Art Expo Engages Community

A huge thank you to our extended community who came along to support our inaugural MAGS Student Art Expo.
There was a great vibe, including live music from our students throughout the day, resulting in a hugely successful event.  
Not being a fundraiser, the students receive most of the value of their sold work, just like the ‘real’ artists. Deputy Principal Mrs Cato said, "It was such a thrill to see families taking photos of ’their’ artists next to their work which featured paintings, photographs, ceramics, product design and digital production. Thanks to our fabulous sponsors, whose support enabled us to provide a professional-looking gallery atmosphere to showcase student work for this event. Please support our sponsors where you can." 
You can see more photos from the MAGS Student Art Expo here

2026 Term Dates Released

The 2026 school year for Year 9s will start on Thursday, January 29 – with the full school in the following day – Friday, January 30.
The 2026 school year for our Juniors is scheduled to finish on Monday, December 7, with Year 10s dismissed after their prizegiving, which starts at 9.30am, and Year 9s dismissed after their prizegiving, which starts at 12.30pm.
You can see the full term dates here

Careers Expo Buzzes With Activity

The MAGS Careers and Pathways Expo on Tuesday was one of our busiest evenings to date.
Director of Pathways Ms Hanson said, "It was wonderful to see so many families coming out on a winter’s night to speak with not only our Departments and Staff but also to discuss future pathways with the many tertiary institutions and private providers present.
"The feedback from these organisations was overwhelmingly positive. They all enjoyed speaking with both students and parents about the information necessary to enter their programmes. 
"This year we had a record number of exhibitors with a wide range of industries and pathways covered.
"Even ex-students came along to help support these industries and discuss how they moved into these careers.
"Departments were also able to showcase the great work our students are doing in our huge variety of subjects and help advise on the future pathways and choices within their departments."
The evening was also an opportunity for MAGS' Business students to test their marketing, products, and make sales. 
Check out the Careers Department's  CareerWise website here to review the range of future pathways on offer to students at MAGS.
You can see more photos from the evening here

Classical Music Fills the Hall 

On Wednesday night, the Music Department held their annual Night of the Classics with performances from our award-winning choirs: Glorianna Girls Choir and the Centennial Boys Choir and additional performances from our Chamber Groups, who competed at the New Zealand Chamber Group Competitions, and our Symphony Orchestra, who will be competing at the KBB Music Festival on Monday night.
We were also very lucky to feature our new Junior Strings Group.
Music Teacher Mr Bingham said, "It was an extra special performance as Night of The Classics returned to the F.W. Gamble Hall. It was a beautiful night of music-making and a great return for Classical Music for the Mt Albert Grammar community.
"A special thanks to our MCs, Campbell Buchanan and Khalen Quensell, as well as the teachers who helped prepare the groups since the beginning of the year: Ms Anny Yu, Ms Sofia Onishko, Mr Terence Maskell, Ms Cassandra Fletcher, Mrs Milica Zjajic-Moon, Ms Mei-Fong Edgar, Ms Sonja Hildesheim, Ms Anna Cooper and Mr Mark Bingham. Also, a special thank-you to Ms Jacqui Cesan, Mr Neil Watson and Mr Martin Sykes for all their work behind the scenes to make it a very successful evening."
You can see the full programme from the night here

No Student Drop-Off Inside School Grounds

We are very proud that MAGS is a busy place most mornings due to the many staff arriving early to provide opportunities for scheduled early morning sports trainings and/or manage their time for administration and lesson preparation.  
As MAGS parents are aware, limited capacity for parking and vehicle access within the grounds,  together with health and safety considerations, means that parking and access into the grounds is restricted to MAGS staff. 
Students arriving for morning and/or afternoon trainings must be dropped off outside the school grounds. As always, thank you for your support.

Debaters Continue Success

This year, both our MAGS Senior Open 1 and Advanced Open 1 teams qualified for the Octofinals in the Auckland Schools Debating competition.
The Senior Open team is made up of, pictured above from left, Sona McCormack, Lachlan Paul, Eliza Rodger, Stephanie Zhang and Isabella Caie. Lachlan, Eliza and Stephanie also entered the Advanced Open.
TIC Mr Ploeg, pictured back right, said, "Currently, the Advanced Open team has progressed to the Quarter Final. Two years ago this team of five students qualified for the Junior Open Grand Final, so it is great to see their continuing success in debating." 

