When you have a school of our size, there is always something happening in the staff room, so it's time to check in and see what's news in 2022.

At the beginning of Term 2, we celebrated a new addition to Argyle House and the Marrow family, with Mr Hayden Marrow and wife Amy welcoming their daughter Millie.  Our Headmaster, Mrs Hassall, was presented with her OBE medal, awarded in last year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List, at a ceremony in Wellington by the Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro.

Term 2 also began on the saddest of notes, with the news that Mr Peter Skerman, former Head of the Social Sciences Faculty, Hostel Master, and History Teacher extraordinaire, had passed away on the 29th of April, 2022, after a long battle with illness.  The Skerman family, along with HBHS staff and students, welcomed all those who had been impacted and inspired by Mr Skerman back to the school and celebrated everything he had achieved in his decades of exemplary service to education with a remembrance service held in the Hall on the first Saturday in May.  It was a powerful and moving tribute to a beloved teacher who is missed by so many of us.

Later in Term 2, Mr Murray McKenzie received two awards in recognition for his years of service at Argyle House at the National Boarding Schools Conference. One was for long service (19 years and counting) and the other was as the Top Boarding House Leader in New Zealand.  Fellow Argyllian, Mr Rahiti Teokotai-White, was recognised for his achievements in Water Polo at the New Zealand Water Polo 2021 National Awards, as he was named Coach of the Year.  The HBHS team he coached to gold was also recognised and named the Team of the Year (Male). Joining the HBHS staff was Mrs Anna Ryan, as the new Head of Social Studies.  Former HBHS staff member, and reliever, Mrs Rosy Ellis, welcomed a son, Monty, after completing a full day of relief teaching!  Mr Graham Nolan was appointed as the Head of the Mathematics Faculty, as Mr Charlton Thompson moved into the Principal's Nominee role, vacated by Mr Phil Basel.

Term 3 saw Mr Rahiti Teokotai-White depart for Serbia, as the coach of the New Zealand Under 20 Men's Water Polo team. We celebrated Mr Caleb Shepherd's engagement to Rachel and Mr Cameron Moorby's engagement to Tori.

When we returned for the final term of this year, we congratulated Mr Rahiti Teokotai-White (who has had a very eventful year!) on his marriage to Kelsi.

Term 4 also saw the HBHS staff mark five years since the passing of Deputy Headmaster Mr Graham Robinson.  A function was held on the 17th of November next to the Graham Robinson Memorial Doors at the front of the school so that staff who remember Graham could acknowledge and celebrate his incalculable contribution to our school.  On that day staff also wore white shirts as a tribute to Mr Robinson's signature style.

Nau mai haere mai to the HBHS Staff Class of 2022...

This year we welcomed (or rather re-welcomed back) Mr Oliva Cowley, who joined the English Faculty and taught Junior English, Social Studies, Pasifika Studies and Aotearoa Studies.  Mr Cowley is the Teacher in Charge of the Pasifika Tutor Groups and helped raise the profile of our Pasifika boys, strengthening the relationships with Pasifika families as well.  He helped develop a Pasifika singing group and worked with our Ultimate Frisbee team.

Joining the Science Faculty from Palmerston North Boys' High School was Mr Levi Ensing, who taught Science and Physics classes.  He had a very successful year, getting involved in our Senior Debating programme and helping them to achieve success at regional and National levels.

Another returnee to HBHS was Mr Bevan Galbraith, who took up the role of Teacher in Charge of Music after the departure of Mr Josiah Abbott last year.  He worked hard to push our Music students to explore compositional techniques and realise their work in a practical sense through scoring for themselves and other instrumentalists in order to record their work to a higher standard, which we all thoroughly enjoyed throughout the year!  Mr Galbraith has a wide range of musical interests such as instrument building and studio recording and wants to foster this wider view of music for our students to see it as a lifelong endeavour.

