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Te Reo O Te Roto
The Language of the Lake
Issue 113 | 13 February 2026
From the Principal

Kia ora everyone, I hope you have all had a wonderful and restorative summer break.

Welcome to all our new students and their families. It is fantastic to have you here. The year has already taken off with a hiss and a roar, and our calendar is full of exciting events ahead.

We are delighted to be able to share the exceptional academic results our students achieved in the 2025 academic year. These results are currently provisional and will be updated when confirmed.

88.9% of our year 12 students attained Level 2 NCEA

91.5% of our Year 13 students attained Level 3 NCEA

84.9% of our Year 13 students attained University Entrance

Our students were awarded with a total of 119 NCEA Scholarships including 10 at outstanding level!  This is the highest number we have achieved in a single academic year.

A special congratulations to the following students who achieved 3 or more scholarships, this is an outstanding achievement!

Azqa Batool, Ann Chen, Mia Christie, Diya Kansara, Do Yeon Kim, Meera Mistry, Sofia Perepelkina, Naba Rahman, Hannah Smith, Kexin Sun, Isla Thomson, Julia Wilkins, Elaine Zhou.

My sincere congratulations go to the teachers who supported and guided our students so effectively, and of course to the students themselves, who worked so hard to achieve these outstanding results. We are extremely proud of you.

There have been changes to the expectations of the Ministry regarding the reporting and monitoring student attendance. You will find these details on our website.

We are looking forward to welcoming ERO for a review visit later in February. There is lots to celebrate!

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Ngā manaakitanga,

 

Jane Stanley

Principal
Westlake Girls High School

Academic

Outstanding Scholar Awards x 2!

Following the release of the 2025 New Zealand Scholarship results this week, we are delighted to share that Elaine Zhou (Year 13) and Diya Kansara (Year 12) have both received Outstanding Scholar Awards. This elite recognition is awarded to just 57 students nationwide.

Elaine achieved Outstanding Scholarships in Sculpture and Psychology, along with six further Scholarships in English, Chemistry, Physics, Agriculture and Horticulture, Statistics and Calculus.

Diya achieved Outstanding Scholarships in English and Psychology, as well as a Scholarship in Health and Physical Education.

Both students will travel to Wellington for the official awards ceremony to celebrate their success and receive their awards.

We congratulate Elaine and Diya on this exceptional achievement.

Arts & Culture

Summer of sound for Westlake music students

While most were soaking up the holidays this summer, three of our talented musicians spent their holidays leveling up at two prominent summer music schools.

Nanae Sato-Nates (Baritone Saxophone) took part in the NZ Youth Symphonic Winds intensive at Sacred Heart College from the 14 – 17 January. Over four days, Nanae worked with musicians from all over the country to gain insight into the world of high-level wind ensembles, and prepare for two big performances – one at Sacred Heart, and another at Mission Bay. “It was so fun getting to know other musicians from all over the country and learning to work together in such a limited time,” Nanae shared.

At the Bruce Mason Centre, Winnie Meng (Flute) and Afia Naushad (Clarinet) immersed themselves in the world of a professional symphony orchestra. Guided by Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra mentors, the week focused on everything from technical precision to soloistic projection.

Winnie enjoyed “having an incredible tutor named Jenni, who is Principal Piccolo in the APO. She helped me elevate my playing by giving me tips and supporting me through my solos.” Afia enjoyed working with her tutor, Jonathan Cohen. “He was super helpful, guiding us through difficult passages and rhythms. It was so cool to finally play clarinet in a Symphony Orchestra and learn about phrasing and section timing.”

Beyond the full orchestra rehearsals, students participated in intimate chamber workshops. Winnie performed a unique arrangement of Grieg’s Piano Suite for Harp, Flute, and Violin. Meanwhile, Afia focused on Crusell’s Clarinet Duet No. 2, receiving personalised coaching to refine the performance for a Thursday morning showcase.

A massive congratulations to these students on their summer achievements and performances!