Senior Course Selection Open for 2026

We are now ready for parents to support their child to complete their course selection for 2026 online.
Course selection should be completed by Wednesday, August 20, 2025, for current Year 11 & 12, and by Wednesday, August 27, 2025, for current Year 10. You can view course information and options through SchoolPoint here
For help with course selection, the MAGS website has detailed information here

Business Award Winners

Pictured with HOF Commerce Mr Gilbert and Commerce Teacher Ms Smith are, from left, Marcia Amoah, Flynn Young, Salamasina Fa’alogo, Xavier Edwin-Woollard and Lola Lumley.

At the Board Show and Market Evening in Term 2, Jam Parlour impressed both judges and customers with their range of handmade jams featuring innovative flavours, earning them the Excellence in Innovation and Enterprise Award.
Competing against more than 45 Year 11 Business Studies groups, each pitching their ideas to HOF Commerce Mr Gilbert, the team stood out for the quality of their presentation, strong entrepreneurial skills, and clear passion for their product.
Their outstanding customer service was widely praised, and the group received enthusiastic feedback from attendees throughout the evening.
Mr Gilbert said, "A special thank you to the product design club for their excellent design of the trophies."

Bronze Medal at International Olympiad

Congratulations to Victor Coen, who recently represented New Zealand at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) in Bolivia and won a bronze medal.
Victor managed to score 317.7 points, which placed him in position 103 of 333, earning him a bronze medal – a remarkable achievement given the scale and prestige of the event, with 84 different countries participating.
Last year, Victor achieved a bronze and a gold medal at the IOI in Egypt and at an AI Olympiad in Saudi Arabia respectively.

Cook Island Language Week

To celebrate Cook Islands Māori Language Week, students put on cultural performances and played a  Netball competition this week.
Today at lunchtime, boys and girls entertained a large crowd with individual items before combining for a group performance backed by guest drummers.
The 2025 theme for Cook Islands Māori Language Week is 'Ātui'tui’ia au ki te raurau a tōku matakeinanga – Connect me to the offerings of my people'.

Megacrew Perform to Their Peers

Our champion Megacrew hip hop dancers put on performances throughout the week to show off their skills to their fellow students following their recent win in the Blueprint national dance competition.
This was the third year in a row that MAGS Megacrew has won this competition.
The Megacrew was led this year by Year 13 students Kyra-Leigh Masina, and Year 12 students Manon Gilbert and Harry Bannister.

Youth Wellbeing Survey

The Youth Health and Wellbeing Survey 2025 is coming to our school – the largest and most comprehensive study of students aged 13-19 across New Zealand.
This important study gives our young people a platform to share their experiences and help shape support systems for future generations.
Along with 100 other schools across New Zealand, our school has been selected to take part in this study. This means that around 200 randomly selected students from MAGS have been invited to participate on survey day. Those selected have been informed via email.
The survey will take place next Thursday, August 14, in the School Hall.
For more information, you can visit the survey website here

Call-out for Coxswains

Do you want to join a new sport?
Have you been waiting for your calling?
Come and be a coxswain for the MAGS Rowing team!
Assistant Director of Rowing Ms Chaafe said, "Coxswains are the drivers of the boat; they connect everyone together and give the rowers the motivation and drive to work their best. Without coxswains the rowers cannot train or race to their highest potential.  
"We have coxswain training and development opportunities, and you will be the ‘second coach’ as you learn how to push the rowers and drive them to 1st place across the line.  You are the glue to bring the crew together and you will be the coaches' ‘eyes in the boat’.
"It is a great way to develop your leadership skills as you are in charge of the boat and the rowers sitting in it. Learn how to relate to your teammates, develop a strong work ethic, and learn more about your own strengths in a supportive team environment."
Come and see Ms Chaafe or Director of Rowing Mr Finlayson in the Rowing office (by the old gym) or email [email protected] for more information.

