Kia, ora, School. Please be seated.

I’d like to invite Durham House Prefect Ben Gray to deliver today’s reading

Today’s reading comes from Galations Chapter 3, Verses 26-28

Children of God

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

This is the word of the Lord (Thanks be to God)

Rectors Comments:  

Thank you, Ben. Today’s Bible reading highlights the equality of all believers in Christ. It encourages us to reject divisions and embrace the unity that comes from being part of God’s family, regardless of racial or social distinctions.

You may not be aware of this, but today is Race Relations Day in New Zealand. It’s a day when we celebrate and acknowledge the multicultural and racial differences within our country.

I did a bit of research on our student database last night and I think we have approximately 18 different ethnicities at Lindisfarne College this year. Have a look at the slide on the screen and see how many of those ethnicities you can see.

I then did a bit of statistical analysis on our ethnicities at Lindisfarne and found that 75% or ¾ of our students are NZ European. That compares with 73% of all people in Hawke’s Bay identifying as NZ European and 70% across the whole country. That means that there is a little more diversity or difference across our entire country than in our College, but our college is quite typical of the NZ European percentage across HB.

Our Māori percentage at Lindisfarne is 10% and that compares with 16.5% in New Zealand and 28% in Hawke’s Bay. If we then think about the other 16 ethnicities at our College, we know that they make up just 15% of the College.

Why am I sharing this with you on Race Relations Day? Well, one reason is because if you’re in the majority group of 75%, then today is a good day to think about how it might feel to be in the minority group. That’s about empathy - putting yourself in someone else’s shoes to imagine what their experience might be.

I’ve been in the majority group all my life. I was born in the north of England where in the 1980s, the vast majority of my friends and the people in the community were White skinned English people. I moved to New Zealand when I was 14 and again it felt like I was in the majority  - yes I spoke with a different accent, but the majority of the kids and people seemed to be NZ European.

When you’re in the majority group, life can sometimes be easier because you’re viewed as the same as everyone else, you’re no different and sometime people are accepted more readily by the group.

It shouldn’t be that way and we should welcome and accept everyone. It’s like sport. It’s really cool that in summer we’ve got students who play tennis and volleyball and futsal and cricket and mountain biking and swimming and canoe polo and now we’ve got boys doing waka ama and rowing too and so it goes on and we should celebrate that. It would be a bit boring if everyone played just one sport. I hope you don’t judge your friends based on what sports they play because that’s not very cool in my opinion.

Same with your subjects in the senior school. It’s awesome that you’ve got such diverse timetables, with some doing Sciences and Maths, then then others doing subjects in the humanities like English and Classics and other doing photography and digi tech and Phys Ed and then when the Year 13s leave at the end of the year they’ll walk across the stage and you’ll hear all about the different paths their going to take. Amazing diversity again – some will go to uni, some will do apprenticeships, some Yr 12s will leave this year and take up incredible opportunities at places like Smedley station and Waipoa next year. Some will study Business, some will study engineering, some will become lawyers and some will become doctors. And Chris will become the prime minister!

“Difference” is something to celebrate and racial differences, different ethnicities make our world here at Lindisfarne richer and more interesting. We must feel blessed that we have a rich tapestry of cultures at the College.

Think about our international students from Japan, Thailand, China, Korea, Hong Kong, New Caledonia and other places. Talking about empathy, put yourself in their shoes and imagine what it must be like coming to a new country that speaks a different language, but also a new town, a new school and a new home. On Race Relations day, it might be a good idea to think about whether you are supporting these boys and helping them to settle into their new home. You may have friends here at Lindisfarne who you’ve known since primary school. Imagine how privileged you are compared with the challenges these young men face.

So on race relations day let’s remember our Christian character flags of kindness and respect for all races, all ethnicities. If you hear racist language, call it out. Be an upstander and not a bystander.

Just over six years ago on March 15, 2019, there was a most despicable and horrific racial terrorist attack on the Muslim community in Christchurch A man who described himself as a ‘white nationalist’ opened fire on worshippers at mosques in the city, killing 51 innocent people who were going about their daily lives in peaceful prayer. It was one of New Zealand’s most shameful days. The perpetrator was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole – the first such sentence in New Zealand. It was an attack motivated by racial hatred and such hatred has no place in our country.

So we should also remember the victims of that terrible day and hold them and their families in our hearts on Race Relations Day in NZ.

