The last couple of weeks have seen our annual sports exchanges with Cambridge High School and Lynfield College completed with great success across a range of sporting codes. Congratulations to our students and a big thank you to all our coaches and managers for ensuring these events happen.

Thanks to all families for supporting our lockdown drill earlier this week. While school lockdowns are rare, they are an important part of a school’s emergency management. In the unlikely event that one occurs, how the wider community supports and responds is critical to the process. We work with specialist consultants to ensure we are taking all steps to keep our school community safe.

Next week, many students will complete their Common Assessment Activities. These are formal, foundational literacy and numeracy qualifications that all students need to achieve in order to progress through the senior levels of NCEA. Starting in Year 10, these assessments will be a journey for many students and may take a few attempts to complete. Mount Maunganui College has well-tested structures and support for students as they move through this journey, but our job is made easier when we are well supported by families. If you have any questions throughout, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or year-level dean.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have any questions regarding your child’s progress throughout the year.

Ngā mihi,

Alastair Sinton
Principal

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MEDIA WELLINGTON TRIP

A group of students visited Wellington recently for an immersive media industry trip. Students experienced various elements of the media industry such as, escape rooms, Roxy cinema and Weta Workshop. They also took part in a 'mini censor for a day' program by the NZ Classifications Office. RNZ hosted the group, providing a talk by senior journalists, a tour of the active newsroom, workshop scenarios regarding ethics and a live radio show. The many pathways available to students in the ever-growing Media Industry were inspiring to students and staff alike.

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GATEWAY

The Gateway team at Mount Maunganui College would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the businesses and organisations that are generously supporting our students at present. Your support, guidance, and willingness to invest time in developing future professionals make a meaningful difference to our students’ learning and confidence. We truly appreciate the valuable real-world experience you provide and look forward to continuing these important partnerships.

Brett Sorrenson
Director of Sport

Kia ora koutou,

It has been an exciting start to Term 2 across all codes and it is great to see so many Mount Maunganui College students involved with sport each week.

It has been great to have Cambridge High School and Lynfield College travel for our traditional exchanges recently and our students have done themselves proud with how well they have hosted and competed. As we head deeper into the winter sports season we look forward to growing as individuals and teams.

Each week is a new opportunity and we look forward to the winter sport season gaining momentum and students continuing to represent the Mount Maunganui College community.

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 surfer Sol Fritchley.

Name: Sol Fritchley
Year: 11
Sport: Surfing, Football, Basketball
Why did you start playing sport: I grew up in a sporty family. My dad was a good footballer and both my mum and dad surfed and snowboarded. I did a lot of football when I was young but surfing is now my main sport. As a family we spend a lot of time at the beach.
Aspirations: I want to be a pro surfer and make a living out of surfing. I would love to make the world tour. I am really excited that the WSL is coming to Raglan this month and I can watch the world's best. I am pretty stoked as I have just made the Junior New Zealand Surf Team and am heading to El Salvador in September. In the future I will probably move to the Gold Coast. I want to enter more competitions overseas, especially pro juniors in Australia.
What do you enjoy about Mount Maunganui Sport: We are really lucky to have amazing coaches Andrew Fredrickson and Kahn Butler who are both really good surfers themselves. They share a lot of their knowledge and are really good to go on school trips with. Our Mount Maunganui College surf team is really fun as we get to travel to other surf beaches for comps, camp out, get up really early and surf good waves.

Football - New Zealand Selection
Belle Ririnui has been named in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Girls U16 squad for 2026. She is the only Bay of Plenty player in the group and one of two from the wider Waikato-BOP region. Belle scored an impressive 30 goals for the MMC Girls First XI in 2025, including eight at the NZSS Premier Tournament in Taupo last August. She will travel with this group to Melbourne in July to play a series of games against top-level opposition teams.

Flag Football - New Zealand Selection
Congratulations to Neve Walker, Linkyn Dickinson and Brianna Bell who have been selected in the New Zealand Junior Flag Football Teams to head to Los Angeles to compete in the USA Football Junior International Cup in June. This tournament will bring together emerging talent from across the globe in a fast, exciting version of the game that reflects the future of flag football in the Olympic stage.

