Kia ora, School. Please be seated. 

I’d like to invite Yr 7/8 Prefect Liam Monteith forward to deliver today’s reading  

Today’s reading comes from Galatians Chapter 5, Verses 22-23 

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

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

Rector Comments:     

Thank you, Liam. 

Last week I mentioned in chapel that I thought your behaviour had improved this year, when compared with previous years and based on my recollection of 2024. I didn’t have any hard evidence of this – I just felt like I was writing fewer letters to your parents about misdemeanours, making fewer phone calls to have those difficult conversations and that the tone of the place generally was more positive.  

So I decided to do some analysis of the data to see whether there was any evidence to back up my gut feeling. So I went back through all my letters that I’ve had to write to your parents over the years to count up the stats. 

The chart on screen shows what I found. It shows the number of stand downs and suspensions that have occurred in the day school and boarding house combined over the past five years up to and including 24 August. The tall blue columns show stand downs and the orange columns shows suspensions. Stand downs are when a student has to remain home from either the day school or boarding house for a particular number of days until a specified return date. A suspension is when a student has to stay away from school or the hostel until they return for a disciplinary meeting, which as I’ve said before is no fun for anyone involved. 

So as you can see if you can interpret the chart, my hunch was right. When we look at the number of stand downs up until August 24 for the last five years, this year is the lowest number. We’ve had 22 stand downs this year compared our most disappointing year in 2022 with 31. 22 is still too many, but it’s an improvement and you should be congratulated because it means fewer of you are getting in trouble for serious things that result in a stand down.  

And it’s also significant because in August 2022 there were 519 of you, and today there are 562 of you, so that’s 43 more of you to potentially make bad decisions. So we have 43 more students, but 9 fewer stand downs. Well done. 

And in terms of the more serious suspensions, our worst year again was 2022 with 8 up until this point in the year and then this year we’ve had one suspension. A suspension means that a students gross misconduct or continual misbehaviour is so serious, that I feel I have no choice but to have that student come to a meeting with the College Council to see if it’s in everyone’s best interests for that student to remain at Lindisfarne College. 

But whilst I’m pleased that my hunch was correct, the blue column is still too high and if we truly want Lindisfarne College to be the best boys school in the country, which it should be because we’ve got the best opportunities here to make it that way, then we have to work to get that column lower. 

Have a look at this next chart. Have a think about what this data might show. It looks similar, but notice that the scale on the vertical axis on the left has changed. It now goes up to 60, not 35. I’ve now included the stand down and suspension numbers right through until the end of each year, not just up until 24 August. Maybe now you can see why I feel like 2025 has been a much improved year. Because by the end of last year I had to send 66 letters home for stand down and suspensions and this year so far I’ve had to write 23. 

But we can’t pat ourselves on the back yet because we haven’t reached the end of the year in 2025 – seniors have got about 12 weeks to go until study leave and juniors you’ve got about 16 or 17 weeks I think.  

And this is the most important message for today – it’s not what we’ve achieved so far – it’s that this is what the chart could look like if you can all show that self control and self discipline that we’ve talked about before. And that kindness and respect towards each other, your teachers, yourselves. We could achieve this picture if we don’t have any more stand downs and suspensions, and that really would be something to be proud of. That picture would make people ask the question “What’s going on at that school, Lindisfarne College?” Why are their disciplinary stats so much more impressive than other boys’ schools? You are in control of that boys – you can create that picture, and in doing so you’ll create a more positive environment for your friends, your teachers, your deans, your boarding managers and assistant managers.  

I’m really proud of you guys because you are improving and this data proves it. IT shows that you are the best behaved cohort of boys in the last five years up to this point and who knows, if we were to dig back into the data further, we might find that you’re the best behaved group for 10 years or more.  

I often ask the question “Why, with all the advantages we have at this school, don’t we see better behaviour from our boys? The Christian Cornerstone, Our focus on service to others, Teachers and Boarding Staff who care deeply for you and connect with you. Amazing sporting and cultural activities where staff engage with you too. Our special College Values, Character flags, The Lindisfarne Way, The Good man window, the Leaders of Tomorrow Programme, the fact that your parents and families support our culture and they value the same things, the list goes on….well maybe in 2025 all those things are starting to come together and we’re turning the corner. You’re trying to those good young men we know you can be and you’re making a difference. So my message and challenge to you today is to not allow those two columns on the far right to get any higher. Liam said it in his reading:  

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”  

Do those things consistently in your lives and we achieve that picture. I wish you well in meeting that challenge. I believe you can do it! 

Please join me in singing our school song Highways in the Heart.  

School Song 

Rector Comments: 

Thank you, please be seated.  

I’ll now invite Cultural prefect, Josef Oosthuizen, forward to update us on the latest arts and cultural news. 

Cultural Report 

Good afternoon boys, it is my pleasure to be reading this week's cultural report. 

