On top of being a place to find ourselves, our passions, and foster lifelong friendships, Te Kamo High School has also been essential in developing our academics and broadening our future horizons. Next year Luke, Lucia, and I are all leaving home to set off our next big adventure. We’ll all be moving as far away from Whangarei as possible down to the deep south to complete tertiary study at the University of Otago, as well as causing a bit of mayhem on Castle St while we're at it I’m sure. Luke and Lucia are both set on first year health science, and I will be undertaking a double degree of law and psychology. This next big step in our lives is certainly scary, but it’s also incredibly exciting, and the opportunity to make this dream come true is owed in large part to Te Kamo. We have the utmost gratitude for all the people that have supported us and dealt with every side of our teenage personalities throughout our time here at high school. While I have the chance I’d like to give a massive thank you to my parents, you’re my biggest supporters, you always tell me to be good or at least be careful, and I'm happy to say that I’ve been very careful these past few years. Thank you to my grandparents for letting me visit every day after school and spoiling me with afternoon tea. Thank you as well to my amazing teachers, on behalf of the greatest and most perfect year 13 cohort you’ve ever taught, we are immensely grateful for the effort and care you provided us with over our 5 years here. And finally a massive thank you to all of my incredible friends who have truly made these past couple years the best of my life. I love you all and promise to visit you next year during Uni. These people have been the force to steer me and everyone else toward opportunity and success, we wouldn’t be standing up here on stage without them, and all the students in the crowd tonight will graduate and live to achieve great things thanks to the support and community of Te Kamo. Every person is like a tapestry. Each brush stroke represents the people and the lessons that have shaped who we are. And now it is time to open the finest exhibit as we step away from our lives as students, and show the world our beautiful works of art. As my good friend and mullet enthusiast Alex Powell would put it… together we will reach the sunset.

Now to wrap this up, this is Taine, Luke, and Lucia signing out as your 2025 head prefects. Thank you all, and we wish you the very best.