Athletics Day 2025

OTHC students were once again united by yells of encouragement and displays of unending support in participating in the annual Athletics Day held at Mt Smart Stadium. Athletics Day is one of the most anticipated events in the college calendar as this is where our whānau houses,  Hīnau, Tawa, Kōwhai, and Miro take part in competing and joining in the different events. The four whānau competed fiercely for victory in a variety of enjoyable events, including shot put, relay races, high and long jumps, triple jump, 200m run, 400m run, 800m run, and many more. Similar to the previous year's athletic days, hundreds of students wore their whānau colours and took part in these events. Students in the stadium showed their whānau spirit by cheering as loudly as they could for their fellow students. All were thrilled to experience an energetic day of activities and despite the heat, students were eager to take part in events and so be able to contribute points for their whanau houses.

Students were very enthusiastic about the day and had many positive comments about the day. “It was good, very captivating, and it was really fun!” said Zara Thompson, who was one of the most active students who participated in many events. Her sister Meadow Thompson also said that she enjoyed running with her sister and being able to challenge herself to finish the race, she said, “It’s such an accomplishment when you get over the line, especially in first place.” Mr Davies, who oversaw and ensured the order of the events for all students, said, “The big objective is to give students who excel at sports an opportunity to show what they can do.” Furthermore, he also said that Athletics Day extends the Whānau spirit and invigorates the sense of belongingness of every student to their whānau. At the end of the day, principal Mr Coughlan announced the total points of each whānau. A big cheer went up when Kōwhai Whānau were declared the winners defending the Athletics Shield that they won last year. Whānau Leader Ms Pullein commented on the win, “We are incredibly happy with the Athletics Day result and proud of both our athletics champions and of all the students who got involved on the day.” The Athletics Day was a huge success for both staff and students, starting off the new year with enthusiasm and unity among the whānau.

HERA MEDINA & JELLAN DE RAPETE - NEWS MEDIA TEAM