Ngā mihi nui kia koutou katoa,

Term two has felt like an absolute whirlwind. As I sit down to write this newsletter, I feel pride as I try to capture all of the amazing things our staff and students have been up to.

With that in mind, it feels fitting to begin this newsletter by celebrating our magnificent kapa haka, Ngā Toka a Tirikawa, who for the first time in the history of Mount Maunganui College, have qualified for the Nationals in 2026. This achievement is the result of hundreds of hours of training and practices with phenomenal leadership and support from staff. This year, we worked alongside our whanau at Matapihi to create a performance that absolutely shook the stage. Congratulations to everyone who made this goal possible.

Matariki made its presence felt this week, and I would like to commend our Kaupapa Māori Council for pulling together some fun activities and getting the hangi cranking on Thursday.

Year 9 camps wrapped up last week and I would like to commend every Year 9 student who took to the experience with a positive mindset. Between the weather, the activities and the overall experience, everyone was challenged and I sincerely hope that through that challenge has come some growth. Credit to all staff who got stuck in and made this important school activity come to fruition.

Our annual Polar Plunge was another great success. Thanks to our Sport Leaders, Cooper Everett and Asha James for co-ordinating this event. The Polar Plunge raises money for the Leukaemia and Blood Cancer Foundation and is in memory of Jed Roberts and Harrison Mundy. Thanks, as always, to our friends at Omanu Surf Lifesaving Club for their support.

Reports are out and with the year ticking over the halfway mark, now is a good time for students and their families to reflect on the academic goals for the year. Learning Conferences will be held next term, but if there is anything urgent, please reach out to your child’s teachers, deans or senior leaders for support.

Ngā mihi,

Alastair Sinton
Principal

Band Category

Huge congratulations to all the bands that competed on Friday, 13 June at the SmokefreeRockquest regional finals. They all performed well and really did their best up on stage!

Well done to Sketch (Lucy van der Lem, Penny Eades, Charli Palmer and Rubes Emery), who won the Toi Ohomai Best Emerging Band award, and Charli Palmer (Sketch) for receiving the Musicianship Award (those guitar scales paid off!). They now get to film a Tiny Desk Concert at Toi Ohomai!

Rockquest is always a tough competition, and all BOP bands were really strong this year. Although our bands didn't place, we at MMC Music are really proud of the effort and dedication they put into their songs and performances.

Here is a link to all band videos on our YT channel.

Matariki Wānanga in Tāmaki Makaurau

Our small selection of our Mount Maunganui College Music rangatahi had an absolute blast at a Matariki songwriting wānanga last week in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland! Learning from musical icons Troy Kingi, Laughton Kora, and Aro in a unique matauranga Māori environment, thanks to the NZ Music Commission and Play It Strange, it was an experience they won’t forget. So many valuable insights gained! Watch this space to see some of the songs they came up with.

SPORTS NEWSLETTER Brett Sorrenson
Director of Sport

Kia ora koutou,

It has been great to see so many Mount Maunganui College students in action across all sports and grades throughout Term 2. These holidays are a great opportunity to refresh before hitting the ground running for Term 3.

Who are our people
Here at Mount Maunganui College Sport, we're proud of the community that positively contributes to our programmes – our students, staff, volunteers and supporters. This week we spotlight Cara Hicks.

Student Sport Profile

Name: Cara Hicks
Year: 12
Sport: Rock Climbing
Tell us about yourself: Aside from climbing, I love to surf, swim, snorkel, and paint. I also love to go on adventures with the local climbing club, where we go on camping trips and climb outdoors on the rock.
Why did you start climbing: I started climbing eight years ago, doing climbing classes at the local climbing gym, Rocktopia. I always liked climbing trees and monkey bars, so I wanted to try out rock climbing.
Squad involvement: I have been training with the New Zealand Development Speed Climbing team for almost two years now, and I had the opportunity to climb in the Oceania International Competition in February this year. I also do bouldering and lead climbing competitively, and I am in the New Zealand Development squad for bouldering.
Aspirations: I want to travel internationally and compete for NZ, and see where the sport can take me.
What do you enjoy Mount Maunganui College Sport: I love being able to get involved in events, like athletics and secondary school competitions. I enjoy meeting new people and making friends through sport.

High Achievers

Mila Piatek has been selected for the New Zealand Youth Climbing Team. She will be representing New Zealand at the IFSC Youth World Championship in two climbing disciplines (speed and boulder) in Helsinki, Finland this July and August.

