We are excited to launch our Westlake Business Network – a new initiative for our community, including parents, supporters, and alumni – to connect and collaborate through business. The event was held at Meredith Connell’s spectacular offices in the city on Thursday 12 June, and it was wonderful to see so many Westlake supporters. Board chair Paul Mahan shared his personal journey from prefect and First XV rugby captain at Westlake to becoming a global partner at EY. “I always knew my sons would go to Westlake, but when I reconnected with the school in 2019, I was blown away by the success it had achieved in all areas,” he said. Paul also spoke about continuing the strong sense of engagement developed at school into the professional world. Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, and we’re now gathering further input to shape the direction of the network and understand what members would like to gain from it. A special thank you to Mark Davies and Meredith Connell for hosting the event. Their generosity and support are greatly appreciated!
Students recognised at AIMES Awards
Five Westlake students – both past and present – were recognised for their achievements at the North Harbour AIMES Awards in May.
Hunter Haynes (2022 dux and now studying at Harvard) received the AIMES Education Award and a $15,000 cash grant at the AIMES Gala Dinner at Shed 10 on Saturday XX. Associate principal Becky O'Gram and assistant principal Carla Boniolo attended the event while our Black Swans musicians entertained guests on stage.
Emerging Talent
On Thursday 29 May, four Westlake students were recognised at the AIMES Emerging Talent Award at the B:Hive, attended by headmaster Paul Fordham. Lewis Bower (2022), one of New Zealand's top emerging cyclists, received an AIMES Emerging Talent Award and a $7,500 grant. 2023 dux and New Zealand's Top Scholar, Andy Tao, also received an AIMES Emerging Talent Award and $7,500.
App developer Alex Liang (Year 12) and pianist and composer Luke Ding (Year 13) each received $3,000.
Korean Night raises $2,025 for Heart Foundation
The annual Westlake Korean Night was another huge success with more than 1,500 people attending on Friday 30 May. There was a wonderful mix of traditional and modern Korean performances on display in our school auditorium. Since 2017, the Korean Night organising committee has donated an amount that matches the year to a local charity. This year, we donated $2,025 to Heart Foundation New Zealand.
Korean scholarships will also be awarded to students at the end of the year. Westlake Korean Night will continue next year as a culturally enriching experience and one of the most anticipated cultural events for both schools.
Year 9 runner wins NZ cross country champs
Year 9 cross country runner Huw Robinson won the NZSS title in Whangārei on Saturday 14 June. Our Year 9 team also had a strong showing, winning the three-person and six-person team titles. Three Year 9 runners placed in the top ten: Huw Robinson (first), Liam Crooks (fifth), Brennan Wilson (ninth), James Page (19th), Connor Freeman (26th), and Joshua Barr (27th).
In the Senior Boys race, our six-person team placed third. On Sunday, three of our Year 9 runners joined a Long Bay student to represent North Harbour in the 4x2 km relay and placed second in New Zealand. Well done to all our athletes.
Choirs on song at the Big Sing
On Thursday 12 June, our choirs took part in the annual Big Sing Auckland Regional Festival held in the Auckland Town Hall. All three choirs (Momentum, Voicemale, and Choralation) performed a competitive ten-minute recital of three pieces during the day and then performed one piece each in the evening gala concert.
Momentum, our development lower voices choir (directed by Mr Blake Scanlen), performed its recital early in the morning, including a band of Voicemale students on drums, percussion, bass, clarinet, and student pianist Dean Yuan (Year 12).
Voicemale, our premier lower voices choir (directed by Mr David Squire), performed an excellent recital, accompanied by Juan Kim on piano. After the gala concert, they were awarded the trophy for ‘An excellent recital programme by a lower voice choir’.
Our premier mixed choir, Choralation, directed by Mrs Fiona Wilson (WGHS), also performed a recital to great acclaim and was awarded the trophy for ‘An excellent recital programme by a mixed voice choir’. Congratulations to all our students who performed on the day.
