Tālofa and a massive faʻafetai to Jayjay, Melody, Kylah, Gina, Ethan and Isla, who have driven our recognition of Samoan Language Week at Mount Maunganui College.

It is always a pleasure to see students step up, show initiative, and contribute to our school culture. We have so many students who do this in many ways. This week in assemblies, for example, we had students encouraging support for our Students for Action movie night fundraiser, the 40 Hour Famine, the Year 11 Market Day and our annual Polar Plunge fundraiser for Blood Cancer New Zealand. These events and the students who run and support them help shape our school culture of participation, community contribution, and engagement, so big thanks to everyone making the most of their time at Mount Maunganui College.

Speaking of community contribution, I would like to acknowledge Jim Critchley and Richard Cameron, who have again pulled together a special AI event. It will be a great learning and networking opportunity that also serves as a strong fundraising opportunity for students who would not normally be able to attend overseas trips, and provides a scholarship for a student attending Waikato University, Tauranga campus. They have secured two fantastic keynote speakers, Amanda Williamson (Deloitte) and Glen Willoughby (AI and Innovation work with NASA), for the AI fundraiser on Friday 12 June (1 pm - 5 pm), as well as presenters from LawVu, Wave Agency, Parralo, Zespri, AI Assembly and DataCom.

Drinks and nibbles will be provided free of charge for the networking event afterwards. Tickets can be purchased here.

We have been speaking with students over the past few weeks to ensure they are on track to meet their academic targets for 2026. It is a very busy time for many, with winter sports, kapa haka, and performing arts programmes in full swing. We want to make sure that students reach out for support as soon as possible if they feel they are slipping behind. They can start by speaking with their teachers or dean, but we are all here to help, so all doors are open to them. Please encourage honest conversations at home about their progress, and if you have any concerns, get in touch as soon as possible.

Year 9 camps start on Monday, so fingers crossed the weather is good, but I’m sure everyone will make the most of these opportunities regardless.

Tofā soifua,

Alastair Sinton
Principal

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Rockquest and Tangata Beats

On Saturday, 23 May, MMC Music students took the stage at the regional Rockquest and Tangata Beats competitions. Mount Maunganui College was incredibly well represented, with eight of our bands and four solo/duo acts performing against some of the best young talent in the Bay of Plenty.

Our students impressed the audience and judges with their energy, talent, and stage presence. A massive congratulations to the groups who took home top honours:

1st Place (Tangata Beats): Breadfruit (Zade Pitkeathly, Tyler Ormsby, Olivia Kelly, Charlie Taane, Jack McArdle, Bodhi Tidmarsh)
2nd Place (Tangata Beats): Deffex (Kingi Mortell, Charlie Gilmore, Theo Holme)
Top 12 (Rockquest): Spud (Daniel Anderson, Lennox Lloyd, Bryn Lloyd, Layton Cox)

We also want to give a huge shout-out to all of our incredible performing acts who put hours of rehearsal into making Saturday a success: bonus round, Edamame, J.A.M.E.S, Life+, Wrench, Amelie and Brooklyn, No Secret, Conor & Zahra, and Sophie Blair.

Every single performer represented Mount Maunganui College with mana and aroha!

Brett Sorrenson
Director of Sport

Kia ora koutou,

Mount Maunganui College Sport is in full swing for winter and it is great to see so many involved each week. Firstly, a massive thank you to all the coaches, managers and supporters who play a key part in the sporting experience for our students.

A highlight this week has been hosting Taine Halbert and Kayne Hammington from New Zealand Rugby as they delivered “Ahead of the Game” workshops to all our rugby teams. These workshops have been well received and it has shined a light on the importance of mental health, wellbeing and looking after each other.

There is plenty coming up which is outlined below and we would encourage as many people to get involved as possible and make the most of the upcoming opportunities. To all involved, enjoy the back end of Term 2 representing Mount Maunganui College and we look forward to seeing you out there.

Polar Plunge
Our annual Polar Plunge is locked in for the morning of Wednesday 17 June at 7.15am at the Omanu Surf Life Saving Club. A gold coin donation would be much appreciated and all donations go towards Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand. The Polar Plunge is more than just an event and is an important community connection in memory of Jed Roberts and Harrison Mundy. This event is a celebration of life and a platform to spread awareness about leukaemia.

