Kia ora koutou, my name is Billie Nuku and I have been lucky enough to work alongside Nick and some other amazing student leaders and teachers as the head girl for this year.

Kia ora koutou,

Ko mauao toku maunga

Ko wairoa toku awa

Ko mataatua toku waka

Ko ngāi te rangi toku iwi

Ko ngati hangarau toku Marae

No Otautāhi ahau

Ko te puna wai o hereora toku kura

Ko Karl toku matua

Ko Sonya toku whaea

Ko Neve raua ko Piper toku teina

Ko Billie Arapera toku ingoa

Ko Nuku toku ingoa whanau

Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa.

Whaia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei.

Aim for the highest cloud so that if you miss it, you will hit a lofty mountain.

I remember when I was in year 6 and I found out that we were going to be moving into a new house. It meant that I wasn’t going to go to the intermediate where most of my friends were going. I was scared, because for me everything was going to be NEW. My house. My school. Ok, well maybe I was exaggerating a bit, not everything was new but for me it really felt like it.

Through that year NEW was a word used lots. But because of the word NEW I also learnt about the word CHANGE and DIFFERENT which is why I know that my time at Breens was no mistake, because now going into high school, the words NEW, DIFFERENT and CHANGE will come up once again, but this time I will have the Breens tree values and the intermediate experience to help drive me into the teenage world.

Breens intermediate has challenged me by bringing out the best that I can be. I have had the opportunity to do things like the BC where I had to go out of my comfort zone and do things that, before then, I probably wouldn’t choose to do. Breens has given me loads of new and challenging opportunities like skiing, sports tournaments, biking the rail trail, Koru games, band quest, performing in our production, to name just few.

Breens has also helped me grow in my learning, like in maths, a subject that I didn’t think I was very good at but now I kinda like. ;)

One highlight from my whole two years would be, being part of the Breens Kapa haka group. There have been so many cool opportunities with Kapa haka and the whanau class, such as staying at the Rapaki Marae and performing at the cultural and Tuhono festival, which we were able to win this year.

I know someday I’m probably going to say the same thing about my next stage in life but honestly, I think that my time here at Breens has been the best. Not only have I been able to meet new people and make loads of new friends whom I can take with me into high school, but I have also learnt lots. I learnt a lot about what it means to be a leader. I have learnt lots about what it is like to be in a new space. I have learnt what it is like to be a teacher through going to the noho marae trip. I have also learnt a heap about myself and who I am and want to be. Of course I don’t know exactly what I want to do in the future or who I’m going to be but I do have what Breens has taught me to help guide me.

My Breens life hack for the year 7s of this year would be to never give up. Never give up being your best. Never give in to wanting to be the coolest year 8. Don’t give in to what you think other people want to see, but do what you KNOW is the right way. Do your best not someone else's best. You are the coolest you, there ever was and will be.

Intermediate is a once in a lifetime opportunity, take in every last bit of it because your only at intermediate ONCE.