BoT Nominations Closed – Get Ready to Vote

Nominations have now closed for our Board of Trustees elections, and as there were more nominations
than positions available the election will be continuing to a vote.
The Mount Albert Grammar School Board received a total of 37 nominations for 7 vacancies when
nominations closed on August 6, 2025.
Keep an eye out for voting information as this will be sent to all eligible voters no later than
Wednesday, August 13.  The voting packs will contain all the details on how to vote in the
election as well as candidate statements and photos from the candidates that provided them.
The voting will close at 4pm on Wednesday, September 10, and the results will be available on September 17.
The candidates who receive the most votes will be elected to the board and the results will be shared with the candidates and our Mount Albert Grammar School community.
If you have any questions about the election process, please contact the Returning Officer
directly on 0800 VOTENZ (0800 868 369) or email [email protected]

English Teacher Tom Dale has been elected as the Staff Representative on the BoT.

School Qualifications Shake-up

The Government has announced a new qualification system to replace the NCEA system, which began in 2002 when Level One replaced the old School Certificate examination. 
During WWII, a review of education was carried out by the Government (The Thomas Report), which introduced the idea of core subjects and made education free and compulsory up to the age of 15.
The first School Certificate exam was held in 1946 and was intended to be sat by students at the end of their fourth year of secondary schooling. In reality, most students attempted the exam at the end of their third year (Form Five).
Most exams were three hours long but there were two exams for Maths, each two hours long. Maths A covered Arithmetic and Algebra, and Maths B covered Geometry and Trigonometry. 
Students normally studied five subjects. English was compulsory and most students also studied Maths. At MAGS, the other three subjects were determined by and large by the class a student was in. Classes were streamed and the top two classes were all required to study French. To gain a pass in School Certificate, a student had to gain 200 marks in four subjects including English. This allowed the student to move to the sixth form and prepare for the University Entrance exam. Those who did not pass the exam often returned for a second (or third) attempt. Many students left at the end of the fifth form to enter employment. 
Recently, a former student donated to the archives a large amount of school material from the 1950s. Two documents in particular may be of interest to our readers in view of the announced changes to our qualification system.
The English paper, pictured above left, has a wide variety of questions from essay writing to literature and from pronunciation to punctuation, and a whole lot more besides. This paper can be viewed here, and part of the two-hour Maths A paper, pictured above right, testing Arithmetic and Algebra can be veiwed here
Most of us will find question three a challenge as it features pounds, shillings and pence. It was to be 11 years before students faced a paper that included questions using decimal currency.

– Greg Cave, Archivist

Sports Update

Netballers Win Combined Points Trophy

Congratulations to our Netball Girls and Boys, who took out the 2025 Combined Points Tournament at Auckland Netball Centre on Wednesday.
This is the ninth time that MAGS has won the trophy, which has been up for grabs since 1989. MAGS fielded four teams – our Premiers, as well as Year 10, Year 9 and Boys teams.
The trophy was presented to our Premier Netball Captain, Tupou Kautai, at left, and she shared the moment with Sasha Tobin,at right, who has completed five years of play in the Combined Points Tournament. Sasha is also our current most capped player for netball, having played over 50 games for MAGS Premier Netball. 
Our Year 9/1 team, above, also took out the top spot for their grade, helping towards the overall points to take out the trophy. The Premier Girls and the 10/1 team took out 2nd place. Our Boys team secured themselves third place.
Director of Netball Mrs Henry said, "Our Premier 1 team played Westlake in the semi-finals, starting slowly initially, however winning convincingly and then going on to meet the undefeated Howick Premier Team, when, having already played seven games, our girls struggled to get the back-to-back win."
Mrs Henry added, "Our Year 9/1 academy team grew with every game. Throughout the day it was a full contribution from all team members which led to the team’s victory against a very fast, dynamic, well-drilled Hamilton Girls High School team, winning 16-15. This team represented our kura with mana and pride, and the leadership was visible on and off the court.  Full credit to Bella Falefatu and Willa Wrightson-Lyons who led their team to victory."

