Instead of waiting until the end of the year to celebrate its students’ successes, Hauraki Plains College has kicked off a new tradition to highlight high achievers earlier in the year.
Excellence Breakfasts are a time to pause, recognise and celebrate students who have earned NCEA excellence credits so far in 2026.
The school held a combined year 12 and 13 breakfast and a separate one for year 11’s, but next year they aim to have three separate events, principal Sharon Moller said.
They were a time for students and their families to eat breakfast together, with academic students leading the event with an introduction, karakia and speech about what NCEA excellences entailed.
Guest speakers also handed out certificates and badges to students who received excellence grades.
Hauraki Mayor Toby Adams and former student Rosemary Firth (née Einam) were the guest speakers who shared on the topic of excellence. The principal said the students were excited and proud to be acknowledged for their excellences.
“They have attended the breakfasts with parents and grandparents. It has been lovely to celebrate these early wins together.”
Three of the students who were honoured as part of the new school tradition were Lucia Suess and Ben Martin of year 13, and Keiley Howard of year 11. They said the recognition encouraged them to continue to strive for excellence and boosted their confidence.
Lucia, who snapped up excellence grades in maths, English, classics and chemistry, said she was most proud of the English achievement.
“It was a very hard, lengthy topic to study [and] required a lot of time on my part so I’m glad it paid off.” The breakfast was a “new and exciting experience” and allowed students and parents to celebrate together the work it took to get there, she said.
Lucia learned that if she managed her time effectively “I can create less stress for myself”, she said.
“By doing that [I] have more time to do more things outside of schoolwork.”
One skill beyond academics that helped Lucia to succeed was “a happy positive outlook on life”.
Meanwhile, Ben Martin said the thing that helped him was being able to focus on other things such as his social life and hobbies.
He was most proud of being able to pass two calculus topics with excellence – topics he wasn’t familiar with before this year, he said.
He believed the breakfast was a “good opportunity” to show his parents the work he’d done during the term, he said, and to “see the results” of his hard work.
One way he stayed organised and motivated when he started to get busy was with a bit of planning. “I try to create a schedule of due dates and I prioritise in order of importance. Doing that allows me to concentrate more on the most important assessment,” he said. Fellow excellence achiever Keiley Howard said the way she stayed organised was to “ensure I am on top of the deadlines”.
She also organised assessments in order of priority.
“This year I have really realised the importance of time and time management,” she said.
Her excellence grades were in relation to her calculus and health, and she said she was most proud of her health assessment.
“I felt like I really made an impact on my community by giving a food basket to a struggling family.” It was her first year as an NCEA student, but she said her teachers really supported her and had “given me the confidence” to do well.
The encouragement the eager excellence bearers wanted to share with other students was to have confidence in what they could do.
“Surround yourself with positive people” and “take every opportunity you can get”, they said.
By DAVIDDA HIKATANGATA
