Tēnā koutou e te whānau

This online Yearbook is a snapshot of the highlights and memorable events of the year, and a record of the students and staff members who formed the Waimairi-iri Burnside High School community in 2022. I hope it will remind you of good times with friends, the new people you met, our diverse cultures, sports, cultural, performing arts events, and your year of learning and striving to be better in all that you do.

What an extraordinary year 2022 has been, impacted hugely by COVID-19 world. This year’s mantra: Ka whati te tī, ka wana te tī, ka rito te tī. When ti kōuka is tested by the elements, it builds inner strength, then begins to grow again, helped us navigate the challenges and the restrictions that the pandemic brought.

Well done and thank you to the BHS Community for the way you responded, making the best of the situation we found ourselves in. Special thanks, in particular, go to the students for maintaining their motivation to learn and participate in school life.

In spite of everything, it has been a year of successes in academic work, in cultural activities, in the arts, in sport, in leadership, and in service. Many students achieved outstanding results; and hopefully all attained higher standards than before, tested themselves in new areas and approached things with the determination to be the best they can be.

A highlight of Term 4 was that we could hold our prizegiving and graduation events. The Sports Prizegiving, Music Prizegiving, Year 11 and 12 Prizegiving, and the Year 13 Graduation and Prizegiving at the Christchurch Town Hall were all wonderful occasions. More recently we held a Poroporoaki and Fia Fia, with the Year 9 and 10 Prizegiving on the final day of the term. Congratulations to everyone involved in these special occasions and to all our prizewinners.

To our Year 13 students, and others who are leaving our school community, I wish you all the very best for the next stages of your education. Our school motto Recte sic dirige cursum – Kōwhiria te huanui tika – along this path direct your journey correctly, links strongly to ti kōuka, the centuries-old guiding point in our school’s landscape. I hope you feel you have been guided through Burnside High School - that you have attained the qualifications you were capable of and that you needed, and that you developed the personal qualities and confidence to choose the right pathways in life. I hope you will remember with pride and affection the security, support, shelter, and strength of your ‘cabbage tree’ years.

To those returning next year we look forward to seeing you back in February, refreshed and ready to tackle another year of opportunities and challenges.

To all those who have, directly or indirectly, enriched the lives of our students this year: teaching and support staff, Board and PTA members, coaches, tutors, community volunteers, whānau, I extend my sincere thanks and best wishes.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini

Success is not the work of one, but the efforts of us all.

You will be aware that, after eight years, I have resigned from my position as Principal of Burnside High School, effective at the end of this school year. To all who have been part of my time at Burnside, thank you for your care, your dedication, and for everything you do that contributes to our great school. Although another stage of my life is about to start – leaving is also a wrench. The relationships that I have valued will alter. I do love Burnside High School; and believe absolutely in its ability to make a positive difference to young people, by providing them with an excellent learning environment and boundless opportunities. I am really proud of this school, its great students, great teachers and wonderful families. I feel honoured and grateful for the privilege of serving this community for the past eight years, and wish you all the very best for the future.

I leave you with our School Vision, a phrase which encompasses all that I believe in: “Personal excellence and care for others”.

Kia hora te marino

Kia whakapapa pounamu te moana

Kia tere te karohirohi i mua i to huarahi

May the calm be widespread

May the sea glisten like greenstone

And may the sun always dance in front of your pathway

Ngā mihi nui

Phil Holstein

Tumuaki Principal