Cole Hopoi has been selected for the NBA Basketball Without Borders Asia Camp. Cole has been selected as one of five boys from New Zealand, and one of the 30 top male basketball players identified in his age group across the Asia-Pacific. This selection follows Cole’s previous involvement representing New Zealand at the 2025 Nike All-Asia Basketball Camp.

What’s been happening?

Rock Climbing
For the third consecutive year Mount Maunganui College won the BOP Secondary Schools Climbing Championships Top School Trophy. This is a significant achievement to all athletes involved and all competitors should be proud of their efforts individually and collectively.

Individual podium highlights
Mila Piatek - Overall 1st place (Year 9 and 10 Girls)
Rio Piatek - Overall 1st place (Year 9 and 10 Boys)
Cara Hicks - Overall 1st place (Year 11 to 13 Girls)
Autumn Parchomchuk - Overall 2nd place (Year 9 and 10 Girls)
Marley De Jong - Overall 3rd place (Year 9 and 10 Girls)

Artistic Swimming
Ava Crowe, Mella Brunskill, and Zara Burch competed as part of their Tauranga team in the recent New Zealand Artistic Swimming North Island Championships. They delivered outstanding performances, earning a Gold medal with their Youth Team routine and a Silver medal for their Junior Tech routine.

Hockey
The 1st XI Hockey Girls have finished second place in the Secondary Premier League. The team topped the ladder after the round robin and narrowly lost in the final. They now head into Term 3 with confidence after an excellent start to their season.

What’s coming up?

NISS Cyclocross Championships - Sunday 13 July - Hamilton
NZSS Swimming Championships - Thursday 24 - Sunday 27 July - Hamilton
NISS Indoor Bowls Singles Championships - Sunday 26 July - Mount Maunganui
New Zealand Schools Surfing Championships - Tuesday 29 - Wednesday 30 July - Raglan

Lynfield College Exchange
The annual Lynfield College exchange is happening on Thursday 17th July and we are looking forward to hosting. This year the teams competing are:

Basketball - Senior Boys’
Rugby League - Senior Boys’
Football - 1st XI Boys’ and 1st XI Girls’
Hockey - 1st XI Boys’ and 1st XI Girls’
Netball - Prem 1 and Prem 2
Debate - Teams (3)

Sports Awards
Sports Awards nominations are now open and will close Friday 29 August. Please complete your Sports CV to be considered for a Principal, Crimson or Special Trophy Award.

Link: 2025 Sports Awards Application

Fitness Centre
The Mount Maunganui College Strength and Conditioning Programme continues to run before and after school during the week. Students of all abilities wanting to improve their athletic performance are encouraged to sign up and embrace this opportunity to aid in their long term development. The cost is $65 per term.

What is included:
- Sport specific training programme suitable to age and stage
- Supervised training sessions with a highly qualified trainer (Angelo Medina)
- Access to the school fitness centre during designated times

Sign up:
- To sign up please complete the Strength and Conditioning sign up form: S&C Program Sign Up Form

Go in the draw:
- For all those who sign up before Monday 28 July, you will go in the draw to win a limited edition Medina Athletic hoodie (four to be won).
- Note: Existing students signed up for Strength and Conditioning will automatically go into the draw.

Physio
Please ensure you look after yourselves off the field. As a Mount Maunganui College student you have free access to an onsite physio during the week. Bookings are available via the Body in Motion website: Body in Motion Bookings

Off-field Sports Uniforms
Off-field sports uniforms are available online at: Mount Maunganui College Sports Uniform

These are available in store at NZ Uniforms, 94 Elizabeth Street, Tauranga. When representing Mount Maunganui College in sport it is important to ensure that you have the correct uniform and wear this correctly, 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.

Daily Notices
The best place to get all information regarding key sporting dates is the daily notices. Students, parents and caregivers can access these at: Daily Notices.

