Dio Today December 2023

DECEMBER 2023

From the editors Diocesan School for Girls Clyde Street, Epsom, Auckland, New Zealand Private Bag 99939, Newmarket 1149 P. 09 520 0221 E. office@diocesan.school.nz DIOCESAN.SCHOOL.NZ BOARD CHAIR Mrs Jenny Spillane PRINCIPAL Ms Heather McRae CHAPLAIN Reverend Sandy Robertson ASSISTANT CHAPLAIN Reverend Bryan Haggitt HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL Mrs Margaret van Meeuwen DEPUTY PRINCIPALS SENIOR SCHOOL Mrs Dian Fisher Mr Simon Walker ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Mrs Kate Burkin HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL Mrs Sue Cattell DEPUTY PRINCIPAL JUNIOR SCHOOL Ms Nicole Lewis DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS AND PLANNING Mrs Kerry Burridge DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Ms Shelley Johnston DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Mrs Angela Coe

As I write, the newspapers and TV are brimming with ads shouting at us to buy up large on Black Friday – spend, spend, spend. In an economic environment where so many are struggling with basic everyday living expenses, just scraping by, or being forced to lean on credit, all the hype around Black Friday seems somewhat insensitive, to say the least.

I have been reminded of a story I read years ago in which a mother, bestowing a blessing on her family, said: “I wish you enough.”

When did the concept of ‘enough’ get lost? When did those insidious excesses – ‘want’ versus ‘need’, instant gratification, bigger and better, the latest and greatest – creep in and feed the itch of dissatisfaction with what we have, and demand that we accumulate more?

I was also reminded of someone telling me how, as a university student, he had asked his grandmother for some life advice. Her economical three-word reply was: “Count your blessings.” When he challenged her, expecting more comprehensive guidelines, she simply repeated: “Count your blessings.”

As Christmas and the summer holiday season approach, we would probably all benefit from taking a step back, quieting the turbulence within and around us, giving thanks for having ‘enough’ and counting our blessings.

On behalf of alumnae editor Deirdre Coleman and myself, best wishes for a blessed Christmas and holiday. We look forward to bringing you more news and views from Dio in the new year.

Liz McKay, editor Deirdre Coleman, Alumnae editor

DIRECTOR OF PEOPLE AND CULTURE Mrs Adrienne Calder DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS Mrs Kate Jones HEAD PREFECT Āniva Clarke DEPUTY HEAD PREFECT Samantha Smith DIO TODAY Is produced through the Marketing Office of Diocesan School for Girls and is designed and published

by Soar Communications Group Limited. For information about this publication, contact the Editor, Liz McKay, E. lmckay@diocesan.school.nz Alumnae liaison and proofreading, Deirdre Coleman, E. d.g@slingshot.co.nz Commissioned photography by Nicola Topping, Real Image (realimage.co.nz).

“We are blessed at Dio to have such a beautiful sacred space in which we can take time to connect with God, breathe, and just be. Over 16,000 students and many hundreds of staff have sat in our chapel over the past hundred or so years and soaked in the beauty, quiet and peace; nothing beats walking into the Chapel and feeling the deep peace that exists in that sacred space. It is an oasis in the midst of what is often a hectic school life. Thank God for this treasure that we have at the centre of our School.” Rev’d Sandy Robertson

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DECEMBER 2023

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41 LEADING

LIVING

02 From the Principal

42 Chaplaincy

Speech delivered at Senior Prize Giving

04 Board of Governors update From Chair, Jenny Spillane

09 Dio’s sustainability journey What we’re doing about waste

14 Unlocking Dio’s history Our digital Archives website

LEARNING 17 Senior Prize Giving Celebrating our top awards for 2023

23 Centre for Ethics We pay tribute to retiring Director, Nina Blumenfeld

26 Environmental activist Dio’s Head Prefect makes her mark on the global stage

36 Junior School news… from the classroom, the stage and the sportsfield

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Finding spaces of beauty, quiet and peace

68 ON THE COVER

44 Performing arts Showcasing a treasury of performance excellence

DECEMBER 2023

52 Sport The 2023 Sports Awards reflect a busy and rewarding year for Dio Sport

64 Parents & Friends of Dio Supporting development and growth at Dio

LIFELONG FRIENDS 68 Alumnae Meritae Awards 2023 Leonie Lawson and Desley Simpson – mother and daughter duo

71 Family connections A tapestry of past and present

75 Dio alumnae entrepreneurs share their business experiences

80 Milestones Alumnae events

A new era for women in sport – see our Director of Sport’s article on page 54.

Photo by Simon Watts, BW Media, taken of jubilant Dio hockey players Felicity Bannatyne, Anais Hamilton and Liv Barker after a penalty shootout against Feilding High School during Winter Tournament Week.

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

SENIOR PRIZE GIVING SPEECH Ngā mihi nui kia koutou katoa – nau mai, haere mai ki tēnei po whakanui o nga ākonga.

This year we have been blessed with lots of wonderful things, water, lots more water, wondrous students, and a winning team of staff. Tonight, I especially welcome Board members, parents, and students as we think back on the challenges we have faced and the brilliance of people working together to engage in the greatest profession of all – the art of human learning.

It is an honour to acknowledge the Year 13 journey through Dio – a group who have been simply brilliant at bridging the gap and building relationships across the School. I extend my deep thanks to our Head Prefect

Āniva Clarke, and Deputy Head Prefect Sammy Smith for their inspring leadership of the student body. They have been the quintessential prefects who have left a lasting impression on us all for their service, their commitment to the wider world, and for convincing some of us to dance in white lycra for the Birthday Concert!

In the October Uni News from The University of Auckland, Professor Andrew Shelling talked about a model human embryo grown using stem cells that was regarded as an enormous achievement.

Without using sperm, eggs or a womb, scientists created the equivalent of a day 14 human embryo in the lab. The field is ethically fraught, according to Andrew.

He has asked what is this? Is this a human or just a group of cells? What are the implications for the future use of cells?

These ethical debates abound as we grapple with the latest science and technologies. It feels like disruptions also invent their own language. The latest Harvard Business Review states that with generative AI, Web3, neurotech, reusable rockets to power the space economy, new technologies like these are reshaping organisations at the hybrid office, on factory floors, and in the C-suite.

What should you and your company be doing now to take advantage of the new opportunities these technologies are creating – and avoid falling victim to disruption?

That question tonight is incredibly important – the falling victim to disruption part. While we unpack latest AI technologies and the excitement of what they offer, it is easy to forget the real fear that people feel about loss of control and particularly the lack of human interaction.

How many of us have been frustrated by a bot that can’t answer your complex problem and you cannot get through to a human voice on the other end of the phone.

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It is true that machine learning has proven successful at automating repetitive finance, legal tasks, and curriculum mapping. AI can increase rates of efficiency from 70% to 94% in just a few weeks, resulting in massive savings in time and effort. We can analyse curriculum balance, and create model answers for students to critique, saving time and effort for teachers. But as Picasso once said: “Computers are useless: they can only give you answers!” Only humans can understand the full context of what’s not working well in business processes and educational functions and have relevant suggestions on how they could be improved. The most important thing is knowing what is important.

Sitting behind the flurry of AI, mobile technologies, and the fantastic ability to communicate with anyone anywhere, are some big questions we should be asking. Are we really improving our lives? Are we really improving our health? Are we creating and promoting world peace? Is it improving our ability to live on a planet that has troubling symptoms of ill health? While the next new gadgets emerge with waterproof capability, flashy flip cases, and make high powered photography of the dessert you ordered to post on X possible, is it time that we humans think deeper about how long we continue with bigger, better, faster. We seem convinced that disruption is a great thing along with bigger profits.

Quoted from a literary review of declining physical, psychological health and sleep patterns published in October 2022: “It has been proven that one of the multiple reasons for more and more individuals being affected by depression and feeling further isolated is their addiction to mobile phones and other digital gadgets, their dependency on the presence of people on the internet, their views and values, which need not be the individual’s own. It increases dependence on validation from faceless people on the internet. It reduces the rate at which one physically interacts with others in real life, which also affects the release and maintenance of adequate doses of feelgood hormones like dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin, which are naturally required by all.”

LEADING

Cyclone Gabrielle descends on Auckland

“Even with all our technology and the inventions that make modern life so much easier than it once was, it takes just one big natural disaster to wipe all that away and remind us that, here on Earth, we're still at the mercy of nature.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist

For all our clever technologies we are still easily fooled by the words of disruption. For every new invention, we have witnessed how they also turn into tragedy – nuclear fission, explosives, drones and now the internet. Since when was social media truly good for society, and when did an avatar who lives in a digitally perfect world help anyone to survive the emotional realities of life? It is heartening to see discussions about controlled management of AI and the need to halt some scientific work that poses big questions about creating humans as clones. We should show caution and examine the inherent negatives that emerge. After all, we have not yet managed to solve many bigger issues of our generations such as equity, quality of life, and living in peace.

disaster to wipe all that away and remind us that, here on Earth, we're still at the mercy of nature.”

My favourite astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson says: “Even with all our technology and the inventions that make modern life so much easier than it once was, it takes just one big natural

Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui.

The most important thing in education is the art and science of learning that enables every young unique human being to be prepared for the real or artificial world around them. While AI will be a huge boost to organisations around the world, the real opportunity of AI is to finally unleash the full power of human intelligence. Rather than treating humans like inefficient robots, we can use it to better leverage our uniquely human skills such as leadership, adaptability and creativity. We need to desperately work on our ability to love and understand one another and care for the only home we have ever known.

Ut Serviamus.

Heather McRae, Principal

References: • University of Auckland UiNews October 2023, page 2. https://cdn.auckland.ac.nz/assets/auckland/aboutus/the-university/official-publications/uninews/2023/Uninews-2023-October-WEB.pdf • Nakshine VS, Thute P, Khatib MN, Sarkar B. Increased Screen Time as a Cause of Declining Physical, Psychological Health, and Sleep Patterns: A Literary Review. Cureus. 2022 Oct 8;14(10):e30051. doi: 10.7759/ cureus.30051. PMID: 36381869; PMCID: PMC9638701.

• McAfee A., Rock D., Brynjolfsson E., How to Capitalize on Generative AI – A Guide to Realising its benefits while limiting its risks, HBR – November December Issue 2023 – pgs 44-48 • Tamayo, G., Doumi, L., Goel S., Kováes-Ondrejkovic O., Sadun R., Reskilling in the Age of AI – Five new paradigms for leaders and employees. HBR – September October Issue 2023 – pgs 56-65

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BOARD OF GOVERNORS

UPDATE It is a genuine privilege to be appointed Chair of the Board of Governors at Dio, and to be able to introduce three fellow new members of the Board.

While I am new to the Board, I don’t think I would be regarded as ‘new to the School’. I attended Dio from 1979 through to 1986 and was very fortunate to be Head Prefect in my final year at school.

I then returned to the School in 1999 as the Old Girls’ representative on the Board, standing down in 2003 to help juggle life as a new mother and not-so-new lawyer working in the corporate world. Fast forward to 2013 when our eldest daughter started in Year 7 at Dio and I became immersed in the School as a Dio mum.

Shortly afterwards I joined the committee of what is now the Alumnae Association (formerly the Old Girls’ League) and held the position of President from 2017 to 2021.

Having taken a few years off from my legal career to focus on our family and community, I rejoined the legal workforce in 2017 and am now the Senior Legal Counsel – Corporate and Commercial at Kainga Ora – Homes and Communities. It is a role that provides immense professional satisfaction, working for an organisation with a strong purpose.

Earlier I described it as a privilege to be appointed to Chair of the Board of Governors and in doing so, I chose the word privilege carefully. We juggle many roles and relationships in our lives, and a few of those are genuine privileges.

Someone once described the genuine privileges to me as the ‘glass juggling balls’ … you don’t want to drop any of them. They come with the responsibility to keep them whole. I have the privilege of being wife to my husband Charles

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and mother to our two daughters Eleanor and Natalie - all glass. I now also have the privilege of chairing the Board of Governors of Diocesan School for Girls and I take this responsibility very seriously. This School – its past, its present and its future – is a treasure, and it must be treasured and given every opportunity to thrive.

I am not the only person new to your Board. I also take this opportunity to introduce Paula Gair, Mike Higgins and Tom Fail, who each bring valued skills and experience to an already strong Board.

With in-depth knowledge and extensive experience in the areas of cyber security, privacy and online harm for families, Paula Gair is already making a significant contribution to the Board and the ongoing risks the School (as with any organisation) faces in our rapidly evolving technological world. As well as consulting in these areas, Paula is also a supervisor for masters’ candidates focused on Emerging and Disruptive Technology, and she is passionate about innovation, sustainability, ethics, the future of work, gender equality and education. Paula and her husband, Ross, are current Dio parents.

Mike Higgins is a proud New Zealander and an even prouder Dio parent. He and wife Anna currently have one daughter in Year 7 and their youngest will soon join the ranks of the blue and red. Mike has a very strong, and quite unique, background in accounting and advertising, having enjoyed a long

and successful career most recently as CFO/COO of New Zealand’s largest advertising group, Clemenger. Mike’s board experience has extended to the Clemenger trans-Tasman holding company board as well as the New Zealand Comms Council and The Advertising Standards Authority.

The Board welcomes Mike’s positive approach balanced with his willingness to test any position.

As a lawyer with specialisation in the banking and project finance sector, Tom Fail brings an approach to Board discussions that is already highly valued.

Tom has extensive experience within law firms in Singapore, London and in New Zealand and, after serving as a partner at a leading New Zealand law firm for 13 years, he has now embarked on an exciting venture establishing his own practice within his area of expertise.

As husband of Dawn and dad to three wonderful children (including two daughters at Dio), Tom cherishes his role as a family man and strives hard to achieve a healthy balance between his personal and professional life, ensuring he brings dedication and enthusiasm to both. We are all delighted that this now includes working with Board members and senior management staff to ensure that Dio is the best that it can be.

We are all very fortunate to be joining a very strong Board and supporting an excellent Senior Management Team that is committed to being of service to your School.

Jenny Spillane, Board Chair

LEADING New Board members, from left to right, Mike Higgins, Jenny Spillane (Chair), Paula Gair and Tom Fail

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New executive appointment Dio welcomes new Director of People and Culture Adrienne Calder has joined Diocesan School for Girls as Director of People and Culture.

She is a Registered Psychologist and a Chartered Organisational Psychologist.

Education underpinned by spirituality is important to Adrienne and she appreciates the exceptional and comprehensive education provided by Diocesan, developing the girls’ character, leadership, strong positive values, care for others as well as performing in their

arts, sport and academic endeavours.

The incorporation of Ethics education and learning in detail about religions and beliefs throughout the world develop the girls’ awareness, respect and capacity to be global citizens and to make a difference.

Her daughter Olivia (Liv) Thomson attended Dio from age four through to Year 13 and her stepdaughter Emily Cran was at Dio for six years.

Adrienne follows Jocelyn Anso who was the first person in this role from 2018.

Adrienne commented on the excellent

values-aligned systems and approaches established and integrated by Jocelyn and the team, Gwyneth Robinson and Katie Ratcliffe, and is grateful for the superb handover from Jocelyn and the ongoing support of Gwyneth and Katie.

Diocesan’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and integrating Te Ao Māori and Matauranga Māori are important to Adrienne. She commented that it is evident that manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga and whanaungatanga interweave coherently with the Diocesan values of love, generosity, justice, peace, hope and service.

The Diocesan School motto Ut Serviamus, that we may serve, and the credo ‘All people matter all of the time’ strongly align with Adrienne’s sense of life purpose. She is delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to the Diocesan staff creating this wonderful education for the girls so that they are empowered to make their own positive contributions in the world.

Adrienne appreciates the genuine warm welcome and support that she has received from across the School and is very happy to be part of the Dio team.

With a background of working for international consulting firms; KPMG, EY and Right Management, at OCG Consulting Ltd, as Programme Director of Leadership NZ and in her own consulting practice, Adrienne brings her experience of leadership development, coaching, facilitation, recruitment, employee engagement, culture and values and HR management. During the COVID pandemic she served as a psychologist in community mental health.

Happily married to Alistair Cran, Adrienne has three children and three stepchildren, four of whom are living and working overseas, one is in Auckland and the youngest is at the University of Canterbury.

Adrienne Calder

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Continuous learning and development are central to Adrienne’s way of being and she is grateful to be a member of the Diocesan community with its commitment to life-long learning and growth, open-mindedness, collaboration and courage, wholeheartedly integrating so that Dio shines like a lighthouse.

LEADING

Dian Fisher and her ISNZ Award

TOP AWARD FOR DEPUTY PRINCIPAL DIAN FISHER Deputy Principal of Diocesan’s Senior School, Dian Fisher, has received one of just 10 national honours awards from Independent Schools New Zealand (ISNZ), in recognition of staff who go above and beyond the call of duty. She was presented with the award by the Hon Jan Tinetti, Minister of Education, at the recent ISNZ Conference in Auckland.

The ISNZ award is the second for Dian, who was the recipient of an ISNZ longservice award in 2019, recognising her enormous contribution to the School over more than 20 years.

The ISNZ Honours Awards are just one way the independent school sector celebrates inspiring professionals who develop a learning environment that will motivate and prepare students to be responsible global citizens, conscientious decision-makers and engaged change-makers.

When presenting the Honours Award, ISNZ judges commented that: “Dian Fisher's visionary dedication as an educator radiates far beyond the bounds of Diocesan School for Girls, igniting a transformative impact on the teaching profession.”

As a teacher of geography and social studies, Dian's excellence shines through in the classroom. Colleagues and students alike hold Dian in high regard. Her students appreciate her approachability and willingness to listen, and describe her as being “inspirational, empathetic and resilient”, while her colleagues admire her leadership, professionalism, and enthusiasm in whole-school initiatives.

Dian has spearheaded a new approach to professional learning and growth, ensuring visibility and professionalism in the process. Collaborating with the outside agency Interlead, she worked with a team to upskill the entire staff, then set up a wealth of resources to aid teachers in their inquiry and leadership development. Dian's commitment to teacher development is evident in her successful implementation of numerous initiatives aimed at enhancing professional learning. She empowers and mentors her colleagues, fostering their potential for growth and reflection.

Dian's commitment to teachers' growth extends even beyond her own school, as evidenced by her involvement in the Auckland Schools’ Teacher Trainee Programme, where she plays a pivotal role in inspiring and guiding aspiring educators. In particular, Dian has actively contributed to Women in Educational Leadership (WIEL). Her vision, dedication, and positive impact on the teaching profession has left a legacy within Dio and beyond.

Her peers and students alike commended Dian for the award, with her colleagues saying: “Her professionalism, outstanding commitment to the delivery of effective teacher education and development, as well as her collegial, responsive

and inclusive approach to working with others make her an exceptional educational leader.”

Head Prefect, Āniva Clarke, is a geography student of Dian’s. She values Dian’s approach to teaching and the effort she puts into ensuring every student understands the content.

She says that Dio would be a lesser place without Mrs Fisher, “who brings our School together and inspires our School community.”

Dian says the award was humbling and a real honour.

