (800m)

Intermediate Girls
3rd, Izzy Blades (100m)
4th, Izzy Blades (200m)
2nd, Mt Maunganui College Team – 4x100m Relay
Izzy Blades, Tanusha Naido,

Intermediate Boys
4th, Thijs Clements (100m)
4th, Thijs Clements (200m)
5th, Ryder Matthews (3000m)

Senior Girls
1st, Danhe Stols (Hammer Throw)

BOPSS Touch Champs
The Mount Maunganui College team attended BOPSS Touch Champs held in Papamoa on the 20th of March. The younger members of the team got plenty of game time leading into the business end of the tournament where the senior players took more of a role. The team ended up 3rd in the Open Mixed Division.

What’s coming up?
Cambridge High School Exchange
Unfortunately the Cambridge High School Exchange, scheduled for this week, was postponed due to bad weather. We will now travel over to Cambridge on Tuesday 6 May.

NISS MTB
North Island Secondary School Mountain Biking Champs are being held in Tauranga over the holidays. We are sending 13 riders and wish them the best of luck in their respective Enduro, Cross Country and Downhill events.

NZSS Canoe Slalom
We wish Mani Catanach all the best as he travels to Twizel for the NZSS Canoe Slalom Championships in the school holidays.

NZSS Div Two Waterpolo Nationals
Both our senior boys and senior girls teams head away to Hamilton to compete in the Division Two Waterpolo Nationals. We wish both teams the best of luck.

Move Well
The school “Move Well” day and cross country is being held at school on the 8th of May, led by the PE Department. The day allows our competitive athletes to compete and puts a modern spin on the traditional cross country for the non-competitive runners as they can walk or run in gumboots to gain extra house points, while also raising funds and awareness for the mental health charity, Gumboot Friday. Sign up information will be in the notices early next term.

Manihera Golf Tournament
The Manihera Golf Tournament will be held on 6 May at the Kawerau Golf Club. Sign up at the sports office.

BOPSS Mountain Biking Championships
Summerhill will host the BOPSS MTB Champs on the 16th and 17th of May. We currently have seven riders registered and registrations are still open.

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SCHOOL ACCESS AND VISITOR PARKING

We acknowledge that the new school development will mean additional difficulties for some families accessing the school during drop off and pick up times.

The previous ‘main’ school carpark has now only one point of entry and exit, thereby making it inappropriate for drop off and pick ups and is now restricted to visitor parking only. If you do have to use this gate when visiting the school, be mindful of cars entering and exiting. See the map below that designates visitor parking.

The new staff carpark now has barrier arms and is limited to staff parking only. The arms will be down from 7:30 am through to 3:20 pm during weekdays. Outside of these hours the carpark will remain open to all.

If you plan on picking up and dropping off your child before and after school, this needs to happen on the surrounding streets.

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UNIFORM

Thanks to all our families who ensure our students head off to school in the correct school uniform. We know you have high expectations of how our students present themselves, so we appreciate your support.

Occasionally, students present to school in incorrect uniforms, and it can be disappointing for staff to have to start the day by having a negative conversation with a student about uniforms.

Here are some reminders to help ensure your child has a positive start to the day:

Uniform guidelines.
As per the Board approved uniform the school skirt is not to have the length modified (eg shortened).
If sandals are worn they must be black and have a back strap.
If shoes are worn they must be completely black and polishable.
Please ensure your child also adheres to our jewellery standards. No septums or rings are permitted on the face.
Eyelash extensions are not permitted.
We would like to remind families that only Mount Maunganui College trousers are to be worn. These can only be purchased from NZ Uniforms.
Students can wear a non-regulation waterproof jacket to and from school on wet days.
Discipline and defiance procedures will be used to deal with ongoing uniform issues if not resolved promptly.

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ATTENDANCE MATTERS

Please see attached the revised attendance codes from the Ministry of Education, which have come into full effect this year. You will see that these attendance codes now fall into the three categories.

The only category contributing to our student's present attendance percentage is the codes under “Present for ½ day calculations”.

The other codes under “Justified absence” and “Unjustified absence” do not contribute towards the Ministry of Education’s present percentage. This allows schools and whānau to see an accurate indication of a student's presence at school.

Helpful links:

Guidance for Parents and Caregivers - Knowing if your child is well enough to go to school

Student Attendance - A guide for parents and caregivers

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SCHOOL BUS SERVICE

This is a reminder to families that the school has a very efficient bus service. This service will ensure your child arrives at school on time and is ready for period 1 classes.

While students can use the commercial bus service free during school hours provided they have a BEE card they cannot guarantee that they will arrive ready for an 8.45 am start. Many of these services mean that students are missing up to 30 minutes of learning time each day.

Please encourage your child to use the school buses each day. This may mean they need to leave the house earlier, but it guarantees they are ready for the start of school.

Up-to-date information on the school buses is on the school website https://www.mmc.school.nz/key-info/bus-information

The afternoon buses leave the school grounds promptly at 3pm each day. The 712a buses are now arriving at 3 pm and the later one arrives at approximately 3.10pm.

Clarifying Bee Card changes – No action needed right now

How you travel or how your Bee Card works today is not changing right now.

The update to Bee Card terms and conditions is just to prepare for the future introduction of Motu Move, the new national public transport payment system.

What does this mean for you?

You can keep using your Bee Card as usual – no action is required.
Bay of Plenty won’t transition to Motu Move until later in 2025 – we’ll provide you with plenty of notice before any changes take effect.
When the Bee Card scheme is eventually replaced, new payment options will include:
- Contactless debit or credit card
- Digital payments on mobile phones and smart watches (including Apple Pay and Google Pay)
- A prepaid Motu Move card

What do you need to do now?

Keep using your Bee Card as normal – nothing is changing yet.
If you keep a higher balance on your Bee Card, may want to consider running it down to avoid any inconvenience when we do transition later in 2025.

For now, there’s nothing you need to do - just keep travelling with your Bee Card as usual.

For more information on Motu Move go to motumove.govt.nz

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HONOURS BOARDS

Mount Maunganui College is looking to display our past achievements.

If you are a former student or know of someone who represented New Zealand or earned a national title while attending Mount Maunganui College and would like your name displayed, please complete the Google form.

We are also interested in former students who have represented New Zealand or earned a national title as adults.

While all information is appreciated, we are particularly interested in information from the 1960s to 2000.

All submissions must include any verification possible to ensure the information is correct. Achievements can be in Sports, Arts, Culture or Academia.

HONOURS BOARD LINK

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OVERSEAS TRAVEL INFO

New Zealand Traveller Declaration

Going overseas for the school holidays? Everyone travelling into New Zealand must complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration, including returning New Zealand passport holders.

Its FREE and you can do it on the online form or on the NZTD app.

If you’re travelling as a family or group and completing multiple declarations, the NZTD app allows you to copy your travel details into another declaration, making it easier to complete multiple declarations for the same journey. The submitted declarations are then all easy to see within the app.

The New Zealand Traveller Declaration collects travel, customs, immigration and biosecurity information and aims to improve the safety and security of New Zealand. It replaces the paper card you used to fill out on the plane. 

To make your arrival easier, do your digital declaration before your flight back to New Zealand.

Head to travellerdeclaration.govt.nz today!

Many thanks for your support.
New Zealand Traveller Declaration team
New Zealand Customs Service

SCHOOL ACCESS AND VISITOR PARKING

UNIFORM

ATTENDANCE MATTERS

SCHOOL BUS SERVICE

STUDENT ID PHOTOS

HONOURS BOARDS

ALUMNI

OVERSEAS TRAVEL INFO

KEY DATES