Sponsorship
Thank you to our amazing group of sponsors who make a genuine difference to our school sports programme. Please reach out on bretts@mmc.school.nz if you’re interested in joining our sponsorship team to help sport thrive at Mount Maunganui College. We have a range of packages and sponsor benefits available and would love to connect with you to ensure a positive future for sport.
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Social Media
Please follow us on;

Facebook: Mount Maunganui College Sport
Instagram: Mount Maunganui College Sport

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Building partnerships. The Inaugural Tauranga Ai Business Summit - Scholarship Fundraiser

On 6 June 2025, Mount Maunganui College hosted the inaugural Tauranga Ai Business Summit. Held at the University of Waikato Tauranga Campus, this day showcased a meaningful partnership between Mount Maunganui College, The University of Waikato and many local businesses, with the objective of funding travel and university scholarships for deserving students from our College. Spearheaded by Mr Jim Critchley and Mr Richard Cameron, their vision was to develop a new revenue stream to fund scholarships so that students who were engaged and interested in overseas opportunities were able to do so, irrespective of the cost. More than 100 attendees contributed to raising over $10,000 on the day, which will now be allocated to both overseas travel scholarships and a scholarship for a student attending the University of Waikato's Tauranga Campus in 2026.

The Tauranga Ai Business Summit showcased how Ai is being used across sectors and roles. A massive thanks to Ballance Agri-Nutrients Ltd, James & Wells IP and Zespri International for their sponsorship of the day and the multiple other presenters from our immediate and extended community who donated their time and expertise.
Bolton Inc. - a local videography service, captured the day - watch their video on our school Facebook page.

The intention is to run another event in 2026. If you or your business is interested in getting involved in any way, please get in touch with either Mr Critchley or Mr Cameron.

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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.

Young driver workshop registrations are open

This is a free workshop. Improve your knowledge, confidence and skills. Aimed at young road users, aged between 16 and 24, who hold a current learner or restricted driver licence.

Each workshop includes:

driver behaviour (speed, impairment, restraints, distraction and fatigue awareness)
a 60-minute one-on-one driving lesson with a certified instructor
Waka Kotahi NZTA skills to ensure your vehicle is safe and roadworthy
sharing the road with heavy vehicles and vulnerable road users.
importance of star safety ratings

For more information:
Travel Safe School Coordinator travelsafeschools@tauranga.govt.nz

Register below using the link for either of the next workshops on Wednesday 9th July at Papamoa Sports & Recreation Centre (Gordon Spratt Reserve), 80 Alice Way, Papamoa Beach, Papamoa and on Thursday 10th July at Bethlehem Baptist Church, 90 Bethlehem Road, Bethlehem.

https://tauranga.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9tYOwLY4zxr2uQS

Video Travel Safe Young Driver workshop April Click here to watch a recap of the workshop.

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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.

Since the beginning of the 2025 academic year, we have seen an increase in the number of students travelling on some school bus services without a Bee Card.

While all school buses remain free to use, certain services require students to tag on and off with a registered Bee Card. This is important for monitoring usage and supporting ongoing planning.

To check whether a student’s school bus service requires a Bee Card, please refer to the list below or visit our website: www.baybus.co.nz/plan-your-trip/school-bus-services/below

School Services Requiring a Registered Bee Card:

710a Mount Maunganui College
711a Mount Maunganui College
712a Mount Maunganui College
712b Mount Maunganui Intermediate
714 Pāpāmoa College
802b Tauranga Girls' College
802c Tauranga Boys' College
803b Tauranga Intermediate & Tauranga Girls' College
901a Tauranga Girls' College & Maungatapu School
901b Tauranga Girls' College
902 Tauranga Girls' College & Maungatapu School

We kindly ask all parents, caregivers, and schools to ensure that students travelling on these services carry and use their registered Bee Card.

Please note that students without a registered Bee Card may be unable to travel.

Thank you for your continued support in helping us maintain a safe, reliable, and efficient school bus system.

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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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KEY DATES

2025 Term Dates (click to view)

June 2025
27        Last Day Term 2

July 2025
14        First Day Term 3
15        Structuring a Senior Course – 6pm-7pm
17        Lynfield Exchange
21-25    Year 13 Spirit Week
24        Careers Pathway Evening
29        Talent Quest
30        Open Evening 4pm-7:30pm

August 2025
7          Learning Conference – 4pm-7pm
8          Learning Conference – 9am-2:30pm
20        Sports Team Photos
21        Engagement Reports Issued
25-29    Winter Tournament Week
25        Mid Term Break (School Closed)

TREE PLANTING UPDATE…

Building partnerships. The Inaugural Tauranga Ai Business Summit - Scholarship Fundraiser

SCHOOL ACCESS AND VISITOR PARKING

UNIFORM

ATTENDANCE MATTERS

SCHOOL BUS SERVICE

STUDENT ID PHOTOS

HONOURS BOARDS

ALUMNI

KEY DATES