Kia ora, School. Please be seated. 

I’d like to invite Head of Boarding Theo King forward to deliver today’s reading  

Today’s reading comes from Joshua Chapter 1, Verse 7 
Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success^[a] wherever you go.  

This is the word of the Lord – Thanks be to God. 

Rector Comments:     

Thank you, Theo. 

Today, I want to talk about something simple but powerful: discomfort. Now, I know that doesn’t sound like the most inspiring topic to end your week, but hear me out and you’ll see it’s an important word. 

Discomfort isn’t something we usually welcome. In fact, most of us spend a lot of time trying to avoid discomfort. We like things to be familiar. Safe. Predictable. That’s what we call our comfort zone—and it feels good to be there. But the truth is, you don’t grow inside your comfort zone. Growth happens just outside it—when you take a risk, try something new, or step into something that makes your heart race a little faster. 

At Lindisfarne College, there are countless opportunities every day to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Being comfortable in the uncomfortable zone is an important part of the Lindisfarne Way and I hope you are still reading the words of the Lindisfarne Way in the classroom and other places that it’s displayed. Let me give you a few real examples of how you can step into the uncomfortable zone: 

House Music Competition 
As young men there are some things that come naturally to many of you, such as playing sport and socialising with friends having a laugh etc. Singing is not something that comes naturally to many of us, so we have to step into the uncomfortable zone and take a risk in order to improve our singing. So why is it so difficult? Well, you might think you’re not a good singer. It’s probably not true and how would you know anyway if you’ve never tried? You might feel a bit self-conscious and embarrassed in front of your friends. OK fair enough – but don’t worry about it. Be different – have a go. Your mates might laugh at you, but deep down they’ll be wishing they had your courage. Also, if you walk out of chapel, assembly or a house singing practice and you know that you sang a bit louder or a bit higher and so you were a bit braver, you can privately feel proud of yourself for having a go. And it doesn’t matter what other people think.  

Answering a Question in Class 
It’s easier to be a passenger on the bus and let others do the driving. Same with answering questions in class. But remember that the Lindisfarne Way says “We all contribute equally and don’t get to sit on the sidelines. Contributing is a responsibility.” So take ownership of your learning and put your hand up or get involved in class discussions and show your teacher that you are learning and that you care. You’ll actually surprise yourself with what you know. And even if you stumble, that means you’re one step closer to a better understanding. 

Joining a New Activity 
Perhaps you’ve always done rugby or football or cricket since you were in primary school, so you’re not stepping out of your comfort zone by going for the annual trials, but one term you decide to turn up to a service project meeting or audition for the choir. That first rehearsal or service meeting might feel awkward—unfamiliar faces, new skills to be learned, a different setting. But by showing up, you broaden your horizons. You learn new skills, make new friends, and maybe uncover talents you didn’t know you had. 

Finally, Applying for a Leadership Role 
Whether it’s Student Council, Student Rep on the Board, Prefect, Leaders of Tomorrow, putting your name forward can feel like a big step. You worry about being judged or not having enough experience. But when you hit “submit” on that application, you demonstrate confidence in yourself. And even if you don’t get the role, you’ve shown ambition—and gained the courage to apply again, smarter and stronger for the experience. 

Each of these examples illustrates a simple idea: be comfortable being uncomfortable. Because the more you do it, the more you realise how capable you are. When you force yourself to step just beyond what feels easy, you grow resilience, grit and confidence. You learn that failure isn’t something to fear; it’s a sign you’re trying something worthwhile. 

Let’s be honest. A life without discomfort—without risk—would be easier in the short term. But it would also be a smaller life. It would be confined to what you already know. Lindisfarne College is full of stories of young men who refused to stay small. They tried out for new sports, joined debating, volunteered to help with Women’s refuge, decided to make a movie, applied to be a NZ Youth MP, auditioned for a lead role in the Production. And in doing so, they discovered more about who they truly are. 

So, over the next week—whether you’re in Year 7 or Year 13—choose one thing that scares you a little. Maybe it’s raising your hand when you’re uncertain. Maybe it’s singing that solo at House Music. Maybe it’s signing up for a service activity or a leadership role. Take that first step. Feel the nerves. Embrace them. Because on the other side of that discomfort is growth you can’t find anywhere else. 

Thank you, and have a great week pushing yourselves beyond your comfort zones.  

Please join me in singing the hymn 10,000 Reasons.  

Rector Comments:  

Thank you, please be seated. I will now invite Noah Hemmingsen, Eli McBeth and Monte Douglas, forward to talk about the Nepal Trip.

Rector Comments:  

Thank you Noah, Eli & Monte. I’ll now invite Cultural prefect, Jiten Ravla, forward to update us on the latest arts and cultural news. 

Cultural Report 

Impromptu Speech Competition  
Recently the Impromptu Speech competition took place. It was fantastic to see so many students enter this year. In the junior sections a qualifying round was prior to the final. In the Junior Section Felix Bromhead gained first place, Sam Allen was second and William Anderson was third. In the Senior section Chris Proctor was awarded first place with Beck Allen receiving second place and Liam King third. Could these boys please come forward to accept their certificates.  

Juniors Impromptu Speech Competition  

FIRST:                             Felix Bromhead 

SECOND:                       Sam Allen  

THIRD:                            William Anderson  

Senior Impromptu Speech Competition 

FIRST:                             Chris Proctor 

SECOND:                       Beck Allen 

THIRD:                            Liam King  

William Jerebine – Best Painting 
Recently William Jerebine won the award Best Painting in Show for the HB Year 12 Student Exhibition. The judges commented that the colour palette, theme, and application of paint worked harmoniously to create an emotional atmosphere that aligns with the central theme resulting in an impactful experience for viewers. This is fantastic result for William and I encourage to have a look at William’s painting. Could William please come forward to accept his certificate.  

Senior Artist of the Month 
We are proud to celebrate Tay Barton and Taurere Whiunui as our joint Senior Artists for the Month for May. 

Tay Barton's work explores the theme of music. His recent visual inquiry demonstrates excellent reflective practice, allowing him to draw meaningful connections between sound, culture, and identity.  

Taurere Whiunui brings together a deep passion for basketball with a meaningful exploration of Lindisfarne Taonga. His outstanding sketching ability and tonal rendering are consistently evident throughout his excellence workbook, showcasing a strong command of form, contrast, and expression.  

Congratulations to both Tay and Taurere for their creativity and artistry.

Harry McNamara going Solo 
On 18th May Harry McNamara performed at the HB Jazz Club teenage soloists evening together with three other young jazz soloists from HB. Harry performed with the HB Jazz Club Big Band and other bands. According to Harry it was an awesome evening and fantastic opportunity to perform with some excellent adult musicians. Well done Harry! 

Smokefreerockquest 
On Thursday 22nd May the first round of the Smokefreerockquest took place. Lindisfarne College hosted the evening that also featured rock bands from other HB schools. Lindisfarne’s three bands were The Knights of Noon, Miscellaenia, and Kind Regards. Congratulations to all bands, but  in particular to Kind Regards that made the District Final. The Kind Regards band members are; Oliver Watson, Daniel Lie, Josef Oosthuizen, Peter Mitchell, Harry McNamara, Lucy Boere (Woodford House), and Harrison McCarthy (Taradale High School). We look forward to hearing about how the go in the next round.  

HB Festival of Bands  
On the 18th May Lindisfarne College hosted symphonic and jazz bands from around the North Island at the HB Festival of Bands. Congratulations to the Concord Symphonic Band and jazz band for both receiving Silver Awards. Well done also to Ethan Lys and Harry McNamara who both received Gold awards in the solo category. Thanks to all of the students from Lindisfarne College and Hastings Girls’ High School for running such a great band festival.

Chamber Music Competition  
On Wednesday four of our musicians competed in the Hawke’s Bay District round of the NZ Chamber Music Competition.  Both the Klengel Trio and the Ludwigsfarne Trio (featuring Max Han, Josef Oosthuizen, Ethan Xu, Oscar Zhao) made it into the final that included only 8 groups from a total 35 groups that entered. Year 9 Oscar Zhao also made the final in a third group together with students from HN High School and Napier Girls’ High School. Oscar’s group eventually won first place and will travel to Wellington for the regional final. These are outstanding results.  

All the best to our joint Lindisfarne College-Hastings’ Girls’ High School joint choir that competes next Wednesday at the Big Sing. 

Rector Comments: 

Thank you, Jiten. I will now invite Sports Prefect, Riley Lennox, forward to update us on the latest Sports news. 

Sports Report  

In Basketball 
The Junior A team, post grading games, secured a fine win against Hastings Boys’ High School Junior B team. Our Senior A team qualified for the premier competition and were highly competitive against a very good Hastings Boys team in round one of the competition.  

In Football 
It’s seldom that a team can impose themselves on an opposition in such a dominant manner and for such a lengthy period of play. To do so against Napier Boys High School 1st XI away from home has historically been difficult. The performance of our 1st XI in beating their opponents 5-3, having led 5-1 deep into the game, is quite remarkable and a testament to the hard work that they are doing. This was an outstanding effort, and the boys are to be commended for their high-quality performance.  

The 1st XI took on NBHS 2nd XI a few days later and, in what was always going to be a difficult match, they were convincing winners by a margin 10 goals to 0. 

Our 2nd XI is currently unbeaten having secured good a win against CHB 1st XI, winning 8-0 in the most recent fixture. 

In Hockey 
Our 1st XI has put in some top performances so far this season with the result against Napier Boys High School, clearly a highlight of the season thus far. This 2-1 win, over one of the strongest teams in the competition, was played in front of a large crowd and the Lindisfarne community were not disappointed! The opportunities created in the fourth quarter, coupled with an outstanding performance in goal by Selby Jowsey, saw our boys secure a fine win. Other results include a 15-0 win over Havelock North High School and a 2-0 win over Taradale High School. 

 In other hockey news, our Intermediate A team are tracking well and their most recent 7-1 win against HNI Kiwi was a great performance. In a 3-3 draw with Sherenden School, Oscar Fitness scored a hat trick. 

Our Colts A have enjoyed some sterling performances and particular mention is made of their 5-2 win over St Paul’s Collegiate and the 3-3 draw against Napier Boys. This leaves them unbeaten in their last four games, having beaten Taikura 1st XI 3-1 on Wednesday evening. 

In Water polo 
It was another good week for our Intermediate teams who continued along their winning ways with the A team beating HNI Hector Dolphins 10-2 and the B team beating Hereworth Red 12-2. In the most recent fixtures, both teams secured two wins each which is most pleasing! 

In Shooting 
The first round of this year's CLNISS series was held last week with the A-team finishing on a total of 436/500 behind Napier Boy's on 442. 

In Rugby 
The CNI competition enters week five and, after a short break, our 1st XV heads to Whanganui Collegiate School. Currently we sit atop the CNI standings with four wins from four outings. The most recent results saw us defeat defending champions, St John’s, Hamilton 61-19 before putting in a strong performance against St John’s, Hastings in securing a 65-5 win. 

 Across the rugby club, we have enjoyed a successful few weeks and in the most recent round of fixtures, our 2nd XV (Napier Boys High School U15), 3rd XV and Division 3 teams (Wairoa) and Division 5 team (St John’s Blue) all enjoyed wins. 

 The U14 rugby team that took on St Paul’s Collegiate were also victorious, outscoring the opposition by 66 points to 20. 

In Canoe Polo 
Ben Springford, Blake Sprott, Cameron Huckle, George Glover, Charlie Baker, Xavier Fitness, Luke Dodd, Ollie Fritchley and Thomas Griffiths represented Hawke’s Bay in the National Canoe Polo League over the past five months culminating in the grand finals held in Wellington over the past two weekends. 

Luke Dodd, Cameron Huckle, Ben Springford (Squall) and Xavier Fitness (Lightning) competed in the bronze medal play-off with Xavier’s team winning a close encounter in the D-Grade. 

Charlie Baker finished as 3rd equal top goal scorer in D-grade and Luke Dodd was the second highest goal scorer. 

Ollie Fritchley (Cyclone) and Thomas Griffiths (Typhoon) competed in the C-Grade event after Cyclone had finished top on points after the Palmerston North, Hawkes Bay and Wellington rounds of competition. 

The two teams then faced off in the grand final of the national league competition with Typhoon finishing in first place and Cyclone finishing in second place.  

In Cross Country 
The Inter-house Cross Country took place last week and it was a huge success. Our thanks are extended to Mr Spriggens and the Physical Education Department for planning and organisation that went into the event and furthermore, all staff who assisted on the day. 

 Our congratulations are extended to all students who competed so admirably, despite having sports fixtures later the same day, and those students who achieved podium finishes. The individual results are as follows: 

Intermediate School 

1. Magnus Jones 

2. Oscar Fitness 

3. George Wickham 

Junior event 

1. Oscar Wilding 

2. Owen Booker 

3. Milan Te Heuheu 

Intermediate event 

1. August Popadich 

2. Titus Dunnett 

3. Patrick Hoyt-Swinburn 

 Senior event 

1. Noah Hemmingsen 

2. Hamish Butler 

3. Ben Boere 

 The overall House results are as follows: 

1. Aidan 

2. Cuthbert 

3. Oswald 

4. Durham 

In Triathlon 
The Town and Country triathlon took place on 21 May with many of our Intermediate students competing. We are delighted to acknowledge their achievements this afternoon. 

In the Year 7 team event: 
Lawrence Jiang, Mehtaab Singh and Hamish Anderson came second 

Can Lawrence, Mehtaab and Hamish come forward to receive their certificates. 

 Alby Redmond, Duke Stanley and Henry Dorward finished third 

In the Year 8 team event: 
1. Harry Daly, Baxter Warrington and Tom Morris came first 

Can Harry, Baxter and Tom come forward to receive their certificates 

2. Jack Flynn, Carter Davies and Brody Chambers finished second. 

Can Jack, Carter and Brody come forward to receive their certificates. 

In the Year 7 Individual event: 

William Kilpatrick secured first place with Flynn Webber finishing third overall. 

In the Year 8 Individual event: 

George Wickman won the event with Levi McEntee finishing second overall. 

In Softball 
Nate Solomon has been selected to represent the New Zealand Development Team for the Canada Softball Tour through Saskatchewan.  

In Kayaking 
Just recently, Matt McKendry represented New Zealand in kayaking at the Asia Pacific Sprint Cup in Japan. Matt competed up an age group in the U21 men’s K4 event, delivering a strong performance, earning a bronze medal against tough international competition. The success continued as he went on to claim a gold medal in the junior 200m relay, adding an international gold to his medal tally. This international racing and the wearing of the honourable silver fern was an invaluable experience for Matt.  

In Duke of Edinburgh
Ethan Lys has through a co-ordinated programme of service and achievement, earned the Bronze Award. 

Note: There are several teams travelling to Whanganui Collegiate School on Wednesday and we wish them safe travels, and a successful exchange! 

Rector Comments: 

Thank you, Riley. Congratulations to everyone whose been recognised today. 

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

Article added: Friday 06 June 2025