Model United Nations (MUNA)

This term a team of Senior Social Science Students spent two days at the annual MUNA forum in Central Auckland. Over 300 students from Auckland and Northland participated, representing 100 countries from around the world. This year we were allocated Angola! Across this time we debated over remits and amendments to current global issues, which included equitable distribution of and education around COVID vaccines and promotion of renewable energy sources. The biggest challenge was learning about Angola (a country in South West of Africa) and becoming familar to their perspective on global issues. Thru this we learnt how to lobby, negotiate, and engage in impromptu political debates in order to achieve their nations’ respective goals and objectives. Thank you to Ms. Gasologa and Mr. Ras for helping to organise the logistics of this event and proving us consular support- Mikayle and Eh Htaw Kue

Elmdon Enviro Hub

This term some of our Sustainability class had the opportunity to contribute to the Elmdon Enviro Hub. This space is going to be an exciting community hub where we (as a community) can come and contribute our voices, energy and kaha to improve our community. Our vision is to contribute to the space on Elmon Street and use it as a kura as a hands on learning space. Who knows, next year it could be a regular learning space for 3SUS!? We are very excited to see what comes of it - Mairangi and Mikayle 2SUS

Senior Kororareka Russell Camp

In Term 3 this year 2SUS and 2GEO went on a camp to Kororāreka Russell to work with an organisation called Project Island Song. Our main mission was to look at the work that the group was doing in restoring the environment to pre-tiriti o Waitangi days. While we went on our camp to Kororāreka Russell we visited one of New Zealand's first capital Okiatu, we also visited one of the places where the Ngāpuhi chief Hone Heke chopped down the flagpole several times , the first time Hone Heke chopped down the flagstaff was 1846 this made the british mad so they built another flagstaff but Hone Heke continued to protest. Being at the site of where Hone Heke cut down the flag staff felt special because we went to the place where history all started for ‘New Zealand’ and how the Treaty of Waitangi was not honoured. Thank you to Ms. Gasologa, Mr. Macleod and Mr. Ras for giving up their time to take us there - Antonio and the 2SUS/2GEO group.

Our Census Focus

Did you know that the census in 2023 will impact us all? Our Geography and Sustainability classes have been looking at the future of our community and the challenges that come with intensification (more homes on the same amount of land). Government, councils, iwi, community groups use data to make decisions and plans that affect us all. By taking part in the census next year, we can all help create a better understanding of our community and what it needs. One of our major challenges in Māngere, Ōtāhuhu and Favona is lack of green space or green space that is not as usable because it is tapu or facilities such as Ambury Farm occupy it. With increased intensification of our area will we have enough space to enjoy an easy game of tag or whānau picnic in the future? This is something we have been exploring thanks to support from Stats New Zealand. Do you have any thoughts? Keep an eye out for our Census Week in Week 9 of Term 3! - Jerry and Michael 2SUS/2GEO

SchoolBridge App

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Term 2 Newsletter

Our Term 2 Newsletter is out!

Read it here:

Term 2 Newsletter 2022 - Mangere College

Māngere College dux realises dream to become a lawyer

Tuluvao Futi admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of NZ

(Article from Tagata Pasifika)

After years of hard work, sweat and tears, Samoan law graduate Tuluvao Futi has officially been admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.

Accomplishing such a feat took Futi more than five years of many sacrifices but says it is all worth it in the end.

“As my mum would always say; it isn’t about how you start or how long it takes. It’s about how you finish,” Futi says.

When she first received the official email stating she had passed the bar, Futi sat back and thought, “wow, I actually did it!”

“I cried tears of joy and felt an immense sense of relief. I recall saying a little prayer too.”

“There were times I wanted to take a break from uni and even at one point drop out because I wanted to work full time to help my dad provide for my family,” Futi says.

“But I saw the long-term goal and thought, if I work hard now and get this done, I will be able to do more than just providing financial stability for my family.”

Tuluvao Futi realises her dream of becoming a lawyer. Photo: Instagram

After achieving Dux in her final year at Māngere College, Futi began her tertiary studies in 2015 at the University of Auckland. In 2020, she completed her undergraduate studies and graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law conjoint degrees.

A hard worker at heart, Futi has always excelled in her studies even in her early education.

“I was the student that asked for homework even during school holidays,” she says.