“I think anyone who gets recognition like this immediately reflects on the level of support they get at a school to pursue passions and interests as well as the large number of people they work with who bring whole-school projects and initiatives to fruition. It is never a ‘one person show’.

“Diocesan has always encouraged teachers to be part of regional and national organisations. Having an input into education that goes beyond our School is another way we are all able to live our school motto Ut Serviamus.”

Diocesan School congratulates Dian and the other award winners for this fantastic and well-deserved recognition.

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Shelley Ryde

National Premier Award

for Diocesan Head of Visual Arts At the National Art Conference held in Wellington in July, we were delighted that Diocesan’s Head of Visual Arts, Shelley Ryde, was the recipient of one of two Premier Awards. Both exceptional art educators, Shelley Ryde and Donn Ratana were recognised for their generosity of spirit, hard mahi and unquestionable expertise.

Nominated by the delegates and members of the National Association of Art Educators, Shelley won the award for her long service and valued contribution to visual arts in Aotearoa.

Emma Wise, President of the National Art Teachers’ Association, acknowledged Shelley as an expert in her field, who has not only been 8

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a model of leadership in her role as Head of Visual Arts at Diocesan, but has mentored countless teachers and students over the years. She has given generously of her time and resources to grow and develop others and has travelled all over the country sharing her expertise. Shelley has been at the forefront of advocacy, curriculum development and assessment reforms.

We are delighted that students at Diocesan have been privileged to be taught by Shelley over more than 40 years. She is an inspiration to us all and we congratulate her on this welldeserved acknowledgement of her talents as an artist and educator.

For the first time, Shelley wasn’t present at the conference as, post-COVID, she met with her family in Fiji after not having seen them for nearly five years.

Her son Ainsley, who was in Wellington representing National Art Supplies at

the conference, received the award on her behalf.

Best wishes to the ASATA team who have their regional conference at Elam over the first weekend of December.

During this ASATA event, Shelley will be recognised for her ANZAAE Premier Award. Huge congratulations from all ANZAAE members Shelley, and a big thank you for all you continue to contribute to Visual Arts education.

We are delighted that students at Diocesan have been privileged to be taught

by Shelley over more than 40 years. She is an inspiration to us all.

LEADING

BUSINESS AND PLANNING

DIO’S

SUSTAINABILITY

JOURNEY

We all know that our environment is at risk and we need to be taking major steps to help mitigate our impact on the globe, but we also know that behaviour change is hard. Here's an update on what's happening in the sustainability space at Dio, and what we found from our recent waste audit.

In Dio’s latest waste audit, the School was found to generate approximately 461 kilograms of waste per week. If we put that in standard-sized trash bags, this would be the height of 14 cars stacked on top of each other, six school buses end-to-end, 10 giraffes stacked on top of each other, and would weigh as much as two grizzly bears.

That’s a lot of waste and we are not proud of it. Clearly things need to change.

WASTE AUDIT FINDINGS What made up that 461kg of waste?

Dio’s waste audit revealed that 61% of the total waste disposed in the general

waste bin was considered readily or potentially recyclable. That means it should have been recycled.

The majority of recyclable waste was categorised as food waste, compost or paper. Food waste/ compost accounted for 34% (this included paper towels, food scraps, coffee cups, etc) while paper waste accounted for 16% of total waste.

As a result we have broken down our challenge over the next 12 months to focus on reducing waste overall, but with an eye on food and paper, given they are our biggest drivers of recyclable waste today.

WHAT OUR SCHOOL IS DOING Dio has crafted a sustainability workstream (endorsed in our current Annual Plan) that is rooted in the idea that our resources are treasured taonga and we have a responsibility to preserve a good quality of life for future generations. We need to take an ‘end to end’ approach to the challenge to have a meaningful impact.

This starts with education. We’re working on integrating sustainability into all subjects to reinforce student learning, DIO TODAY

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and teaching our students to understand their responsibilities as stewards of the Earth. This is grounded in a holistic view of sustainability – the belief that it’s our mission to care for our own wellbeing, each other, and the broader environment.

What we bring into the School (or school procurement) can also have a major impact. Our waste audit helped us determine that paper and food waste present our biggest opportunities to reduce waste. Paper towels formed a large component of our landfill waste, so we’ve shifted to purchasing unbleached paper towels that can be disposed of in compost.

Our café is also taking significant steps to ensure that food packaging is minimised as much as possible. But improving our procurement choices is an ongoing journey.

How we manage waste and recycling is also key. We need to more effectively redirect our recyclable waste to the appropriate recyclable areas. To accomplish this, we’re going to make sure students and staff have access to recycling options across Dio. We’re setting up processes for recycling in each classroom with appropriate bins, monitors, signage and guidelines to help the Dio community learn what rubbish goes where. We are also

working with our cleaners to ensure that our waste ends up in the right space for recycling.

WHAT OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF ARE DOING Jacinda Andrews, our teacher-in-charge of geography and social studies, works with Dio’s student Sustainability Council.

Jacinda commented that Dio’s support of sustainability in the Annual Plan will help move the School towards being more waste conscious. “Having that bigger support is going to be the thing that pushes things forward,” says Jacinda.

“The environment outside is beautiful and I want to help students respect it.”

Jacinda’s classroom is covered in environmental posters and decals and she’s a strong advocate for student recycling. “We need students to put their rubbish in the right bins and reduce their waste. Our main push is for students to change their mindset and be more respectful of the environment and the world around them,” she says. Jacinda thinks waste management is the most important thing the School can do to contribute to environmental causes. “We have so much waste and while climate marches are important and being visible at assembly helps, what we need to get students doing is putting their waste in the right containers every day.”

Melissa Brady, Dio’s Property Manager, is also a strong advocate for improving resource management. In 2022, she shifted Dio’s campus flowers to drought-resistant planting, switched to organic plant sprays, and bettered Dio’s management of its green waste by increasing groundskeeping waste recycling capacity. Melissa has also helped install water meters across the School to alert the Property Team about excessive uses of water, like taps left running or leaks, and is working with the Executive Team to introduce more alternative power sources at Dio. “We’re just trying to be mindful of new practices that might complement what we’re doing and how we can incorporate student ideas as well,” Melissa says.

Melissa has also improved the School’s metal, polystyrene, battery and paper recycling collection over the past three years, but she said the waste audit showed room for improvement with paper and food waste. She led the charge to change Dio’s toilet paper and paper towels to an unbleached variety so they can be recycled as organic waste and changed Dio’s cleaning products to be as eco-friendly as possible. She’s also made many of Dio’s bin liners compostable.

“One thing students can do to help is reduce litter,” believes Melissa. “Litter left in gardens, hidden between seats, stuffed in trees… it’s not a good look for the School,” she said. She’s working with the Sustainability Council to educate students on proper waste disposal and recycling. “We’re trying to get kids to understand that they can make a difference. It’s about making them understand they have control and they have power over their future.”

Both Jacinda and Melissa are involved with Diocesan’s student-led Sustainability Council, previously called the Environment Council, which is made up of 25 students from Years 7 to 13.

“Sustainability is a key element of our strategic direction and we’re constantly asking ourselves, what more can we do?”

Jacinda describes the Council as “a group of students who are passionate about the future of the world,” and says she’s happy supporting them in their efforts. Melissa said her work with the council is about “empowering our students and giving them that quiet, behind-the-scenes support to do great things.”

Cochrane house won the newly awarded Sustainability Cup for 2023

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Sustainability Council assisting with the waste audit

Dio Thrifts clothing sale

LEADING

WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING Sustainability Council Prefect Alex Wackrow is a driving force for student-led sustainability at Dio. Jacinda says: “Alex is fantastic and has always supported making the School waste free… she’s always supported the students on the council.” Alex’s passion for sustainability started in primary school, where she joined an environmental group that picked up litter over their lunch breaks. She joined the Sustainability Council in Year 7 and eventually progressed to chairing it. The Sustainability Council meets on a regular basis to talk about sustainability initiatives they can implement and they coordinate with staff to cultivate environmental consciousness around Dio.

Students learning about the waste audit

Alex supports the current waste audit and goals. “I was impressed to see the School is good at recycling plastic, metal, and glass. I hope we can take something from this so the next audit will provide even better results.” Alex also helped organise the Guess the Trash Weight competition that was part of the audit and it made clear to her that more students can learn how much waste a community produces. “We had a wide range of guesses: some people guessed 40 kilograms and some people guessed eight tonnes!” Alex said. (The correct answer was 1.8 tonnes.)

Alongside Dio’s waste management goals, Alex and the Sustainability Council are also raising awareness of waste in the fast-fashion industry. As part of the inaugural Sustainability Week, the Sustainability Council and Ethics Council collaborated to organise Dio Thrifts, an event in which students collected second-hand clothes and created a lunchtime thrift market to teach other students they don’t always have to buy their clothes new.

Dio Thrifts donated their surplus of remaining good-quality clothing items to the Anglican Trust for Women and Children (ATWC).

The Sustainability Council also organised a Trash to Treasure competition, where recycled trash was given to each group with the challenge to make an animal out of it (the winning team made it into a zebra they named Marty). The goal was to further raise awareness of

how much waste the School generates and to encourage people to think more about how to reduce, reuse and recycle.

The Sustainability Council will be doing another Trash to Treasure competition soon and will run an inter-house competition to see which house can reduce its electricity use the most.

ambitious targets. We have committed to reduce the recyclable material in our landfill by our next waste audit. We’ll also set up a power and fuel usage dashboard to better assess and measure our consumption.

HOW WE MEASURE SUCCESS AND MOVE FORWARD

It may seem minor, but the biggest thing you can do is help us to get our litter in the right place. Our waste audit proved that in spades. If you are a parent, please support us with litterless lunches. If you are a student, please put litter in the right place via the four major planet (recycling) stations around Dio. As Lao Tzu once famously said: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step".

Alex recognises environmental causes can be daunting but doesn’t think that should put people off trying. “Saving the planet is such a big idea and it can be anxiety-inducing to ask: how can can one person make a difference?” She says we need to push past that – you can make a difference. To ensure we stay on track we aim to set ourselves

HOW CAN YOU BE INVOLVED AND HELP?

DIO TODAY

11

School House 1904

New crowning glory

for historic School House Built in the 1860s, School House was one of the first buildings on the Diocesan campus and it remains an integral and treasured part of the School community today.

The beautiful two-storey villa was originally built on the property, which was known as ‘Saint John’s Wood’, by the Hesketh family. The six-acre property was purchased by the founders of Dio in 1903 and Diocesan School for Girls opened in May 1904, with just 27 students.

School House was the hub of the School, providing classrooms along with a dining hall, chapel and accommodation. As the School grew, School House became the boarding facility for Dio and remained so 12

DIO TODAY

If walls could talk, School House would certainly have some tales to tell. It’s seen its share of history, from the Spanish ’flu pandemic to the Depression and two world wars.

for the next 80 years before the boarders moved to new purpose-built facilities in Clyde Street.

As the School campus has evolved and modernised, the gracious building with its rose gardens and spacious rooms has remained a focal point for the School and is today home to the Principal’s office, staff offices and meeting rooms.

Keeping a close eye on School House activities is Ollie the school cat who also calls School House home.

LEADING

School House revealed in late November, resplendent under a new roof and fresh paint, inside and out.

If walls could talk, School House would certainly have some tales to tell. It’s seen its share of history, from the Spanish Flu pandemic to the Depression and two World Wars. Over 13 principals have walked its halls and since it first opened its doors, the School roll has grown from the original 27 students to over 1700 students today.

School House being prepared for wrapping.

Many of the original features of the building remain, with high ceilings, large windows, cornice mouldings, ceiling medallions, and stained-glass windows that are all still in place today.

The building has just been renovated, with a fresh coat of paint and a new roof. Being sensitive to its original heritage, the roof tiles will match the original materials used, with the replacement slate tiles mined in and shipped from Wales. It is expected that the renovation will be completed by December 2023.

The renovation has also provided an excellent learning opportunity for Year 12 digital visual communication

students, who had the chance to visit the construction area. Accompanied by Dio alumna, parent and architect, Tonia Williams, the students gained further

spatial design knowledge, as well as insight into the technical and practical challenges of renovating a historic building such as School House.

DIO TODAY

13

DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

UNLOCKING DIO'S HISTORY with our digital archives website

To celebrate Founders' Week this year, we very excitedly launched our brand-new archives website so our Dio community from far and wide can view the gems that otherwise hide in the Archive space. You can view many treasures on Digital Archives through our online museum window, including photos, videos, and publications such as past issues of Dio Today and the Chronicle.

To get the most out of the website, we encourage you to register and log in as a member to view our entire digital archives collection. By doing so, you will be able to tag and comment on items, save to your personal collections, and upload your own items to share with our community of members.

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DIO TODAY

CAMPUS The School campus has changed significantly over the past 120 years, but the heritage heart has stayed the same, as you can see from the aerial shot from 1982. Scan this QR code to learn more about our historic buildings, which include School House, the Summer House, the Chapel and School Hall.

Aerial photo of the Diocesan campus 1982

LEADING

SCHOOL BANNERS Check out the new School banners redesigned and crafted by the talented Elizabeth Jenkins that replace the earlier banners from 1994. While looking at your new house banner, we recommend reading the history behind your house and its namesake. You might be surprised to discover what else they inspired at Dio.

Cowie banner

Bishop Cowie

Cowie House

Ollie, the School cat

DIO TODAY Several years of past issues of Dio Today are now available on Digital Archives, so you can enjoy a trip down memory lane with our treasured history. If we are missing your edition of Dio Today, don't worry, we'll add more issues, and other treasures, weekly.

The archivist continues to maintain Dio’s physical collection of archival material. The Archive is open to the Dio community to explore alongside our new website. If you have Diorelated history (e.g. photos, documents, information) that you would like to share with us, please use the ‘upload’ function on our new archives website.

Or if you wish to donate physical items, the School Archive is open Monday to Wednesday. Any other enquiries, please feel free to contact us at archives@diocesan.school.nz

OLLIE, THE SCHOOL CAT Search for our School cat Ollie, and see where he pops up. He may surprise you in odd places, much like he does around the School.

Abby McWilliam Development Coordinator and Digital Archive Content Creator

DIO TODAY

15

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LEARNING

SENIOR

PRIZE GIVING Senior Prize Giving was held on Thursday 16 November 2023 in the elegant setting of the Diocesan Arts Centre. Head of Senior School Margaret van Meeuwen welcomed the girls, their families and guests to this prestigious occasion celebrating the top academic achievements of the year, along with a variety of other awards recognising excellence and service.

It is my pleasure to welcome you all – students, staff, parents, grandparents, invited guests. I hope you enjoy the music, the speeches, the awards, and most of all celebrating the contributions of all the senior pupils at Diocesan in 2023.

Over the course of this year, I have been enrolled in a Te Reo course through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. This course has been offered regularly here at School for staff and members of the school community. Some of my classmates are here tonight. Apart from learning a lot about Te Reo and Te ao Māori, I have learnt a lot about myself.

I had forgotten how hard it is sometimes to learn something new, and I don’t think that is just about the aging neural

pathways. I studied a number of languages at school and at university and had assumed that learning another would come easily to me. I think the nature of language teaching has changed over the years and it is far more immersive, and I struggled with working more in an oral context than a written one as we flew from pronouns to place names to tikanga. It has given me a renewed appreciation of what all students at Dio experience daily – the need to stay strong when the learning gets tough, that hard work doesn’t automatically result in success, and understanding the need to show grit and determination; but rewarded by the joy when I could successfully translate a whole sentence from English into Te Reo!

My congratulations to all prize winners tonight for navigating the ups and downs of your many subjects and assessments this year.

Congratulations too to those of you acknowledged tonight for your sporting and artistic prowess, for your acts of service and for embodying the School motto Ut Serviamus with your many acts of kindness to others.

And to those of you who will not cross the stage tonight, your efforts have not gone unnoticed, and like me, I hope you have enjoyed those personal moments of success to buoy you along to even greater successes next year.

Margaret van Meeuwen, Head of Senior School

DIO TODAY

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Senior Prize Giving Duxes

SENIOR PRIZE GIVING 2023

TOP AWARDS

The Dux awards represent our most outstanding academic achievements.

Senior Prize Giving NCEA Dux Charlotte Elliott

NCEA Dux for 2023 Charlotte Elliott Charlotte is an outstanding student whose achievements span the curriculum from the sciences to the social sciences. Her string of Excellence grades this year (with just one Merit that she has the opportunity to rectify in the external examinations) are testimony to her ability, diligence, and determination to succeed. Since Year 11, she has consistently achieved at the highest level academically since returning to Diocesan from overseas.

Her teachers comment also on her sense of humour and her willingness to engage fully in all aspects of the

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DIO TODAY

classroom. While she is independent in her learning and working at the highest of levels academically, she is always willing to help others and enjoys working collaboratively in the discussion and classroom activities.

Outside of the classroom, Charlotte has been a valuable member of the Academic Council and enjoys netball and dragon boating. She has been awarded a University of Canterbury Hiranga Scholarship for 2024 and intends to study engineering.

Congratulations Charlotte on being the NCEA Dux for 2023.

The Heritage Foundation Dorothy Shrewsbury Bursary

LEARNING

These results are all the more commendable given Christina arrived at Dio as an international student in that tumultuous year of 2020, and then was unable to return home as COVID shut our borders. Her resilience and determination to make the best of things in that and subsequent years speaks volumes for Christina’s strength of character.

The Dorothy Shrewsbury Bursary is awarded to the top academic student in Year 12.

This year we had a joint award to Danielle Wong and Amanda Yu. Danielle Wong

Senior Prize Giving IB Dux Christina Cai

IB Dux for 2023 Christina Cai Christina is an outstanding student who consistently achieves scores across all her subjects at the top of the range.

For those of you who are unaware, each of the six Diploma subjects is graded out of seven, with three points for the central core of Extended Essay, Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) and the Theory of Knowledge. This means the top score possible is 45 points. We fully anticipate that Christina will score in that prestigious 40+ range.

Christina’s reports speak of her exemplary commitment to her studies, her clarity of thought in both written material and oral discussions and her willingness to unpack all aspects of a question to reach her conclusions.

Christina is a student who brings a wealth of original and thoughtprovoking contributions to her classes, but she remains humble and grateful for the support of those around her.

Outside the classroom Christina has fostered the sharing of her culture as part of the Chinese cultural group and given back by supporting younger international students as the Deputy Head of International Students this year.

Congratulations Christina on being the IB Diploma Dux for 2023.

Amanda Yu

The Proxime Accessit to the Dux for 2023 Jenna Veal

Senior Prize Giving Proxime Accessit Jenna Veal.

Jenna is most deserving of the Proxime Accessit to the Dux for 2023. She has maintained an outstanding record of Excellence results across all her subjects and her teachers struggled to find different superlatives to describe her work ethic on her report. They all praise her diligence, her willingness to regularly revisit key concepts, to practise and revise past papers and her ability to apply her knowledge to new and unfamiliar contexts. She participates fully in class discussions and activities, often finding the time to support others in the class to understand their own work.

Jenna needed these skills to achieve academically as she shouldered two important roles this year.

She has lead Cowie House most successfully, demonstrating exceptional organisational skills, and she has been

a key member of the Diocesan premier water polo team and is about to represent New Zealand in the Sydney League.