Mrs Rebecca Greenhalgh joined our HPW Faculty from St Peter's Cambridge and taught Physical Education and Health.  She enjoyed pushing her senior Physical Education students to gain confidence in themselves and apply their knowledge to succeed.   She was very happy to join such a great faculty as well!

Mr Arndt Heuer joined our Mathematics Faculty from Howick College in Auckland and taught Mathematics from Years 10 to 12.   He involved himself in karate and archery in 2022.

The renowned musician and music educator Mr Paul Norman joined the HBHS Music Department in 2022 as our Itinerant Brass Tutor and Jazz Band Director. Mr Norman has made an outstanding contribution to the music department at HBHS.  His commitment to our students and his teaching and performance capabilities are exceptional, with the HBHS Jazz Band performing at the highest standard it has been in many years. Mr Norman has an extensive background at an international level in the music industry.  HBHS is fortunate to have such a hard-working music educator join our Music staff.

Mrs Amy Pye joined our Mathematics Faculty from Alfriston School and taught Year 9 Mathematics, Year 10 Integrated Mathematics and Science, and Year 11 Mathematics.  She enjoyed getting to know her students and wants to learn more about Canoe Polo at HBHS.  Sadly, Mrs Pye is leaving HBHS at the end of this year, and will be taking up a position as a liaison officer with the PPTA.  We wish her well in her new venture.

Whaea Andrea Randell joined the English Faculty from Cambridge High School and taught classes from Years 9 to 12.  She involved herself in our sports programme as the Teacher in Charge of Softball and created a Basketball Referees Academy.  Whaea Randell continues to work to raise the profile of Māori and Pasifika boys in classes in order to build confident and courageous young men and took on the role of Year 13 Dean mid-way through 2022.

Mr Shaun Sanders joined the staff from Paeroa College.  He has been teaching Science and Biology.  He has also been involved in establishing the tabletop gaming club.

Mr Caleb Shepherd is another returnee to HBHS as an Old Boy and Olympian, where he coxed the New Zealand Women's Eight to a silver medal at Tokyo last year.  He taught in the English Faculty where he has Year 10 to 12 classes, and threw himself into our school rowing programme as the Coach of the Under 18 crew where he added a Maadi Cup win in 2022 to his already impressive list of titles and trophies.

Mr Jacob Sparrow crossed the road from Peachgrove Intermediate to join our LAM Faculty, where he taught Photography and Art Design. He has worked hard to support the creative work of our up-and-coming artists and designers and helped them to celebrate it through exhibitions and success in NCEA.

Mr Willem Steenkamp joined our HPW Faculty from Leamington Primary School in Cambridge and taught Gateway, Mathematics and Social Studies.  He has thoroughly enjoyed continuing his involvement with HBHS sport, after helping out with the Senior White Rugby team last year.

Joining the Science Faculty from Melville High School was Mr Jason Steyn-Ross, who taught Year 9 - 11 Science and Year 12 - 13 Physics. He has involved himself in our summer sports programme as the Coach and Manager of the Year 9 Maroon Cricket team.

Whaea Lynley St George joined our Technology Faculty as an I.T. teacher and got involved in archery and tabletop gaming. She finished her teacher training here last year and is hugely grateful for the support she received from our school community, both last year and this year. At the start of the year, she was looking forward to the House Competition and seeing how Steel House fared. Oh, well...

Mr Jonnie Te-Ruki Chambers was another Old Boy who returned to HBHS, this time from Wellington College, and taught Year 10 Adventure Based Learning, Year 12 Outdoor Education, and Year 12 Sports Studies in the HPW Faculty. He relished the opportunity to give back to the school community and was involved in outdoor education trips and the HBHS Rugby programme.

Miss Jessica Weller has joined the HPW Faculty from Cambridge High School and Maeroa Intermediate where she worked with Mrs Bower as a member of our Guidance Department.  She has worked hard on supporting the mental and emotional well-being of our staff and students, as well as getting involved with our Squash team.

