10/06/2026
Kia ora e te whānau
Just a reminder about the event our school is hosting next week and what this will mean for you.
On Thursday 18th and Friday 19th of June, Te Puna Wai o Waipapa Hagley College will host Te Whakataetae o Ngā Manu Kōrero ki Waitaha. This is a prestigious speech competition where kaikōrero (speakers) represent their school in impromptu and prepared speeches in te reo Māori and English. The winners of each section then go on to compete in the national Manu Kōrero event. We will have students, staff, and whānau travelling from schools throughout Canterbury to attend this event. Due to the scale of the event and how many visitors we will have onsite, we have had to make some changes to the usual running of our classes.
Here are the details:
Thursday 18th June: No ELL (English Language Learning) classes will run. This will be a Board approved learning from home day and work will be set in advance for students to complete from home. All other timetabled classes for students in Years 9-13 will run as normal, including After3. Students enrolled in a combination of ELL and other classes should note that only the ELL classes will not be running onsite. If students are unsure of which classes will run, they should speak to their ELL teacher.
Friday 19th June: NO timetabled classes will be running at school and all students will be marked for attendance as Board approved learning from home. Subject teachers will prepare work for students to complete at home. This includes all learners in Year 9-13 and ELL.
**Please note that the student pick up/drop off area in the Stewart Street carpark will be unavailable on Thursday. Please make sure you arrange an alternative meeting spot.
**For parents/caregivers of our Year 9 and 10 students who may be under 14 years of age: If you require supervision for them during the school day on Friday, please do be in touch and we will make arrangements for them.
Student volunteers: We are seeking student volunteers to support the running of the event across both days and there are a range of jobs for students to opt into. If you are keen to help out, it’s not too late – we would greatly appreciate your involvement. Teams message Jasmine Lambert if you are keen.
Interested in attending the competition? If you’re keen to check out the speeches and see some of Canterbury’s best student speakers in action, including our own, we’d love to have you there! The Friday competition (prepared speeches) is definitely one to put in your calendar if you’re interested.
Please contact Jasmine Lambert at [email protected] with any pātai (questions).
Thank you so much for your support!
