Although the events of 2020 may have interrupted many scheduled performance opportunities, students at Nayland College have continued to shine and excel within dance, drama, music and kapa haka. Our Arts Awards on Thursday night celebrated our top achievers and performers as well as those who have served and contributed in a variety of ways behind the scenes. Well done to everyone!

In this year of Covid, we appreciate the role of the arts so much more strongly than ever before. What would we have done without music, art, song, dance and Netflix during lockdown? The arts lift our spirits, inspire us, give us hope, help us to think and feel deeply about the world and our people. We may not be able to travel, our circumstances may have changed, we may be struggling financially more than usual, but we have our dreams, our hopes, our art to sustain us. 

Many families used lockdown to create and share. Baking was big, as was gardening, painting and drawing, writing and of course performing. In this environment, it has been such a privilege for us to continue to offer our students the opportunity to perform and our families and friends the opportunity to enjoy these performances.

On Thursday night, we celebrated the successes, talents, creativity and hard work of our students at the annual Arts Awards. Awards were presented in the categories of Kapa Haka, Dance, Drama and Music, with the evening culminating with the most prestigious: the De Jong trophy for selfless service to the arts and then the Cultural Blues presented by Trevor Olley, who introduced the Cultural Prizegiving 16 years ago.

Our 2020 major award winners are:

Spaak Cup - Most improved junior student in music

• Peter Gray

Eileen Appleton-Maher Cup - Outstanding contribution to drama

• Brodie Seelen

Trinity College London Cup - Outstanding contribution to concert band

• Josie Batt

Bruce Meikle Cup - Excellence in music

• Kaitlyn Rodley

Chapman-Cohen Musical Award - Outstanding contribution to music

• Natania Ngawhau

Cassandra Wells Cup - Best comedy performance

• Will Irvine & Tiaki Sharp

Jones Cup - Outstanding contribution to dance

• Jack Nolan

Nelson City Brass Cup - Most improved brass player

• Douglas Clark

Nelson Civic Choir Choral Cup - Outstanding contribution to choral music

• George Burgess

VAST Dance Festival Trophy - Most promising young dancer

• Lydia Fitzgerald

Nayland College Junior Drama Cup - Most promising junior drama student

• Molly Clarke & Tyler Curtis

Nayland College Drama Cup - Best performance in drama

• Tui Guerrero

Nayland Dance Trophy - Attitude & perseverance

• Sulma Wilson & Aira Quirimit

Nayland College Jazz Band Cup - Outstanding contribution to jazz band

• Freya Moffat

Nayland College Orchestra Trophy - Outstanding contribution to orchestra

• Isabel Lyttle

Nigel E. Weeks QSM Trophy - Outstanding musician

• Toby Sussex

Kaitātaki Tāne - Outstanding male leader

• Canon Hedley

Kaitātaki Wahine - Outstanding female leader

• Juahna Hura

Te Whakawhanake - Most improved in kapa haka

• Jade Ngaheu

Te Manawanui - Commitment and participation

• Kate Lineham

Kaitautoko - Best all round supporter and cultivator of kapa haka

• James Reneti

De Jong Trophy - Outstanding selfless service to the arts

• Sophie Hampson

Cultural Blues:

• James Reneti, Sophie Hampson, Douglas Clark, Toby Sussex, Kaitlyn Rodley, Natania Ngawhau & George Burgess