Premier Netball - 2024 UNISS A Grade Champions!

Howick College Premier Netball crowned UNISS champions for the second consecutive year.

Congratulations to our outstanding Premier Netball team who claimed FIRST place at the 2024 UNISS A Grade Netball Tournament! In a thrilling final, Howick College edged out a strong Avondale College side by just one point, winning the competition 40-39 and becoming back-to-back champions. Special congratulations to the  Avah Sila, Charlie Lindsay, Eseta Waqaira and Skylah Tainui-Takerei who were named for the tournament team. Skylah was also named the competition MVP! 

Many thanks to our exceptional coaches, Mrs Adelita Sotutu and Tania Tuinukuafe, for their unwavering commitment to the team. A huge thank you also to all the parents and supporters who helped make this journey possible. The team will now focus on preparing for the national tournament in Christchurch next month, where they will compete against the top 16 teams in the country.

1st XV Rugby Girls Through to National Top 4 Final

The team prepares to head off on their 7 hour road trip to Palmerston North. 

We are delighted to announce that our 1st XV Rugby Girls have advanced to the finals of the National 1st XV Top 4 Rugby Competition! The girls travelled to Palmerston North on Thursday and faced Christchurch Girls' High School the following day at 11:30am. In a fiercely contested match, our girls had to dig deep, coming out on top with a 22-17 win after trailing 10-5 at half-time. They now go through to face rugby powerhouse and defending champions, Manukura High School, at the Central Energy Trust Arena on Sunday, 8 September at 10:30am.

We wish the team and Coach Waisake the very best of luck as the compete for the national title and the Hine Pounamu Cup. The live link to the final will be uploaded to NZ Barbarians National 1^st XV Championships Final.

1st XI Girls Football Bring Home Silver Medal

Congratulations to our 1st XI Girls' Football team for claiming a well-deserved SECOND place at the Maurice Hulme Tournament in Taupo this week! The team delivered an incredible performance throughout the competition, securing six consecutive wins as they entered the finals against Mount Maunganui College on Friday, 6 September. Although it wasn’t the outcome we had hoped for, finishing second out of a field of 32 teams is a fantastic achievement!

Well done, girls, on a superb effort! Many thanks to coach Brendon White, manager Mel Lockyer, staff helper Tanya Parsons, and all the dedicated parents and supporters who worked behind the scenes to make this tournament and the season such a success.

Bronze Medal For Senior Underwater Hockey 

Senior Open UWH Team - Bronze Medallists National Underwater Hockey Tournament

From left: Kendra Scully, Ben Hew, Rhyan Galloway and Reilee Butcher

Our underwater hockey teams wrapped up an unforgettable experience at the 2024 Underwater Hockey Secondary School Nationals, displaying outstanding sportsmanship, teamwork, and dedication from start to finish. For many of our junior players, this event offered an exciting introduction to national competition, while for some of our senior players, it marked a memorable, yet bittersweet, final chapter in their school tournament careers.

We are proud to congratulate the following:

• Senior Open UWH Team: A well-deserved THIRD place, bringing home the BRONZE medal after a fiercely contested final.
• Rhyan Galloway and Ben Hew: Both named for the Senior Open Tournament Team
• Kendra Scully: Awarded MVP for the Senior Open division.
• Junior Open UWH Team: Finished in 8th place and awarded the Fair Play Trophy for exemplary sportsmanship. 
• Reilee Butcher: Awarded MVP for the Junior Open division.

These achievements would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of the teams' managers, Craig and Morwenna, and the coaching team—Sam Marshall, Phoebe Ata, Mollie McHale, Juliet Curwood (all past students), and Joel Samuel. A special thank you to Hannah Curwood for her invaluable help in refereeing, as well as to our wonderful parents, whose unwavering support was essential throughout the tournament. Thanks also to Mrs Blignaut for stepping in as teacher support over the weekend.

1st XI Hockey Girls Exemplify Our 4Cs

This week, our 1st XI Girls' Hockey team proudly represented Howick College at the Chica Gilmer Trophy competition in Whangārei. The team played all six of their games with great determination, culminating in a resounding 6-0 victory against Rutherford College in their final match. Competing against teams ranked 2 to 3 grades higher, the girls displayed exceptional resilience, stepping up to every challenge and never giving up.

Throughout the competition, they embodied our school’s 4C values both on and off the field. We are incredibly proud of their hard work, sportsmanship, and fantastic effort. Well done, team!

Tournament Teams' Results in Brief

We are incredibly proud of all our teams who participated in their respective tournaments this week, representing our school with pride at all times. Well done to the following:

• Junior Boys' Basket Ball  - 6th Place (3 wins, 3 losses)
  
• 1st XI Boys' Football -  8th Place (4 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses)
• 1st XI Boys' Hockey - 16th Place (1 win, 5 losses)
• Basketball Girls  - TBA
• Basketball Boys - TBA
• Rugby League - TBA (this team is made up of our 1st XV Rugby Union players.)

Thank You, Caltex NZ!

We are extremely grateful to Caltex NZ and Caltex Sommerville for their generous support of our sports teams. The $1,000 StarCash Fuel Card they have provided will greatly assist our teams as with travel to sporting events and competitions. This is the fourth consecutive year that Caltex Sommerville has chosen Howick College to receive this generous contribution, highlighting their ongoing commitment to our school. The fuel card was presented to Principal Dale Burden by Caltex Sommerville Manager, Amrit Randhawa. Thank you, Caltex, for investing in our students' success and helping them thrive in the sports they love. We truly appreciate your continued support and the positive impact it has on our athletes!

Follow Sport @ Howick College

For sports draws, results and the latest sports news, follow Howick College Sports on Facebook and Instagram or visit the Sports page on the Howick College website by clicking on the icons below.

      

HOWICK COLLEGE LIBRARY BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour with Jude Dobson

This is the remarkable true story of Pippa Latour, one of the last surviving female special operations agents in France during WWII. Born in 1921, Pippa was trained by the British and parachuted into Nazi-occupied Normandy, posing as a teenage soap-seller while covertly gathering intelligence. Known for her fluency in languages and coding skills, she often sold soap to German soldiers while secretly sending coded messages back to England. Her bravery was unmatched—Pippa hid her codes in a silk thread worn as a hair tie, knowing she could be shot if discovered. Over her time in Normandy, she sent 135 messages with crucial details on German troop movements ahead of D-Day. After the liberation of Paris in 1944, Pippa completed her mission and went on to live in Kenya, Fiji, and Australia before settling in Auckland. It wasn’t until 2000 that her family learned of her heroic wartime service. Pippa Latour passed away in 2023 at the grand age of 102, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy of courage and resilience.

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Please Help Our Z-Club Support Woven Earth 

Woven Earth is an Auckland-based frontline charity that supports female victims of domestic violence and their whanau by setting up and furnishing their new homes. Completely free of charge, this marks the first step to help them rebuild their lives. The Z-Club Community Pantry will be open until the end of week 8, 13 September, and we would gratefully appreciate donations of the following: Sanitary products(pads, tampons etc) Preloved household items in good condition e.g. cushions, blankest, rugs, toys, books etc Non-perishable packaged food e.g. rice, canned food, dry pasta etc. Other household items including cleaning products, toilet paper, wet wipes, etc. All donations can be delivered to the community pantry located in the Student Office.