Hutt Valley High School Alumni

💯 As part of our Centenary celebrations on Saturday, 8 August, we are bringing a bit of healthy rivalry back to the main gym!

The Sports Office is looking for former HVHS students to lace up their sneakers for basketball and netball games against our current top teams.

The Game Day Lineup:
▪️Basketball Premier Match: 11:00am, Main Gym
▪️Netball Premier Match: 1:30pm, Main Gym

Don't worry if your fitness levels aren't quite what they were when you wore the school uniform, these games are all about fun, connection, and friendly bragging rights. If you're keen to get involved please email Kristi Tia (Sports Director) at [email protected]

A beautiful morning for the opening of the new C-Block.

Summary of Principal Denise Johnson's speech:
The opening of the new C-Block at Te Awakairangi is a profound moment of reclaiming our space, marking the end of an arduous journey that saw staff and students working in a leaking bunker like sieve and years of temporary learning environments, including a portacom village of learning. The new facility is a testament to the grit of the community and the dedication of many who became experts at 'making do'. This C-Block is uniquely a building of Aotearoa New Zealand, inspired by the legend of Ngake, the formidable taniwha, and envisioned as a massive boulder with earthy, rustic colours. The design, led by the cultural expertise of former student Len Hetet and Kura Moeahu, also establishes a formal welcoming entrance and perfectly aligns with the wider urban revitalisation efforts in Lower Hutt, including the opening of Te Ara Tupua and the Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi programme.

The new design provides a creative heart for the kura, clustering specialist spaces for dance, drama, foods, and music at the school's center to ensure that creativity, courage, and performance were not just add-ons. The building supports the school’s relational style of teaching by featuring warm, dry, single-cell rooms with sliding doors for collaboration. It is intentionally designed to be noisy, a hive of activity, and designed for movement, giving staff and students a place where they can truly belong after years of teaching in unsuitable conditions. Thanks to many for helping raise the building, from local officials and contractors to the Ministry of Education property team, and especially the incredibly patient and adaptable school staff and the Property Manager, Simon Kydd, noting that it takes a whole town to raise a building.

Congratulations to HVHS alumni Brooke Neary (2021-2024), who will make her debut for the Football Ferns in June. Brooke joins Maya Hahn (2014–2018), another HVHS alumni, who has 12 caps.

From Coach Michael Mayne:
"Brooke has already been through our age-group system, is currently in camp with the U-20s in Australia, and has a U-20 World Cup selection opportunity coming up in the coming months, so the timing makes a lot of sense after an impressive April camp as a training player."

Six changes to Football Ferns for June international friendlies The Football Ferns are bringing in a brand new midfielder, goalkeeper and recalling four players for June international window.

Latest Alumni Newsletter | The centenary celebrations are fast approaching. While most activities at the 100th are open-door, for three key events, seating is limited and bookings are essential:
▪️Staff & Board Member Reunion: Fri, 7 Aug, 4-7pm.
▪️Principal's Welcome & Mihi Whakatau: Sat, 8 Aug, 10am-10:45am, and repeated again from 12:00pm-12:45pm.
▪️Special Early Dinner for 1940s & Early 1950s Alumni: Sat, 8 Aug, 5:30pm-7:30pm.

How to book: The booking form link is in our latest newsletter or visit our website and click the 100th banner on the home page.

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🏉 Calling all 1992 Rugby Boys 1st XV team members & supporters! Our volunteer archivist, Judith Gardiner is busy tidying up our rugby records and we need the help of our alumni community to identify the players and the coach/manager in this photo. If you can help, please comment below or email Judith Gardiner at [email protected].

Photos of the field today, after the recent heavy rain. In the background, behind the rugby post, is the new C Block - on track to be officially opened on Tuesday, 26 May.

📸 Judith Gardiner, HVHS Archivist

The latest Alumni newsletter to enjoy over the Easter long weekend. In this issue: update from Principal Denise Johnson, the latest news on the 100th Open Day celebrations, Alumni‑organised events for the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, HVHS brass tutor performing at Gallipoli, Alumni Denise Clarke (née Green) and her record‑breaking swim, Then & Now photos from the archives, and more!

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🎬 If you’re looking for something to watch over the long weekend, The Pact (A Ghost Story) from the HVHS Film Department is absolutely worth your time. With a recent premiere at the Lighthouse Cinema, the short film features performances from Year 13 graduates Grace Haggie, Zach Devery, and Isabella Carruthers. Enjoy! 🍿

The Pact (A Ghost Story) The latest short film from HVHS Film. Lovely to see everybody at the premiere last night.

Alumni Newsletter | Principal's Update, 100th Celebrations, Register Now for Decade Catchs Ups for the 50s, 60s & 70s, History of the Past Pupils and Friends Association (PPFA), HVHS Yearbooks Digital Copies Available to Alumni, Sheet Music for a Massed Performance of E Tipu at the 100th, and more!

Kia pai ō rā whakatā, have a great weekend!

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A fantastic honour for HVHS alumni Sarah Jane Moon, whose portrait 'Georgina Beyer in the Peace Garden' has been acquired for New Zealand’s National Collection at the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington.

Reflecting on the acquisition, Sarah shared that “being included in the Alexander Turnbull Library, as part of New Zealand’s national archive, means this work will be preserved and accessible as part of the country’s cultural record. I’m so pleased to play a small part in helping celebrate Georgina Beyer’s extraordinary legacy in Aotearoa.”

The painting shows Georgina in the Peace Garden at the Wellington Botanic Gardens - a setting she chose, reflecting her lifelong commitment to justice and dignity.

Georgina Beyer was the world’s first openly transgender mayor (1995) and the first openly transgender Member of Parliament (1999). This portrait is among the final works created of her before her passing in March 2023.

Photo credits:
- Georgina Beyer in the Peace Garden, 2022, oil on canvas, artist Sarah Jane Moon
- Georgina Beyer in the Peace Garden on display at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, 2023.