Sports

Y12 student in NZSS Netball trials

Congratulations to Year 12 student Imani Rasmussen who has been selected for the 2026 New Zealand Secondary Schools Netball trials.

The squad of 24 will trial for the NZSS Secondary Schools Team in Auckland from 17-18 April for a tour to Australia.

The final team of 12 will take their first steps into Netball New Zealand’s Player Pathway gaining vital international play at the Under 17 Australian camp in Canberra.  The triallists were selected from 90 players that were selected to attend three National Development Camps around the country in January,. undergoing a series of specialist skill development sessions, movement competency screening and match play opportunities.

Netball is the largest sport in New Zealand secondary schools, with nearly 30,000 participants so it will be an enormous honour to be named in the final 12.

Notices

Scholarship Information Evening

When: Thursday 5 March

Time: 6pm

Where: WGHS Events Centre

At this event you will get all the information you need about NCEA scholarship, and hear from our highly successful teachers and student speakers.

 

 

Academic

Learning Enhancement

Can you help us support students with special assessment conditions?

Our Learning Enhancement team is a small, committed group that supports students with Special Assessment Conditions (SAC). During assessments, practice exams and end-of-year exams, we rely on trained volunteers to help ensure these students can access their assessments fairly.

We cannot provide all of this support on our own. Volunteers play a vital role in assisting students who require a reader, a writer or a separate space.

We are reaching out to any parents and caregivers or someone you know who might be willing to help.

Many of our current volunteers are family members of students or people connected to staff. They value being part of the school community and appreciate seeing first-hand how we support young people in their learning.

Volunteers become especially important during our two-week practice exam period in September and throughout November for NCEA exams.

What does the role involve?
• Reading assessment material aloud clearly, or
• Acting as a writer with neat, legible handwriting

Term assessments are usually one hour. Exams are generally two or three hours. You can offer as much or as little time as you are able, even once per term. Full training is provided.

We pay volunteers for practice exams, and NZQA pays volunteers for end-of-year exams.

If you can help, or know someone who might be interested, we would be very grateful.

Please contact Helena Haycock at [email protected]

Community

Have you met our Head Prefects yet?

We announced the dynamic duo of Head Prefect Dorsa Jahedi and Deputy Head Prefect Charlotte Mawston at the end of last year. Now, a new year has begun, and we can’t wait to see what they bring to 2026!

Learn more about them, check out what they were doing when Mrs Stanley called with the big news…and what their plans are for their time as leaders here at Westlake here. 

Image above: Charlotte Mawston, Jane Stanley, Dorsa Jahedi,

Community

Prestigious podcast

At the end of last year, One of our two Associate Principals, Nicky Whitham-Blackwell, was invited by the ICGS (International Coalition of Girls’ Schools) to contribute to a podcast on perfectionism.

The invitation followed her leadership of a Headways group across the year, bringing together staff from a number of New Zealand and Australian schools. The programme clearly struck a chord, and ICGS sought to share those ideas with a wider international audience.

In the podcast, Nicky reflects on perfectionism in girls’ education and the practical approaches schools can take to support healthy striving and wellbeing.

You can listen to the podcast here.

Community

Westlake students in Animal Farm

Come and see ‘Animal Farm’, a showcase for Westlake and North Shore Arts talent, directed by former Westlake Boys student Arlo Feeney and with a cast of current and former Westlake Girls students! This funny, thrilling and thought-provoking play opens on 19 February.

Buy tickets here.

 

 

Sports

Athletics success - end 2025

This event happened after our final newsletter for 2025, but we’d love to celebrate it anyway! In December 2025,  we had a triple gold for Westlake Girls at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Athletics Championship.

Dominating her competition at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Athletics Championships in Hastings, former Year 13 student Karmen Maritz  did the double and was crowned the New Zealand Secondary Schools Discus and Shot Put Champion. The Westlake Girls’ Philips Cup recipient for top academic and sporting achievement excelled in both the Senior Girls Discus and Shot Put events.

