Bula vinaka! 🇫🇯

My name is Quinton Tabuavou, from the Fiji Islands, and I am a Year 12 student. HBHS, and the Pasifika Tutor Group, have been very good at teaching me things needed for life - including things about my wider Pasifika culture. I look forward to my final year with everyone and a fantastic year of learning and growth! I’m excited about being a leader in 2023 for the Pasifika boys, and having the opportunity to pass on the things I have learnt to the boys coming after me.
Vinaka vakalevu.

Lamoni Muliaumasealii (Year 9) 🇼🇸

How to condense a year into a paragraph? At the beginning of the year every Year 9 was thinking... 

"Okay, don’t be that guy who gets lost." 

"Why are they called periods?" 

"Woah, there's no way that guy's still in school, he’s a giant!"

 All of these thoughts, with the added pressure of stepping into the new realm of high school and COVID!

The first term was chaotic and would’ve been worse had it not been for the teachers. Term 2 was a little better as we started settling into this new world. Rugby season was coming up, and knowing that this is the rugby school, big expectations were set…. and met with a ‘seki’, almost perfect season; and mid-year exams sneaking in there to give us a little jump. Term 3 was just a normal term with the realisation that we had already made it through half of the year. Term 4, and we realised the first year at high school was quickly coming to an end. The seniors have since left and end-of-year exams are just around the corner. As we look back on the year we see all the strangers we met at the beginning of the year who are now brothers, all the new experiences we’ve had, and we realise that without the supporting environment at HBHS these successes would have never happened. This is how you condense a year into a paragraph.

Lance Fuimaono 🇼🇸

How was your first year at HBHS and what was it like?

Before I came to HBHS I felt a little bit nervous, which I’m sure was how many felt coming to such a big and prestigious school. Luckily for me, I am half-Samoan and I was invited to join the Pasifika Tutor Group. There are also Māori Tutor Groups and other Tutor Groups that help new boys to adjust to the school. The older kids in the Pasifika group helped me and the other Year 9 boys feel comfortable during our first year. Next year I look forward to helping the next group of boys, too. I also want to try out more sports and cultural activities next year. For Year 8 students, I encourage you to definitely consider joining HBHS, not only for the opportunities available but because of the bonds that you can make there.

Malachi Tafuna 🇹🇴 🇼🇸

My first year at HBHS was a big change to my life. It was different to the other schools I had been to. For example, the school was much bigger and memorising the map was challenging. Also, moving to different classes every hour was a new experience. The school always pushed me to reach my potential. This year I joined one of the Pasifika Tutor Groups. This gave me a sense of belonging, as I was exposed to my culture, the cultures of others, and I got lots of support. It also has given me lots of opportunities, like the Pasifika Performing Group and many more things like this such as singing and brotherhood. To me it is a big family, and I can not wait for my next year at HBHS.

Nauvoo Dixon 🇹🇴

Coming to the end of my 5 years at HBHS, I realise now how much I am going to miss it. Beginning Year 9 I was super-scared that I was going to get bullied just like in the movies, but then I realised HBHS didn’t really have any. I was super nervous to put myself out there, but I did. And performing in Pasifika by Nature, 2018, has been one of the highlights of my journey! Meeting all of these crack-up lads left and right, and suddenly I had surrounded myself with a pretty decent bunch (despite getting my first and only faculty detention in Week 2). BUT I STILL WISH I DID KAPA HAKA BACK THEN!!!!.

Year 10s really act like they’re the “seniors of the juniors”, like that makes any sense! Everyone went from talking about Minecraft to suddenly thinking they’re the coolest dawgs in town! Cracks me up now looking back at some of those fools. STILL DIDN’T DO HAKAS FOR SOME REASON!!!.

Year 11... Everyone was saying that it was going to be “a big step up from Year 10!” as you start doing NCEA. But it ended up being so easy! BIGGEST LEARNING TIP: involve yourself in the lessons. This makes learning so much easier. FINALLY DID HAKAS AND IT WAS THE BEST!!! Shout out to COVID which made me miss half a year of school though!

Year 12... Super chill, not much to say, out of all the years this one gave me the most “meh” energy. Probably since we had derived grades – but I kept involving myself in my lessons so things just seem to stick in my brain. DID HAKAS AGAIN!!.

Year 13... My best year, 💯. And that’s largely because I became bro’s with all of the Deputy and Assistant Principals! Being a Prefect really helped me with that one though. But seriously, I was high fiving and saying chur to all the teachers by the end of the year. And the amount of opportunities that were afforded to me because of my position as a Prefect and from being on such good terms with so many of the staff really made the year top the rest. Not much to say other than that. Everyone says it goes by in a flash, and it’s true, but I’m going to go with a different approach. Truth be told, you're in an amazing school! TOP TIER at everything we choose to involve ourselves in. The difference between the boys that dislike or that love the school is relative to the amount of demerits they have as well! If you listen and pay attention, you’ll see how amazing the school is and how cool all of the staff are. Alternatively, if you disrespect the school, its teachers and/or its students, why would you love it? You didn’t show the school any love so you miss the opportunities that are available. The quote I choose to leave with you is something special: “Change the way you look at things, and things tend to look different!” If you see this school as a blessing, then that's what it’ll be, nē e hoa mā!

Natthanael Lavasi’i 🇼🇸

If I were to pull together all my favourite memories here at HBHS, most of the memories would be with the Pasifika Group. Whether it be the intense shadow boxing sessions with the boys before Tutor Group, getting fresh Mama’s Donuts from the one and only Mr Oliva Cowley (who we welcome back to HBHS!) or the return of the gruelling after-school Samoan and Tongan stage practices with tutors, Jake Scurrah and AJ Mulipola (Old Boys’). It was an incredible experience.

Pasifika at HBHS was the foundation for the success that I have experienced later on in my time here at school. This year saw the return of Old Boy, Mr Jonnie Te Ruki-Chambers who took over one of the Pasifika Tutor Groups for the year. By having the Pasifika Tutor Groups, Pasifika boys feel empowered to take on any challenge because of the strong foundation of support that the Pasifika Tutor Groups offer. With the easing of restrictions we have been able to restart our Pasifika Performing Group, under the tutelage of Old Boy instructors and Mrs Landy Nonoa, a Director and co-owner of Talents of the Pacific Academy (TOPA). We have had the honour and pleasure of performing at various special events this year such as, The Hospice Charity dinner, that raised over half a million dollars and had over 5,000 people in attendance, the Te Puawai Festival, that had over 1,000 people in attendance, and, to finish off the year, we performed at our Māori and Pasifika Awards Evening in front of whānau, staff, and friends.

Before I finish, I would like to sincerely thank Mr Oliva Cowley, Ms Phillipa Grace, Mr Rahiti Teokotai-White, and Mr Tavita Stowers for constantly working behind the scenes for us Pasifika boys to pursue our ambitions and goals.

I have been extremely blessed and grateful to be a part of an amazing group of people and am looking forward to where they are going in the near future.

I am eternally grateful and extremely proud to say that I am Pasifika student (now Old Boy) of HBHS.