Congratulations Jenna on your award for Proxime Accessit to the Dux for 2023.

A full list of all the awards made at Senior Prize Giving can be viewed on our DIO website www.diocesan.school.nz under ‘News and successes’.

DIO TODAY

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ELIZA EDWARDS MEMORIAL AWARD Bharathi Manikandan

T

his award is named after former Principal Eliza Edwards and the qualities that define it are etched on the window at the back of the Chapel of our Glorified Lord. It is awarded to a student leaving the School who, throughout her schooling, has contributed to many school activities, shown high personal standards, and has exhibited the qualities inherent in the foundation of the School. We congratulate Bharathi Manikandan, the most deserving winner of this prestigious award for 2023.

Bharathi is an outstanding individua. She is gracious and charming, her warm smile is shared with us all and she exudes a positivity that is infectious. As the School Culture Prefect, her goal this year was to establish a Cultural Night that could celebrate the diverse cultural population of Dio, sharing the magic and beauty of dance. Her quietly insistent organisation and genuine inclusive welcoming of all performers meant it was a huge success and will remain a regular event on the school calendar.

Bharathi’s incredible range of commitments to the wider life of the School – St Cecilia Singers, the senior production Legally Blonde, premier debating, the Ethics Olympiad and Model United Nations – speak to her commitment to bringing beauty and justice to those around her. She is highly principled and not afraid to challenge inequities. Her teachers speak of the joy she has brought to them in the classroom – testimony to her maturity, her total commitment and engagement to her learning. Bharathi lives and breathes the Christian qualities identified by the Apostle Paul: Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, humility, faithfulness and self-control.

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LEARNING

Ut Serviamus AWARD This is an inaugural award and acknowledges what sits at the heart of our school values. Ut Serviamus, our motto, recognises the importance of servant leadership. Mark’s gospel reminds us that Jesus explained to his followers that their practice of leadership was to be distinctly different than the self-seeking, self-serving, and domineering style of leadership often found in the world: "Whoever would be first among you must be servant of all."

Here at Diocesan each year level has service-learning challenges to seek out ways in which we can support the wider community – be that local communities or further afield. This award celebrates a student who goes further than that, offering service off their own bat, and genuinely looks for ways to improve the world for others. This year the inaugural Ut Serviamus award goes to Āniva Clarke.

Āniva’s passion to serve is driven by her love of and concerns for the future of our planet and especially the Pacific region. She has taken on multiple roles to represent young people so their voices can be heard. She is a member of the Women of the World 2023 Young Leaders Directory and the UN Children's Advisory Team, advising the Committee on the Rights of the Child. She is a UNICEF Youth Advocate, a panelist and speaker representing the UN Children's Advisory Team at the Asia-Pacific Youth Environment Forum in Sri Lanka and was a presenter on a webinar on Climate Change and the Rights of the Child, hosted by the UN. For all of these, and much more, Āniva recently received the Pacific Emerging Leadership Award at the Sunpix Pacific People’s Awards.

Āniva did tell us after her trip to Sri Lanka that she was surprised as a

Āniva Clarke

young woman that her questions were sometimes overlooked. In true style Āniva kept asking them until she was heard. We are very proud of this incredible service that Āniva has given on the behalf of us all for the betterment of the whole world, but particularly representing the Pasifika communities who are so adversely affected by climate change.

We look forward to what Āniva achieves in the future and are sure her star will shine brightly. Āniva is a most deserving winner of the first ever Ut Serviamus award.

Other service awards Year 11 Service Award Samantha Thompson Year 12 Service Award Sophie Tierney Year 13 Service Award Tessa Hickin The Heritage Foundation Beale Awards for Service to the School Alex Wackrow and Grace Allan.

DIO TODAY

21

HEAD PREFECT AND DEPUTY HEAD PREFECT FOR 2024

2024 Head Prefect Edith Li (right) and Deputy Head Prefect Harriet Fletcher (left).

How will your daughter make her mark?

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Open Day 25 March, 10am – 12pm

Register at diocesan.school.nz

LEARNING

A legacy of TEACHING AND ETHICAL LEARNING As the 2023 school year draws to a close, so will the teaching journey of Nina Blumenfeld, one of Diocesan’s esteemed educators. Nina will be retiring after nearly half a century in the world of education, leaving an indelible mark on the Diocesan School community. From respected history teacher to Director of Diocesan’s innovative Centre of Ethics, her impact on students and colleagues alike has been immeasurable.

Nina's career in education has been a global odyssey. She started her teaching journey in New Zealand at Rosehill College, before moving to London where she worked at the BBC in human resources for a couple of years, experiencing the world beyond the classroom.

Returning to New Zealand, Nina resumed her teaching career at Rosehill College for a further seven years, before taking on a unique opportunity – the position of a teacher-librarian at Whanganui Girls’ College. In this role, she had the chance to set up a new library in an architecturally designed building, a task that was not only challenging but deeply rewarding as it transformed the educational landscape at the school.

Nina’s educational journey then took her to Paris, where she immersed herself in academia at the Sorbonne for 10 months.

Her next stop was the International School in Hamburg, Germany, where she spent seven years teaching English and history, and eventually serving as the acting deputy principal of the high school. The experiences she gained abroad enriched her teaching style and world view, which she would later bring back to New Zealand.

In 2002, Nina Blumenfeld arrived at Diocesan, marking the beginning of an enduring chapter in her teaching career.

Over the past 21 years, she has mainly taught history and social studies, with a

touch of German. However, her influence extended far beyond the classroom. In 2013, she took on the role of leading the ethics programme at Dio, a position she embraced wholeheartedly.

One of Nina’s teaching highlights was her involvement with Scholarship history. Each year brought a new topic, demanding extra work and deep engagement. It was during these discussions that Nina relished diving into philosophical questions, challenging her students to ponder the significance of history and its ever-elusive objectivity.

She introduced the IB history curriculum, focusing on China, Japan and New Zealand, making history relevant to the region in which Dio students reside. Her thematic approach to teaching brought topics such as the history of women, aspects of New Zealand history, and even the Holocaust into the classroom.

One of her most cherished endeavours was the Centre for Ethics at Dio. Nina took over as its director in 2013, steering its focus towards students while maintaining a strong connection to the community.

She recognised the importance of wellinformed conscience and critical-thinking skills in an era of rapid technological change and media influence.

Through annual soapbox competitions where students fearlessly addressed challenging topics, guest speakers, and the annual Ethics Dinner, she ensured

that ethical discussions were at the forefront of Dio’s educational ethos.

Says Nina: “The Centre for Ethics encourages students to explore the complexities of everyday ethical questions. Understanding the nuances and shades of grey in ethical issues is crucial. Through debates and discussions, students learn to appreciate differing viewpoints, a valuable skill that will serve them well in life.”

Nina has witnessed massive changes in the education landscape over the past two decades, as qualification standards changed and teaching philosophies evolved. Her personal highlights at Dio include her role as the head of history, where she fostered a thriving department with remarkable results.

Reflecting on her time at the School, Nina aptly sums up her experience: "It has been a privilege and a joy to teach so many young people at Diocesan. The students really want to learn and are prepared to put the work in. I have made close friends amongst Dio staff who are a part of my life.”

Her passion for education, her unwavering dedication to ethics, and her ability to inspire generations of Dio students make Nina Blumenfeld a true legend in the world of education. As she embarks on a well-deserved retirement, her legacy will continue to shape the hearts and minds of those she has touched.

DIO TODAY

23

ETHICS REPORT Hot topics

Despite the impending exam pressures of the third term, the Ethics Council decided to run a series of speakers on hot topics and we certainly heard from some inspiring people. One particularly memorable speaker was Amy Hogan, a past student of Diocesan. She spoke about the challenges of being a disabled person and working as a disability advocate. She urged students to listen carefully to the needs and wants of the disabled so that our society would be more equitable for all people.

Event posters

Ethics Olympiad

An awesome team of Year 11 students (Violet Tucker, Holly Bricklebank, Isobella Baggaley, Jess Web, Scarlett Kirk and Charlotte Johnston) continued to gain success, not just within New Zealand schools but also internationally.

At the start of Term 3, the team took part in the International Senior Ethics Olympiad Final and won the silver medal.

This was a wonderful achievement and reflected their working together as a team when it counted, their preparation for the competition and ability to think on their feet. The team was treated to a morning tea with Principal Heather McRae and Head of Senior School Margaret van

Another fascinating speaker who attracted a large audience was Tamasailau Suaalii, from the Department of Criminology at the University of Auckland, who spoke about the very complex issue of whether gangs are good for society. She encouraged students and staff to think about what constitutes a good society and developed her presentation around the theme, ‘If you are safe at home, you will be safe elsewhere’. The topic and the presentation itself were interesting and

Meeuwen where they were presented with their medals and certificates and a beautiful candle each.

To extend ethical thinking throughout the School, all Year 10 students took part in a tutor group competition using cases from previous years’ Ethics Olympiads. The winners of the competition were 10MP who faced 10MI. Out of the Year 10 cohort, 20 enthusiastic and lively students were chosen, aiming to be in the two teams that will compete in the Middle School Ethics Olympiad in November.

Diocesan has also become one of the schools in Australasia that has a licence

“It’s very fulfilling when students participate in these kinds of additional opportunities, but especially exciting when they gain such a high level of success.”

Nina Blumenfeld 24

DIO TODAY

relevant and both staff and students asked some very interesting questions.

We also heard from Sanat Singh who represented the 'Make it 16' campaign.

He gave thoughtful arguments about why the voting age should drop to 16, in contrast to the ideas of most of those present. Building on the need for students to be politically aware at the start of the term, we also heard from a pair of university students from the Public Policy Club at The University of Auckland who wanted young people to be more aware of New Zealand politics, the upcoming general election and how young New Zealanders can make their votes count.

These speeches highlighted how conscious our girls are of the issues facing our society and how important it is that we get a chance to have free speech and share our opinions. Inviting stimulating speakers into Diocesan is one way the Centre for Ethics can highlight to students the ethical issues facing our society and how important it is that they get the opportunity to hear diverse views that challenge the mainstream.

for the Ethics Olympiad. This allows us to expand face-to-face competitions and all teachers will have the programme available to them online. Subject-specific cases in science, technology, media and sport, for example, would allow teachers to integrate ethical cases/scenario within their curriculum.

Year 11 Ethics Olympiad team.

LEARNING

Junior School

It has been a pleasure to work with Junior School teachers and students over the last three years and to extend the reach of the Centre for Ethics to our younger students.

Over the year, I have coached two teams of Junior School students, one from Year 5 and one from Year 6. We went through six ethical cases that had been given to us and introduced the students to ethics at an elementary level. Three of the cases were about the parameters of friendship while the others concerned the ecological issue of introducing foreign plants into an environment, how to best care for others, and whether photoshopping was ethically wrong or not.

The two teams were made up of the following girls: Dio Blue – Danielle Heads, Seraphina Tse, Miranda Lai, Chloe Wiltens-Brown, Zoe Larson and Helena Fu from Year 5. This team received an honourable mention from the judges.

Dio Yellow – Connie Chen, Alice Lambert, Beatrix Edgar, Hedy Qin, Indie Douglas-Withers, Catherine Li from Year 6.

The students learned to listen carefully to other points of view and reflect on their own set of values.

They also learned to stand their ground and justify it. Our girls did an impressive job of listening to the opposing teams and engaging in discussions with

Above : The Ethics Council has experienced an interesting and fulfilling year in 2023 and was led by a hardworking and empathetic trio of leaders.

Right: Junior School Soapbox finalists.

them, despite facing teams who were in Year 8 and more experienced in the Ethics Olympiad. They expressed their views in a respectful and empathetic fashion.

In Term 3, I taught each Year 5 and 6 class about what a soapbox was and how students should plan their own soapbox based on the topic each student was studying for the PYP Exhibition. This was to ensure that the girls strove for excellence and were confident in front of an audience.

This initiative clearly resonated with the girls and they were very excited to present their soapboxes in front of senior students from the Ethics Council. Eleven finalists chosen from Years 5 and 6 took part in the final: Seraphina Tse, Sophie Ngan, Beatrix Edgar, Ashley Roberts, Phoebe Xiao, Zoe Larsen, Serena Lu, Indie Douglas-Withers, Luna Yu, Danielle Heads, Helena Fu and Alice Lambert.

Seraphina Tse from Year 5 was the overall winner of the Junior Soapbox 2023.

Finale

Finally, this is my last report as Director of the Centre for Ethics, but I am sure that it will continue as a wonderful example of the passion Diocesan has for the place of ethics in education.

The Centre for Ethics was spearheaded by our Principal Heather McRae and she has continued to be a firm supporter of the initiative. I would like to give a special thanks to the Ethics Prefect, Lauren Chee, and her two Deputy Prefects, Maisie Cavanagh and Mackenzie Marlo, who were so invested in their roles and passionate about the ethical issues facing the world.

They encouraged the Ethics Council to embark on each initiative with renewed enthusiasm and drive for success. I look forward to hearing about the activities under the umbrella of the Centre for Ethics and hope that it continues to grow and promote ethical discussion in the Dio Community.

Nina Blumenfeld Director of the Centre for Ethics DIO TODAY

25

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST

on global stage Diocesan School’s Head Prefect, Āniva Clarke, is making a name for herself in global politics for her advocacy of positive climate action.

Amongst other things, this year Āniva has played an important advisory role in the launch of General Comment 26 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Geneva.

General Comment 26 outlines specifically what member states should do to uphold their commitment to Children’s Rights to a Healthy Environment. Āniva was one of 12 global youth advisors on the inaugural Children's Advisory Team, whose purpose was to provide the committee with youth

Āniva at the GC26 launch.

consultation on children’s rights, the environment and climate change.

sustainable environment is the first step to global change.

The team also facilitated online consultations with children worldwide for their opinions on environmental issues, garnering opinions from over 16,300 children.

"Children and young people have been calling on action for so long. This is one of the many ground-breaking actions pointing towards calls for changes truly being implemented,” she says.

The UN Committee has affirmed for the first time that climate change is affecting children’s rights to life, survival, and development. ‘General Comment No. 26’ specifies that countries are responsible not only for protecting children’s rights from immediate harm, but also for foreseeable violations of their rights in the future. It found the climate emergency, collapse of biodiversity and pervasive pollution “is an urgent and systemic threat to children’s rights globally”.

Āniva also recently attended a UNEP forum in Sri Lanka in October. Following a UNEP two-day youth forum, she spoke about General Comment 26 at the Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia-Pacific Forum. This forum focused on identifying priorities and inputs for the next UN Environment Assembly.

Āniva was also privileged to be invited to speak at the official launch of General Comment 26 in Geneva at the Palais des Nations. While she was unable to attend, her remarks were recorded and presented as part of the introductory remarks opening the Committee’s session.

Samoan-raised Āniva, 17, has been a climate advocate since she was 10 years old. Growing up in Samoa, she helped to amplify Pacific youth voices about climate change.

She says the UN’s new guidance on children’s rights to a clean, healthy and

On the dais at the General Comment No26 - 5FMAP on 2 October2023

“The forum provided the opportunity to meet youth from across the Asia Pacific region and discuss how General Comment 26 can be used as a tool to take climate action. We also attended the Fifth Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia-Pacific, where we had various bilateral meetings with ministers and delegates from around the region to discuss General Comment 26 and how this can be used to guide policy and national laws.

“A highlight for me was the positive endorsement from the Nauru Minister for Environments to consider integrating GC26 into negotiations at COP28 in regard to rising sea levels. This further proves that the voice of youth has an enormous impact on our future.”

“Children and young people have been calling for action for so long. This is one of the many groundbreaking actions pointing towards calls for changes truly being implemented” Āniva Clarke

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DIO TODAY

LEARNING

On her final day at the Ministers’ Forum, Āniva had the honour of presenting the outcomes of the youth forum in front of ministers from across the region. She used the opportunity to emphasise the urgency of the climate crisis and the significance it is having in the Pacific Islands.

She has also recently begun working with Women of the World (WOW) Foundation as part of the 2023 Young Leaders Directory, a group of 36 young women and non-binary people from across the world in working to effect positive change.

Most recently, Āniva has been selected as one of two recipients of the national SunPix Pacific People’s Awards, receiving the Pacific Emerging Leader Award.

The Diocesan School Community is very proud of Āniva’s knowledge and ability to influence others across the world.

Photos by IISD / ENB I Franz Dejon

The Fifth Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of AsiaPacific took place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 1-5 October 2023, in four sessions. The Forum is a platform to discuss regional environmental priorities. Around 474 delegates – representatives of governments, intergovernmental and international organisations, and major groups and other stakeholders participated on site and online.

The Asia-Pacific Youth Environment Forum 2023, held from 1-2 October 2023, centred around the theme ‘Children and the environment’ and sought to empower children and youth to champion their rights in the context of environmental protection and climate change.

The event highlighted the significance of the 2023 General Comment No 26 (GC26) on children’s rights and the environment, emphasising the urgent need to address the adverse impacts of environmental degradation on children’s rights.

SUNPIX AWARD Āniva was awarded the SunPix Pacific Emerging Leadership Award at the Pacific People’s Awards 2023.

She said of the evening: “It was such a lovely night and I am still so honoured that I was chosen to receive the award.

It was amazing getting to meet all the Pasifika Members of Parliament from the

various political parties as well as Pasifika community leaders from across Aotearoa.

I made mention of Dio in my acceptance speech for playing such a crucial role in my leadership journey. It was such a special moment, I got a little emotional reflecting on my journey and the opportunities I have had.”

DIO TODAY

27

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LEARNING

THINKING FORWARD

to create a better future Future thinking is a mindset, a way of critically considering the future so we can make better decisions and take actions today.

At Diocesan School, the Infinite Leadership and Futures Thinking programme empowers students to dream big and actively create their future as they explore a range of perspectives on key global issues.

The School is now celebrating the exceptional creative and critical future thinking of four Diocesan students who made their way to the final round of the prestigious Young Voices competition. Out of over 450 entries from 57 countries, these outstanding students secured their place in the final 15%, a remarkable feat in itself. Two of these teams went on to win Sustainable Development Goal category awards.

Each team had to write a proposal and create a video that explained what they want to do to change the world.

They had to talk about how they would engage other people to scale up their efforts and realise a better future.

The three teams and their innovative projects that have earned this recognition are: Equitable education for the visually impaired (SDG Category Winner) Wendy Chen’s vision is aimed at creating a more equitable and accessible future through the establishment of an easy-to-access online resource library designed specifically for individuals with visual

impairments. This initiative seeks to provide a cost-effective alternative to the expensive resources currently available, making education more accessible to all.

Making home composting more palatable (SDG Category Winner) Recognising the importance of encouraging food waste recycling, Danielle Foster and Taylor West are part of a larger Young Enterprise team that has been working on a plant-based additive to reduce the presence of flies in kitchen compost bins, making composting a more appealing and hygienic option for households.

Greater gender equity in video game design (Finalist) Sophie Edmonds is dedicated to forging a more representative future within the video game industry. Acknowledging the gender disparity in this field, she has crafted a comprehensive plan to support high school students in addressing this significant issue. Her initiative aims to

increase the proportion of female video game developers, fostering greater gender equity in the gaming world.

