The Green Striped Blazer, 18th September 2026

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The Green Striped Blazer -
Friday, 18th September 2026

Good Afternoon,

Our senior students finish their practice exams today. The importance of these
examinations cannot be underestimated. These exams serve three critical purposes:

Real Examination Practice: They help students understand exactly what will be required
of them during formal testing.
A Roadmap for Success: They highlight areas of strength and clarify what still needs to
be done to achieve their best results.
Derived Grades: They act as crucial backup grades should a student be unable to sit the
final NCEA external exams due to unforeseen circumstances.

Reports for all students will be sent out next Friday, 25 September. Well done to all of our
students for their hard work and focus!

Congratulations to your Junior 7's and Volleyball teams on a massive week of sport! It is
fantastic to hear about the Junior Volleyball A and B teams kicking off their campaigns
undefeated with two wins each. While the Junior 7's fell just short in the final against
Rosmini, their dominant run through pool play and the semi-finals shows they are a serious
force as they look ahead to the Blues 7's and the Condor National tournament later this
year.

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori was celebrated this week. Due to exams we have not had the
opportunity to do this and so we will be celebrating our Māori language this coming week.
Plans are in place for presentations in both our Assemblies.

With just 20 school days remaining for our senior students (and even fewer for those
preparing for Scholarship exams), we are entering a critical final stretch. This limited time is
incredibly valuable. We want to strongly encourage all seniors to maintain 100%
attendance right up to their final day. Being in class gives them direct, face-to-face access
to the expertise of their teachers, tailored revision sessions, and crucial exam preparation
that cannot be replicated at home. Please help us support your teen by ensuring they arrive
on time, every day, ready to make the most of every single period. Let’s work together to
finish the year strong.

We would like to extend a massive thank you to our wonderful PTA for all of their hard
work and continued support of our school community. Want to see how you can get
involved? Come along to the next PTA meeting this Monday, 21 September, 7.00pm in the
Staffroom. Newcomers are absolutely welcome, and the team would love to see some fresh
faces who want to make a contribution — big or small!

Have a good weekend and hopefully we all get behind the Warriors on Sunday.

Regards

Shane Young

Senior Deputy Principal

IN THIS ISSUE:

Important Dates
Making a difference in 15 minutes
Future engineers take on real-world challenges
A top-class presentation from James Hurman
Leaving school for an appointment? Let us know early
Debating success
Catching up with Westlakers in Aus
Westlake players earn NZ rugby honours
On the podium at mountain bike series
Rowing News
Chess team makes the right moves
Skiers take on Cardrona
IT Tips with Mr Diprose
Move it move it: Madagascar the 48-hour Musical
Spring has sprung... but those mornings are still chilly
Support our Distance Runners
Join the Ethos Academy of Sport International Programme
Swan Song
Follow WBHS on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn
Contact us
Our Sponsors and Supporters

Important dates

Important Dates

Our Major Diary Dates are shown above. Please note, these are subject to change if
necessary, throughout the year.

Making a difference in 15 minutes

Our Enviro Council organised a challenge that saw Year 9 students spend 15 minutes
collecting rubbish around the school to earn House points.

The response was impressive, with buckets of rubbish collected today and yesterday during
lunch break. The rubbish was weighed and the totals added to each House's score.

It was great to see so many students getting involved and making a visible difference.

Future engineers take on real-world
challenges

Last week, a group of 20 Māori and Pasifika students attended the Auckland University
SPIES (South Pacific Indigenous Engineering Students) activity day. SPIES is a Māori and
Pasifika student-led community at the University of Auckland that supports engineering
tauira through cultural connection, academic and wellbeing support, and industry
opportunities. Students from schools across Auckland attended and took part in a set of
activities focussed on responding to disasters in the South Pacific.

Activities included – constructing and testing popsicle stick bridges after a flooding event;
using Aqualibrium kits to model the restoration of water and sewage systems after a flood;
as well as using Ozobot autonomous robots to map out a response plan after a volcanic
eruption.

The activities kept the students engaged, enthusiastic, and thoughtful about a future career
in engineering – with quite a few students telling teachers that they were now seriously
considering the pathway.

E mihi ana ki ngā tauira o Waipapa Taumata Rau!

Nā Matua Tāwera

An evening with James Hurman

Entrepreneur, investor and marketing expert James Hurman presented at our Westlake
Business Network on Wednesday.

James shared his thoughts on brands, advertising and why businesses need to think
beyond the next sale. There was plenty for those in the room to take away and reflect on.

It was also great to have students from our OpenGround entrepreneurial programme join
us. James was generous with his time, speaking not only to our business community but
also to our young entrepreneurs about starting businesses, taking risks and learning along
the way.

We'd like to thank GridAKL for hosting us at their lovely coworking space at Wynyard
Quarter and James for sharing his experience and insights.

If you enjoyed the conversation, check out James' new book, Future Demand, which
expands on the ideas and insights he shared on the night.

Leaving school for an appointment? Let us
know early

Dear parents and caregivers,

For any appointments that your son needs to leave school for during the day, please ensure
that we are notified as early as possible. Last-minute notifications may not allow sufficient
time for arrangements to be made, which could result in your son leaving late and missing
his appointment.

Please refer to our attendance procedures here

Debating success

On Wednesday 16th September, several of our top debating students were recognised at
the Auckland Schools Debating prizegiving. A quirk of debating is that, alongside the
‘verdict’ of a debate (i.e. which side won the argument), there are also speaker points
dished out for individual speakers. Speaker points acknowledge the strength of a speaker’s
argument and their overall speaking style. These points accumulate and recognise
individual talent in the various divisions. We are thrilled to report the following success:

Premier Junior Division (top 40 teams in Auckland for Y10-11 students – over 160
participants)

Florian Shaw (Y11): 4th best speaker overall

Premier Advanced Division (top 44 teams in Auckland for Y12-13 students – over 180
participants)

Matthew Heng (Y13): 9th best speaker overall
Jayden Whitehead (Y13): 4th best speaker overall
Hamish Bailey (Y13): 2nd best speaker overall

Congratulations to these boys on their success at the prizegiving. We look forward to
another successful year of debating in 2027.

Catching up with Westlakers in Aus

As part of our Headmaster's visit to boys' schools in Australia this week, we also hosted
Westlake reunions in Perth and Sydney.

It was a chance to reconnect with our alumni and hear what they have been doing since
leaving Westlake.

SPORTS ACHIEVEMENTS

Westlake players earn NZ rugby honours

Year 12 student Matt Fleming and Westlaker Solomone Tuitupou (2025) have been selected
to the New Zealand Schools and New Zealand Barbarians Under 18 sides.

They will gather in Hamilton from 22 September to 5 October for an enhanced National
Pathways Prog