Climbing - New Zealand Selection
The World Climbing Youth World Championships this year is being held in Arco, Italy. Cara Hicks and Mila Piatek have been selected to represent New Zealand. Cara has been selected to represent New Zealand for speed climbing and Mila has been selected to represent in both bouldering and speed climbing. It's being held from the 18 to 25th July and both are excited to head over. Autumn Parchomchuk was selected for speed climbing, though deciding not to head over this year.

NFL Flag Football
The Mount Maunganui College NFL Flag Football U15 team competed at the Regional Champs in Hamilton recently. The team enjoyed tough competition throughout the day and came within one touchdown of success in the semi final. An epic day in the sun with plenty of learnings and the start of something new.

Skateboarding
Skateboarding New Zealand and Insta360 hosted the 2026 SBNZ National Street Championships, fuelled by Red Bull, at the House of TWLV in Newmarket, Auckland on Saturday 2 May 2026 — making it the event's debut in Auckland. Rico Falconer made the finals of the 12 and under street championships, where he took the win to become national champion. Zuma Falconer (15 years old) made the finals of the Open Men's, where he placed 6th Place overall in New Zealand. This would have him 3rd Place in New Zealand if there was a U18 year division.

Archery
Ari Ross and Josh Waghorn recently competed at the Bay of Plenty Schools Archery Tournament run by Tauranga Archers. Teams came from as far as Taupo for a day of shooting in three formats. The Mount Maunganui College duo came away with two medals each. Josh placed silver in individual match play and bronze in the individual session for recurve and compound bows. Ari won bronze in both individual match play and the individual session for barebow. Excellent results for them both in their first experience of this competition format.

Hockey
Congratulations to Mount Maunganui College students Riley Ramshaw, Mila Watherston, Macy Fagan and Zoe Hennah who have been selected in the Tauranga U18 Women’s team to play in the national tournament in Palmerston North in July. Congratulations to James Heywood, who has been selected in the Tauranga U18 Men’s team to compete at the same time on the national stage. Congratulations to Kate Heywood, Laura Nuku and Indie Owens Goodall who have been selected in the Tauranga U18 Development Women’s team.

Move Well Day
Congratulations to all involved in Move Well Day, and a special mention to all those who placed in each category.
Senior Girls
1st Place: Sophia Maltai-Spence
Senior Boys
1st Place: Ryder Matthews
Junior Girls
1st Place: Ellie Renwick
Junior Boys
1st Place: Max McNeill
Year 9 Girls
1st Place: Amelia McEwan
Year 9 Boys
1st Place: Max Leaf

Golf
On Tuesday, 12 May, we had three Mount Maunganui College Golf teams competing at the annual J.I Manihera Memorial Golf Tournament in Kawerau.

Individual highlights
Tyler Ashton shot 71 - 3rd place Gross competition.
Fraser Tustin shot 73 - 2nd place Gross competition.
Luca Gray shot 84 - 2nd Place Stableford competition.

Team highlights
Mount Maunganui College Red - 2nd Place Team Overall Stableford competition.
Mount Maunganui College Premier - 3rd Place Team Overall Stableford competition.

Cross Country
Congratulations to all students involved in the BOPSS Cross Country Champs on Thursday 14 May. Ellie Renwich was a standout and finished 3rd Place in the Junior Girls category.

What’s coming up?
Secondary Schools Social Teams Golf Event - Friday 29 May - Whakatane Golf Club

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

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)

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/

MEDIA WELLINGTON TRIP

GATEWAY

TACKLING TECHNOLOGY

STAFF CARPARK

STUDENT SIGNING IN / OUT PROCEDURE

ATTENDANCE

CONTACT DETAILS

UNIFORM

SCHOOL BUS SERVICE

STUDENT ID PHOTOS

HONOURS BOARDS

ALUMNI