Karmen secured the gold medal in the Discus with an impressive throw of 45.65 metres, finishing ahead of Tauranga Girls’ Ruby Jones, who claimed silver with a throw of 42.58 metres. Karmen then went on to outclass Paige Fletcher of St Kentigern College in the Shot Put, achieving a winning throw of 15.09 metres, well ahead of Fletcher’s 13.31-metre effort.

For the first time, congratulations also go to the young Westlake Girls Junior 4 × 100m Relay Team, who won the Girls Final ahead of a fast-chasing field. The 2025 team of Elizabeth Plaistowe, Miya Riseborough, April Peita, and anchor Sadie Bishop, finished in a time of 51.79 seconds, followed by a photo-finish battle for silver between Villa Maria College, Whanganui Collegiate, and St Peter’s School, Cambridge with 53.15, 53.54 and 53.70 respectively.

 

Academic

Rotary National Science Forum

Rotary Opportunity Wows Year 12 Students

Saisha Kamat and Hannah Smith (Year 12, 2025) were chosen to attend the Rotary National Science Forum during the summer break. Here is a rundown of how valuable this opportunity to attend was them, in their words.

We are extremely proud to say that it has been a life-changing experience for us to attend the Rotary National Science and Technology Forum. The forum was not just another ‘nerdy’ Science camp but a place where curious and ambitious minds came together, supporting one another in a way that we would rarely get to experience. Each day was filled with activities and visits to universities, research centres and technology organisations. For four days each week, we explored academic modules at various universities such as U o A, AUT and Massey. Some modules include Physics, Biomedicine, Chemistry, Applied Math, Nutrition and many more. This means that there was something for every student regardless of the fact that many were unaware of what they wanted to pursue in their future careers. We met researchers and engineers, along with discovering pathways ranging throughout the fields of engineering and medicine to environmental science and technology. One of the activities that Saisha thoroughly enjoyed was in the Robotics module at UoA, where we controlled a robot, coding for it to move and carry out activities in a particular manner. Twice a week we also enjoyed tech visits that we  had chosen prior to our attendance  Saisha’s tech visits were to the additive manufacturing section, NZ Police and the Babbage company. Hearing directly from professionals about their work and how passionate they are made these careers feel realistic and achievable, rather than something distant or demanding.

One of the of the most remarkable things about the forum was its people. From the humorous advisors to the admirable students, their presence truly made the forum experience more enjoyable. All students came from unique backgrounds, with their own talents and strengths, but we were all united by our passion and enthusiasm for learning. I strongly believe that the friendships we made throughout the forum were just as valuable as the knowledge gained from it. The forum was not just a place of learning, it also helped us to become more confident and gain a stronger sense of responsibility. During group discussions, we further developed our communication skills, and attentively heard everyone’s opinion before sharing our own.

We also participated in the IDC (Innovation Design Challenge), where Green group presented a solution to the modern problem of the lack of properly irrigated land and frequent water runoffs into surrounding soil.

The forum helped us to explore further into our interests, along with reinforcing the passion for science, engineering and medicine. We delved into how various fields of science and technology can be used to solve real world problems, making it an unforgettable journey.

The forum choir performed during the formal dinner and contacts were exchanged. All these experiences and memories I made during the forum journey have truly made a positive impact on our career choices. We are incredibly grateful to Rotary North Harbour, our parents and our Rotary leader here at school for making this opportunity happen and for giving us this amazing  experience that truly opened our eyes to what is possible and how much you can achieve in a career that you haven’t even, as yet, given thought to.

Saisha Kamat and Hannah Smith Year 13 2026.

As always, our thanks go to the leadership team of Rotary North Harbour for their financial support with this initiative.

Community

Students' wellbeing initiative

We are proud to celebrate Victoria (Year 10) and Angela (Year 13) Sung, whose winning idea in Reconnect’s “Care to Self-care?” youth wellbeing competition has now been brought to life.

Their concept, Mirror Check-in, has evolved into ME:flection Stickers, developed in collaboration with Reconnect. These small, transparent stickers are placed on mirrors and windows, transforming everyday routines such as washing hands or brushing teeth into simple moments of emotional reflection.