“Since I was young, all I knew at the time was that I genuinely enjoyed going to school and learning.

In Year 11, Futi discovered she wanted to become a lawyer after learning about the social inequalities Pacific Islanders faced while growing up as a minority in Aotearoa.

“One of the many examples I was intrigued by was the fact that Pasifika and Māori made up a large percentage of imprisonment rates,” Futi says.

“I was inspired by seeing first-hand the injustices of how Pasifika and Māori were being treated compared to others. My passion to serve my community grew from there and continues to be one of my motivating factors moving into the profession.”

Tuluvao Futi with Family and Friends.

Now that she’s finally admitted to the High Court of New Zealand, Futi says it is crucial to have our own people in high positions in New Zealand’s justice system.

“Who better understands our people than our own?”, she says.

“It frustrated me learning about this in law school but at the same time motivated me even more to finish my degree and get admitted to the bar.”

There is a small number of Pasifika lawyers in New Zealand’s justice system and Futi believes that societal influences play a huge role in this.

“I realised that the person I am today, is the person I would have felt safe with when I was younger. Growing up in South Auckland, I didn’t know or see a lot of people that looked like me as a lawyer,” Futi explains.

“A lot of people doubted me, and society constantly made me feel like I was never going to make it [and] a lot of our Pasifika students and younger generation feel that having high positions in New Zealand’s justice system is too far out of reach so they settle for less.”

But Futi believes that change occurs at the very top.

“If there are no Pasifika representatives at the top, how do we expect to see any changes? I want to show that it is possible for us to have a seat at the table not only because our Pacific community needs us to, but also because we deserve to be there. If I could motivate at least one other person to do that, then my job here is done.”

Tuluvao Futi with parents and late grandmothers.

Coming from a devout Christian family, having faith and spiritual support enabled Futi to persevere through the difficult times on her journey.

“I found myself time and time again turning to God through prayer and fasting to get me through,” she says.

“I owe a lot of this to my late grandmothers who carried and uplifted me in prayer every day and night.”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about how [they] were not here in person to see the fruits of their labour. Their teaching and words of encouragement are forever etched in my heart. They are the giants whose shoulders I stand on and paved the way for me so that I could be here today.”

Futi’s family are immensely proud of her and have been her biggest supporters since she started her journey. Her mother cried at the news of her passing the bar, while her brother and her father gave her big smiles.

“I told the rest of my siblings over video call, and they were so over the moon for me. My parents kept saying how proud they are of me and to me, that was all that mattered,” Futi says.

Currently, Futi is based in Wellington working as a Legal Assistant for the Ministry of Education legal team and volunteers at the Community Law Centre. She hopes to go on to a boutique law firm and specialise in family or criminal law and learn as much as she can as a junior solicitor.

Her long-term goal is to find her passion within the profession and hopefully return to her home country, Samoa and serve her people there. Moreover, talks of becoming a judge is also in the works but for now, Futi is taking one step at a time and is enjoying every moment as she heads into the profession.

Article by Ann-Tauilo Motuga | Reporter/Videographer for TPP+

ASB Polyfest 2022

Congratulations to our four groups who competed at the 2022 ASB Polyfest.

Our four groups at Polyfest this year were Cook Islands, Tongan, Samoan and the Karen Group.

Results

Cook Islands Group:
- 1st Overall

Samoan Group:
- Taupou - 1st - Rain Te’i
- 3rd Overall

Tongan Group:
- Faha’iula - 1st
- Lakalaka - 3rd

Karen Group:
- Non competitive

Volleyball Tournament

Congratulations to all Mangere College teams who played in our Volleyball Tournament, held here at Mangere College on Thursday 17 February. Pictured is Mangere College Girls team 1.

Results:

Mangere Girls 1             2 – 0 Aorere College

Mangere Girls 2            2 – 0 ASDAH

Mangere Girls 3            0 – 2 Papatoetoe High School

Mangere Girls 3            0 – 2 Ormiston College

Mangere Boys               1 – 2 Aorere College

Blessing for refurbished Administration Block

Early this morning we had a blessing for our refurbished Administration Block. Ngā mihi nui to Matua Maehe for performing the ceremony.

Our Administration Block should be up and running in a few weeks time as we begin moving furniture back in to our freshly renovated - fantastic looking space.

In the meantime - continue to use our temporary office located at the Auditorium entrance.