Director of Leadership and Futures Thinking at Diocesan, Chris Clay, commented, "Students at Diocesan are encouraged to research and monitor change that is happening across a wide range of domains and explore a diverse range of future possibilities. So much of what we’re told to think about the future is robots and apocalypse and it’s so fantastic to see these girls develop ideas that are centred around equity and environmental stewardship. This great example of interdisciplinary excellence is a credit to our students and staff who work together to weave a forward thinking and future oriented curriculum.”

Futures Thinking at Diocesan is growing from strength to strength and the school takes immense pride in the way these girls have combined their research with empathy for those at the heart of challenges.

Background information The Next Generation Foresight Practitioners (NGFP) was launched in 2018 by The School of International Futures (SOIF) as an awards programme in order to recognise the endeavours of the next generation in shaping the future. The NGFP Awards were designed to identify, celebrate, amplify and accelerate the work of a diverse group of young leaders and innovators around the world using futures and foresight to drive positive change.

One of their guiding principles is to recognise youth’s powerful role in guiding and forming futures development strategies.

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T

TOURNAMENT OF MINDS

he Tournament of Minds (TOM) is a creative problem-solving competition. A programme for all primary and secondary students, it provides the opportunity to solve authentic, open-ended challenges that foster creative, divergent thinking while developing collaborative enterprise, excellence and teamwork. Challenges are set in the disciplines of the arts, language, literature, social sciences and STEM. Dio entered four teams in the regional competition, two in the Years 7 and 8 (Intermediate) and two in Years 9 and 10 (Secondary) categories. One of the secondary teams only had two Year 9 students – the others were all in Year 8. At the regional level, we achieved outstanding results, competing against schools from across Auckland: • Dio Team 1 (Years 8 and 9 – competing in the Years 9 and 10 category) placed third in Secondary Language and Literature • Dio Team 2 (Tom and Jerry – Year 9) placed first in the Secondary Arts • Dio Team 3 (Years 7 and 8) placed first in the Intermediate Language and Literature and Spirit of TOM • Dio Team 4 (Years 7 and 8) placed second in Intermediate Language and Literature.

Sadly, Dio Team 3 were unable to attend the National Competition in Wellington, so Dio Team 4 were invited to attend as second place-getters. They continued to perform well, placing third of eight teams in their category.

With just three contestants in the Secondary Arts division, once third and second place had been announced, our Year 9 team, could barely contain their excitement as they came out in first place. They were also awarded a Spirit of TOM award showing that their supervisors and judges had noted the way they supported both their own and other team members, acting with kindness and respect to all.

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Winning the national competition qualified Tom and Jerry to participate in the international competition, held in Melbourne over Labour Weekend. The fact that the entire team is in Year 9, competing in a Years 9 and 10 division, speaks volumes for their creativity and ability to think on their feet. Coming up with close to $3000 per person at short notice is a significant challenge for any family and the support of the Diocesan Heritage Foundation was much appreciated, enabling these girls to make the most of this amazing opportunity.

In their application for this support, Tom and Jerry members wrote: “We embarked on the journey of Tournament of Minds with a shared goal to embrace the essence of collaboration and teamwork, recognising its significance as a vital skill for the future. Throughout our participation, we not only engaged in a rigorous competition but also acquired invaluable skills that we believe can greatly benefit our School, Dio. In summary, TOM is crucial because it helps us work well with others, think

critically, and overcome challenges. It teaches us to embrace diversity and use these skills in everyday life, making us better students and future professionals.

Overmore, it aligns perfectly with Dio’s values of excellence and teamwork, preparing us for success in the real world.

“Our experience in the tournament has proved to us that multiple brains and numerous individuals can contribute actively with their own skill sets and diverse talents, enhancing our experiences in the team and securing healthy bonds with our fellow teammates.”

Teacher-in-charge, Susy Carryer says: “Encouraging students to be self-reliant and think outside the square, the focus is on using materials available and being sustainable, rather than throwing money at a problem. It requires teamwork and collaborative skills, as well as adaptability. All these are qualities we seek to nurture in our students, which is why I am delighted to mentor increasing numbers of young women through this competition.”

Team Tom and Jerry - First place Secondary Arts

LEARNING

“Encouraging students to be self-reliant and think outside the square, the focus is on using materials available and being sustainable, rather than throwing money at a problem.”

Dio Team 1 Angel Tao (8MP), Sophie Berry (8CW), Geeyan Li (8MP), Eenie Sanders-Swabey (9CW), Chloe Wang (8SE), Cadence Yu (9CW) and Miya Zhang (8SE) Dio Team 2 (Tom and Jerry) Ming Cai (9RO), Iris Guo (9MP), Milu Lu (9SE), Rebecca Qiao (9MI), Jean Wang (9CW), Rebecca Wang (9NE) and Eva Zheng (9MI) Dio Team 3 Isabel Berry (7CW), Maika Bonifant (7MI), Sarah Cheng (8MP), Ruby Dhar (7CW), Manon Kinet (7NE), Alexa Nathan (7MP) and Shiyue (Victoria) Zheng (7ED) Dio Team 4 Michelle Chen (8CO), Chloe Liu (8CO), Ananyaa Prem (8SE), Adalyn Tao (8NE), Vevina Wang (8ED), Janet Xie (8MP) and Xinzi Yang (8ED)

Dio Team 4 Third place Primary Language and Literature

DIOCESAN SUCCESS AT INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT OF MINDS COMPETITION As Tournament of Minds national winners in the secondary division of The Arts competition, the Diocesan Year 9 team earned a place in the annual international event in Australia, held in Melbourne over Labour Weekend.

On competition day the teams were given a challenge to creatively solve in three hours before presenting to the judges and the other competitors in the secondary arts category. During the preparation time they were also given a 10-minute spontaneous challenge to respond to – no mean feat! The combined scores would determine the

winner and the two Honours Awards to be presented that evening.

confidently between two worlds as New Zealanders of Chinese descent.

The challenge set was to use the articles in a box provided to create a piece of street art in a tunnel which showed the uniting of two places. They had to use music, dance and the artwork to represent the places, explain the significance of the artwork and show why the two places needed to be connected. The Dio team enthralled the audience in their 10-minute presentation with their use of ukelele and Chinese harp and demonstrated the need to retain cultural identity and stand

At the prize giving we were thrilled to be awarded an Honours Award. The judges scored them ‘Excellent’ in all but one category, commenting on their teamwork and overall quality of the dramatic performance.

Congratulations to the Year 9 TOM members: Jean Wang, Eva Zheng, Iris Guo, Milu Lu, Ming Cai, Rebecca Qiao, Rebecca Wang on a hugely successful year in Tournament of Minds.

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Finalists

IN THE ARTS HOUSE TRUST SECONDARY SCHOOL ART AWARDS Congratulations to Leer Mao (Year 11), Jaymie Baxter Wilson and Pragati Mohan (Year 13) whose artworks were selected as finalists for the 2023 Arts House Trust Secondary School Art Awards.

These awards, open to students in Years 11-13 all around New Zealand, recognise and celebrate emerging artistic talent.

Students can submit work in any media including drawing, painting, printmaking, photography and sculpture.

Pragati Mohan

Artist statement: Oil on canvas. Family Portrait series – Ba na haath ma My work is based on my imperfect memory of being a child and my sense of time passing, sometimes slowly.

My ideas evolved from and are recorded in visual images framed within my mind of my home and the pictures on the walls that document different phases of family history. I began exploring the relationship between perception and childhood, particularly in the context of how we see our surroundings as a child and how this changes as we grow up. Our senses become less aware, colour fades, scale changes.

What we once saw as wondrous, becomes worn, diminished and faded. I see the people who occupy my memories passing through like shadows or impressions, here and fading into figures of light ghosting through my memories, always remembered but with less substance as time passes.

Leer Mao

Artist statement: My work is composed to honour what is considered the ‘colourful moments’ of life against the normal ‘black and white’ backdrop, at times where senses of joy and hope overpower disappointments. Its name comes from the song True Colours, which I was fortunate to perform as a part of the Big Sing festival. It’s remarkable that its name and lyrics resonates perfectly with my artwork message.

Jaymie Baxter Wilson

Artist statement: This photography work called Urban Aura is a representation of hip hop with the room’s presence creating a vibrant aura.

Hip hop isn’t only what’s on the streets or in the classroom, it’s a person’s outlook on life. This work captures how my model perceives herself, what she wears, and how hip hop shapes the world around her, shown through the vibrant light and colour.

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LEARNING

Xanthe Williams

Pat Hanly CREATIVITY AWARDS 2023

The Pat Hanly Creativity Awards were presented to 2023 young artists at a gala event on Thursday 10 August at the Auckland Art Gallery, Toi o Tāmaki. Established in 2002, the awards recognise secondary school students nominated by their kaiako for outstanding creativity, imagination and commitment to the visual arts.

These awards also acknowledge Pat Hanly’s outstanding contribution to New Zealand contemporary art and his passion for art education and for supporting young artists.

The awards are an acknowledgement, too, of the critical role of schools, kaiako, whānau and parents in championing students with their mahi and encouraging them along artistic paths.

Diocesan School for Girls recipients were Alex Wackrow and Xanthe Williams.

Mana Wahine: The Living Legacy of Te Reo is an oil painting that showcases three female faces, with the central focus on a moko kauae adorning a Māori woman. This piece pays homage to the strength, dignity, and spiritual essence embodied in Māori women.

‘Mana’ represents power and authority while ‘wahine’ translates to ‘woman’ in Te Reo Māori.

This work celebrates the inherent power and importance of women in Māori society, especially in their role as guardians and promotors of culture and

language. The central image of the moko kauae on a Māori woman carries immense significance. It symbolises the ancestral knowledge and stories passed down through generations. The moko kauae is not only a reflection of personal identity, but also a testament to the collective cultural heritage of Māori people.

This symbol of identity and cultural expression has become a theme in my work, allowing me to explore the narratives of Māori women and their journey toward empowerment, challenging societal norms and advocating for their voices to be heard.

Alex Wackrow

Mana Wahine: This painting honours my grandmother and is a personal tribute to her. It captures the mana of her generation against a symbolic representation of Māori culture and our heritage.

This artwork holds deep personal meaning for me and our whanau as it features our family marae and focuses on the pikorua symbol of unity around her neck that she gifted to me.

This work is the beginning of a personal journey for me as an artist as I delve deeper into my cultural connections and explore the exploitation of our culture in my other artworks.

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A GLOBAL DESIGN PROJECT Inspired by the impactful work of the charity Dress a Girl Around the World, we integrated its philosophy into our MYP (Middle Years Programme) project for Year 10 Material Design students.

This project represents a meaningful way to engage our students in the realms of creative design and social awareness.

In parallel with volunteers globally, who sew and distribute dresses to girls in need, the aim of this project is to uphold the belief that each and every girl deserves the dignity of at least one dress.

The underlying purpose of this project aspires to cultivate the values of empathy, social consciousness and responsible global citizenship in our students. Through the fusion of design and social awareness, this project provides students with a unique educational experience with an enduring impact.

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Initiating the project required students to research the charity's mission, carry out product analysis and gather information about fabrics suitable for hot climates. Since direct interviews with the actual clients wasn’t feasible, the Year 10 designers engaged Year 3 and Year 6 students as substitute clients, as they aligned with the stakeholder age group. They conducted interviews with these students, seeking input for their envisioned dresses. These discussions included design choices such as a cross-over bodice or a tie-back design, the inclusion of ruffled sleeves and/or hem, the type of pockets as well as preferred colour palettes. Students then explored the creative process, generating a variety of design concepts. They sought feedback on these ideas to enhance and refine their initial concepts, culminating in the development of a final design.

Throughout the making stage, students engaged collaboratively with their Year 3 and Year 6 ‘clients’ to obtain precise measurements for dress sizing. The fitting process was carried out to guarantee the accurate selection of pattern sizes and to ensure a perfect fit. Students acquired a variety of technical skills, including the application of bias binding to the neckline, the fabrication of ruffled sleeves, learning how to sew patch pockets and invisible pockets, use of the computerised embroidery machine, crafting a ruffled hem and mastering the

LEARNING

“I liked the idea that the product we made would be sent to someone who needed it, as it meant that we had purpose when making the dress, which especially encouraged me to make a dress to a high standard.”

Jemma

“It’s sad to realise that many girls do not have access to proper clothing. I enjoyed learning about the different skills needed to create a dress and that my dress would make a small difference to someone’s life.”

Charlotte

creation of layered, gathered skirts. These technical skills were applied to their practical work to bring their dress designsto life.

Upon completion of the dresses, students moved to the final phase of the design process, where they undertook an evaluation of their creations. Once more, working with Year 3 and Year 6 students helped assess how well the dresses met with the initial design brief. Questions arose regarding the dress’s comfort level, its colour accuracy, its suitability for warm climates and the functionality of the pockets. The culmination of this project was a fashion show, where the designers and models showcased their work to an enthusiastic audience.

Through a charitable organisation that we work with, the dresses have been sent to Christian schools in Tonga, Upolu and Manono (an isolated island in Samoa), along with several outlying regions of Fiji.

Inquiry and problem-solving lie at the core of the MYP design technology programme and this project encapsulated this fundamental philosophy, motivating students to evolve into creative, critical and reflective learners.

Ali O’Connor and Aprill Anderson DIO TODAY

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JUNIOR SCHOOL

YEAR 6 PYP EXHIBITION

A highlight in our Junior School calendar is the Year 6 Primary Years Programme Exhibition. During this time, the girls inquire and respond to local, national and global issues. It’s also an opportunity for our girls to synthesise the essential elements of the PYP and share their knowledge with our School and parent community.

This year, the girls researched the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In 2015, world leaders agreed to 17 global goals. These goals have the power to create a better world by 2030, by ending poverty, fighting inequality and addressing the urgency of climate change. In the Junior School, we want to play our part by learning about these goals, doing research to find out more about the issues (locally, nationally and internationally), and taking action to raise awareness so we can contribute to a safe, sustainable and positive future for all.

This experience helped the girls to see that every positive action they make in the community, no matter how small, has the power to make a difference.

It was wonderful to see them raise awareness and continue working towards achieving these global goals.

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LEARNING

My goal was Global Goal 2 – Zero Hunger, focusing on sustainable food production. I learned that lots of people are experiencing extreme hunger and would love to have any food, yet still many people are wasting food and farmers are having to spend lots of their time and effort to grow and harvest fresh food that then just gets wasted. Years 5 and 6 did a food drive and then dropped off the food to Fair Food. I enjoyed learning about what people are already doing to try to stop hunger and food waste.

I also enjoyed coming up with interactive games and activities that the Year 3, 4 and 5 students could play while they were at our stall. Adding all our work to the poster and website was also a highlight.

Stella Leach 6LE

Here we share some comments from the students: The UN goal I learnt about was Climate Action and the world issue of climate change. I learnt that climate change affects animals and their habitats as well as humans. I also learnt that more than 60 million plastic bottles end up in landfills every day. For Service Week I carried out service around Dio by going to the boarding house to pick up rubbish and also cleaning up our School grounds. It made a big impact because we had lots of us there to pick up rubbish and we picked up at least 60 pieces, making the Dio environment even more beautiful.

For the exhibition, I enjoyed doing research and feeling that I had accomplished a big goal at the end.

Florence Nathan 6BE

My goal was #14 – Life Below Water – and I learned about the consequences of chemicals that are in our oceans, and how chemical pollution can harm or destroy an ecosystem, habitats, key resources and food chains and webs. For Service Week I focused on Global Goal 1 – No Poverty – and we made an impact on the community by volunteering at an organisation named Mummies in Need.

We packaged up boxes for families living in poverty. I enjoyed how I learnt new facts about my line of inquiry. I also enjoyed our specialist activities.

Reeya Cui 6WN

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My UN Global Goal was #14 Life Below Water. I learned about how our actions now contribute to ensure a sustainable future. We humans have thrown so much rubbish and plastic into the precious oceans that we have killed over 100 million sea creatures by not reusing, reducing and recycling items in our everyday life. My group wanted to make a small but significant difference for our seas, so we decided to team up with the rest of the Life Below Water groups and participated in a Mission Bay Beach clean-up. My group found over 62 pieces of rubbish and plastic in under 30 minutes, which we found surprising, because we thought that every human being knows littering is wrong. I enjoyed taking action because we learnt so much about the oceans like microplastics, rising sea temperatures and it felt so good that we could actually make a difference and help our marine friends and the ocean. I also loved making a news bulletin about overfishing and teaching younger students about our valuable fish resources.

Mia Lin 6LE

My global goal was Life on Land.

The issue I looked into was palm oil and plastic packaging and why it harms so many animals as well as our responsibilities when we buy products. I learned about deforestation and the ways it harms many species of animals. For Service Week I paired up with the Department of Conservation at a famous New Zealand trail called Puhoi. I planted lots of trees to help the environment and learnt about their habitats. I dug hard into the ground, making a small base for the trees. I then added a fertilizer tablet to help the roots of the tree grow. This was my commitment to service. I enjoyed doing my service as part of the inquiry process.

Syleena Vo 6BE

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LEARNING

Worm farm investigation

Re-using materials!

Watercare visit experiment

YEAR 4 LEARN ABOUT

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY During our Sharing the Planet inquiry Year 4 investigated how our environment is impacted by the way in which humans dispose of their waste.

Initially, the focus was on waste: what happens to it and where does it end up? This led to discussions about plastics, particularly single-use plastic causing pollution on land and in our oceans. We were lucky to have Young Ocean Explorers visit us to reinforce the message that we need to care for our oceans and the sea life being affected by ocean pollution.

A waste audit was carried out in the Junior School. Everyone committed to picking up litter (one piece a day was all that was needed). Collaborative inquiries supported by science experiments at school meant lots of new learning about the causes of global warming, climate change and the sustainability of our planet. We recycled books and made garments out of waste and focused on making sure we all had litterless lunches.

Small steps on a long journey.

Learning about layers at the landfill

Next, it was the Tread Lightly Caravan, a mobile classroom set up at School, which provoked much thought and discussion about what it meant to be environmentally responsible. With Pablo from Ecostore and Sarah from the Britomart Hotel visiting us to share their sustainable practices, the girls became ‘eco warriors’, adopting their own pledge on how they could take action.

A visit from Watercare and a trip to the Waitakere Transfer Station to see firsthand what happens to our waste, as well as educators reinforcing the messages about looking after our environment and being sustainable, meant it was time to get mobilised.

Investigating a self-powering hairdryer

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Magical evening OF ENTERTAINMENT

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LEARNING

The Junior School Arts Extravaganza soared to a new level of grandeur this year. The festivities kicked off in the Arts Centre foyer, where our gifted young musicians entertained the Dio community with their remarkable solo and chamber performances. At the same time, the foyer’s digital screens showcased displays of Junior School visual art, adding to the enchantment of the event.

The audience was then ushered into the theatre, where they were treated to a mesmerising 90-minute spectacle presented by 300 junior girls. The programme, hosted by three Year 6 girls, featured captivating performances

by our Junior School music and dance co-curricular groups, as well as showcases highlighting the girls’ progress in their performing arts lessons.

