A group of six Year 13 students were selected to represent HBHS in the 2023 Waikato Management School Leadership Academy. Two key components of the programme were the first-year university paper we completed, called Introduction to Leadership and the three on-site days where we interacted with other leaders from schools all across the Waikato region. On these days we took part in challenges aimed at developing and refining our leadership skills. This included participating in practical team-building activities such as assembling bikes which were later donated to the Waikato Settlement Centre. From a personal level, everyone enjoyed the integration of community involvement into the course, really demonstrating the power of servant leadership which we explored throughout the course. Some other highlights included online lessons and Zoom discussions about the challenges of being a leader, and group projects which helped us understand the power of teamwork. Overall, the programme proved to be enriching and rewarding for our students, who will take what they have learned with them into the next stage of their career journey.

NZSS Case Competition

This is a secondary school version of a popular global activity where teams are given a case study of a company and are tasked with providing innovative solutions to issues faced by the business. We entered four teams into this competition, with the Year 13s (Team Peace, Land and Bread) making it to the semi-finals. They provided this brief report:

This year we were challenged with the task of choosing and exploring the most profitable company to create a video game for basketball star LeBron James and his PR team LRMR in their pursuit to help LeBron become the first-ever basketball billionaire. All options had their merits, however, the deal that resonated with our team the most was 2K Games. Their deal gave the team the most publicity with the most freedom which was the goal of the LRMR team and what our overall report was marked on. Our dedication to the task and strong teamwork proved fruitful as we were named semi-finalists.

For the semi-finals, we were required to present our strategy to maximise profitability to a panel of judges. Despite failing to make it to the finals, our team enjoyed the process of combating the challenges we were set.

Kyle Barker, Josef Gillgren, Alexander Mayo, and Luca Sweetman

New Zealand Economics Competition

The NZ Economics Competition was a challenging multiple-choice test which took place in the middle of the year. Economics students in Years 13 and 12EC1 entered the competition. It extended the knowledge of the 12EC1 students and gave them an idea of what Year 13 Economics may hold. The results of this competition provided our candidates with an idea of how we measured up against other Economics students across New Zealand.

Amongst those gaining High Distinction, Harry O’Rourke was placed 10th in New Zealand in the Year 12 section, and Daniel Loy was 20th. Prize Giving at the Auckland Business School was a wonderful time to network with other students and understand what studying Economics at university is like.

Our thanks to Mrs Razak and Mrs Ashby for preparing our students for this competition.