LEADERSHIP The Head Prefect’s Prize-giving Speech
is: “What school did you go to?” I am going to proudly say Christ’s College. But each generation is responsible for maintaining the College spirit, so that in 10, 20, 40, and 60 years’ time, I will still be proud of saying I am a College Old Boy based on what is happening at whatever age I am in the future. It is part of the leadership team and Board’s responsibility to take us on this journey. But just as important is the individual role we play. As a school, we are now more ethnically or culturally aware. I am of Te Ati Awa descent and I am proud of my Ma ¯ ori heritage. Christ’s College is certainly embracing ethnic diversity as well as its bicultural commitment, and there is a larger emphasis on bringing Te Reo Maori into everyday life. I have incorporated Te Reo into some of my assembly speeches. I don’t always get the pronunciation right, but I hope I have inspired some of you to step outside of your comfort zone and give it a go. Our spiritual kaumatua, Reverend Bosco Peters, has opened us up to tolerance and understanding of other religions, besides our Anglican teachings. We all have an active role to play in displaying tolerance. While we might not necessarily agree with other beliefs, it is imperative that we accept and celebrate these differences. The horrific tragedy of Friday 15 March took 51 innocent lives. It made the world stop and reflect. This act of hatred has brought us closer together as a community and it is our responsibility to ensure we continue to acknowledge, accept and celebrate difference.
College community and students – welcome to senior prize-giving. As we close out the year, it is a time to reflect both individually and as a collective. It is fair to say that Christ’s College has had another outstanding year. The school is achieving academically in the classroom, on the sports field and on the stage. As well as this, our contribution to the wider community has never been stronger. How do we measure success? What makes a year successful? The term “success” is thrown around a lot and we tend to directly associate success with achievements – the idea that if we are achieving then we are succeeding. Don’t get me wrong, achieving is awesome and we should definitely celebrate it as we are today, but achievement is not the be all and end all. Success can be found in so many other forms of life. There is a great quote that says, “You will be remembered for who you are, not what you did”. Take a moment now to reflect back on the year. If you can sit here and honestly say that you pushed yourself outside of your comfort zone, made the most of the opportunities on offer, stayed true to who you are, made good decisions and, most importantly, had fun, then you have had a successful year, irrespective of the outcomes. Christ’s College is a place of learning. It is a community and it is a brotherhood. I am proud to be a part of a place that is evolving and changing, but still holds on to those traditions which are important: Good traditions, well maintained. We all have a role to play in building College spirit. The big Christchurch question
Kia ora koutou katoa
Te mihi tuatahi ki te atua, tena koe
E nga mana, e nga reo o nga hau e wha, o nga maata wa ¯ ka, te¯ na ¯ koutou katoa E te tumuaki o Te Kura o Te Karaiti, te¯ na ¯ koe Mr Wynne. E nga rangatira ma, te¯ na ¯ koutou, Ko Mt Taranaki toku maunga
Ko Waitara toku awa
Ko Tokumaru toku waka
Ko Te Ati Awa toku iwi
Ko Zach Gallagher toku ingoa
Te¯ na ¯ koutou katoa He aha te mea nui o te ao? What is the most important thing in the world? He ta ¯ ngata, he ta ¯ ngata, he ta ¯ ngata. It is people, it is people, it is people. No reira, te¯ na ¯ koutou, te¯ na ¯ koutou, te¯ na ¯ koutou katoa Chair of the Board, members of the Board, Mr Wynne, staff, parents, wider
12
Christ’s College Canterbury
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs