Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora – Speak Up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying!

On Friday 20 May, our school supported Pink Shirt Day and raised funds for the Mental Health Foundation. Pink Shirt Day is about people working together to stop bullying by celebrating diversity and promoting kindness and inclusiveness. It’s about creating a community where all people feel safe, valued and respected, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, religion or cultural background (pinkshirtday.org.nz).

Research shows that bullying remains a serious issue for students in New Zealand. We have the third highest rate of school bullying out of 36 OECD countries. Students who identify as LGBTQIA+ experience higher rates of bullying. Studies also show that students who are bullied are more likely to experience mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

Supporting Pink Shirt Day is about showing as a school we are committed to creating a kinder, more inclusive community. At PNGHS the Guidance Committee ran a bake sale, photo booth and had compliment stickers and kindness cards for students to write in and give to others. Money raised from the bake sale was donated to the Mental Health Foundation.

Our Mauri Ora programme had a Pink Shirt Day themed class for all our year 9 form classes. The students discussed what bullying is, the impact on people and ways in which they can be an upstander.

The Art Department hosted a design your own pink shirt, Library Makerspace created pink shirt day badges, and ARCUS ran a poster competition.

The message of inclusivity and diversity was well supported by the school community and showcased our school values of social responsibility and respect.