Mr Chris Winks joined our HPW Faculty from Whangaparāoa College where he taught Junior Physical Education and Health, Year 12 Physical Education and Year 13 Outdoor Education. He enjoyed making the most of the sporting opportunities available at HBHS and going on the outdoor education trips on offer.

Mr Eric Lefson joined us from South Africa at the beginning of the third term.  An experienced teacher of Mathematics and a long-time coach of cricket at first team level, Mr Lefson's personal passion is golf.  We also welcomed Mr Patrick Harrison and Mr Maihi Jones.

Joining our administration staff this year was Mr Sean McCarthy as the Facilities Co-ordinator and Sports Assistant. Sean oversaw all internal and external hireage of the school and assisted Mr McKenzie in the Sports Department.

Ms Leah Saunders joined the nursing team in the Health Centre working three days a week alongside Mrs Diana Astwood and Mrs Raewyn Hallett.

Finally, last year we reluctantly farewelled Mrs Jill Skerman, so we were delighted to welcome her back at the beginning of 2022, this time working in the School Library.

And now, as we said haere mai, we must say haere rā to those leaving us in 2022.

In Term 2 we said goodbye, not farewell, to Mr Logan Asplin, who has taken a year off to live in Hong Kong and coach rugby professionally.  We also said farewell, sadly, to Mr Phil Basel, who has left HBHS a far better place for having been here for over 13 years.  His enthusiasm, passion and determination to get things done, not to mention his extraordinary energy levels, were appreciated by all.  Mr Basel moved between senior Physics, Maths, and Science classes, and did this seemingly effortlessly. He was never bothered, always cheerful and willing to help no matter how busy he was (and he was always busy!), and never found any problem or challenge too big or too much. He took on the not-inconsiderable role of Principal's Nominee which put him in charge of examinations and assessments, including Cambridge and more recently SATs, and was also the Master in Charge of Hockey and Rock Climbing.  Such was Mr Basel’s standing within the Cambridge International Examination community that he was recognised in their New Zealand update in July, with his extensive accomplishments in construction within the education sector, including his innovative use of 60 tonnes of recycled plastic in the hockey turf, a first for New Zealand, celebrated.  His contributions to the hockey turf, the swimming pool and the cricket nets were immense, and it is project management he has now moved into full-time, with Octa Associates Limited, where we are certain he will continue to enjoy the same levels of success.

Miss Elaina Guildea is leaving HBHS for a one-year-long visit to Ireland, where she will reconnect with family and friends, particularly her parents and several new nephews and nieces.  She hopes to head back to school as normal in 2024.  We wish her safe travels and look forward to her return.

Miss Kim Van der Toorn will be leaving us soon as she goes on maternity leave.  We look forward to meeting Ivah’s little sister or brother next year.  

Mr Michael Dodunski is also leaving us to become a stay-at-home parent, and will be returning to HBHS as a relief teacher in the future.

Deputy Headmaster Mr Nick Power is going on leave for two years and will be heading to Melbourne to take up the role of Deputy Principal at Southern Cross Grammar School.  We wish him every success in this new venture and look forward to his return.

Mrs Dilani Arachchige was here for Terms 2 and 3 in 2022. She came to us from Hawera and taught Science at Years 9, 10, and 11.  She has gone back to Sri Lanka for family reasons.

Ms Katrina Hartley joined HBHS in 2021 as a Metal Technology teacher, becoming the first female teacher in this role in the history of our school.  She spent much of her time in the workshop, helping our boys complete their projects, and popped out to assist with the Refugee Swimming programme at lunchtimes.  A highlight for her has been seeing how happy the boys were when they mastered a concept or completed their projects, but she admits it has been challenging studying and working full time, along with being a Mum to three children.  Next year she returns to graduate study full time, and we wish her every success in this.

Mr Kyle Martin arrived at HBHS at the beginning of 2021, and has been the TCR of Design and Visual Communication Technology as well as a Grove House Master in his time here.  Next year he returns to Auckland and we wish him well in his new teaching position at Howick College.

