BACKOur annual Kotahitanga Day saw our new Year 9 cohort and their Peer Support leaders come together in a day of high energy activities, brain busting problem-solving and enthusiastic chant cheering that allowed our new students to settle in and make new friends. Check out some of the testimonials below.
Kotahitanga Day was fun and exciting. It was new to me and my classmates. At first, I did not expect Kotahitanga Day to be a very exciting day for me, then my classmates and I found it very fun and cool. I found it interesting because there were different activities that required different skills, from Water Bucket to Long Jump, or even Tug of War. All of these activities were fun and unique. We also got to know each other more as we went through the activities.
The most exciting activity I did was the Acid River. This activity required teamwork and we won very easily. It helped me to understand one of the school values, Pride. I was proud of our class teamwork and I think that’s the main reason why it was so easy for my class. If I was to do it again, I would tell myself to feel free to try new things and to not be afraid of failing. I hope the next Year 9s will have as much fun as I had during Kotahitanga Day.
Mason Wang 9NB
This year’s Kotahitanga day was unique in that it was a new experience for both the Year 9s and the Year 13 Peer Support leaders. Class of 25’s Beach Day was cancelled due to Covid-19 all the way back in 2021, so it was extra special for us as we felt a little like the Year 9s in that we had no idea what to expect.
The day was filled with lots of fun activities which all required different skill sets. One thing I liked is that the wide range of activities meant that everyone could have something which they wanted to do. From Tug of War to “Minecraft” puzzles, the activities required both physical strength and brain power. My favourite was the Tug of War. It had been raining for a little bit beforehand, so the grass was rather slippery, but 9NB powered through regardless and won the event. I nearly lost my voice yelling “3 2 1 PULL” to the class but it was definitely worth it. I think it shows off the resilience that our school values foster as, despite some difficulties with the weather, everyone still had a good time.
I think Kotahitanga day is a really important event for the new cohort to allow them to all become more familiar with each other. It can be tough to talk to new people when they’re sitting down in the classroom and the peer support leaders are nudging them on, but when everyone is getting splashed trying to plug and fill a leaky bucket, it’s really easy to make new friends. Overall I was very impressed with how Kotahitanga day 2025 went, and I hope that Class of 29 can pass on the spirit of the school to the next generation when they become Year 13s in the not so distant future.
Lihan Sun Peer Support Leader 9NB
