Ashburton College

10/09/2026

Huge thanks to BNZ Ashburton for donating new basketballs to Ashburton College! 🏀 Your support makes a massive difference for our students—we can’t wait to get playing! 🙌
Pictured L to R: Eve Gilbert, Sophia Bayston (Junior A Basketball) and Jacob (BNZ)

07/09/2026

😀👏

🚨N A T I O N A L C H A M P I O N S!!!

We are beyond proud to introduce the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Champion team of 2026!!

From 34 schools across NZ during Winter Tournament week, this team are gold medalists and number 1!!

Congratulations Eliza, Hal & Nate, on this momentous achievement 🤩 AND on your individual selections to the
NZ Secondary School team!!! 🇳🇿 🇳🇿 🇳🇿 You have represented your school and your country with distinction!!

There’s so much more to share from all our school members, as final competition results are to hand…it’s been a HUGE 2026 for you all!! More to come…

06/09/2026

06/09/2026

What a way to finish the tournament!

A massive congratulations to our Senior Boys, who have been crowned Southern Cup Champions! An outstanding effort from the boys, showing what teamwork and commitment can accomplish.

Our Senior Girls also had an incredible tournament, finishing as Southern Cup Runners-Up. They competed with determination and pride throughout, with the final going down to the wire.

Neither result happens without a huge effort behind the teams, so a massive thank you to everyone who contributed throughout the tournament:

- Our incredible coaches and managers for their time, knowledge and commitment.
- Our referees
- The parents, whānau and supporters who travelled, cheered, encouraged and backed our players all the way.
- Our Principal, Mr Coleman, for spending the last few days in Dunedin supporting our teams.
- And, of course, our sponsors, whose continued support helps provide opportunities for our basketball programme and our players.

Most importantly, thank you to our players for representing Ashburton College with such pride, passion and sportsmanship.

03/09/2026

🏑🏑Hockey Girls - Audrey Timlin Tournament🏑🏑
Wednesday, 2nd September 2026
Timaru | Te-Tihi-o-Maru
AshColl vs Nelson College for Girls

AshColl got off to a tough start, conceding two quick goals in the opening quarter and going into halftime 4-0 down.

The girls showed great resilience in the third quarter, holding the opposition scoreless and continuing to work hard. They played well in patches throughout the game, but ultimately faced a stronger Nelson side, who added a final goal in the last few minutes to bring the final score to 5-0.

The girls had a well-earned bye on Thursday before finishing Winter Tournament Week with their final match today! 🏑

03/09/2026

🌺 Culture • Connection • Community 🌺

A special opportunity for our students Gabe Fifita, Folau Fifita and Chris Kafalava who were invited to Ashburton Borough School to help judge their Year 7–8 speeches.

It’s always great to see our rangatahi stepping beyond the College and contributing to our wider community — sharing their perspectives, celebrating the voices of younger students, and strengthening the connections between our kura.

A beautiful example of culture, connection and community in action, and of our young people stepping into leadership and giving back. ❤️

02/09/2026

🏆 SPACPAC MAMANA LE LEO SPEECH COMPETITION – TONGAN SECTION WINNER! 🇹🇴

Mālō e lelei!

Ashburton College is incredibly proud to celebrate Year 11 student Folau Fifita, who has taken out the Tongan Section of the 2026 SPACPAC Mamana Le Leo Speech Competition! 🏆🇹🇴

This year’s theme was:

“KO ‘ETAU HIVÁ, KO E FE’UNU MAHU’INGA IA KI HE MO’UI ‘A E TONGÁ”
“Our music is a vital strand of our Tongan way of living.”

In her speech, Folau explored the important role music plays in keeping Tongan culture strong and connecting generations. She spoke about how waiata and music allow history, values, faith and language to be passed from one generation to the next, helping younger Tongans remain connected to their culture and identity.

For Folau, stepping up to compete was both nerve-racking and exciting, particularly as the only Year 11 student competing alongside Year 12 and 13 students from other schools. Despite the nerves, she embraced the opportunity with confidence and is grateful for the experience.

The win also carries a very special whānau connection. In 2024, Folau’s older sister won the competition for Ashburton College, and two years later Folau has followed in her footsteps and brought the title back to AshColl once again! ❤️🤍

Folau hopes her achievement encourages other students to take opportunities like Mamana Le Leo:

“I highly recommend that students here at school give this opportunity a try. It’s a chance to share your language, represent your culture and help keep it alive.”

We are extremely proud of Folau for having the courage to stand, speak and represent her Tongan culture, her whānau and Ashburton College with such pride.

Mālō ‘aupito, Folau, an outstanding achievement! 🇹🇴🏆