Mrs Leeann Morgan began teaching at HBHS in 2019 as the Teacher in Charge of Agribusiness, TCR of Year 10 Science and Teacher in Charge of Mountain biking and Multisport.  If this wasn’t enough, Agribusiness was a new subject to HBHS in 2020, so that involved a lot of extra work after hours to get the subject up and running.  Mrs Morgan has been heavily involved in HBHS sport, and has overseen National title wins in Multisport and Mountain Biking, including three championship and two runners-up medals in 2022 alone.  Creating a new subject was a highlight as was bringing guest speakers into class to talk to the boys about Agribusiness and the possible career opportunities.  Being able to see her two boys (and two nephews) and their friends at school each day has been very special. Having said that, being a Mum and a teacher has been tricky at times, and being the first aider with the school Mountain Biking team has meant having to deal with lots of blood, broken bones, broken boys and bikes!  Mrs Morgan is going back into the Agribusiness industry working with farmers in a role at Federated Farmers in 2023.  She will be spending her days on farms (wearing gumboots) across Auckland, Waikato and Northland, and we hope she will be a future guest speaker at the HBHS Agribusiness classes sharing her experiences in the years to come.

Ms Lynette Burroughs joined HBHS in 2019 where she looked after Archives and assisted with the Old Boys. Lynette has done a wonderful job preserving our history and showcasing it over the years. She also made the most beautiful flower arrangements. Lynette will be leaving us at the end of the year to enjoy spending time with her family and retirement.

Mrs Ali Lennan was a supportive and wonderful parent of two special young men who attended HBHS.  We are grateful for her involvement in both the Foundation and many events and functions within the school including the Hall of Fame.  Ali will be leaving us in early 2023.

Assistant Principal and returning Old Boy, Mr Andrew Gibbs, joined HBHS in 2019, taking on Communications and Organisation, as well as the Teacher in Charge of Ultimate Frisbee, and coaching the Under 14A and Under 15B Rugby teams.  He has enjoyed reconnecting with some of the iconic staff members who were here when he was a student, such as Mr Kuggeleijn, Mr West, Mr Steel, and Mr Tizard.  He is especially grateful for the opportunity to work alongside Mrs Hassall, who guided him into teaching when she was the Dean of Form 7 (now Year 13).  The Executive team has been special to work with and has been welcoming and caring in their approach.  He will miss being a part of this group under the tutelage of Mrs Hassall.  A highlight has been reconnecting with Mr Steel, who coached Mr Gibbs, and who he had the pleasure of coaching alongside.  The introduction of the “Steelo” Trophy, played for by the Under 14A and Under 15B Rugby teams was a small token of appreciation for someone who has contributed so much to HBHS Rugby.  One thing Mr Gibbs will not miss is organising day relief, especially during the COVID years, which was a formidable challenge.  He also found it challenging to leave HBHS, a place that he has enjoyed spending so much time in, but he is very much looking forward to his new role at the University of Waikato as a Student Engagement Manager.  With the number of HBHS students who attend our local university, we are sure to see him in the future, and we wish him every success.

Mrs Meaghan Cooley arrived at HBHS in 2017 and has taught in the English Faculty for six years, becoming the Teacher in Charge of the Supported Learning classes in 2021, a role she has performed superbly in.  She has thoroughly enjoyed her experiences teaching in an all-boys school for the first time, and rates taking the HBHS Lacrosse team to the National Championships this year, winning a silver medal, as a highlight.  Mrs Cooley is off to another (mostly) boys' school next year and heads just up the road to St Paul’s Collegiate, where she will continue to teach English.  We will miss her expertise, her kindness and her care, and wish her every success in her new role.

Mr Philip Hague began teaching at HBHS as a permanent part-time Social Studies teacher, but within a week had also acquired a Year 9 Mathematics class.  By the end of this year, he will have taught here for 11 years, mostly in the Social Sciences faculty, having also taught a Year 9 Financial Literacy class.  He enjoyed creating learning activities and using his life experiences to make the content relevant for his students, although getting through material at times was challenging.  He also found time to manage a junior cricket team.  We will see Mr Hague in school next year as a relief teacher, and he is looking forward to the slower pace and more personal time this role brings.