Band festival in Wellington On the weekend, the Lindisfarne college and Hastings girls' high concord symphonic band attended the annual NZ Concert Band Association festival in Wellington at Wellington College. The band performed well and earned a bronze award. Well done to all soloists who played very well and received the following awards: James McDougall – SILVER; Darcy Jamieson – BRONZE, Ethan Lys – SILVER, and myself (Josef Oosthuizen) – SILVER. And special congratulations to Harry McNamara who not only received a GOLD award but also won Best Solo Performance by a School Student. This is a fantastic result!  

Manu Korero Speech Competition  Last term, Kiato Buxton proudly represented the College at the regional Ngā Manu Kōrero speech competition, held at the Napier War Memorial Centre. 

Competing in the Junior Māori (Te Rāwhiti Ihaka) section, Kiato delivered a personal kōrero about the importance of waka ama and his whānau in shaping who he is. 

He spoke with pride and authenticity, representing both his whānau and our College with mana. A special mihi to the kapa haka boys, your support is always appreciated. 

E Kiato, hoea tō waka, well done! 

Churchill Oratory speech competition On the 20th of August is the annual Churchill Oratory speech competition. This is a great opportunity for senior students to exercise their public speaking skills. I encourage you to have a go at this as this is a speech competition that anyone can enter. For this competition you need to present a prepared speech that is about 4 minutes long. It can be informative, persuasive, or entertaining. If you have questions, come and see me straight after assembly. To register, please put your name on the list on Mr Kristensen’s office door. 

Rector Comments: 

Thank you, Josef. I will now invite Sports Prefect, Matt McKendry, forward to update us on the latest Sports news. 

Sports Report 

Good afternoon school, it is my pleasure to read this week's sports report this week. 

In Water polo Our Intermediate A team competed in the East Coast Winter Festival tournament towards the end of Term 2 where our boys picked up the silver medal. 

Our Intermediate A team also won the Division 1 Hawkes Bay Intermediate league in Term 2. 

In Basketball Our Junior A team enjoyed a good run in their competition over the last two weeks beating HVNHS 83 -26 and Karamu HS 64-38 

In Indoor Cricket A number of our boys represented Central Districts at the Junior Provincial tournament held recently and our congratulations are extended to Tom Raggett and Andrew Wakefield (U17 CD), Freddie Absolom, Oliver Cranswick and Archie McDonald (CD U15), Sam Allen and Freddie Flemming (CD U13), Charlie Marsden and Tom Morris (CD U13 Development Team).  

Further congratulations are extended to Tom Raggett and Andrew Wakefield whose team topped the group in the round robin stage before beating Wellington in the final to take the U17 trophy. Andrew also represented the Central Districts U22 team, and they beat Auckland in the final as well. 

In Football Our 1st XI Football team have been engaged in qualifying games for the top National tournament to be held later this term. We are delighted to confirm, after winning against HBHS (4-0), Gisborne Boys (3-0) and securing a draw against NBHS (1-1), that they have qualified as top seed from the Hawkes Bay region and will compete in the Premier tournament to be held in Palmerston North. 

In Cyclo Cross Champs Noah Hemmingson raced in the New Zealand Secondary Schools North Island Cyclo Cross Champs winning the under 20 race category. 

In Sailing Jake Dickey returned from his trip to the Opti Worlds in Slovenia having spent twenty-eight days abroad. He sailed in a pre-world’s regatta, and there were two training camps in preparation for the worlds event that included 287 sailors from 66 countries. Having qualified in 11th position and cementing his place in the Gold Fleet for the finals, Jake managed to hang onto a top 30 result in challenging conditions to place 29th overall after eight days of racing. Jake also won a race in qualifying, something that has not been achieved for almost two decades by a New Zealand sailor. 

In Jiu-jitsu Max Russell, Remy Taong, and George Powdrell, competed in the "NZBJJF Regional Series" with all three boys competing across two divisions. 

Max Russell came 1st in the under 76kg adult Gi division and 2nd in the under 76kg adult No Gi division. 

Remy Taong came 2nd in the under 65kg adult Gi division and 1st in the under 65kg juvenile No Gi division.  

George Powdrell came 2nd in the under 69kg juvenile Gi division and 1st in the under 69kg juvenile No Gi division. 

In Hockey Several of our hockey boys participated in the National Age group tournaments during the holiday period and are congratulated on their selection. Our U18 representatives included Corby Allison, Hamish Butler, Jacob Holder, Riley Lennox and Ben Boere. Our U16 representatives included Max Allen, Riley Burley, Patrick Hoyt Swinburn, Sam Pearse and Aman Shergill. 

Our 1st XI has had an outstanding few days securing an awesome 5-1 win against NBHS before heading into the CNI tournament in Whanganui last weekend. At the CNI tournament they had fine wins against FDMC (9-0), Whanganui Collegiate School (4-1) and Rongotai College (6-0) before drawing against Feilding in the final match of the tournament. The winner of the tournament was decided via a penalty shoot-out with our boys losing 2-3. A fine effort nonetheless!  

Congratulations to the 2nd XI who beat Taikura 1st XI on Wednesday evening as well. 

Further congratulations are extended to the 1st XI who beat THS 6-0 and the Colts B and 3rd XI who had good wins against HNHS/Karamu Combined and Wairoa College respectively in the most recent round of fixtures. 