A heartfelt congratulations to all the girls who took part in the event and delivered an immensely enjoyable and unforgettable evening of performance. The Dio theatre was filled with a magical atmosphere, and it was truly heart-warming to witness the girls’ radiant stage presence after the countless hours of dedication and practice invested in rehearsals.

Mehernez Pardiwalla, Junior School Performing Arts Co-ordinator

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LIVING CHAPLAINCY

T

Sacred Space

his year has been a strange one for me in terms of spending time in sacred space. Here at Dio our beloved Chapel has been off limits due to some issues with the internal archway in the main Chapel – our last service in the Chapel was at the end of Term 1. We have been having our regular weekday year-level chapel services in the Performing Arts Centre for Years 7-13, and in the Junior School Hall for Foundation Class to Year 6.

On Sundays, I am a regular parishioner at St George’s Anglican Church in Ranfurly Road, Epsom. It is a beautiful wooden church built in 1915. As happens to historic church buildings, the roof of

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St George’s needed to be replaced, so the congregation moved to the church hall for nine months from October 2022 and only returned to the church near the end of July this year. At times during the four-month overlap when neither of my usual places of worship were able to be used, I felt surprisingly homeless and it gave me some time to reflect on the significance of sacred spaces in our lives.

Sacred buildings are not places where God specifically lives, as God is everywhere, nor are they places where we have to go if we want to connect with God. However, billions of people attend worship in sacred buildings every week, and even more people visit sacred

buildings as they travel around the world.

I clearly remember the heaving masses of tourists in St Mark’s Basilica in Venice as we very slowly snaked through hearing the clicking of all the cameras and the shushing of the ushers. So, what is it that draws us to these sacred spaces?

In many of the churches I have visited, both in New Zealand and in other parts of the world, I have felt a change in the atmosphere as I walk through the doors.

There is a palpable peace and calm that fills the space and I feel like my whole body relaxes, and I breathe easier. I have heard prospective families express this same feeling as they come into the School Chapel on open days. Even

LIVING

“Nothing beats walking into the Chapel and feeling the deep peace that exists in that sacred space. It is an oasis in the midst of what is often a hectic school life. Thank God for this treasure that we have in the centre of our School.”

Rev’d Sandy Robertson

non-religious people are surprised by the peace they encounter.

The physical structure of many sacred spaces is designed to capture our attention. High walls lead our eyes upwards to beautiful ceilings, focus is drawn to the front of the space where there are usually items of extreme religious significance. Christian sacred spaces contain crosses and crucifixes to remind us of God who came and walked on this earth as Jesus the Christ, the one who came to show us The Way. We also find symbols of the Trinity in carving and other fixtures, an altar reminding us of the sacred meal we share together as community, and a pulpit where the Word of God is read and revealed for us. Often there are beautiful carvings in marble or wood, stained glass focusing on significant saints and stories from the Bible, statues of Jesus, Mary, and significant saints, and lit candles to remind us that God is with us and that we have intention to connect with God in this time and space.

Intentionality is the key to the significance of sacred spaces. People come to intentionally connect with God and to focus on the things in life that really matter – we bring our prayers, our needs, our hopes, our failings, those we love, and our shared humanity before God. As we do this, we are participating in the experience of all those who have gone before us, also having come to this sacred space to explore their shared humanity and connect with the divine.

We sit in seats that they have sat in. We share in the same sacred rituals that generations of Christians have taken part in. These rituals remind us that this is bounded space – time set apart from

the secular world in order to focus our attention. We begin with a bell ringing and a procession so that we know very clearly that we have entered that intentionally bounded space together.

We pray words that have been part of our tradition for centuries. We observe silence, we remember our sins and receive the assurance of forgiveness through the sign of the cross, we listen to the Bible being read to us, and we share the sacred meal of consecrated bread and wine using the same words of institution that Jesus himself used during the last supper over two millennia ago.

As we sit in a Christian sacred space, experiencing the sacred rituals, we often also have the experience of listening to and participating in sacred music.

Sacred music is something that is very important in our Anglican tradition.

Charles Kingsley, a 19th century priest in the Church of England, historian, social reformer and writer said, “Music is a sacred, a divine, a God-like thing, and was given to man [sic] by Christ to lift our hearts up to God, and make us feel something of the glory and beauty of God, and of all which God has made.”1 Both organ music and choral music have the power to transport us to another plane and we can find our senses and emotions awash with the beauty that surrounds us.

Of course, none of these things, either physical or symbolic, is really significant if you take them away from an intentionally sacred space and time.

They are not holy in themselves and are certainly not to be worshiped, but are holy and sacred in that they lead our attention and our focus towards the divine, God our Creator. They help us to

connect with the beauty that is to be found in God and with the mystery of the divine and, they help us to connect with the divine in ourselves that is also mysterious and mystical.

We are blessed at Dio to have such a beautiful sacred space in which we can take time to connect with God, breathe, and just be. Over 16,000 students and many hundreds of staff have sat in our Chapel over the past hundred or so years and soaked in the beauty, quiet and peace. Many of our current students and staff have missed being in the Chapel this year and, although we can create intentional time in the Arts Centre, Junior School Hall and Chaplaincy lounge, nothing beats walking into the Chapel and feeling the deep peace that exists in that sacred space. It is an oasis in the midst of what is often a hectic school life. Thank God for this treasure that we have in the centre of our School.

Sandy Robertson, Chaplain

1. Retrieved from Picture Quotes: http://www.picturequotes.com/charles-kingsley-quotes/3

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PERFORMING ARTS

SHOWCASE & ARTS AWARDS EVENING

Lizzie Peters, winner of the Rosey Eady Cup

Bharathi Manikandan, winner of the Imogen Wells Award

Pascale Vincent, winner of the Averill Award for Services to the Performing Arts

Becki Christie, winner of the David Gordon Cup for Excellence and Commitment

Once again, we combined two iconic Dio arts events into one night of high-class entertainment showcasing music, drama, dance and visual arts, along with awarding trophies.

As usual, Dio students delivered a feast of performance styles, representing some of New Zealand’s finest young singers, instrumentalists, and dancers. This evening did not disappoint with its award-winning choirs, rock bands, orchestras, dance troupes, chamber groups and Kapa Haka performers. Our talented visual artists displayed artworks on the screens around the foyer.

By combining these events, it is the ideal way to ‘showcase’ the talent of our students. Families and community can watch the awardees perform on stage, putting these awards into perspective. It is a true celebration of the amazing talents here at Dio and it's easy to see why we remain one of the top schools nationally across the performing arts.

Top awards presented on the evening:

Arts Council Award Star Award for 2023 – Taylor West Diocesan Dance Cup for excellence in choreography and performance – Jaymie Baxter Wilson Mannion Speech and Drama Cup – Aimee Schnuriger Diocesan Instrumental Cup for long-term loyalty and leadership – Victoria Wright Auctioneering Cup – Edith Li Penny Macdonald Award for excellence in debating – Lauren Chee Kapa Haka Award – Kaea Heke and Francis Hunt Jean Gallagher Cup for commitment to instrumental music – Eleanor Christiansen and Eleanor Tenbensel Terri Crouch Cup for the most promising vocalist – Charlotte Snookes McCabe Cup for excellence in contemporary music – Kaea Heke Hazel Kinder Cup for the most committed choristers – Pascale Vincent and Alex Wackrow Sandy O’Brien Cup for excellence in drama performance – Maisie Cavanagh

Year 13 special awards

Imogen Wells Award – Bharathi Manikandan This bronze is presented to a student showing 44

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all-round excellence in the arts. Over her 13 years at Dio, Bharathi has represented the School in choirs, orchestras, school productions, dance shows and singing competitions. But she has excelled in a discipline at which few at her age ever achieve, Indian Dance and Indian Singing to Diploma Level.

Bharathi’s organisational skills are exceptional, and she drove a new initiative this year that will continue to feature in our annual calendar – the Dio Cultural Evening.

The David Gordon Cup for Excellence and Commitment – Becki Christie Becki has been an exceptional leader this year, committing herself fully to her Dance Captain role as well as generously supporting the Arts at Dio. Leading with warmth and generosity, Becki has played a huge part in the success of many projects and has ensured we move forward in a positive way. She has given her time and skill to choreograph our competitive junior troupe at Diocesan who have been successful in competitions throughout Auckland.

Averill Award for Services to the Performing Arts – Pascale Vincent Service underpins all that we do at Diocesan. The arts need people who show a level of commitment and perseverance that goes beyond just being involved. The Averill Award honours a recipient who has given her energy, time and talent very generously as performer and mentor across multidisciplines: dance, music and drama. Pascale's exemplary leadership skills have not wavered throughout her time at Dio; she is fantastic role model and is totally deserving of this award.

The Rosey Eady Cup for a special individual who makes a difference – Lizzie Peters Lizzie has talents across so many disciplines – in music she has represented the School in choirs at regional and national level, in drama she has won awards at both regional and national level, she has taken lead roles in productions but her phenomenal skill lies in media – both as a film maker and actor.

Her mentorship and leadership skills are exemplary, and she has played a big part in making 2023 move forward in a very positive way.

View the full list of the awards presented at the Arts Awards evening on our website: www.diocesan.school.nz - under 'News and successes'.

LIVING JHS Chamber group

ConcorDio Intermediate Strings

Year 13 dance 'At Last' Kapa Haka leaders Kaea Heke and Francis Hunt

Indian dance performed by Hiral Pusarla and Bharathi Manikandan

Rock band Lift! performing at Showcase

Waiata 'Kohine Ma'

St Cecilia Singers

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Virtuoso Voce at Kids Sing

Leaders of Virtuoso Voce – Angel Tao and Adalyn Tao

Sing Bella Voce Choir at Kids

Chapel Choir at Kids Sing

St Cecilia Singers at Big Sing

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Diocesan choirs This year has seen some exciting changes under our Director of Choirs, Lachlan Craig.

We were thrilled to kickstart the choral programme with the re-introduction of Virtuoso Voce and Bella Cantoris choirs, both of which were hit hard during the COVID years.

LIVING Leaders of St Ce cilia Singers – Pascale Vincent and Alex Wackr ow

Both Bella Cantoris and our elite St Cecilia Singers did Dio proud at the Big Sing regionals in the Auckland Town Hall. Bella Cantoris was awarded Highly Commended and selected for the Cadenza Finale and St Cecilia Singers was awarded Distinction and selected for the National Finale in August.

At the Big Sing Finale, St Cecilia Singers once again brought home a gold award and to add to their success, they also won the Hutt City Trophy for Best Performance of a New Zealand Work for their beautiful interpretation of Iustus Es by Dio alumna and ex-St Cecilia Singers leader, Kitty Milne.

Dio then went on to score a hat-trick, with the junior choirs coming out on top at Kids Sing. Both Chapel Choir and Virtuoso Voce were awarded gold, thus completing the triple gold win this year across all the choral competitions. Our newly formed, 80-strong Virtuoso Voce choir from Years 7 and 8, has gone from strength to strength with their new director, Ms Andrea Creighton, and they gained one of the highest marks across the entire competition. All the Dio choristers, at both Big Sing and Kids Sing, sang magnificently, presented as very disciplined and highly trained ensembles, and were a real credit to the School.

The choral programme continues to go from strength to strength, with a fantastic line-up of talented and extremely experienced directors on board next year. Internationally renowned choral clinician and adjudicator, Mr Jono Palmer will head the programme. We welcome back into the fold our fabulous Mrs Shona McIntyre-Bull to direct Bella Cantoris, international opera star Ms Andrea Creighton will head the Year 7 and Year 8 programme, and the wonderful Ms Mehernaz Pardiwalla will oversee the Junior choirs. A winning combination – go Dio!

Lachlan Craig

Tribute to Lachlan Craig Lachlan Craig will be leaving Dio at the end of the year to pursue opportunities in the United Kingdom. He will be sorely missed as his role over the past six years has covered many and varied aspects of teaching, directing and mentoring within our music department.

He started with us in 2018 as Arts Co-ordinator, then became Assistant Director of Performing Arts. After completing his teacher training, he joined the music teaching staff. In 2022 he also took on the role of Director of Choirs, taking our elite St Cecilia Choir and the Dio/Dilworth Divinitus to the Big Sing Finale. He has been musical director for all our Dio productions since he arrived, from Meet Me in Hollywood, Beauty and the Beast, Les Misérables, Legally Blonde to his last show, our JHS production of Frozen.

Lachlan has stepped up in every area of our cocurricular programme; conducting choirs, Concert Bands, Symphony Orchestras, playing guitar in assemblies and staff briefings, taking the staff choir and also teaching individual singing lessons. This year Lachie was awarded the Bayley’s Staff Award for the Performing Arts, a well-deserved accolade for his contribution to music here at Dio. His expertise, experience, willingness to take on any task, and quirky sense of humour will be sorely missed. Lachie has a bright and starry future ahead and we wish him all the very best.

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The Dio Symphony Orchestra with Kaea Heke performing at the Gala Command Performance

Dio Dilworth Concert Band

DIOCESAN INSTRUMENTAL GROUPS Once again Dio entered six groups in the KBB Instrumental Festival, including two combined with Dilworth. This festival is the jewel in the crown for schools across the region, with instrumentalists from over 150 schools and 4000 students descending on Holy Trinity Cathedral for a weeklong ‘fest of the best’.

Dio had an incredible nine awards presented:

Dio Dilworth Big Band

Chamber Orchestra

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Silver & Outstanding Award for Performance of a Romantic Work – Dio Chamber Orchestra (director Shelagh Thomson)

Silver & Outstanding Soloist Award – Dio Symphony Orchestra (director Shelagh Thomson) Command Performance Award – Kaea Heke with Dio Symphony Orchestra (director Shelagh Thomson) Silver – Dio/Dilworth Big Band (director David Stent) Silver – Dio/Dilworth Concert Band (director David Stent) Bronze – ConcorDio Intermediate Strings (director Shelagh Thomson) Participation Award – Dio Intermediate Wind Band (director Jono Tan)

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AIMS Hip Hop

HIP HOP Three of Dio’s competitive Hip Hop teams, AIMS, Intermediate Two and our Senior Megacrew took part in the Dancebrandz Nationals (New Zealand Schools division) in September.

Hip Hop Megacrew

Our Senior Megacrew came first in the High School Hip Hop division. The AIMS team was placed first and the Intermediate Two team finished second in the Intermediate School division.

Intermediate Two also won the top score in the Secondary School division.

What a fabulous way for our hugely popular Hip Hop programme to end another year of continued growth and competition success!

New Zealand Dance Award finals Dancing her way to a top award during the July holidays was Year 11 student Paris-Lily Foster, who was awarded the 2023 Senior New Zealand Top Dancer title at the New Zealand Dance Award Finals held in Christchurch.

She competed in both jazz and tap (16 solo performances and three troupes) and won the Senior Tap Scholarship, as well as the top prize.

This was Paris’s first year competing as a senior alongside many outstanding and inspiring New Zealand dancers.

Year 11 student Stephanie Zhang also gained two gold awards at the Christchurch event, including second place for her lyrical solo, while Year 4 student Keira Caird competed in the Top Dancer Award for the petite age category and was placed second.

Stephanie Zhang

Paris Forster

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LIVING

JHS PRODUCTION

Frozen

In October, we staged our first JHS production in five years, and for this cohort, a chance to perform in our stunning Arts Centre theatre. We saw a large cast of 65, with a stellar line-up of leads, create some real magic, along with spectacular lighting effects. Our directors, Andrea Creighton and Verity Burgess created a magical and dramatic vision, which brought this much-loved Disney story of two sisters, Elsa and Anna, and their exciting adventures in the frozen north, come alive for the audience.

This was the best JHS production ever, and we are very proud of this young, talented cast!

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SPORT

Sports Awards The annual Sports Awards, recognising top achievers in sport at Dio, were held in the Arts Centre on Thursday 19 October. In addition to individual and team merit, distinction and blues awards, the following top awards were presented. Congratulations to all our award winners!

Special Awards

Spraggon McFarlane Cup for outstanding code captain – Brooke Chandler (Hockey) and Bella Cranefield (Futsal) Dio Student Official of the Year – Maia Hunter Dio Student Coach of the Year – Tyler Buter Coach of the Year – Georgie Ross (Wilson) Vicki Hearfield Cup for enthusiasm and

passion to sport – Alice Sharpe and Felicity Bannatyne Alison Roe Cup for service to sport – Grace Allan Volunteer of the Year – Carlie Eve Bayley’s Award for staff contribution – Alex Woodall Team of the Year – 1st XI Football Del Hooper Award for individual achievement – Grace Wellington and Georgia Daly Barabara Kissling Cup – Premier

Sportswomen Isabelle Hitchen and Rebecca Hounsell

Honours Awards Isabelle Hitchen for artistic swimming Rebecca Hounsell for rock climbing Georgia Daly for water polo View a full list of the awards presented at the Sports Awards evening at www.diocesan.school.nz under 'News and successes'.

Georgia Daly

Football 1st XI in Taupo

Isabelle Hitchen

Rebecca Hounsell

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LIVING 1st XI Football team

Alex Woodall

Grace Allan

Brooke Chandler and Bella Cranefield

Maia Hunter

Volunteer of the Year Carlie Eve

Isabelle Hitchen and Rebecca Hounsell

Felicity Bannatyne

Tyler Butler

Georgie Ross (Wilson)

Grace Wellington and Georgia Daly

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A NEW ERA FOR

WOMEN IN SPORT

In recent years, we've witnessed a remarkable surge in the prominence of women in sports, both on the global stage and in New Zealand.

From the resounding success of the Women's Football World Cup to the achievements of the Silver Ferns and the New Zealand women's rugby team, we are witnessing an evolution in the world of sports.

Hosting the Football World Cup in New Zealand this year was a fantastic opportunity to inspire young girls to embrace sports and be positive role models for future generations.

The World Cup not only showcased remarkable athleticism on the field, it also demonstrated tremendous support from the Kiwi public and proved that audiences will watch and engage in women’s sport when it is made available to them.

Over the past 15 years, women's sport has witnessed a remarkable shift towards professionalism in all aspects.

Now, more than ever, we have strong role models who can motivate others to pursue their aspirations. A good example is the closing of the gender pay gap in Grand Slam tennis, going back to the lobbying of tennis legend Billie Jean King and others of her era 50 years ago, and more recently with both Serena and Venus Williams advocating for equality across all tournaments.

Potentially as important, Serena has served as an important role model in being number one a mum and secondly a grand slam winner. She will inspire

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many women that a return to elite sport post childbirth is possible.

This progress has opened up exciting opportunities for women to work, officiate and coach at high levels of sport.

When young girls see women succeeding in sports, it empowers them to believe in their own potential, irrespective of societal expectations or stereotypes.

However, we must acknowledge that there is still work to be done in creating more opportunities for this to happen.

New Zealand has been leading the way in creating pathways for women across various areas of high performance sport, and this commitment to progress should be recognised.

