ANZAC Assembly

Today we held our annual ANZAC Assembly, a significant and valued tradition at Whangaparāoa College. We were honoured to be joined by members of the Hibiscus Coast Community RSA, with David Dryden sharing his personal reflections with our learners.

Members of our Prefect Executive team also spoke, members from our our Senior Wānanga performed moving tributes and two of our youngest learners Juandre Jones and Giana Newman laid the wreath.

Ours learners conducted themselves with great respect throughout the assembly, making us very proud.

Footloose

Get ready to cut loose - with our 2026 school musical FOOTLOOSE!

Our talented cast and crew have been working tirelessly to bring the high-energy world of Footloose to life on our school stage.

After a rigorous audition process back in Term 4, our performers from Year 8 all the way to Year 13 are getting ready to show you what they’ve got!

This entertaining full-blown musical experience features a 10-piece live school band that will have you tapping your toes in your seat!

Our learners have poured their hearts and souls into making this an unforgettable night for our college community.

Grab your tickets from our school website (or at the door if we don't sell out!) and join us for a night of music, dance, and drama!

Whangaparāoa College Auditorium
Wednesday 27 - Friday 29 May
Adults $15, Children/Learners $12, Whangaparāoa College Learners $10
www.wgpcollege.school.nz for tickets

Japan Trip

By Tui Ladbrook Bannister (Year 12)

Sixteen of us left here on the 11th of April and started our trip to Japan. Two teachers and 14 learners arrived in Osaka and got to spend 2 1/2 days sightseeing, going to Osaka Castle and Universal Studios. We learnt about the history of Japan by going through the Castle and then the fun we all had at Universal Studios. We then moved on to Kyoto and went to the Temples. It was a very spiritual experience. Then came our first homestay, and we were all really scared about meeting our homestay families, but after we got through the first night, it was really amazing. We loved our time at Akatsuki school and the experiences we had both in class and also the opportunities to do sandblasting. We then moved on after some sad farewells to our homestay families and went to Tokyo. We spent a few days shopping and making sure 'our fits' were right before going out. We went to all of Matua's favourite Ramen restaurants. Yum. We then went to our next school and the next homestays. We had another amazing experience, but this time we spent way more time in classes with our buddies. It was really interesting to see how their school works compared to ours. We also got to teach Haka to a lot of classes. We then spent two more days sightseeing and got to go to TeamLabs, which was really cool. The thing that stood out most for us was the number of trains we had to catch and how full they were. We have loved our trip and didn't want to come home, but here we are, and I can only say that if you ever get the opportunity to go to Japan, find a way. It was so amazing! 

Seven Sharp

As Steve mentioned, last night our college was proudly featured on Seven Sharp. It was a wonderful opportunity to highlight our school, our learners and the values that underpin our community.

Click here to watch the segment

Te Whare Hauora

The Weekly 1% Shift

The Power Down Hour for Sleep

• Swap the phone for a book or podcast 30 minutes before lights out. 
• The blue light from devices tells the brain it’s daytime, delaying deep sleep. Quality sleep is the number one predictor of focus and emotional regulation in the classroom.
• Better REM sleep = better memory retention and less brain fog during Period 1.