Kia ora and welcome to Term Two.

I must open this newsletter by acknowledging the incredible results our 3x3 Basketballers achieved over the school break. Both the Boys’ and the Girls’ team took out their respective national titles, a rare feat in any secondary school sport. Both teams built on strong performances last year, with our girls becoming back-to-back national champions and our boys beating their semifinal finish in 2025. The girls won despite the team having to play the entire tournament without substitutions after an early injury to Shamar Broughton. The depth of basketball talent was on display in the boys' team, with both Josh Kelly and Cole Hopoi unavailable for 3x3 selection after representing New Zealand in Germany over the break. A huge thank you to all our coaches and managers for your years of commitment it has taken to get the programme to this standard. Tournament MVPs went to Charis Broughton and Flynn Rapson.

There were many other significant sporting achievements over the break, including several students making and representing New Zealand teams. Check out more details in the sports update below.

Congratulations to Nathan Appleton for his selection to the New Zealand Chemistry Olympiad team for 2026. This is a remarkable academic achievement for Nathan, who scored the highest out of all students competing for this elite four-person team. It is rare for students outside of the Auckland region to make this team, and as a result, Nathan will be travelling back and forth from Auckland regularly as he prepares for the World Championships in Uzbekistan in July.

On the topic of Mount Maunganui College students overseas, welcome home to our Social Scientists who spent two weeks in Cambodia and Vietnam, taking in the history and cultures of this fascinating part of the world. The 1st XV also had a successful tour of Fiji and holds the distinction of facing the same cyclone in two different countries. We appreciate that these trips take a lot of effort for our school community to pull together, so again, thanks to everyone involved in making these wonderful memories possible.

This Wednesday, our annual lipsync competition was held in the hall. The evening provided many instances of hilarity and was well attended by students, families, and staff. House pride was in full flight with four high-quality performances. Congratulations to Kōtuku for the win. Next Thursday is our Move-Well day, which doubles as our cross-country and a general well-being appreciation day for all staff and students. We love seeing our students get involved in the many events the school hosts and make the most of their secondary school experience.

Enjoy the long weekend.

Lest we forget.

Ngā mihi nui,

Alastair Sinton
Principal

Brett Sorrenson
Director of Sport

Kia ora koutou,

Firstly, congratulations on a New Zealand first to our 3x3 Basketball Programme for the incredible “double” with both the Senior Girls and Boys winning the New Zealand Secondary Schools National Titles in Wellington. This is an incredible achievement and will be long remembered.

Term 2 is an exciting term as we head into the winter sports season - the behind the scenes work which goes into each team is significant and we appreciate all involved in bringing sport to life week in, week out. To all involved we wish you well and look forward to seeing you out there representing the Mount Maunganui College community.

In week 3 and 4 we welcome Cambridge High School and Lynfield College for our traditional exchanges, we look forward to these exchanges and seeing a number of teams in action.

A key priority for Mount Maunganui College Sport is to ensure all students enjoy the opportunity to participate and have the opportunity to thrive through sport. We have a range of packages and sponsor benefits available and would love to connect with you to ensure a positive and accessible future for school sport. Please reach out on bretts@mmc.school.nz if you’re interested in joining our sponsorship team.

Wellbeing Opportunity
Mount Maunganui College Sport has partnered with P3 Recovery to aid with holistic support. 20% off memberships for students and teachers are available and 10% off memberships for extended family.
The P3 Essential Membership includes the following:
- Unlimited Ice Bath
- Unlimited Contrast Therapy
- Unlimited Infrared Sauna
- Unlimited Compression Therapy
To sign up:
- Download the app (P3 Recovery)
- Create account
- Sign up to essential membership and use PROMO code: MOUNTCOLLEGE20 (students / teachers) or MOUNTCOLLEGE10 (extended family)

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 multi code student Lucy Newsom.