Important Start Dates for 2022

Kia ora, Talofa lava, Kia orana, Malo e lelei, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Bula vinaka, Taloha ni, Halo ola keta and Warm Pacific Greetings.

The office reopens Monday, 24 January 2022 at 8:30am.

STUDENT START DATES 2022

Year 9 start: Wednesday, 2 February 2022 at 8:30am

Year 10 - 13 start date: Thursday, 3 February 2022 at 8:30am

Enrolments/Uniform purchasing/Stationery lists: https://www.mangere.school.nz/enrolments - WINZ QUOTES AVAILABLE

Uniform shop opening hours 2022

Open:

Monday, 24 January 2022 - Friday, 28 January 2022 - 9am - 3pm (Location - Top Gym)

CLOSED AUCKLAND ANNIVERSARY

Re-opens:

Tuesday, 1 February 2022 - Thursday, 3 February 2022

CLOSED FRIDAY, 4 FEBRUARY 2022

Re-opens in school shop (Back of Admin building):

Monday, 7 February 2022

Careers Expo

On the 28th of May, we held our annual Careers Expo in the auditorium.

It was a great success with a wide range of tertiary providers present and engaging with all of our senior students and many of our junior students also.

South Auckland Mathematics Challenge

Another year and another opportunity for our students to participate in the South Auckland Mathematics Challenge (SAMC).

It was great to see some of our Year 9 students sign up for an extracurricular activity that most had seen when they came to the open week here at Māngere College last year. Our teams were part of all four events in Term 2 and a couple of our teams placed in most of the events. In addition to SAMC, in Week 8 we hosted the Māngere Mathematics competition for our feeder schools Bader Intermediate, Māngere Central School and Viscount School. Our lovely Year 13 students who are taking Maths courses this year helped out and also had the opportunity to reconnect with some of their intermediate teachers. Term 3 is another busy term with the last three events for SAMC and the regional Mathex competition. Be sure to follow how our students are going in SAMC on Facebook and Instagram as well as through our school social media pages.

Insta - @southaklmathschallenge

Admin Block Refurbishment

We are excited that our admin refurbishment works will be starting soon.

From the start of Term 3, building works will commence in the Admin block. A temporary office – reception will be located in the Auditorium foyer, with visitor parking available. The front of the Admin block will be cordoned off for site safety works and the vehicle driveway access is for contractor building deliveries. No other vehicles are permitted to park in this area.

The building work is expected to be completed in 4 months. Parking will be limited in carpark 1 however there is other parking available by accessing Gate 1 to carpark 2 and 3. Please do not double park or block parked vehicles inside carpark 1 or along the roadway from Gate 1. Please follow signs to available carparking. Your cooperation is appreciated during this time.

Manawa Whenua Leadership Programme

In the first week of the Term 1 school holidays, nine of our Manawa Whenua Hauora Leaders travelled to Levin with the Toko team to co-facilitate a Hauora programme for Pasifika families.

It was a great opportunity for our MC Manawa Whenua Hauora Leaders to provide leadership raising awareness about wellbeing through various creative approaches with their peers in Levin.

On 26th of May, an MC Whanau Hauora Fono was held to consider how families could best work with the school to support their child’s wellbeing. Mr Paul Campbell spoke about how the Student Support services look after the wellbeing of the MC students and Toko’s clinical psychologist Pauline Taufa, spoke about the key cornerstones of wellbeing, namely Connecting, Caring and Contributing. It was another great evening reconnecting with families. The Toko Collaboration Charitable Trust would like to thank all the Manawa Whenua Hauora Leaders’ families, Mr Webb and MC staff for their support of this Whanau Hauora Fono and the ongoing Manawa Whenua Hauora programme this year.

The penultimate workshop in Term 2 was about the rising of the Matariki star cluster, a time of renewal and celebration. The Matariki star is the brightest star of this cluster and is connected to the health and wellbeing of people. It is written in the stars-Seek the Heights!

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Thank you to all of our students and whanau for their dedication to learning this year. Despite the challenging year due to Covid lockdowns, we have had many great successes. So let’s all celebrate how well we have all done.

The School Office is closed from 20 December 2021 and will re-open for enrolments from 24 January 2022. 

Stay safe and enjoy your holiday! We are looking forward to seeing everyone in 2022.