At Dio we are actively striving to foster positive environments for both our student athletes and student coaches. Empowering young women to assume coaching roles not only enhances their leadership abilities, it inspires our next generation of Dio students in their chosen sports. In the same breath, it is also important to acknowledge the positive male coaches, both professional and voluntary, who support our athletes, while

Women’s sport now accounts for 28 percent of all sports news coverage and continues to grow. While equity of coverage is still some way off, it is good to see the positive trend continuing.

Hosting three world cups in New Zealand (football, cricket and rugby) has been a real boost for women’s sport, with sports clubs building on the momentum and expanding the number of girls and women’s teams and opportunities.

For young women, engaging in sports is crucial for maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle. In today's world of Instagram and social media, where authenticity can be compromised, sports offer a unique platform where females can truly be themselves.

As educators and parents, we must encourage our young women to engage in sports, not just for the physical benefits but for the life lessons they offer. Through sports, girls learn to set goals, work tirelessly to achieve them, and embrace both victory and defeat with grace. They build self-confidence, develop leadership skills, and forge lifelong friendships.

As an all-girls educational institution, we can create a safe space where girls can confidently explore their passion for sport, with a primary focus on nurturing young female athletes. Whether it’s about participation, wellness and being active or striving for peak performance, every decision we make is intentionally geared towards what is best for our students.

We are able to allocate resources to female sport that other schools simply cannot. This year, we saw the successful debut of LEAP (Leveraging Emerging Athlete Programme) and the Raising a Young Female athlete series which saw world leaders present on important sporting topics to our Dio community.

A highlight was certainly when world class sprinter Zoe Hobbs hosted a post-game snack workshop in the food technology facilities. The students loved having Zoe, an incredible role-model on what hard work and dedication can achieve, share her journey, and experience with them and learn some new skills at the same time.

Let's embrace the occasion of hosting the World Cup as an opportunity to reinforce our commitment to fostering a more inclusive, equitable and supportive environment for women in sport. By doing so we can shape a bright and inspiring future for our next generation of girls.

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simultaneously providing a platform for our female coaches to take the lead and achieve their aspirations in their coaching careers.

Angie Winstanley-Smith, Director of Sport

Sport plays a vital role in promoting mental and physical wellbeing and successes need to be celebrated and championed even more. Our School has a proud tradition of empowering young women to be successful athletes, coaches and officials with many national titles and students reaching international representation.

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WINTER TOURNAMENT WEEK Our Diocesan School premier sports teams competed at various venues around the country for the annual College Sport Winter Tournament Week from Monday 27 August to Saturday 2 September. Special thanks go to all the coaches and managers for their support and dedication throughout the season, and to all Dio supporters who turned out week after week, no matter the weather, to encourage the girls.

Lucy Blanchard

BASKETBALL

The basketball team played for the Northern Regional Cup at Trusts Arena in Henderson, Auckland. The team learnt what it takes to be competitive at a higher level and placed eighth overall.

Team: Frankie Ashford, Sophia Baranyai, Sammie Barclay, Samantha Ford, Addison Hewlitt, Caroline Kennar, Ava Leach, Latai Opeti-Finau, Maggie Reynolds, Honor Small and Violet Tucker.

Underwater hockey

HOCKEY

The 1st and 2nd XI set off for Christchurch together and spent their respective weeks in Ashburton and Christchurch.

The 2nd XI hockey team started strong with a 2-0 victory over St Andrews College and finished second in their pool. The girls went on to tie their next three games and gained a ton of experience, going to shoot-outs in all three games. The girls triumphantly came away on top against a strong Villa Maria in their final shoot-out to finish seventh overall.

The 1st XI had many proud performances, with wins against Samuel Marsden and Bethlehem College, two shoot-out wins against Kristen College and Fielding and one of the most hard-fought losses against a strong Westlake College. Of the 19 goals scored, 15 were from penalty corners and from nine different goal scorers, demonstrating the team-style hockey played. Results aside, the most impressive thing about the girls was their exceptional sportsmanship and team culture.

1st XI Team: Felicity Bannatyne, Liv Barker, Lucy Blanchard, Olivia Carpenter, Brooke Chandler, Alexandra Fletcher, Anais Hamilton, Evie Houtman, Casey Lam, Nikita Parag, Sara Revell, Indigo Riley, Amy Shennan, Sophie Tierney, Poppy Tingey, Kate Wyber 2nd XI Team: Labella Annett, Katie Astwick, Isla Barker, Sydney Bell, Laura Bowden, Chloe Driscoll, Susie Finlayson, Harriet Fletcher, Lucy Gibson, Imogen Harper, Sophia Head, Hollie Lawson, Tessa Lepionka, Sophie Pearce, Alexis Tree, Catarina Young

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Dio had two underwater hockey teams competing at the 37th National Secondary Schools’ Underwater Hockey Tournament held at West Wave Aquatic Centre in Henderson, Auckland. The three-day competition saw Dio up against some great competition with the Junior Girls placing fifth overall and our Seniors eighth. Molly Hopwood-Craig and Olivia Tongue were both named in the Junior Tournament Team while Mila Hopwood-Craig was named in the Senior Tournament Team.

Junior team: Sarah Bunbury, Lyla-May Cockle, Ines Cullinane, Sophia Grayson, Stella Grayson, Michaela Harding, Molly Hopwood-Craig, Eve Lambert, Savannah Mortimer, Emily Penrose, Olivia Tongue and Emily Wackrow.

Senior team: Rachael Griffiths, Mila Hopwood-Craig, Lucy Kilgour, Greer Newman, Demira Reynolds, Lara Urwin, Emily Young & Selina Yu.

EQUESTRIAN

Our girls represented Diocesan at the North Island Equestrian Championships at the National Equestrian Centre. Ella Wong had a fantastic showjumping round with a double clear. Hattie Giltrap rode two incredible rounds, one show hunter and one showjumping, finishing clear in both. Coco Fougere performed best in Years 9 – 10, finishing second overall, riding a super showjumping round and also had a lovely clear in the Showhunter, finishing sixth. Victoria Boot was second overall in the 70-80 horse showjumping and fifth overall for the best performing Years 11-13 contestant.

Team: Ella Wong, Dakota Tohi, Hattie Giltrap, Coco Fougere and Victoria Boot.

LIVING

Lacrosse

The Premier Lacrosse team attended the three-day NZSS Lacrosse Tournament at Cornwall Park. The girls had some tough pool games, but their spirits remained high and they came out fighting. Their final game was against Morrinsville, with a full-time score of 5-12 to Morrinsville.

The girls had a positive, nevergive-up attitude throughout the tournament, showing great sportsmanship and team spirit.

Team: Alex Brewer, Saskia Collins, Izzy Coney, Jamie Cottrell, Anna Green, Aimee Herrod, Stephanie Holden, Ellie McDonald, Olivia McDonald, Ella Millar, Makya Muriwai, Alyssa Richardson, Lilly Twort, Lucia Walden-Green, Sophie Yiasoumi

Cycling

NETBALL

Netball attended UNISS in Hamilton for Winter Tournament Week where they played in the A Grade competition after finishing runner-up in the B Grade in 2022. They finished in 30th place in the A Grade overall, with some close matches and a draw.

Team: Boh Curran, Aniela Farac, Frances Hunt, Sophie Jamison, Chloe Luo, Meg McKinnon, Jade Miller, Este Ngatai, Frances Revell-Devlin and Olivia Smithies.

The Dio Cycling Club continued their strong form at the Northern Tour Hill Climb and Criterium events.

In the U-14 event Alice Wellington picked up third place in the hill climb and Maddie Worrall the silver in the U-15 category.

Molly Sherrard also made the podium winning bronze in the U-17 age grade.

In the criterium, Mika James picked up the U-14 bronze, Maddie Worrall added another silver in the U-15 and Lily James came really close to the podium, placing fourth in the U-16.

These results meant that Maddie won silver overall in the U-15 and Mika bronze in the U-14 grades. Alice Wellington was super close to the podium with fourth placing overall. Adding to her Northern Tour successes, Molly also picked up silver in the Auckland ITT. Team: Alice Berry, Lulu Cameron, Grace Currie, Rose Finlayson, Jess Finnegan, Lucy Forman, Pippa Forman, Lily James, Mika James, Annabelle Judd, Molly Sherrard, Alice Wellington, Indie Williams, Maddie Worrall, Chloe Xiao, JiaJia Yang, Stephanie Yuan.

FOOTBALL 1ST XI The team made history by finishing fifth in the NZSS Lotto Premier Tournament in Taupo, the highest ever ranking for Diocesan. The girls competed against 32 other schools from across New Zealand showing remarkable skill, teamwork, and resilience throughout the tournament, winning 5 out of 7 games and scoring 24 goals in total. A highlight was the match against defending champions EGGS. Anya Stephan was awarded Most Valuable Player of the tournament. She worked tirelessly in every game, in multiple positions and

showed great teamwork. Special mention also to Arya Blackler, the top goal scorer with two hat-tricks over the week.

Team: Kate Beagley, Arya Blackler, Bella Cranefield Olivia Erskine, Sophia Haines, Gemma Kelly, Indigo Kirk, Sienna Kirk, Hannah McManus, Lucy Nevill, Rita Price, Sydney Sparks, Anya Stephan, Gracie Thomas, Maddison Tongue, Holly Webster.

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AIMS GAMES The Zespri AIMS Games is one of Australasia’s largest junior sporting events, held annually in Tauranga Moana. Since its inception in 2004, the Zespri AIMS Games has grown from 760 competitors representing 17 schools and four sporting codes, to the 2023 tournament which welcomed 11,733 competitors, representing 374 schools and 25 sporting codes.

Thank you to all our girls who competed with enthusiasm and determination!

Assistant Principal (Senior School) Kate Burkin acknowledged our sports coaches and managers, thanking them for their care of our Year 7 and 8 students fortunate enough to have this great experience. Their 24/7 oversight is very much appreciated and without them, Team Dio’s participation would not be possible.

Their level of commitment underlies their wish to develop our students through sport from the earliest years.

BASKETBALL

This year our basketball team competed at the games after an absence of a few years. Filled with eager Year 7s, what they lacked in age and size they filled with heart and enthusiasm! The girls came away with 15th place and they learnt lots of skills throughout the week to help them to continue improving.

Cross country

Dio had a great time at Waipuna Park on the challenging cross country course. Our Year 7 runners started the day well with Grace Dearlove finishing in sixth place.

Following close behind were the other Year 7 Dio runners Noomi Riley and Phoebe Kelt. Feeling inspired by the Year 7s the Year 8 team of Chloe Ulmer, Grace Larsen, Luisa Haines and Sophie Openshaw raced well, picking up fifth in the team event. A fantastic way to start the week!

FOOTBALL

Canoeing

Jasmine Hughes made history by representing Dio in canoe slalom and canoe racing for the first time ever at an AIMS Games. Pushing her way into the A Final of the Year 7 A girls, Jas had an awesome race and finished fourth. We are so proud of Jasmine’s efforts – great to have our first Diocesan canoeist at the 2023 AIMS Games!

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The AIMS football team had an outstanding week, displaying top tier skills and teamwork. The first three days were gruelling, with eight pool games. The girls moved through to the quarter- and semi-final rounds with two wins, and finished the tournament in 17th place, a huge improvement on the 2022 performance.

Team Dio golfers showed tremendous skills as they played the three 18-hole courses.

Queenie Lang’s impressive round, matching par at 72, secured her sixth place out of 32 Year 8 girls.

Teresa Wangs had an exceptional three-course performance, finishing four under par, which led her to the top of the Year 8 girls, and impressively, top golfer of the tournament.

Sailing

Flora Oskam Steven was joined by 72 of New Zealand’s best Opti sailors who went out in two random fleets of 36 boats. Wind picked up on day 2 of racing, a steady 18-20 kts in the first race, easing a bit in races 2 and 3. Flora, being one of the lighter sailors in the fleet, had to hike extra hard, but overall sailed really well.

After her three days sailing, she finished fourth Year 7 girl overall (gold and silver fleet) as well as fourth overall (boys and girls) by two points.

Well done, Flora!

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GOLF

NETBALL

The netball team had a huge week at AIMS, playing 11 games over five days with some great performances. They started pool play against some strong teams, a win and two losses moving us into B grade. The girls didn’t let themselves get complacent, continuing their epic form going to extra time against Berkley Intermediate, where they played an extra 10 minutes of netball to win by two and move us into the top 32 of B grade. They finished the tournament in 22nd place in B grade – a fantastic achievement showing grit and determination to keep playing and not give up and to keep growing in their netball!

SWIMMING

Throughout the week our swimmers had lots of personal bests and Top 10 ribbons.

Our medley team won bronze (Channelle, Eve, Sienna and Henrietta) by a whisker! Channelle took a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke, bronze in the 200m

individual medley and silver in the 50m breaststroke. Eve got fourth place in the 100m breaststroke.

Sienna finished in fifth place in the 100 butterfly and Henrietta fifth place in the 50m freestyle. These girls have shown amazing spirit and determination, racing at the pool for five- to six-hour sessions.

Hockey

The hockey AIMS team had a successful week, scoring a total of 29 goals, second in their pool, and finishing in the Top 8 overall.

Special mention to Coco Morton for her competitiveness and grit throughout the week and to Georgia Walton for her excellent team spirit. Player of the Tournament went to Jessie Bickelmann for her great work up front and for going out and executing the points given to her by coach Anna Bannatyne.

WATER POLO

The Dio Jaguars competed at the AIMS Games and were consistent throughout the whole week, playing to their full potential.

The girls came out of the round robin as favourites and had a semi- final vs Baradene which they won convincingly. They then went on to play in the final against a physical Aquinas team and managed to come away with an 8-2 win and a gold medal. Congratulations to the team and the three coaches/managers who were all Diocesan alumnae!

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Years 3 and 4 artistic gymnastics girls

Andersons

Platinum hockey team with coach Harriet

Jump Jam Dancing Queens

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Dio Diamonds

Dio Mermaids

Our winter sports programme has been in full swing with plenty of action, excitement, fun and development. We’ve run 15 Years 1-6 netball teams and 10 Years 1-6 hockey teams, along with competitive basketball, artistic gymnastics, jump jam, futsal and flippa ball.

For the first time in many years, we sent two Year 6 netball teams and two Year 6 hockey teams to the respective winter zones tournaments. Both tournaments were held on the same day, and it was a spectacular day of sunshine, fun, camaraderie and development. Our Dio Andersons hockey team placed third overall behind all-boys teams, an outstanding achievement, while the Dio Platinum hockey team placed seventh.

Our Dio Diamonds netball team placed second overall in B Division and our Dio Sapphires placed third overall in B Division. We were very proud of

our girls for their sportsmanship and performances.

In mini polo, our Year 6 Dio Mermaids claimed gold, beating St Kentigern Boys in the finals of the Term 3 league competition.

In jump jam, the Year 4 Dio Dancing Queens placed first in the Freshman category of the Auckland Strictly Jump Jam Competition, with the Years 5&6 Dio Tidal Waves placing second.

Both teams qualified for Nationals in Tauranga in November with our Years 5&6 team qualifying to compete in the Ultimate category at the highest level.

In artistic gymnastics, seven girls qualified at the zones competition for the Auckland Champion of Champions event held in September. With over 85 gymnasts competing in each age category, the competition was strong.

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JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORTS UPDATE We are proud of all our qualifying gymnasts: Year 6 – Boyan Zhang, Miranda Lai, Annika Middlemiss and Year 4 – Anna Qin, Willow Tietjens, Rosie Crighton and Cindy Wang. Of special note, finishing in the top 12, were Anna Qin, Year 4, who finished in 11th place and Boyan Zhang, Year 6, who finished in 12th place.

Other sports codes underway during the term were playball, taekwondo and both recreational and competitive rhythmic gymnastics.

A huge thank-you to our fantastic community of parent supporters and volunteers who stepped in to manage teams, and also to our large cohort of student, parent, alumni and external coaches for making it all happen.

Lucinda Batchelor

Sapphires netball

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Did you know that the Dio Café serves approximately 750 to 1000 girls a day and that all profits from the Café are returned to the School in the form of donations for school development? Even more notable is that most of those girls are served in the space of about an hour and a half! It certainly is a bustling business that proudly nourishes Dio girls and works for the betterment of the school.

The Dio Café is administered by the P&F Committee, in particular our Treasurer, David Pacey, alongside our exceptional manager, Jenny Wood, and fantastic team of hardworking and dedicated employees. We also incorporate parent volunteers and student volunteers into the daily roster, making this café not just a place to grab a bite, but a hub for our Dio community to come together and pitch in.

Each year the P&F Committee is then able to make decisions on how our café profits can be used to give back to the School. As a committee we are proud to work to support the development and growth of Diocesan. Since 2002, P&F have 62

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distributed over $1.75 million to Diocesan across many areas of the School including the library, the Aquatic Centre and Turf, the FAB-LAB, the P&F courtyard, the Sports Department, the Arts Centre, the food technology gardens, the Norfolk Pine redevelopment and the cafeteria refurbishment. This year we have been raising funds to refurbish the whanau areas and common rooms, looking to enhance shared spaces where students and staff can come together for team building, relaxation, socialising and study.

aspects of the evening’s organisation, making this a brilliant team effort.

We had a fantastic event in early Term 4 to contribute to our 2023 fundraising goal, with our '80s Flashback Party. Held on election night, we brought in comedian Alan McElroy and band Arcade Avenue to create an evening not to be forgotten. We were thrilled to see so many attendees in costume, enjoying a chance to get up on the dance floor and mix and mingle with friends. Our food trucks, the Roaming Flamingo and Akemi Gyoza, were kept busy all night serving up culinary delights to keep everyone well fed and energised. And best of all, our committee worked so well together, each contributing to

Thank you to our entire committee for a tremendous year of hard work. Furthermore, a tremendous shout-out to our café manager, staff and all volunteers for another successful year.

We are always keen for new members and/or employees, so please email us at pfa@diocesan.school.nz if you would like to learn more.

Rolling on from the success of our event, we hosted the year-end cocktail party in November. This event is always a favourite of parents and friends. The Arts Centre foyer is a beautiful setting and the evening enables our community to come together and celebrate the end of the school year and reconnect with one another before we roll on into summer.

Have a wonderful summer!

Robin Bell DIO TODAY

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Summerset St Johns selling off plans now* Summerset St Johns is excited to announce our second release of homes are selling off plans now.* This includes the most sought after premium and penthouse apartments, which offer incredible uninterrupted views out towards Rangitoto and the city.

Once complete, the village will offer a range of sophisticated retirement residences, enviable resort style facilities, and Summerset’s renowned continuum of care. All designed with luxury in mind and to help you get the most out of your retirement years. Set in the heart of the eastern suburbs, this is a location you can be proud to call home.

Visit our show suite today and get a taste of the Summerset St Johns experience.

Visit our sales suite today Open Monday to Saturday, 10am - 4pm Summerset St Johns sales suite 400 Remuera Road, Remuera 09 950 7982 | stjohns.sales@summerset.co.nz *Licence to occupy. Image is artist impression as of January 2023

Penny Tucker presents the Alumna Merita Award to former teacher Leonie Lawson.