Name: Lucy Newsom
Year: 12
Sport: Volleyball (Premier Girls, IPC U15A and U17A, Phoenix Club) and Netball (Prem 1)
Tell us about yourself: I have two sisters and one brother and we have always played sports, it was either swimming, volleyball, basketball, netball or horse riding. I love the journey I have been on with sport so far. I have traveled to play basketball in Sydney and Melbourne, I have traveled to play Volleyball in Wellington, Auckland and Palmerston North, and Netball I have been to Auckland and Taranaki, and all over the Waikato. Sport has opened up many team trips away, which is always fun and great opportunities.
Why did you start playing sport: I absolutely love volleyball and netball, and I used to play Basketball as well. I love to win, I am very competitive but also love the team environment. I started playing sports because as a kid we all had to play a sport growing up, but I loved it from the start.
Aspirations: Mount Maunganui College has such a huge variety of sports and there are so many top athletes that are either representing New Zealand or at the top of their game coming through the school. I aspire to represent New Zealand and / or play overseas, while also building others around me up.
What do you enjoy about Mount Maunganui Sport: In the classroom is a real credit to the staff at Mount Maunganui College, the teachers are so willing to help student athletes to be the best they can be in both the classroom and in their sport. The best part about sport at Mount Maunganui College is that you don’t have to be the best to be in a team, there are levels for everyone. I encourage every student to get involved.

What’s been happening?

3x3 Basketball
Mount Maunganui College 3x3 Basketball Boys and Girls have achieved an incredible “double” by both winning the New Zealand Secondary Schools National Titles in Wellington during the holidays. Mount Maunganui College Girls have gone back to back following their first title in 2025 and it is a New Zealand first with the same school winning both titles in the same year. A massive congratulations to Harvey Newsom, Flynn Rapson, Ryder Morgan, Marni Ngaheu, Charis Broughton, Shamar Broughton, Riley McClenaghan and Issy Gillard. Also, a massive congratulations and appreciation to Brook Rapson and Joe Broughton. Flynn and Charis were named as MVP’s and were joined by Ryder and Riley on the respective tournament teams.

Surf Life Saving - New Zealand Selection
Mount Maunganui College students Olivia Verryt, Harlow Horn and Emily O’Driscoll have been selected in the Surf Life Saving New Zealand U17 Performance Squad.

Sailing
Mount Maunganui College Sailing Team competed at the New Zealand Secondary School Team Sailing National Regatta in the holidays. Our team of six survived a tough start on day one and then the team went on to celebrate several good wins. The girls were narrowly beaten in the semi finals on the final day to finish the 4th ranked all female team in New Zealand.

Lane Ririnui - New Zealand Experience
Lane arrived home from Thailand after two weeks on tour with the NZ Secondary Schools Football Team. The group was based in Bangkok and played six games, the final two against full U17 international teams from the Philippines and Thailand, who were preparing for their World Cup qualifying campaigns. The girls faced challenges in the form of significant heat and games on consecutive days. They performed well, improving as the tour progressed and recording some impressive results along the way with 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. Lane captained the team and was commended for her performances and leadership on and off the field. Her tour highlights included the two international games, victory over the Philippines and making new footballing friends.

Swimming
Mount Maunganui College swimmers enjoyed success and experience in the holidays at the New Zealand Age Group Swimming Championships.
Individual Highlights:
- Amelia McEwan came home with 11 medals after entering into 19 individual races and 4 relays.
1st Place = 400m Freestyle
2nd Place = 100m Freestyle, 200m Butterfly (BOP Record), 100m Backstroke, 200m Freestyle
3rd Place = 100m Butterfly (BOP Record), 50m Freestyle, 800m Freestyle, 400m Individual Medley (BOP Record), 1500m Freestyle, 4x100m Relay
- Kenz and Rylee Jury enjoyed some fantastic results across the competition. This was Rylee’s first year competing, and she came away with a number of PB’s including racing up in the 16 and under 4x100m Medley Relay (where she raced first with 100m backstroke) with Kenz placing 6th which is a significant achievement. Kenz also came away with a number of PB’s with the highlights being two Bronze Medals in the 200m and 400m Individual Medleys.
- Charlie McCartney enjoyed success with Top 10 placings in New Zealand for 13 year old girls for 50m, 100m and 200m Breaststroke - a highlight being a 10 seconds PB in the 200m event. She performed strongly in the Medley Relay split for breaststroke equalling New Zealand age group record holder and her 100m Medley Relay Breaststroke split was the second fastest split for 13-14 year olds - Charlie teamed with Amelia McEwan and Paige Aitchison for 4th Place in 4x100 Medley Relay.