The stickers were launched during Mental Health Awareness Week and featured in community libraries including Takapuna Library and Henderson Library. The response has been overwhelmingly positive:

• 95% of respondents agreed the stickers could or would remind them to reflect on their wellbeing.
• 82% said the stickers are very likely to build self-awareness and reduce stress.
• 52% of those positive respondents acknowledged they check in on their wellbeing less than half the time, reinforcing the importance of accessible reminders such as this.

Takapuna Library has chosen to keep the stickers in place on its bathroom mirrors, reflecting strong community support for the initiative.

ME:flection was shaped through youth creativity and honest reflection on mental wellbeing and intentional self-care. The movement encourages young people to look after themselves and extend that care to others. By embedding gentle prompts into daily life, the stickers create practical, achievable moments of pause that build emotional awareness, resilience and kindness.

The ME:flection stickers will be distributed free of charge in local libraries and schools.

Follow @re_reconnect for updates.

Sports

Life saving champs

A Golden Start to the Year for Dallas Fulton

Congratulations to Year 9 student, Dallas Fulton who won two golds and three silver medals at the Northern Region Surf Life Saving Champs last weekend.

Representing Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club, the double gold medallist won gold in the Under 14 Beach Flags, gold in the Under 14 Female Beach Sprint, silver in the Under 14 Female Board Relay, silver in the Under 14 Cameron and silver in the Under 14 Mixed Beach Relay.

It was a hot weekend for these athletes and future lifeguards.

Arts & Culture

Premiere instrumental ensembles to China

Join us for an extraordinary evening of music as we launch our most ambitious instrumental project in over a decade. This April, 87 Westlake students from the premiere instrumental ensembles are embarking on a two-week cultural and performance tour across Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai. We are excited to offer this opportunity to our students, demonstrating that music has the capacity to build bridges across diverse cultures and countries.

By attending this concert, you will directly support the musicians of Westlake Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Concert Band, and Big Band. These ensembles have an established reputation representing Aotearoa New Zealand with national and international distinction. Now, they have the chance to share their artistry with schools and audiences across China. Every ticket purchased goes directly towards the cost of the tour – either to an individual student or to the general fundraising account.

During the evening, we also invite you to participate in our Silent Auction. Our local community businesses have been incredibly generous, donating a fantastic range of products and experiences that will be auctioned off throughout the event. Whether you’re looking for a gift for others or a treat for yourself, every winning bid contributes to our tour fundraising. If you are in a position to donate a gift for the Silent Auction, please contact Kasey Hani Lui (WGHS Performing Arts Administrator) via [email protected]

We warmly invite you to come and support our next generation of fabulous Westlake musicians!

BOOK YOUR TICKET NOW: https://westlakegirls.ibdn.nz/etickets

 

 

Sports

Westlake staff and HYROX

Westlake Staff Join the World’s Fastest Growing Fitness Race

Three staff members from Westlake Girls High School recently joined the massive wave of athletes at the increasingly popular HYROX competition. Held at the Auckland Showgrounds earlier this month, the event saw a staggering 11,000 athletes register to test their limits in a unique blend of cardio and strength. With an “open-door” philosophy, and no time cap, female participation has seen a massive rise. Globally, the number of women competing has jumped from 24% in 2020 to 38% in 2025—a trend clearly reflected in the packed, high-energy waves at the Auckland Showgrounds.

Joanne Mersh and Lizzi McCormack each raced with partners in the Women’s Doubles event, while Camila Tornquist took on the challenge in the Mixed Doubles division, each completing a total of 8km of running separated by a functional workout station: SkiErg, Sled Push & Sled Pull, Burpee Broad Jumps, Row, Farmer’s Carry, Sandbag Lunges and finishing with100 Wall Balls

The Westlake team agreed that while the physical requirements were tough—and running outside in the Auckland summer heat was particularly brutal—the real challenge was the “mental game.”