LIFELONG FR I E NDS

AUCKLAND DIOCESAN ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION (INC) PRESIDENT Emily Steel (Houlker) VICE-PRESIDENT Sheryl Tan TREASURER Felicity Buche (Olson) PAST PRESIDENT Penny Tucker (Macdonald) COMMITTEE Sarah Liebmann (Benjamin) Sarah Mackenzie (Macalister)

dioalumnae@diocesan.school.nz

From the president This year has proceeded at a fine clip and all our programmes were able to take place without the disruption of lockdowns. Our Founders’ Day celebrations were a huge success, despite the slight change due to renovations to the Chapel of Our Glorified Lord to protect it for the future.

The cocktail party is always a wonderful chance for all Dio alumnae to connect and it continues to be a great launchpad for those year groups wanting to have reunions or simply gather together to catch up.

The Grad Ball is always one of the nicest nights of the year. A celebration of family, it’s an important milestone in our graduates’ ongoing journey.

It is incredible to see a group of Dio students fully embracing their next stage (however that looks and however it may evolve), enjoying such a fun night. The dancing is always exceptional (and yes, I mean you, Reverend Haggitt – rocking that kilt).

We are very proud that ex-president and immediate vice president Jenny

Spillane has taken over the important role of Chair of the Diocesan Board. Jen has managed to transform Ut Serviamus into an extreme sport and her service to the School and to our committee has been, and is, exceptional! With the sanction of alumnae, Sheryl Tan took over from Jenny as vice president at our AGM. Aside from being one of the kindest and most generous people to work with, Sheryl is a prominent neuroscientist, a nationally ranked weightlifter, an ex-Dio Women2Watch winner and keen advocate of mentoring and helping girls in the STEM environment.

We have several newer committee members, and their perspectives are always welcome. We are lucky to have such passionate alumnae prepared to lend a hand. Nothing that we do happens without the commitment and time of people, most of whom have full-time jobs and help simply because they want to support what we do within and around the School. It’s increasingly hard to get people to step up and volunteer, but we are fortunate to have

Rachael Brand Lena Saad Damaya Pasupati (Rasanathan) Danielle Harper (Gibbons) EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT/FELLOWSHIP SECRETARY Nicki de Villiers (Dodds) dioalumnae@diocesan.school.nz Dio Today Editor, League pages Deirdre Coleman E. d.g@slingshot.co.nz Auckland Diocesan Alumnae Association PO Box 28-382, Remuera, Auckland 1541

a group of motivated and lovely women who believe this institution is worth supporting and the legacy is worth protecting, developing and safeguarding for future generations.

As always, we thank Dio’s internal team led by Angela Coe, who engage with us all the time. Their support and their collaborative and constructive approach are immeasurably appreciated.

Ut Serviamus Penny Tucker Diocesan Alumnae Association President DIO TODAY

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Founders’ Day celebrations Thank you to everyone who attended our Founders’ Day events on Saturday 4 November and made them all such special occasions. We welcomed over 300 alumnae back to Dio for a variety of events - senior alumnae high tea, school tours, cocktails and canapes in the Performing Arts Centre and reunion dinners (1983, 2003 and 2013) which were held offsite at different venues. We absolutely loved seeing the connection and joy in the smiles on everyone’s faces throughout the day.

We look forward to celebrating with you all again soon!

SENIOR ALUMNAE HIGH TEA Audley Wylie (Denize), Judy Caldwell (McNaughton) and Bryan Bartley (Waddell).

Deirdre Rogers, Robin Walsh, Anthea Avery and Dale Beck.

Christine Roke (Connolly) and Elisabeth Wilson (Beale).

Pat Barfoot (Bull) and Janet Romanes (Ryder).

Geraldine Jill Burbush (Uden), Ngaire Garland and Jennifer Kotlarevsky (Nicholson).

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Fay Moorhead and Principal Heather McRae.

Helen Allen (Duggan), Sue Williams (Walkley), Louise Hanson (McLay) and Mary Parkinson (Beale).

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REUNION DINNERS

COCKTAILS AND CANAPES

1983

Jane Thompson (Urquhart), Michelle Gowans (Reeves), Shari Tighe-Umbers (Scriven), Kim Davies (Reeves), Sandra Sherrat (Catchpole) and Margaret Aartsen.

2003 Chelsea White, Isabella Marsh, Mahitha Kumar and Alice Weil.

Amanda Bollinger (Haughton), Greer Davies (Donovan), Nikki Langford and Sandra Sherratt (Catchpole).

2013

Adrienne de Berry and Judy Bent.

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PERFECT

harmony

L to R: Andrew Simpson, Ashleigh Jackson, Leonie Lawson, Sarah-Jane Simpson, Desley Simpson and Peter Goodfellow.

On Tuesday 5 September, Diocesan teachers and pupils were joined by the family and friends of two exceptional women to celebrate their achievements.

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While we’ve had dual Alumna Merita recipients in the past, this occasion was made more special by the fact that former music teacher Leonie Lawson MNZM and Deputy Mayor of Auckland Desley Simpson are not just high achievers in their fields, they are also mother and daughter. It’s the first time Dio has celebrated such a double success and, as Leonie and Desley held hands and smiled at each other on the Arts Centre stage, their mutual delight and pride was clear for all to see.

Leonie Lawson – a lifetime devoted to music Associate Alumna Leonie Lawson dedicated 33 years of service to Diocesan as a much-loved and respected teacher and musical director. She started her time at Dio teaching the youngest pupils in the Junior School, before taking on intermediate and senior classes.

During her official tenure at Dio, from 1969 to 1996, she produced the School’s annual productions, in which every girl

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had a part to play. She also formed and championed Diocesan’s instrumental, choral and chamber ensembles, and remained involved with Dio choirs for some years after. Leonie founded the St Cecilia Singers, which she named after the patron saint of music, and set up the Dio handbells ensemble. For many years, she prepared junior and intermediate choirs for the APPA Festival of Music in the Auckland Town Hall.

“I’m so thrilled that the School has kept up its involvement in all these activities,” Leonie told the assembly. “Music has been my life and it still is. It brings me joy and comfort at all times.”

Generations of Dio girls will remember Leonie (Mrs Lawson, to us) skilfully accompanying us on the piano or energetically conducting our vocal efforts. She was passionate, enthusiastic and had high standards for every pupil of music. When we sang, Leonie instructed us to only pause for a breath when there was a comma at the end of the line. And those who were there in the late ’80s will remember her conducting the entire school from the mezzanine at the opening of the Dawn Jones Sports Centre.

But it wasn’t just Diocesan that benefitted from Leonie’s musical gifts and enthusiasm. For several decades she was involved with the annual APPA music festivals. She also had a long association with the Auckland Boys’ Choir as their accompanist and associate director, touring overseas four times with the choir. And in 1996 she founded the Auckland Girls’ Choir to provide choral training opportunities for nine to 18-yearold Auckland girls from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.

Leonie’s considerable contribution to the New Zealand Choral Federation (NZCF) from the mid-1980s saw her play an active role in the organisation of the national secondary schools’ choral competition, The Big Sing.

She also initiated The Kids Sing, a regional competition for primary and intermediate students, and played a major role in setting up the adult choirs’

Leonie and Desley tinkling the ivories together

Classic Sing. For a period in the early 2000s, Leonie ran the whole of NZCF from her home after the national office closed in 2006. She did whatever was needed to keep the organisation alive, from funding applications and booking venues, to writing up meeting minutes and keeping financial records. The NZCF was hugely grateful for her efforts in helping ensure its survival and that of its iconic and popular choral competitions.

On a community level, Leonie was a foundation member of the Society for Music Education (now known as MENZA). She was also president of the Grand Opera Auckland Inc, and adjudicator for a number of performing arts organisations around the North Island, including for Lewis Eady, Scholarship auditions, and school vocal and instrumental contests. She has facilitated workshops and clinics and been an examiner for the Organ Society of New Zealand, and also toured North America, Australia and Britain as a choral conductor. Amazingly, Leonie also found

the time to give private lessons in piano, theory, voice and choral conducting.

With an involvement in musical groups and organisations that’s too extensive to mention in full, it’s hardly surprising that in 2010 Leonie was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to music. We are grateful and blessed that Leonie was ‘ours’ for such a long time. She truly is a treasure.

Desley Simpson – leading by example Leonie’s daughter Desley Simpson (PY1976) not only inherited her talent and passion for music from her mother, but also her tenacity and work ethic.

– – A councillor representing the Ora kei Ward since 2016, Desley became Deputy Mayor of Auckland. Prior to that, she was Chair of the Hobson Community Board for three years.

Some might say she was destined for a role in local politics, given that her DIO TODAY

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Deputy Mayor of Auckland Desley Simpson addressing the audience at the Alumna Merita Assembly.

“Work hard and remember it’s a privilege to go to this school. Take that privilege and accept all opportunities.”

Park from intensive housing, and led the development of the Ngahue Reserve sports fields, previously an old landfill site.

L to R: Diocesan Alumnae Association President Penny Tucker, Principal Heather McRae, Desley Simpson, Head Prefect Āniva Clarke, Leonie Lawson and Development Director Angela Coe.

great-great uncle Sir Henry Brett was Mayor of Auckland in 1878 and her grandfather Sir James Donald was Chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board in the 1940s. But Desley hasn’t ridden anyone’s coat tails to get to where she is today. While she didn’t get involved in local body politics until 2007, she has achieved an incredible amount over the last 16 years and has been one of city’s hardest working and most responsive – – representatives. As chair of the Ora kei Local Board, Desley managed the overall board strategy, and her portfolios included finance, rates and governance, 70

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the Unitary Plan, walkways and community development initiatives.

– – Among her major wins for the Ora kei Ward have been raising the flood-prone section of Tamaki Drive, upgrading the Mission Bay Fountain, improvements to water infrastructure and shared pathways linking Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive, as well as securing environmental investment into Kohimarama Forest, Waiatarua Wetland and Tahuna Torea. Among numerous other projects, she has also worked to protect ‘special character’ areas, was instrumental in saving Colin Maiden

But it was during the January 2023 Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle that Desley’s calm leadership, poise and empathy made her a reassuring presence and a household name to Aucklanders.

Fronting the council’s media response, she provided information, updates and important civil defence messages to an anxious public and business community.

Before politics, there has always been music, and it too, gave Desley a chance to contribute and demonstrate Ut Serviamus. Transferring to Dio from ‘a rival school’ to study science and music, she learnt to play the organ at school, as well as the piano, the cello and later, the flute. Desley’s involvement in music continued throughout her life. For more than three decades, until 2016, she was the director of the APPA Festival of Music, and she would occasionally conduct or play the Town Hall organ during performances. Desley was also the national manager of the Yamaha Music Foundation, which uses fun, singing and play to teach children music, and a foundation member and examiner for the Organ Society of New Zealand.

As she has done herself, Desley concluded her address to the assembly by encouraging the girls present to seize every opportunity available to them.

“My message to you is do what you want to do; never take no for an answer,” she urged. “Work hard and remember it’s a privilege to go to this school. Take that privilege and accept all opportunities. Go out and do your best and you too could be deputy mayor of Auckland, and even mayor of Auckland if you wanted to.”

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Celebrating

FAMILY CONNECTIONS Twenty-four current Diocesan students have a generations-long history with the School, as either fourth- or fifth-generation pupils.

We photographed them together in the Arts Centre Foyer to continue a tradition that goes back to the founding pupils. And here, we explore the special connections some of their families have to Dio.

4 GEN STORY

L to R from back: Evie Houtman, Brooke Chandler, Isabella Dalton, Annabelle Frankham, Scout Challinor, Amy Shennan, Charlotte Johnston, Millie Sanderson, Olivia Oram, Vita Houtman, Maddie Massey, Natalie Ruegg, Lauren Williams, Lucia Ferguson, Briar Dennison, Isabella Bishop, Tess Ritchie, Florence Kirkpatrick, Molly Hickling, Naomi Reeve, Estella Mamo, Winter Ferguson, Magdelena Kirkpatrick, Caroline Williams.

1. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections

So proud of Edwin Auckland mayor (1903-1905) and businessman Edwin Mitchelson was a successful timber merchant and member of parliament. In the late 1880s and early 1890s, he served as minister for public works and minister for native affairs, was appointed as postmaster general, and acted as premier, colonial treasurer and commissioner of trade and customs.

Edwin Mitchelson1

But what the Dio family will remember the most about Edwin Mitchelson is his role as one of Diocesan’s founders and a longserving chairman of the School Council (1903-1926). Mitchelson supported Bishop Neligan’s goal to

establish an Anglican girls’ school in Auckland, donating significant funds and lending his experience and expertise to the endeavour.

Four generations of women in his family have attended Dio and five of his descendants are current pupils. Evie and Vita Houtman (Years 11 and 8), Lauren and Caroline Williams (Years 11 and 8) and Molly Hickling (Year 5), will be joined by four more cousins due to start Dio in the next few years.

Jane Williams (Mitchelson, PY1963), Edwin’s great granddaughter, regrettably never met Edwin but knew his wife, Sarah, who erected the chapel bell tower in his memory.

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“My father was semi brought up by Edwin after his father died when Dad was three,” says Jane. “When Edwin died [in 1934], my father inherited his house on Remuera Road, and my siblings and I lived there as children.”

Edwin’s own children were too old to go to school by the time Dio was founded but both his granddaughters, Jane’s aunts, Sadie Airey (Mitchelson, PY1922) and Kathleen Mitchelson (PY1925), were pupils.

Jane and her three sisters did their entire schooling at Dio and were very aware of the importance of their link to one of its founders.

“Our surname was Mitchelson. We were very proud of Edwin, and because my father had been brought up by him, he was influential in Dad’s life and, by extension, in our lives too. He was very community spirited and happy to get involved in anything.”

Continuing their connection to the School is important to the whole family, says Jane.

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“My granddaughters have that security of knowing their relatives have been before them. Of course, they’re all in Mitchelson house and know they’re descended from the founder.”

Like her famous forebear, Jane has contributed much to Diocesan, serving on the Board of Governors and the Old Girls’ League Committee. From 1994 to 2004, she was Development Director at Dio and worked hard to arrange the centennial celebrations, including a photo taken of the fourth-generation pupils on the steps of School House.

“When I was Development Director, it was such a privilege to be back at the School and be able to facilitate the centennial,” says Jane. “My great grandfather was there 100 years before and it was an honour to be there a century later.”

Walking in Mary’s footsteps Mary Bachelder (PY1915) sits on the righthand concrete balustrade of School House in the photo of Diocesan’s first pupils taken on 27 May 1904. The

youngest of the original pupils, Mary was seven when she started at the School.

Her mother had died in childbirth with her younger brother, so she was sent to board at Diocesan. Mary would stay until sixth form and become among the first pupils to sit the newly created Leaving Certificate exams, obtaining distinctions in divinity and literature. She returned to Diocesan in the early 1920s as a teacher, along with a number of other Old Girls.

Mary’s granddaughter, Jocelyn Turner (McLean, PY1977) attended Dio, followed by her daughter Louise Ruegg (Turner, PY2003). Now Louise’s daughter Natalie is a Year 7 Dio student.

“We’re very proud of our history with the School,” says Louise. “It’s been really special to watch my daughter follow in the footsteps of myself and my mum.

And it’s nice to see some of the teachers that were there when I went to school being part of her journey.

“Being a Dio girl is a very special heritage for our family and it was one of the key reasons for sending our family here. Natalie’s younger sister is

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“Being a Dio girl is a very special heritage for our family and it was one of the key reasons for sending our family here”

Facing page: The first pupils photographed in May 1904, with Miss Pulling seated in the centre.

already counting down until she can join her sister. She’s currently in Year 2 and aiming to start Dio in Year 7.”

Above left: In 1993 on the School’s 90th birthday, pupils with generational links to Dio recreated the ‘original 25’ photo.

Louise attended Dio for seven years and was in the centennial celebrations’ photo of fourth-generation students.

Above Right: Barrister Edwin Hesketh owned the home that eventually became School House.

Memories of a special house School House is the original of Diocesan’s heritage buildings. For 160 years, this elegant two-storey house has stood proudly beneath the northern slopes of Mount St John. The four-acre property on which it was built was known as St John’s Wood and included an orchard and summerhouse. Prominent barrister Edwin Hesketh bought the property in 1874 and lived there with his family.

After his death in 1898, the Church of England Diocesan Schools’ Association Committee purchased it from the Hesketh estate in February 1904 for £4000, renaming the building School House. The original classroom building, it was used for many decades as a boarding facility and is now the School’s administration hub.

Left: In 2003, as part of Dio’s centennial celebrations, fourthgeneration pupils were photographed on the School House steps.

Current pupil Scout Challinor (Year 9) is a descendant of Edwin Hesketh and a fourth-generation Dio girl. Her aunt Victoria Challinor (PY1987), her grandmother Sally Challinor (Palmer, PY1959), her great aunt Jennifer Hesketh Noakes (Palmer, PY1956), and her great grandmother Wilma Phyllis

Palmer (Frater, PY1928) are all past pupils. Wilma was Edwin Hesketh’s great niece and attended Dio with her sisters June, Rosemary, Margot and Diana Frater. Sally Challinor admits she wasn’t really aware of the family connection to School House until she left Dio.

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L to R: Lorraine Glenn, the first Innes House mistress with Doris Innes and Anna Murphy, the first Innes House boarder.

But she and her sister, Jenny, always thought it was a special building.

“I remember dancing around a maypole on the lawn in front of School House. Another time, while I was still in the Junior School, we had to dress up and recreate a photo from the ‘olden days’ on the steps of School House,” she recalls. “My third strong memory of School House was lining up there to have our polio or TB injections. I always tended to think that School House belonged to the boarders.”

Sally is thrilled that Diocesan has always valued and looked after her ancestral home and the summerhouse.

“I love that the School takes such care of this pretty old building and I was happy to read about the renovations [repainting and roof repairs] online recently. Jenny and I really enjoyed our time at Dio, and I love the fact that Scout is there now too.”

The women who saved boarding According to Bishop Neligan’s wish, Diocesan School for Girls was founded to cater for both day and boarding

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pupils, and at the end of 1904, the first boarders were living in School House.

Their numbers rose gradually until in the 1970s there were 150 boarders – about one-fifth of the School roll. But a decade later, based on the view that there was little demand for it, boarding was phased out and shut down entirely, much to the annoyance of a group of Dio Old Girls (some former boarders), who set about finding solutions.

Among those women were alumnae Doris Innes (Ingles, PY1927) and her daughters Margaret Tapper (Innes, PY1958) and Nina Crawford (Innes, PY1955). After canvassing the community and demonstrating that there was a definite demand for boarding at Dio, they purchased a villa – now Innes House – at 20 Clyde Street and in 1987 formed the Doris Innes House Trust (DIHT) with a group of equally committed Old Girls.

Doris’s granddaughter, Joanna Hill (Tapper, PY1982), was Chair of the DIHT for many years. She attended Dio along with her sister Susan Tapper (PY1990) and her cousins Leigh Williams (Crawford, PY1981) – who was on the DIHT Trust board – Roseanne (PY1977),

Juliet (PY1978) and Clair Crawford (PY1986). The fourth generation includes Jo’s daughters Charlotte (PY2021) and Amy Hill (PY2017), Leigh’s daughter Claudia Williams (PY2016) and Susan’s daughter Tess Ritchie, who is currently in Year 8.

