Principal's Foreword

---

Tēnā koutou,

Welcome to this week's edition of the John McGlashan Pilkington Press. It’s been another action-packed week with our boys getting involved in many exciting opportunities here at the college.

Last weekend, we celebrated the opening of our Second Campus in Te Anau. We can now announce that the campus has been named Te Kūwaha Mātauraka, which means "the pathway to knowledge" or "the pathway to learning".

The Main Lodge is now Te Whare Takahea, and the former Backpackers accommodation has been named Te Whare Kōhaka. The day kicked off with a Dawn Opening led by the local Rūnaka group, followed by our official opening at 1:00pm and an open afternoon for locals to explore the site. We look forward to seeing more parents take the opportunity to stay at Te Kūwaha Mātauraka in the future.

At this week’s Wednesday assembly, we inducted two new members into the Distinguished Old Collegians Society: Lars Humer, celebrated for his achievements in swimming, and Colin Brown, former Young Farmer of the Year.

In the Arts, our Drama students have been busy rehearsing their scene from The Taming of the Shrew for the upcoming SGCNZ Shakespeare Festival. Next Tuesday, we’ll also be hosting the JMO Theatrics production of Julius Caesar in the Chapel, and Tama Alexander is returning to host A Regular Show in the drama room as part of Fringe Festival next weekend. Additionally, our Kapa Haka and Drama students will attend the Te Rākau Theatre Marae workshop at Trinity College next Thursday.

Our athletes have been making us proud with Sports. Last week, our Volleyball team won the South Island Secondary Schools Second Division 2 title in Christchurch. This week, our cricketers were in Christchurch taking on STAC, and our golfers participated in the Intercollegiate Golf Tournament in Cromwell. Meanwhile, our Rowers are competing at the South Island Rowing Regatta in Twizel, and our Touch team is getting ready for the Otago Touch Championships in Dunedin. Some of our boys are also competing at the NZ Athletics Nationals, also in Dunedin.

The Year 11 Agriculture and Year 12 Geography classes went on an overnight trip this week to the Hakataramea Valley, where they were looked after by the Gray family. The bacon and eggs for breakfast were a definite highlight.

This weekend, some of us will be representing the College at the Wānaka A&P Show. If you're at the show, be sure to visit us at site Q3 and say hello, or join us for cold beverage at the end of the day on Friday.

Kā mihi,

John Veitch

Acting Principal