Every donation received will go directly to Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand, helping to support their work. To donate to this important cause please follow the QR code or website link: Mount Maunganui College Polar Plunge 2026 - Donate Here

We look forward to seeing many of you there in orange supporting a meaningful cause with Harvey Newsom and Olivia Verryt leading the event.

Mental Skills Workshop Opportunity
Mount Maunganui College Sport is proud to continue to partner with Kayne Hammington and Project Ember. This session will be Kayne’s second workshop following on from his Mental Skills 101 Workshop in March this year. Sign up via Kindo and be part of an engaging session helping understand our identity and how it directly impacts confidence, pressure, decision-making, and performance in sport. This session will help athletes better understand themselves both in and beyond their sporting environment. This is an opportunity for all interested students and parents - register to take up this opportunity to advance your inner game.

What: Identity and Performance
When: Thursday 25 June, 6:00pm-6:45pm
Where: Mount Maunganui College, School Hall
Who: Students and Parents
Register: via Kindo - Workshop Registration 2026

Read more about Kayne and Project Ember here: Project Ember

Mount Maunganui College Sport Sponsorship
At Mount Maunganui College Sport, we believe that investing in young people is investing in the future of our community. Our sports programme provides an environment for our students to grow, connect, and become their best selves. We are currently supported by a number of incredible community businesses and would love more to jump on board as official Mount Maunganui College Sport Sponsors.

If you or your business would be interested in discussing further, please visit our Sponsorship Handbook and get in touch to discuss how we can champion our community together.

Who are our people
We are proud of the community that positively contributes to our programmes – our students, staff, volunteers and supporters. This week we spotlight Year 13 Amelia Cheyne.

Name: Amelia Cheyne.
Year: 13
Sport: Football, futsal
Tell us about yourself: I’ve always been a pretty competitive person, and generally get pretty stuck into most things sport related. Whilst I love a good nap, I do love being outside - whether that’s at the beach, in the bush, playing sports, or just spending time with friends.
Why did you start playing sport: I have been actively involved in sport from a young age and have grown up playing football since I was about 4 years old, and I have continued to play since. Core memories involve backyard football with my sister and she couldn’t beat me so would typically resort to shoving me over or kicking rugby balls with my dad with a gambling wager of $2.00. Over the years, playing sport has given me a lot of structure and routine and has taught me so many valuable skills and traits that carry off of the pitch as well.
Aspirations: Honestly, just to keep enjoying it and playing with my mates and see where that takes me. Big aspirations involve potentially playing futsal at a national level, but really I’d love to just stay involved, whether that's in coaching roles or refereeing.
What do you enjoy about Mount Maunganui Sport: I love how there are always so many opportunities to get involved and stuck in, regardless of experience levels. For example, this year I got a few friends of mine to play an ultimate frisbee tourney, in which we ended up winning the BOP Champs even though the majority of the team had little to no experience. Being active in so many teams throughout the years has been great fun, mainly due to the unexpected friendships and relationships that have come with it - some of my best memories have been at school tournaments. I have been in the Football Girls 1st XI since year 9, and it's quite cool to experience the shift from looking up to the older players in the team, to now being that older and more experienced player myself.

What’s been happening?

Open Water Swimming - New Zealand Selection
Congratulations to Amelia McEwan who has been selected to represent New Zealand at the 2026 World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships, to be held in Santa Fe, Argentina from 3-6 September.

Rugby - Western Bay of Plenty Selection
Congratulations to the following students on their selection in the Western Bay of Plenty Rugby Squads.
Western Bay of Plenty U16 Girls
Aja Te Wheoro, Jeanne Fromont, Karcia Taane and Marika Te Whata
Western Bay of Plenty U18 Boys
Diego Farias, Harley Rolleston, Keagan Miller, Quinn Barton, Zach McLean, Aiden Grey, Cooper Purdie and Hudson Orr

Basketball
Congratulations to Charis Broughton, Issy Gillard and Ryder Morgan who were involved in the recent Basketball U20 National Tournament. Charis and Issy represented Tauranga City Basketball and finished in 3rd Place. Ryder represented Te Aroha and finished in 5th Place. Charis was named in the Foot Locker U20 Women’s All Star 5.