Artistic Swimming
Three Mount Maunganui College students, Ava Crowe, Zara Burch, and Mella Brunskill represented Tauranga Artistic Swimming Club at the Australian Artistic Swimming Nationals and Oceania Championships in Sydney over the holidays, with Ava and Zara competing for the club and Mella representing both the club and New Zealand. The girls demonstrated a fantastic attitude throughout the competition, showing resilience, teamwork, and commitment across some long days.

A special mention to Mella, who, as a member of the New Zealand Junior Team, achieved an outstanding result, bringing home two Oceania gold medals in both the Junior Technical Team and Junior Free Team routines. This is an incredible achievement and a wonderful reflection of the hard work and dedication of all three swimmers.

Hockey
Mount Maunganui College 1st XI Girls have started their 2026 season with a pre-season tournament at St Paul’s Collegiate School over the holidays. The girls enjoyed tough competition and competed well coming away with 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. It is an exciting start as they move into their season, and the group are ready to hit the ground running following their success in 2025.

What’s coming up?
Movewell Day - Thursday 30 April - School
BOPSS Motocross - Friday 1 May - Manawahe
BOPS Archery - Saturday 2 May - Tauranga
Cambridge High School Exchange - Thursday 7 May - Home
J.I. Manihera Memorial Golf Tournament - Tuesday 12 May - Kawerau
Lynfield School Exchange - Thursday 14 May - Home
BOPSS Cross Country - Thursday 14 May - Waipuna Park
BOPSS Lawn Bowls - Friday 15 May - Taupo
BOPSS Mountain Biking Champs - Friday 15 and Saturday 16 May - Summerhill

Social Media
To ensure you are keeping up to date with all things sport make sure you follow us on social media, this platform is used to highlight “our people” - Mount Maunganui College Sport and Mount Maunganui College Sport

Strength and conditioning
The Mount Maunganui College Strength and Conditioning Programme continues to run before and after school. 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. We have two membership options - a rest of year membership which costs $190 and term options which is $80 a term.

For further information and for the 2026 timetable please visit the Strength and Conditioning page via the Mount Maunganui College website: Mount Maunganui College Strength and Conditioning

Sign up:
- To sign up please complete the Strength and Conditioning registration via Kindo. Term 2 and Rest of Year options are available now.

Physio
All Mount Maunganui College students have free access to an onsite physio during the week. Bookings are available via the Body in Motion website: Body in Motion Bookings

Sponsorship
Want to be part of something meaningful moving forward into 2026 and beyond? We are all about “our people” and “our place” and our sponsors make a genuine difference for all involved with sport at Mount Maunganui College. If this sounds like something you would like to be part of moving forward we would love to connect with you to ensure a positive future for sport for 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. Please reach out on bretts@mmc.school.nz if you’re interested in joining our sponsorship team or fill in this form and we will be in touch: Mount Maunganui College Sport - Sponsorship Expressions of Interest

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 - subscribe to have Daily Notices directly to your inbox: Daily Notices - Subscribe

Sports Uniforms
All students who represent the school in sport must wear Mount Maunganui College sports uniform when at sports events. ‘Off Court’ uniforms can be purchased online at NZ Uniform - Mount Maunganui College or at the NZ Uniforms Store at 94 Elizabeth Street, Tauranga.

