Football Girls Remain National Champions!

Huge congratulations to our Football Girls 1st XI who successfully defended their national title in style today at Taupo, beating Otumoetai College 3-0 in the final.
The Girls had won all their matches leading up to the final – two via nail-biting penalty shootouts – including the semifinal win over Baradene College.
It's another success for the team coached by Ms Inwood who were undefeated through all competitions last year and won the NZSS FInal 2-1 against Baradene.
In Auckland, our Netball Premiers had a strong start to their UNISS campaign with five consecutive wins but two close losses – to Westlake Girls and Howick College – knocked them out of semifinal contention. They won a 5th/6th playoff 36-17 against Trident High School this afternoon.
Close losses also bedevilled the Football Boys 1st XI's NZSS campaign before they got a couple of wins on the board.
After early losses, the Hockey Boys 1st XI came back with two wins to finish 13th at the Founders Cup in Carterton. The Hockey Girls 1st XI fared better at the Chica Gilmer Trophy tournament in Tauranga, winning a penalty shootout against Takapuna Grammar this afternoon to finish seventh.
The Rugby U15A side had mixed results at the U15 Invitational but won their last game against Wellington College to finish 13th.
Our Curlers enjoyed great success at nationals as you can see in the sports section below – where there are more reports from Winter Tournament Week.
Some teams are still competing, and you can follow their fixtures and results and those of other teams here
The MAGS Sport Instagram page also has photos and results from throughout the week here

Junior Drama Showcase

The Junior Drama Showcase for 2025 took place last Thursday and Friday night to completely sold-out audiences.
Across the two nights we had over 60 students perform two plays: Final Degustation, performed by Year 10, and The Campfire, performed by Year 9. 
The plays were both written by HOD Drama Miss Hughes with lots of creative input from the students.
Miss Hughes said, "The feedback we got from the audience was overwhelmingly positive, and they were particularly blown away by the stage presence and maturity of the younger students.
"A special thank-you and congratulations to Hannah Lamberton, who takes the Year 9 Girls’ class and did an exceptional job directing her first MAGS production. I’d also like to thank our student teacher, Jacob Dale, for his energy and patience with our Year 10 students."

Pat Hanly Award Selections

Mount Albert Grammar is proud to celebrate two of our students, Fleur Marsh (above right) and Isla O’Shannessy (above left), who had their artworks selected for display in the 2025 Pat Hanly Creativity Project and Awards exhibition at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.
Visual Art Teacher Ms Leonard said, "This is the first year MAGS has taken part in the prestigious project, and very few schools had the honour of having two students selected. Fleur and Isla’s artworks looked exceptional alongside other young artists’ work in the gallery, a truly professional space where their creativity could shine.
"As part of the project, all of our Year 12 Painting students visited the Auckland Art Gallery, where they were able to experience art first-hand, gain inspiration from leading exhibitions, and learn from practising artists. This opportunity gave our students a deeper understanding of the creative process and the wider art community.
The Pat Hanly Project supports senior art students across Auckland to explore the theme Ko Wai Au? Who Am I? and provides them with the opportunity to see their work exhibited in conversation with major New Zealand artworks.
Ms Leonard added, "We are incredibly proud of Fleur and Isla for representing MAGS at such a high level and encourage our community to visit the gallery to experience the exhibition."

MAGS Students on Show at Auckland Art Gallery

Congratulations to Visual Arts students Ella Teirney-Tohovaka and Eva Woods, who were selected to take part in the prestigious Kiritai: Beyond the Walls Project 2025, culminating in an exhibition at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.

This project, which partners with kura and ākonga Māori across Tāmaki Makaurau, aims to expand engagement “beyond the walls” of the gallery and into the wider community.
With the theme “Ko Wai Au” (Who Am I), the programme invited students to work alongside practising Māori photographers, equipping them with tools to express their own stories through photography.
HOD Visual Art Mr Corkery said, "Ella [whose work is pictured left] and Eva participated in a series of inspiring workshops at both the gallery and Corban Estate Arts Centre, developing their creative skills and producing works that reflect their personal identity and experiences. Their final photographs are now on display at the Auckland Art Gallery alongside the work of renowned artist Mark Adams. In addition, their work has been published in a book documenting the exhibition, giving their creative voices a lasting platform beyond the gallery walls.
"This exhibition also provided whānau and kaiako with a chance to come together and acknowledge the talent and hard work of the students involved. It has been a wonderful opportunity for our ākonga to engage with professional artists and showcase their mahi in one of New Zealand’s most significant art institutions.
"We congratulate Ella and Eva on this outstanding achievement and look forward to seeing the continuation of the Beyond the Walls project in 2026."