Volleyball
King’s Birthday Weekend in Wellington saw Aotearoa’s top regional volleyball teams across U17, U19, and Open grades, battle it out for Interprovincial Champs honours. The Bay of Plenty representative teams were well represented with a number of Mount Maunganui College past and present players. Congratulations to Alisha Adie and Abbie Murrell for taking out the Bronze in U19s; Andrew Tytler in the U17 final (silver); and Lucy Newsom in the U17 final, taking out the title and being named in the tournament team.

Congrats also to our Mount Maunganui College Senior Boys' Coach Josh Tiplady, who coached and played alongside Mount Maunganui College alumni Kameo Wagner and Javaan Wihapi in the Men's final (silver). And to Mount Maunganui College alumna (and Volley Fern) Charlie Vail for taking out the Women's title (with North Harbour). Very cool to see Mount Maunganui College past head-girl Ella Carlson coaching our BOP Women too, leading our Mount Maunganui College alumnae (and Volley Ferns) Emma Birkett (Marumaru-Flynn) and Tasia Clarke.

Taekwondo
Sam Hallinan has just returned from Taiwan, where he competed in three different events at the 2026 Big Boss International Taekwondo Tournament. Sam left Taiwan with two Gold Medals and One Silver Medal. An awesome experience seeing the higher level of fighters and embracing all learning opportunities.
Event Highlights
- Promotional fight - winner
- ‘Power breaking’ competition - winner
- The final was the elite division, where Sam lost in a close fight against the third-best fighter in Taiwan.

Underwater Hockey
Recently, a group of our talented Year 9 students travelled to Rotorua for the North Island Interclub Underwater Hockey Championships. Playing for the Tauranga club team, our players put on a stellar performance to capture Gold in the Novice division. A massive congratulations to: Rupert Hammond, Rylee Jury, Charlie McCartney, Amelia McEwan, Kobey Munro and Neave Symes.

This tournament was the perfect warm-up and an incredible learning experience for our junior athletes. They are now officially primed and ready to take on the 2026 Northern Zone Secondary Schools Underwater Hockey Cup next weekend.

What’s coming up?
WBOPSS Cross Country Championships - Wednesday 10 June - Mangatarata
Junior Open Underwater Hockey Cup - Saturday 13 / Sunday 14 June - Auckland
BOPSS Squash Individual Girls Championships - Tuesday 16 June - Tauranga
Polar Plunge - Wednesday 17 June - Omanu Surf Lifesaving Club
BOPSS Squash Individual Boys Championships - Wednesday 17 June - Tauranga
BOPSS Rock Climbing Championships - Friday 19 June - Mount Maunganui
BOPSS Indoor Bowls Championships - Tuesday 23 June - Mount Maunganui
Kayne Hammington Workshop Identity and Performance - Thursday 25 June - Mount Maunganui

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 partners 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 (Term 3 and 4) membership which costs $140 and term options which are $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 3 and Rest of Year options are available now.

Physio
Mount Maunganui College partners with Body in Motion. All Mount Maunganui College students have free access to an onsite physio during the week. Please ring 07 927 3330 to make a booking.

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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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)

June 2026
8-26      Year 9 Camps
17         Polar Plunge
25         Engagement Reports Issued

July 2026
1          Talent Quest
3          Last Day Term 2
10         Matariki (School Holidays)
20         First Day Term 3
30         Career Pathways Evening

August 2026
5          Grade Only Report
5          Open Afternoon
11         St Peter's Exchange
13         Learning Conferences – 4pm – 7pm
14         Learning Conferences (School Closed)
19         Pō Whakamānawa
20-21    Team Photos
31         Winter Tournament Week

September 2026
14-17    Derived Grade Exams
18         Teacher Only Day (School Closed)
23         Engagement Reports Issued
25         Last Day Term 3

Rockquest and Tangata Beats

STAFF CARPARK

STUDENT SIGNING IN / OUT PROCEDURE

ATTENDANCE

CONTACT DETAILS

UNIFORM

SCHOOL BUS SERVICE

STUDENT ID PHOTOS

HONOURS BOARDS

ALUMNI