Believe me when I say that your lives will be so much richer if you make connections with friends from other cultures and ethnicities and if you celebrate the wonderful tapestry of races and cultures in our country and indeed in our very own College. That’s the kind of school we want and that’s the kind of good man that we are trying create as you make your way through your Lindisfarne journey.

Please join with me in singing the hymn Highways in the Heart.

HYMN 

Thank you, please be seated.

I’ll now invite Sports Prefect, Riley Lennox forward to update us on the latest Sports news

Sports Report
Good afternoon, school. Here is this week's sports report.

In ROWING
At the NZ Rowing Nationals in Twizel:

• Jack Litherland won silver in the Men’s Intermediate Eight
• Ashton Bell won silver in the Men’s Novice Double Scull
• Ashton Bell & Noah Layton won silver in the Men’s Novice Coxed Four
• Ashton Bell, Noah Layton and Angus Lovell made the Men's novice 8, A Final and rowed exceptionally well narrowly missing out on the Bronze.

In SKIING
Olly Wilkins has been training in Austria since November and recently competed in international races:

• Trofeu Borrufa, Andorra – 11th & 15th in Slalom
• English Alpine Championships, Italy – 5th in Giant Slalom & Super G An amazing experience—well done, Olly!

In CANOE RACING

Oscar Jarvis, Corby Alison, and Matt McKendry recently competed at the New Zealand Canoe Racing Sprint Regatta in Rotorua, achieving outstanding results. Matt won two golds in U18 K4), two silvers in U18 K2, and placed 5th in the U18 K1 500. Oscar secured multiple podium finishes, including 2nd in the Open Men’s K4 200m and 3rd in the K1 200m.

As a result, Matt has been selected for trials for the New Zealand Junior World Championships in Portugal and will also compete for the Junior NZ team at the Asia Pacific Championships in Japan in July.

In TENNIS

Ryder Firth was runner-up in the U10 Greendale Club Champs—well done, Ryder.

At the Derek Ward Tournament, our players showed skill and sportsmanship:

• Hunter Reed reached the Junior Championship final, narrowly losing to Napier Boys’ top seed.
• Max Gaddum & Oscar Wilding played in the Junior Division 1 final, with Max emerging the winner.
• Cooper Ellingham finished 5th in the Senior Boys’ division, securing a crucial win over Ryder Firth.

In SWIMMING

Lindisfarne swimmers performed exceptionally at the Aquaknights Junior Festival in Rotorua, achieving personal bests. Representing Heretaunga Sundevils & Trojans, Hamish McLaren won three silver medals in the 50m, 100m, and 200m backstroke.

Well done to Levi McEntee, Lachie Renell, George Wickham, William Kilpatrick, Wiremu Geary, Hamish McLaren, and Flynn Webber for their strong performances.

In BASKETBALL

Congratulations to Micah Arnold for being selected for the Hawke’s Bay U18 team.

In FUTSAL

On March 8, our Year 9 & 10 team competed in the HB Futsal Junior Challenge Cup, recording wins over HNHS (4-3), NBHS B (10-5), and HBHS (14-1), before a narrow 3-2 loss to NBHS A. In a hard-fought final rematch, NBHS A edged us out 6-4.

This tournament provided excellent preparation for Nationals. Tom Gray won the Golden Boot, while James Ogborn was named MVP by opposing teams. A big thank you to HB Futsal for organizing the event!

In TRACK & FIELD

Seven athletes represented Lindisfarne at the East Coast North Island Secondary Schools Championships, achieving fantastic results:

• Gus Munro – 1st in 200m Intermediate, 3rd in 100m Intermediate
• August Popadich – 1st in 800m Intermediate, 2nd in 400m Intermediate
• Austin McDougall – 1st in Shot Put & Discus Senior, 2nd in High Jump Senior
• Waiariki Hunia – 2nd in Triple Jump Intermediate

A huge congratulations to all our athletes on their achievements!

UPCOMING GAMES
Good luck to all teams competing in summer tournament week starting this weekend and to those who still have weekend sport.  A reminder the 1^st XV a playing their first preseason game against Taupo Nui A Tia, 2pm KO.  It would be awesome to have your support on the sideline and dressed in red.

Play hard, represent the college well and enjoy your sport!

Thank you, Riley

Congratulation to all those boys who were recognised today and I wish you all the best for your weekend.

Chapel Prefect, Daniel Hoffmeister, will now close our assembly in prayer.

Article added: Friday 21 March 2025