Congratulations to Joanne, Lizzi, and Camila for showing our young wahine that fitness and age have no limits and that with the right mindset, you can overcome anything.

Main image above: Lizzi McCormack

AI @ Westlake

AI at WGHS

At Westlake Girls High School, we are preparing students for a rapidly evolving future. We recognise that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in everyday life, education, and the future workforce, and that young people must develop the knowledge, skills, and ethical awareness to participate safely and confidently in an AI-enabled society. While AI brings exciting opportunities, it also carries risks. This makes it imperative that we educate our young people to understand AI, to use it responsibly, and to develop the critical thinking and ethical judgement needed to navigate an AI-enabled world. Our goal is to create a learning environment where AI technologies empower learning rather than replace the human aspects of education.

Last year, we developed a school AI Policy and Student Guidelines to  set expectations for the safe, ethical, and educationally appropriate use of Generative AI in our school community. These have since been reviewed and updated to reflect the rapid changes in this space. The AI Policy and Student AI Guidelines for 2026 will be available for parents and caregivers to view via the Parent Portal (SchoolBridge) from Tuesday, 19 February 2026. We strongly encourage you to read these documents and to discuss the Student AI Guidelines with your daughter(s).

Approved Generative AI (GenAI) tools and consent

We have carefully selected GenAI tools that align with our privacy, safety, and ethical standards. A list of school-approved GenAI tools can be provided upon request. Some AI tools have age restrictions (typically 13+) and require parental consent for students under 18. If you do not wish your child to use school-approved AI tools, please notify the school office in writing. Unless we hear otherwise, we will proceed on the understanding that consent is given for your child to use the school-approved tools in line with our policy and guidelines.

Year 9 students

As part of our commitment to responsible and safe GenAI use, Year 9 students will not use GenAI tools until they have completed foundational AI literacy learning focused on understanding how AI works, responsible use, and the importance of learning with integrity.  This means that Year 9 use of AI tools will begin in Term 2, following this foundational learning.

Together, we are committed to preparing our students to be informed, responsible, and adaptable learners, empowered to use AI thoughtfully and ethically.

Susana Tomaz, Director of Futures and AI Strategy

Sports

NZ Open Water Champs

Our top swimmers competed in the 2026 NZ Open Water Champs recently and we had some great results. Brooke Humphries came second in the Open category and first in her age group for the 2.5km race – this was her first ever open water event. Charlotte Walsh was also third in the open water category and second in her age group behind Brooke Humphries

Congratulations Brooke Humphries 1st 2026 NZSS Open Water Swim Champs 2.5km

Charlotte Walsh 2nd  2026 NZSS Open Water Swim Champs 2.5km

Cayleigh Blackburn competed and  finished 3rd in the 7.5km

We are super proud of you all!

Main image above -Brooke Humphries – credit @xandernzphoto @swimming_nz

Arts & Culture

Art History trip to Art Gallery

The Art of Experiencing the World Around Us

Year 13 Art History visited the Auckland Art Gallery as part of learning how to analyse the meanings and contexts of artworks. The Pop to Present exhibition from USA was perfect for our course curriculum with the energetic chaos of a Pollock and the sombre spiritual resonance of a large Rothko leading the charge of many Abstract Expressionist works. The Warhol pieces were so clearly made to mirror a media obsessed consumer culture that started growing after World War 2 and hasn’t slowed down yet!

Seeing artworks in real life makes a difference to student experience and their understanding of how and why they were made. The range of ideas from Pop to Present was provoking and often still relevant to these young art historian’s lives today.

Notices

Join our lovely admin team!

We are hiring and you might be just who we’re looking for.

Check out this fabulous position at the heart of our kura – but be quick, the deadline is looming! More details HERE.

Notices

Share your news with us

We love hearing about students and staff achieving great things. If you have a story you’d like to share, please contact the editor of Te Reo o Te Roto with your stories and photos – we love them!

Te Reo o Te Roto is published fortnightly during term time. Email Bridget Ellis-Pegler with your submissions.

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