100 Objects: The Johns Memorial Chess Trophy

In the latest instalment – Number 30 – of A History of the School in 100 Objects on the MAGS website, attention turns to the Johns Memorial Chess Trophy.
Lionel Johns was a pupil at Mount Albert Grammar from 1933 to 1936.
He was a keen chess player and was chosen to be secretary of the chess club in 1936, although he left school early in that year.
He studied Accountancy for a year and was then employed as an Accountant by the British General Electric Company in Auckland. 
In January 1942, he began his training with the Royal New Zealand Air Force. After training in Canada and England, he qualified as an Air Navigator.
After further training, he joined 90 Squadron of the Royal Air Force in early May 1943.
On 29 May he took off on his first mission over Germany. The plane completed its mission successfully but on its return early on 30 May the plane crashed while attempting to land in low cloud. There was only one survivor. Lionel Fairfax Johns is buried in Haverhill Cemetery, Suffolk.
In his memory, Lionel's father donated this trophy to MAGS in 1979.
You can read more about Lionel and the trophy here

 – Greg Cave, Archivist – email: [email protected]

Sports Update

Curlers Claim Two Titles

The North Island Secondary School Curling Championship 2025 was held at Paradice Ice Rink in Tournament Week across two intense – and cold – days of competition.
TIC Ms Hobbs said, "A sport as much about strategy and skill as physicality, there can be millimetres between victory and defeat. This year however, the run of the ice was definitely with us as MAGS brought back not one but two titles."
Our team “GoldenIce” (pictured below) – Maiah Radu, Riley Hobbs, Ma’a Pau’u and Sean Cavanagh (absent) – secured the Mixed Division Title (which MAGS had previously won in 2022) and a 6^th place in the Combined competition. This achievement though was eclipsed by our other team “Moonsweeper” (pictured above) – Kaelin Oleson, Zander Curnow, Soren Bell and Ha Nhi Huynh – who not only claimed the Open Division Championship but took bronze in the Combined competition.
Ms Hobbs added, "With just two weeks to go in the Auckland Championships as well, the curlers are getting ready to say goodbye to Paradice Ice Rink, their home since the very first season back in 2008. Next year, to accommodate this ever-growing sport, they will move to a new purpose-built facility in Penrose."  

Ultimate Challenge for Climbers

For tournament week, this year’s New Zealand Secondary Schools Climbing competition was a change of format and venue from the previous years, with a bouldering speciality event held at the Beta Gym in New Plymouth.
TIC Ms Hobbs said, "Whilst Ronin Ng had previously competed as an individual, this is the first time MAGS has competed as a squad at Nationals. There is some prodigious talent across the motu and we knew this would be our biggest challenge yet."
Qualifiers were split into four sections, with MAGS in the second morning session. Fifteen problems were set with climbers given two hours to complete as many as they could. 
Ms Hobbs said, "Our students gave everything they had and then faced the agonising wait for results from the other sessions to be added."
When results were finally tallied on the first evening in the Senior Boys division, Ronin Ng was 21st, Reuben Bruce 37th and Thomas Roberts 45th. However, three MAGS climbers – Soren Bell (Junior Boys) Riley Hobbs (Senior Boys) and Anna Swan (Senior Girls) – had made the cut for their respective semifinals the following morning. 
Ms Hobbs said, "Whilst they were unable to conquer the three new international standard problems and advance to the final, they were rightly very proud of their efforts. It was also a fitting farewell to Anna and the mahi she has put in across her time at MAGS. We know she will continue to excel on the walls as she heads off to Canterbury Uni next year."

Medals at Waka Ama World Champs

Representing New Zealand, Year 12 student Marnie Toloa won gold and Year 10 student Matahi Heta won silver at the Waka Ama World Championships in Niterói, Brazil.
Marnie was part of the NZ team that won the J19 V6 24km ocean race. This title sees the team remain as the world champions, after winning in Samoa in 2023 with Marnie also in that team.
This race, starting from the harbour of Rio de Janeiro had a mix of flat harbour water to rolling swells and choppy conditions of the South Atlantic. Marnie was in seat one and effectively the 'stroke' for the team. 
The crew started aggressively and pushed out ahead of the field followed by Tahiti and Brazil. They  turned the halfway mark three minutes clear of second place. The team looked to use the ocean's rolling swell to surf where they could and never let up their pace and power, crossing the finish line five minutes ahead of the Brazilian silver medallists. 
Matahi was the youngest paddler in the J16 team that was second to Tahiti in the 16km ocean race.
The teams also participated in the customary culture evening, where all paddlers showcased their home culture through dance and song.

AKSS Underwater Hockey Award

The College Sport Auckland Underwater Hockey season prizegiving was held last Tuesday night with Jack Tyler, pictured right, being named Top Male Player.
The week before, the finals took place with the MAGS Senior Open team playing against Glendowie for the gold medal. It was another of the many close-fought battles between the teams this year, with Glendowie coming out on top 1-0. The Senior Open team is now in Wellington at the New Zealand Secondary Schools tournament, taking what they have learnt from the Auckland competition and hope to have a strong finish there as well.
Swim Administrator Mr Robertson said, "Special congratulations to Jack Tyler for being awarded Top Male Player for his efforts during the season. This is a very impressive feat as the Auckland school’s competition is the strongest in the country and has the biggest base of players. This shows Jacks talent but also his work ethic and commitment."
The Junior Open team also wrapped up their season, finishing third.
Mr Robertson said, "This is a great start for a team of mainly new players. We hope this keeps them excited and wanting to continue playing.
"Thanks again to our coaches – Flynn Lakeman, Sam Twhigg, Paige Tyson-Taylor and Ryan O’Connor – for all their expertise and to Sandra Kemp for all her help organising."