2026 Sport Registrations
Kindo - Mount Maunganui College Sport

Mount Maunganui College Sports Website
Mount Maunganui College Sport Website

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Social Media
Please follow us on;

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

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TACKLING TECHNOLOGY

Navigating the digital world with teens

Not all screen time is created equal – there’s great potential for interaction and creativity, but endless hours can also be spent in passive (and mindless!) consumption. So how do we know the difference, and how do we help our teens safely navigate a digital landscape that is more enticing by the day? In this talk, we look at social media, gaming, online bullying and porn.

With up-to-date information, helpful insights, and practical tips, Tackling Technology is a vital guide to the online world of teens.

Talk includes:

NZ teens’ screen use and its impact on wellbeing
Online safety: cyberbullying, privacy, porn, grooming, sextortion
The influence of social media and digital content on identity and mental health
Parents as tech leaders and role models
Setting boundaries and encouraging balance

The talk runs for approximately 60–90 minutes, including time for Q&A and interaction. Our content is strengths-based and hopeful, designed to leave parents feeling informed and empowered.

This is a free community event open to all parents in our school community. Please RSVP via the QR code on the poster below so we have an idea of how many will attend.

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STUDENT SIGNING IN / OUT PROCEDURE

To ensure the safety of our students and maintain accurate records in accordance with Ministry of Education requirements, Mount Maunganui College operates a formal signing in and out process. Following these procedures helps our school run smoothly and ensures every student is accounted for.

SIGNING IN (LATE ARRIVALS)
If a student arrives at school after the bell has rung, the process depends on the time of arrival:

Before the end of Period 1: Students should go straight to their classroom. Please provide your student with a handwritten note to give directly to their classroom teacher. If the student does not have a note, the classroom teacher will issue an interval detention.
After the end of Period 1: Students must report to the Front Office to sign in. A signed note from a parent or caregiver is required at the time of signing in. Office staff will amend your child’s attendance for the periods they missed.

Rationale: When a student signs in without a handwritten note, it creates a significant administrative burden. Our busy office team is obligated to phone home to verify every unexplained arrival. Providing a note immediately saves time and ensures our attendance data remains precise.

SIGNING OUT (EARLY DEPARTURES)
If a student needs to leave the school grounds during the day for an appointment or other personal reasons, please use one of the following methods:

Email: Send the details of the departure (time and reason) to attendance@mmc.school.nz, the day before or before school on the day you intend to sign out.

Handwritten Note: Have the student bring a signed note to the Front Office to receive a sign-out pass. The sign out pass should be carried by the student as proof they’ve followed the correct sign out procedure.

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ATTENDANCE

You may be aware of the nationwide focus on school attendance. As part of this initiative we will advise parents and whanau when students move between the STAR thresholds as outlined below. These emails indicate days out of school and may include justified absences such as medical absences, family holidays, sporting, cultural, and other commitments. For many students these absences are justified and require no further action. If there are absences beyond those considered justified, please contact the school and the attendance team can provide support.

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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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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 visit our website: www.baybus.co.nz/plan-your-trip/school-bus-services/

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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ALUMNI

Mount Maunganui College is developing a database of former students who are interested in keeping up to date with the college's past, present and future.

Please click the link below to register your interest and/or share with others. Access to the link can also be found on the college website.

MOUNT MAUNGANUI COLLEGE ALUMNI

Links for social media pages:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582402786664

https://www.instagram.com/mmc_official_alumni_page/

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KEY DATES

2026 Term Dates (click to view)

April 2026
25         Anzac Day
27         Anzac Day Observed (School Closed)
30         Move Well Day

May 2026
5          Tertiary Awareness Day
7          Cambridge Exchange
14         Lynfield Exchange
16         School Ball
18-22    CAA Literacy and Numeracy Assessments
26         Engagement Reports Issued

June 2026
1          Monarch’s Birthday (School Closed)
8-26      Year 9 Camps
16         Talent Quest
17         Polar Plunge

TACKLING TECHNOLOGY

STAFF CARPARK

STUDENT SIGNING IN / OUT PROCEDURE

ATTENDANCE

CONTACT DETAILS

UNIFORM

SCHOOL BUS SERVICE

STUDENT ID PHOTOS

HONOURS BOARDS

ALUMNI