Matua Mita Graham leaves HBHS after 11 years in the HPW and lately the LAM Faculty.  As a school we benefitted hugely from his expertise in Te Reo and Tikanga Māori and his generosity and willingness to share his knowledge and experience was appreciated by all of us. In terms of his sporting contribution to HBHS, his accomplishments on the Touch field are legendary, after debuting for New Zealand in 2009 and playing ever since, and his contribution to our HBHS Touch programme has been immense.  He has coached our Premier Touch team to regional and National titles, and just this year, took a very young team to the NZSS Touch Tournament, where they finished fifth in the country. To name but a few of his accolades, Matua Graham is the Vodafone Warriors Touch Captain, the Touch Blacks Captain, and in 2019 was honoured with a cap and blazer on his 50th test, an honour that fewer than 10 players had achieved at that time.  Fortunately, the youth of New Zealand will still benefit from Matua Graham's expertise and mentorship as he takes up a specially-created role with New Zealand Sport next year.  He has loved his time at HBHS, both as a staff member and an Old Boy, but wants to try something new and live by the messages he has imparted to students and players here to have a growth mindset and step out of their comfort zones.  We will miss him very much, but we know he will be absolutely fantastic in this new role, and we wish him every success.  Kia kaha e hoa. 

Mr Brian Jones arrived at HBHS in 2004 and has largely been involved with teaching Economics, Business and financial subjects over the past 18 years.  He has been heavily involved in Junior Cricket, coached Football teams and has been involved with Cue Sports.  Some of his personal highlights over the years include coaching the Junior Colts Cricket side to a National title win in 2007 and being involved in the Year 10 Camps Programme which involved taking students to various National Parks and on some of the spectacular Great Walks of Aotearoa New Zealand.  Next year Mr Jones is hoping to do some relief work, and is very much looking forward to spending time with family and catching up with jobs that have been waiting for a while!  We look forward to seeing him back here from time to time and wish him well in his semi-retirement.

Mr Maurice Matthews and his family arrived at HBHS in March 2000, from Argentina. They went into Argyle House, with Mr Matthews as a Master in 2001, and stayed there until Easter 2010.  He loved his time in the Hostel and still speaks of it fondly.  He has been the Teacher in Charge of Spanish since 2000 and has run the HBHS Aviation Club since 2008, helping many boys into the aviation industry.  In addition, he, his wife Alice, and John and Trish Steel have led five Spanish tours, three to Argentina in 2007, 2009, and 2012, and two to Spain in 2015, and 2018.  The tour planned for 2021 was, unfortunately, derailed by COVID-19.  He wanted to mention just how special the HBHS staff are, and how they have been so open to offering help and friendship.  Next year, Mr Matthews will hopefully be back with us doing some relieving, and he has a whole heap of hobbies lined up.  He is also looking forward to spending more time with his precious grandchildren.  We thank him for all that he has contributed, and we wish him every happiness as he spends time with his family.

Finally, Mr David Stowers leaves HBHS after teaching here for 21 years, having arrived in 2002.  However, this was not his first stint at HBHS, having first arrived here in 1979, the same year that Mrs Hassall started teaching at HBHS!  Mr Stowers taught at HBHS until 1981, then returned in 2002.  In his time here he has been the Head of the Mathematics Faculty, and more recently, the Dean of Pasifika students.  He has been a key leadership figure for the Pasifika students and staff at HBHS for over two decades.  He started the Pasifika Tutor Groups and has mentored and supported the students, helping them learn, share and cherish their Polynesian values and culture.  His firm but loving approach has helped many Pasifika students succeed at school and go on to achieve many of their life goals.  Mr Stowers will be missed by us all and we wish him all the best as he retires and spends time with his loving aiga.