Jo Hill says that Doris was fiercely protective of boarding and adamant it should remain, and her mother Margaret had the intelligence and confidence to lead the project through to completion.

“They are both very determined and they, along with my Aunty Nina – Doris’s other daughter – had the ability to amass a group of women who were equally determined, and together they all made it happen,” she says.

Amy Hill, Jo’s daughter says she was aware of how instrumental her grandmother and great grandmother were in saving Dio boarding and setting up Innes House.

“I was always very proud to say I was a fourth-generation Dio girl and I’m grateful to my grandmother and her mother for choosing such a wonderful school,” says Amy.

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IN EXCELLENT COMPANY Dio alumnae entrepreneurs Maree Glading, Julia Matthews, Nikki Bedwell and Laura Crerar share their experiences launching and growing businesses.

CREATING HER OWN DESTINY

my three passions: business, food and art/creativity.”

Maree Glading (PY1995) says the three years she spent at Dio had a profound influence on her. A keen artist, who also took home economics, she did the Young Enterprise programme as an extracurricular activity.

Following the multimillion-dollar sale of I Love Food Co, Maree and her husband took their young children out of school to travel for a year. Unfortunately, COVID forced them home and Maree took on a new business project.

“I don’t think I would’ve taken this path if I hadn’t gone to Dio. I feel like the School made me believe I could do anything. Dio really opened my mind and made me think there was a bigger world out there,” says Maree.

Evre is a brand of natural and gentle skincare products formulated specifically for young skin. It was inspired by her then 12-year-old daughter, Francesca (now in Year 9 at Dio). She’d become interested in skincare, but Maree realised there was nothing she could trust and at a reasonable price to meet the needs of teens; so she set about making products that would.

That path began with a Bachelor of Business in marketing and advertising.

Maree then got a job in an ad agency, but realised she wanted to be involved in the whole process of bringing a product to life, from the packaging and product development to the finances.

After working as an account manager at Sanitarium, she moved to Australia and roles at Blackmores and Nestlé – a valuable time of learning and climbing the ranks. By age 27, she was on the Nestlé executive team.

“At the time, it was very different. I saw other women in the workforce at my senior level who didn’t get any flexibility in hours. I knew I wanted a family, so thought, ‘I’ll start my own business. Here’s an opportunity to create my own destiny’.”

In 2008, Maree co-founded I Love Food Co with Jessie Stanley. With an initial investment of $3000 they launched their homemade pies at the Clevedon Village Farmers’ Market. By the time they sold the business to Walter and Wild in 2018, the pair were producing pies, cereals and cookies under the brands I Love Pies and I Love Baking, and exporting to China, Asia and Australia.

“We were the first company to use free range ingredients on a large scale and we explored sustainability with our packaging,” explains Maree. “I applied

“I know how to bring a product to market, and I went to a really good lab and worked with amazing chemists and formulators.”

In December 2021, Maree launched Evre online and by July 2022, the brand was stocked in Farmers stores nationwide.

Evre is more than just a skincare brand; there’s also a strong focus on mental health and wellbeing.

“We donate 2% of sales to Youthline,” says Maree. “A skin cream can’t solve all your mental health problems, but it plays a role in your selfcare routine.

The brand can provide a platform for discussion around mental health and talking in an approachable way about some of the issues teens face, such as bullying and navigating friendships.”

Maree also invests her time and expertise into the New Zealand business community. She’s on the board of three food and beverage companies, does consulting work with exporters, and mentors start-ups and early-stage food businesses. She’s also provided feedback to aspiring Dio entrepreneurs

Dio alumna Maree Glading has founded and run several companies. Evre, her latest venture, is a range of natural skincare products specially formulated for young skin. The brand donates 2% of sales to Youthline.

in the Young Enterprise programme and is thrilled to be able to give back to a school that’s played an important role in her success.

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FILLING A GAP IN THE MARKET Entrepreneur Julia Matthews (PY2004) made the most of her three years in the Diocesan Junior High School before moving to Epsom Girls’ Grammar for Year 10.

“I loved everything about Dio,” she says.

“All the teachers were incredible. I was a Mitchelson girl and it was such fun participating in House Music. We had a really tight group and those Dio friends are still my closest girlfriends, including my best friend who I met on my first day in Year 7. It was an amazing school. I have lots of fond memories of Dio.” During school, Julia worked part-time at iconic fashion label WORLD and was offered a fulltime role in the head office.

She subsequently moved to Fisher & Paykel Appliances, analysing data as a resource planner by day and doing night school to gain a Bachelor of Business Studies from AUT University. After a stint as a workforce analyst at Mercury Energy, Julia moved to Sydney in 2012.

It was there that her interest in nutrition and food began to grow, and the seeds were sown for what would become Two Islands, the health and wellness business she co-founded with her sister, Libby.

“I started studying nutrition and naturopathy at Nature Care College in Sydney,” she says. “I was vegetarian at the time, so I was always looking for ways to supplement my diet so I didn’t miss out on nutrients.”

Julia and Libby started sharing their recipes on Facebook and Instagram.

This morphed into a wellness blog with a significant following. Soon brands began sending samples and asking the pair to make recipes using their products.

Penguin approached them to write Nourished, a plant-based recipe book, and they became ambassadors for 5+ A Day. On returning to New Zealand, Julia struggled to find a suitable local plant protein – so she decided to make her own.

“I did a lot of googling and enlisted the help of a business mentor with FMCG knowledge. We’d meet up weekly and he gave me the confidence to keep going.”

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brand and bootstrapped the business, with friends working on the branding and website, and helping promote the products on Instagram – because there was no marketing budget.

Now that Lenny (3) and her oneyear-old twins Delilah and Clementine have come along, she’s also looking at developing a brand of supplements for kids.

“I found a contract manufacturer and we launched two days before Christmas 2017. We now have seven staff and work with PR, digital, SEO, design and web agencies, as well as a wonderful herbalist and naturopath to help formulate our products.”

“One reason I created Two Islands was that I found the whole supplement category confusing. We wanted clean, efficacious products with clear ingredients labels. We use a lot of clinically researched ingredients and herbal extracts. Everything is nutrient dense, with nothing unnecessary in the formulas.”

Seafood company Sanford came on board as a shareholder and provides raw ingredients for Two Islands’ products. What began as a direct-toconsumer model has grown into an export business with distributors in Hong Kong and Korea and retailers throughout New Zealand. Julia has plans to enter Australia and the UK, and her range now includes marine collagen and supplements for the brain, gut, joints, skin, sleep and breastfeeding support.

Julia Matthews saw a gap in the market for quality health and wellness supplements and decided to launch her own under the brand Two Islands.

While Julia is passionate about nutrition and loves being involved in new product development, she acknowledges the challenges of running a business.

“Managing a team can be hard, especially making sure everyone is happy. You also don’t get much time off, but I don’t mind that really. I try to keep the weekends free for family time.”

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Left: Dio alumnae Laura Bedwell and Nikki Crerar are sharing their love of food through their meal-planning and recipe company Assortment Foods.

When it came to promoting their business, Laura’s marketing skills came to the fore. They mainly use a mix of organic content and targeted ad campaigns on social media but have also used influencer marketing and traditional print advertising to broaden their reach. Assortment is proving popular with young families, young professionals and empty nesters.

“Running our own company has been rewarding, building something from the ground up and watching it grow,” says Laura. “Every day is a learning experience, from the creative aspects like cooking, photography and design to the nitty-gritty details of running a business. Plus, it’s a bonus to do all this alongside your best friend.”

A SHARED PASSION FOR COOKING Laura Bedwell (PY2011) started at Dio in Year 4 and when Nikki Crerar (PY2011) began in Year 7, they became fast friends. And they still are today.

They’re also business partners in the menu-planning company they founded in 2021. Called Assortment Foods, it’s a membership platform with a clever twist on the popular meal-kit services.

Each week, members get access to four dinner recipes plus a shopping list and meal-preparation guide.

“We’ve always had a natural knack for creating and experimenting in the kitchen,” says Nikki. “We love exploring different flavours and cooking techniques.”

After leaving Dio, Nikki pursued a Bachelor of Health Science, majoring in psychology, and became a certified personal trainer. Laura moved to Wellington to study design but switched to a BCom in marketing. A few years later she also studied to become a holistic health coach through the School of Integrative Nutrition.

“It’s a sustainable alternative to food delivery services that removes the stress around planning and cooking,” explains Laura. “We have a no-waste ethos, and we make sure all the produce purchased for the week’s recipes is used. One-third of all food produced goes to waste and meal planning is a great way to combat that.”

It was during Auckland’s first lockdown that Laura and Nikki began developing their concept for Assortment Foods.

It started as a labour of love, curating meal plans and shopping lists for friends and family, and soon gained momentum.

The positive feedback to their concept spurred them on.

Nikki and Laura have always been passionate about food. From making cupcakes and brownies for shared lunches at school to hosting dinners for friends and family, they say a love for food has been a constant in their lives.

“With everything going on in the world, eating well and looking after ourselves is more important than ever,” says Nikki.

“When life gets busy, getting a healthy dinner on the table is often the last thing on people’s minds.”

It’s hardly surprising that one of the main challenges they’ve faced was navigating the economic climate, particularly in the aftermath of COVID-19.

“It introduced a lot of uncertainties and changes that required us to adapt and make strategic decisions to ensure the sustainability and growth of the business,” notes Nikki.

But Laura says the response to Assortment has been worth it. “It’s been truly overwhelming. Seeing so many people enjoy our menus and knowing we’re alleviating some stress in their lives is incredibly rewarding. It motivates us to keep doing what we love.”

The pair have exciting plans for their business. Their focus will continue to be on enhancing the membership experience, and they’re exploring new technology to enable this.

Assortment Foods isn’t just helping inspire everyday cooks; for every subscription, Laura and Nikki donate 10% of the membership fee to Fair Food, an Auckland charity that rescues surplus fresh food from landfill and gives it to people in need.

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Pivoting passion TO FOLLOW HER

Dio alumna Annick Larkin (Rennell, 1993) is proof that you successfully change careers at any point. Having worked as a nurse in New Zealand and England for many years, she left the profession to pursue her love of colour, design and styling. And in 2022 she launched her own jewellery range.

A

fter leaving Dio, Annick did a Bachelor of Health Science at AUT and worked at Auckland Hospital for six years before moving to London, where she worked as a nurse until 2008. But

it was in 2003, during a return trip to New Zealand, that Annick got a taste of design and fashion.

Her friend and Dio alumna Macayla Chapman (Hanna) asked Annick to fill in for her as fashion and beauty editor for Creme magazine while Macayla toured South America. Annick took on the role and loved it. At the end of 2007 she returned home for good, met her nowhusband Tim, and took a job as a medical storyliner for Shortland Street. The couple’s three children, Lottie and Esther (Year 10 and 9 pupils at Dio in 2024), and their son Tom, were born between 2009 and 2012. Following Tom’s birth, Annick pursued her creative passion, studying interior design. She began writing and styling for publications such as Homestyle, Your Home & Garden, Australia Home Beautiful and Resene’s Habitat magazine.

“In 2013, I was a fulltime mum looking for something that would work around my kids,” she says. “I did an online interior design course and made over our home, documenting it on social media. “Your Home & Garden approached me to feature our home in the publication. They then offered me a job art directing and styling photoshoots and writing about the homes they featured.”

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Annick still does work for Habitat magazine, but when the magazine industry took a hit during COVID, she joined the family business, Ellerslie Jewellers and Engravers. The company, founded by Annick’s parents, has a special connection to Diocesan – since 1993, it has designed and produced the Dio leavers’ rings and also provides engraving for the school’s cups and trophies. Annick recently celebrated the launch of her new high-end jewellery range, which is sold online and exclusively by Ellerslie Jewellers & Engravers.

“I quickly identified a lack of coloured gemstone jewellery in the market,” she says. “I decided to use my love of colour, fine jewellery and gemstones to create my own unique pieces. My range, Annick, is designed to make a statement. It features bold earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings made from yellow and white gold and set with vibrant gemstones that can be mixed and matched.”

Annick is also collaborating with talented artist Tanish Lovell, who captures the essence of pets through her paintbrush, to create one-of-kind pet portrait jewellery.

LIFELONG FRIENDS

MILESTONES BIRTHS

Georgia Fulton – a son, Louie, on 16 June 2023 Joanne Dale-Fuller (Fuller) – a daughter, Charlotte, on 12 July 2021 Irene Northey (Cheung) – daughters, Mia in 2019 and Amber in 2023

ENGAGEMENTS

Kathy McGarry (standing right) with her friends Bryan Bartley (left) and Lady Isobel McMullin (seated).

Georgia Fulton to Thomas Steel on 13 October 2022

MARRIAGES

FAREWELL TO AN ENTHUSIASTIC OLD GIRL Katherine McGarry (Palmer) 19 April 1932 – 17 July 2023 Kathy attended Dio from 1944 to 1950, but her involvement with the School continued into the 1980s and ’90s as a member of the Old Girls’ League Committee, including time as both the League President and Vice President. She also ran the secondhand unform shop and was widely praised for her work to keep the League spirit going.

“Dio was really special to Mum – she absolutely loved school,” says her daughter Jo Glen. “She went to every Founders’ Day and Chapel Festival until last year when ill health finally stopped her.”

Diocesan was a very formative part of Kathy’s life. She made lifelong friends there and kept in touch with many of her teachers long after graduating.

In her final year at school, Kathy was Games Captain – not just for her sporting prowess, but also for her sportsmanship, positivity and team spirit. She captained the 1st XI hockey and cricket teams, played netball and tennis, was on the swimming team, and was diving champion. She received colours in almost every sport she played and was awarded the coveted Red Girdle

for excellence in a sport, as well as leadership and good deportment.

After school, Kathy worked as a primary school teacher and established and ran a kindergarten for many years. Passionate about children’s literacy, she taught reading recovery after she retired. She also continued to play hockey and cricket, representing New Zealand in hockey. A shoulder injury in her 60s finally put an end to club tennis games with her Dio school friends.

Kathy’s family connection to Dio was extensive. Her uncle Arthur Palmer designed the Chapel of Our Glorified Lord. Her sister Joanna Greenhough (Palmer) attended Dio, as did her cousins Cynthia Hyatt, Rosemary Leslie and Joanna Fairweather (nee Stevenson). Both Kathy’s daughters, Penny McGarry and Jo Glen attended Dio, followed by two granddaughters, while her grandson taught at Dio for five years.

Kathy is remembered by all as a fun, warm person with a big laugh.

She had a positive approach to life and would talk to anyone and get to know their story. Kathy’s younger sister Jo passed away just five days before Kathy. Our sympathies to both of their families.

Melanie Abbott to Cris Carter on 2 August 2023 Laura Bedwell to Alex Herd Irene Cheung to Simon Northey in 2017 Jocelyn Gray to Murray Crawshaw on 11 August 2023

DEATHS

Correction: In the July issue of Dio Today, we incorrectly recorded the death of Ann (Cree) Harland (Munro). Cree is alive and well, living in New York. Our apologies to Cree and her family for this unfortunate error.

Susan Amos (McEwin, PY1963) on 4 August 2023 Lindley Belton-Smith (PY1968) on 16 July 2023 Shona Billings (Davies, PY1964) on 7 April 2023 Judith Christiansen (Howarth, PY1955) on 8 June 2023 Brooke Graham (Read, PY1999) on 21 September 2023 Joanna Greenhough (Palmer, PY1956) on 12 July 2023 Judith Hebden (Grundy, PY1950) on 15 July 2023 Barbara Jeffs (Feist, PY1947) on 10 June 2023 Margaret Lydiard (Camp, PY1963) on 7 August 2023 Jillian MacIndoe (Wright, PY1947) on 4 August 2023 Florence MacKenzie (Banyard, PY1942) in June 2023 Virginia (Ginny) McCullough (Grace, PY1969) on 19 May 2023 Katherine McGarry (Palmer, PY1950) on 17 July 2023 Patricia (Rosemary) Olson (McNeill, PY1959) on 12 June 2023 Lynne Patterson (Crawford, PY1962) on 25 May 2023 Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili (PY1965) on 28 May 2023 Adrienne Squires (Ramsay, PY1960) on 3 June 2023 Shirley Upton (Bull, PY1957) on 21 August 2023 CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE DIO TODAY

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EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST: DORIS INNES HOUSE TRUST

ACHIEVEMENTS

Sofya Vickers gained a BSc in geology in 2020 and a Post-graduate Certificate in geographic information science in 2022 from Victoria University of Wellington.

Irene Northey (Cheung) gained a PhD in audiology in 2023 from the University of Auckland. She earned her MSc in pharmacology in 2012 and a BSc and BA in pharmacology and history in 2009, both from Otago University. In 2022, Irene’s paper on the relationship between obstructive sleep apnoea and hearing and balance was published in the journal Sleep Medicine.

Isabella Duffus gained a Bachelor of Broadcasting Communications from Ara Institute of Canterbury in 2021.

Amelia Wong graduated with a BCom/LLB (Hons) from the University of Auckland and an MBA from Booth School of Business, University of Chicago.

Laura Herd (Bedwell) gained a BCom in marketing from Victoria University of Wellington.

Olivia Watson earned a Bachelor of Communications Studies in journalism and a Diploma in Secondary Education.

Note: PY is short for ‘Peer Year’ and indicates the year an alumna (Old Girl) would have been in Form 7 (Year 13) had she continued her schooling at Dio through until the end.

As always, if you have any milestones to share – births, engagements, marriages, achievements or deaths – please contact Kate Eatts at the Development Office: keatts@diocesan.school.nz or use the online Stay Connected form in the latest Diocesan Alumnae Association email.

The Doris Innes House Trust (DIHT) is looking for a new trustee. Are you a Dio alumna who is interested in boarding and possibly has a financial background? The role involves liaising with the investment manager, awarding scholarships and attending three annual meetings.

Contact Sue Hornblow, DIHT Chair: sue@suehornblow.com

LONDON ALUMNAE REUNION MAY 2024 Diocesan Principal Heather McRae and Development Director Angela Coe are delighted to be hosting a reunion in London in May. Date and venue to be confirmed via email.

Cambridge reunion On a stunning day in mid-September, we hosted a reunion for the Waikato/Bay of Plenty alumnae at Te Awa Village in Cambridge. Twenty-five former Diocesan students came from far and wide and enjoyed a wonderful afternoon together at Te Awa’s beautifully restored Arnold Cottage and garden. We look forward to hosting this fun event again in 2024.

Vanessa Parker (Thomas), Bex Waddell and Jo Bell (Foreman).

Lynne Bidwell (Naysmith), Beryl Jarvis (Jenkins), Sue Martin (Billing) with, seated, Susan Waddell (Sharp) and Kinza Hays (Baber).

Sue Martin (Billing) and Rosemary MacKinven (Peters).

Angela Coe and Vanessa Parker (Thomas).

Jenevere Foreman (Tait), Judy Stotter (Harris) and Winsome Birtwistle (Donovan).

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Arnold Cottage in Cambridge.

Judy Stotter and Jill Nicholas (Neill).

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