Across Term 2 at Pakūranga College, many extraordinary events have occurred, in a short amount of time, too! From Cultural Night to Pink Shirt Day, Term 2 has been a blast! So, in this newspaper article, I will be highlighting many of the important events that have happened thus far this term.
On Friday 15 May, our Principal, Mr Merchant, hosted a Year 9 assembly. He started it off with the opening karakia, and the school choir sang. We got exclusive access to all the inspiring words from the Head Students, sharing their own stories and personal experiences, as well as providing good advice.
For example, one Head Student, Abi Robertson, gave a speech, a metaphor comparing times when siblings ruin hard work by destroying Lego masterpieces – would you let it remain or rebuild it? She described that same feeling as whether you would give up or keep going on a subject you haven’t even touched. She motivated and told us to keep going and strive to learn new subjects.
Kaeden Evaroa gave an inspiring speech about how he can’t eat food that he loves because of his gluten restriction. He described the experience as permanent, and said he can’t eat any junk food like fries or burgers because they contain gluten. He can’t even go to the tuck shop. He taught us that even if we really desire to have one food we like, we can have a moment of being frustrated when we can’t have it. He reminded us that this feeling is completely normal, and communicated a message of perseverance, as well as taking control of your goals; that it’s up to you to make the changes you’re able to in order to grow stronger.
Group photos happened at Pakūranga College, and are an occasion we all know and have mixed feelings about. Students go to the Hall and obtain a card with their name on it to prepare for a club/group photo. Entering from one of two entrances, they then line up from shortest to tallest. Tall students sit down on the benches below the stage, while the shorter students generally stand up on chairs and benches behind. The photos were short, and the first one is to smile and raise the card under your chin. The next one would be to place the card behind your back if you were standing, or place it on your chair while you sit on it, and then take the photo from there. Then, you would quietly leave in an orderly fashion.
There were a variety of clubs taking photos, like Mathex, Chess Club, the Science Council, the Digital Council, the Chinese Cultural Group, the Chinese Dance Group, our very own Pakage, and many more. These photos go into the yearbook that is able to be bought by students and kept.
Pink Shirt Day was a very important campaign of a symbolic celebration event in Pakūranga College, and was originally set up and introduced by the NZ Mental Health Foundation. It was first created and celebrated internationally for the purpose of standing up to bullying. The story behind the event is that back when a student from Nova Scotia, Canada was being picked on by two boys who teased him, called him names and made a joke out of him because he was wearing pink, a colour that “only girls are supposed to wear.” (Of course, this way of thinking is outdated and overtly stereotypical; in truth, colour has no gender.) Some students saw this happening in that school, and decided to stand up for it. They sold pink shirts to their classmates, and gave a message of standing up by coming to school the next day, all wearing pink shirts. Eventually, the word spread about this protest, and it went viral on a global scale. This helped inspire lots of movements to be established, and the celebration of this wonderful event. At Pakūranga College, we host special events, supporting the celebration of Pink Shirt Day.
On Friday 5 of June, at 6pm, the second show being on Saturday 6 June at 6pm, in the Pakūranga College Hall, Cultural Night had begun. Students had performed on stage to share the wonders and the natural beauty of their cultural dances, whether it was individually or in groups. This was huge, and everyone was a part of this special occasion. The tickets were selling for $8.50 each, and it was a truly marvellous night. Just imagine the atmosphere and mood of the dances. Light, elegant, smooth, graceful, soft, like a melody. Others could be rough or coarse, with sharp movements. It was really cool for everyone, both the audience watching to remember and the performers who bonded in their groups and had a lot of fun.
Pakūranga College also hosted Blood Day. If you signed up, you’d give your blood type, and the operators would find people in urgent need of blood who have the same type as you. They would operate the process of blood transfusion and transport your blood to the person in urgent need of it, in hopes of saving them. This happened on 8 May 2026, and sign-ups were held earlier in the year.
The 40-Hour Challenge was announced at Whānau assemblies, encouraging students to sign up for this special event. The school promoted this event to students who wanted to participate, completely free of charge to join. They must do something for 40 hours, like live without electronics, social media, gaming, food, or run 40 kilometres, etc. Students who are sponsored raised funds for the Solomon Islands, so children there can receive resources and better nutrition. They rely on farming to survive, but recently a flood hit their land, and due to climate change and rising sea levels, their land is starting to disappear. Additionally, to make it even more exciting, the school has allowed Interact Council members to host Hype Week, with special activities like taping teachers, a three-pointer challenge against a World Vision ambassador, and even dumping water on Student Whānau Leaders, encouraging students to participate in the 40-Hour Challenge.
To conclude, this term has been an absolute blast with occasions like Pink Shirt Day, Blood Day, the 40-Hour Challenge and group photos! The first half of this year has passed by in the blink of an eye, yet there are many more events to come. This is a highlight of some events in Term 2, with more to come later this year.
Jonathan Huang – Year 9