Standout Performers at AKSS Road Running

The Auckland Secondary School Road running race took place on Tuesday at Bruce Pulman Park.  
Eighteen students competed at the event, which is held in the park’s grounds. Conditions were overcast but windy, which challenged runners around the open course.
The best performer from MAGS was Nina Chalmers. She finished 3rd in a competitive Senior Girls race. She stayed with the front pack during the first lap before breaking away with around 1km remaining. She completed the 4km course in an impressive time of 13:21. This effort was fresh off winning the National Under 18 Girls Cross Country two days earlier.  
The other top 10 finish from MAGS, was in the combined three-person team points competition. Hazel Helmore, Olivia Appleton and Sofia Gough finished 4th based on their combined individual placings in the Intermediate Girls section.  
Several students finished in the top half of their race. They were:
Junior Girls: Sadie McInnes (18th), Marli Coverdale (27th)
Intermediate Girls: Hazel Helmore (22nd)
Intermediate Boys: Charlie Milne (21st)
Assistant Director of Sport Mr Crossan said, "All our students were pleased with their efforts against some quality runners from all over Auckland. A special thanks goes to Mr Dempster and Henry Hill for their assistance with marshalling and supporting on the day."  

Squash Boys Outperform Ranking at NZSS

Led by captain Calum Taylor, the Boys Squash team of Connor Corby, Alex Southgate, Ethan Berry, and Declan Kiw travelled to Wellington for the NZSS Squash Championships.
They had a simple aim: to finish higher than their seeding of 24th among more than 50 schools competing from across the country over three days.

On the first day, the opening clash against perennial powerhouse Marlborough Boys saw the boys edged out 12–5, pushing them into the Division 2 draw.
Later that day, Bayfield came out blazing, racing to a 6–1 lead. But MAGS weren’t done, flipping the script and sealing a 10–6 comeback win for the ages. It was the spark the team needed.
That victory earned them a showdown with a stacked Wellington A side on Day 2. Wellington’s depth ultimately prevailed, handing MAGS a narrow 9–6 defeat. Wellington went on to win Division 2.
Fatigue and injury niggles dogged them in their fourth fixture against Cashmere College, and MAGS were pipped at the post. 
On Day 3, in the playoff for 23rd, MAGS  finished with a commanding 12–4 win,  and accomplished their mission by finishing 23rd. 
With Otautahi / Christchurch set to host next year’s nationals and the standard of New Zealand school squash climbing ever higher, the road ahead won’t be easy. But with plans already in motion and a core of rising stars, MAGS will be aiming higher in 2026.

NZ Lacrosse Selections

Nate Lawson (Year 13) flies to Jeju, Korea this weekend as part of NZ’s first ever team to qualify for the U20 Men's Lacrosse World Championship, which attracts the best 20 countries from around the world. The NZ campaign started in July 2024, following selections in April. Throughout his journey, the dedication Nate, pictured above left, has shown to his craft has been second-to-none, particularly given that most of the training camps and sessions have been held in Hamilton or Te Awamutu, since the majority of the 22-man travelling squad hail from Waikato. 
Nate will be accompanied by Albertian and MAGS Boys Lacrosse Head Coach, Sam Nash, pictured above right, who was appointed as the Offensive Assistant Coach for the NZ U20 Men’s side last year. 
The Kiwis will face off against some formidable opponents in their group, which includes a strong English side, as well as the hosts, Korea, who meet NZ immediately following the opening ceremony under lights in front of the home crowd.

Cook Island Representatives

As part of Cook Islands Language Week, it’s great to celebrate current students and alumni competing in the recent Basketball Asia Cup for the Cook Islands Women’s team.
Congratulations to Meiya Lemafa, and alumni Adoniah and Keziah Lewis.

Upcoming Premier Sport

The Basketball Premier Girls and Boys are at home tonight, with the Girls playing Takapuna College at 6pm, and the Boys facing Sacred Heart at 7.30pm. The Football Boys 1st XI play away to Auckland Grammar at 6.00pm.
Tomorrow, our Netball Premiers play St Cuthbert's at Auckland Netball at 11.30am.
On Monday, the Premier Boys Basketball tea have a rescheduled game against St Peter's College  at MAGS at 6.30pm.
On Wednesday, the Football Girls 1st XI play the APC Final against Baradene at Michaels Ave Reserve at 4.00pm, the Rugby League 1st XIII have a friendly game ahead of Nationals away to Aorere College at 4pm, and the Hockey Boys 1st XI face Glendowie College at Mt Roskill Grammar Turf at 5.15pm.
On Thursday, the Lacrosse Premier Girls have their One Day Tournament at Avondale racecourse, and the Hockey Girls 1st XI have a semi-final against Pukekohe High at Kolmar Turf at 4.30pm

More sporting fixtures here