In the Scots College Exchange The 1st XI Football and Hockey teams travelled to Scots College for the annual winter exchange. They were joined by our top five golfers on a cold and wet day in Wellington. The 1st XI hockey were tremendous value for their 3-0 win whilst the 1st XI Football went down 1-6. The golfers also went down 2 ½ to 3 ½. 

In the Rathkeale Exchange  We hosted our final major winter sports exchange of the season, welcoming Rathkeale College to campus for a full day of competition on Tuesday with eight games played across hockey, rugby, football and basketball. Our Lindisfarne teams put in some exceptional performances across the board, coming away with a strong 7–1 overall result in the exchange.  

Rugby 1st XV     Won 62–12 

2nd XV   Won 49–0 

U15        Won 22–14 

Football 1st XI      Won 4–1 

Colts A   Won 6–1 

Hockey 1st XI      Won 3–1 

Colts A    Won 11–0 

Basketball 

Senior A   Lost 43–49 

In Rugby League Ardie J Smith was selected for the Hawke’s Bay rugby league under 16 team who played in Waipukurau against Taranaki and Manawatu.  

In Rugby The 1st XV returned from their holiday early to take on Rotorua Boy’s High School, a team sitting second in the Super 8 competition. At 31-31 with a minute to go, it looked like we had done enough to secure a draw despite being the better team on the day. However, it’s never over until it’s over and Rotorua Boy’s scored in the dying seconds to secure a 38-31 win. 

In games played over the weekend, the 2nd XV, 3rd XV and Under 15 teams all secured good wins. 

In Golf The golf team competed in the Hawkes Bay qualifying round to earn the right to represent Hawkes Bay at the nationals. They came second to Napier Boys, thereby missing out. Cordell Henare shot a 67, Luke Jarvis – 73, George Pogson – 75 and Leo Dixon – 78.  

At the Taranaki Age Group Championships held at the New Plymouth and Fitzroy Clubs, Luke Jarvis secured second place in the under 13 Boys Gross competition, losing in a play-off. George Pogson, in the under 16 Boys Net competition also secured second place. 

At the Tieke Men’s Strokeplay tournament, Cordell Henare tied tenth after storming home with a final round 67 and at the Paraparaumu Eagles Tournament, Luke Jarvis (under 13 Boys Gross) achieved another second-place finish with George Pogson finishing fourth in the under 19 Boys Stableford competition. 

At the Royal Wellington Age Group Strokeplay Championships, Luke Jarvis (under 13 Boys Gross) won the event with George Pogson (under 16 Stableford) finishing fourth. 

In Canoe polo The Intermediate school canoe polo teams have been playing in the Autumn League throughout Term 1 & 2. The Lindisfarne White team qualified for their final, playing an intense fast-paced game against Twyford, eventually losing 2-3. Well done to all intermediate White canoe polo players. 

The Intermediate A team competed in the Hawkes Bay Junior Canoe Polo Championships this week and were outstanding in winning all five games on the way to the final. They suffered their first loss of the tournament in the final having beaten Heretaunga Venom in the round robin stage of the competition. 

Our team competing in the E2 Grade of the Hawkes Bay Canoe Polo competition finished second overall. 

In Futsal Congratulations to Ben Hunt is to be congratulated on being selected to represent the Hawke’s Bay under 13 Futsal team. His team finished second in the nineteen-team event, and he was the winner of the Golden Gloves, having conceded the least goals in the tournament. Gabriel Miranda also represent Havelock North Wanderers at the tournament. 

In Duke of Edinburgh Daniel Cartwright, Liam McEntee, James Boyes and William Eyre, having completed a co-ordinated programme of service and achievement, earned the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. 

In Shooting The team travelled to Featherston recently where Josh Snijders, Gus Denton, Charlie Bothamley, Jacob Mathers and Duncan Logan shot as the ''A'' squad with Will Hunt, Will Smiley, Oscar Hunter, Zac Dalton & Parker Arnold representing the ''B'' squad 

In the single rise event several boys shot 19/20, with Gus Denton finishing second. In the points score event, Oscar Hunter dropped one target to take third place. He was also named the best Junior again. 

The ''A'' squad took out the team’s title with quite a margin with Josh Snijders finishing on 94/100 in pursuit of winning the Sam & Angus Donald Memorial Cup.  

The annual Old Boys vs College shoot took place at Patangata Clay Target Club. With some of our top former school shooters turning out for the ‘Old Boys’, the competition was always going to be interesting. In the end us Old Boys prevailed by a reasonable margin of 87% to 75%, the scores being the percentage of the total available points that each team shot.  

At HBCTC, our boys performed above and beyond expectation. In the single rise, Jacob Mathers placed first and Josh Snijders third, both on 20/20. In points score, Charlie Bothamley finished first shooting 60/60 with Josh Snidjers finishing third having shot 59/60. In single barrel, Josh Snijders finished first shooting 20/20. In the team’s competition, Lindisfarne finished 1st and 4th, with the A team beating NBHS and Feilding.  

Rector Comments: 

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

Reverend Dunnett will now close our assembly in prayer.  

Article added: Monday 28 July 2025