Iona College

26/09/2026

✨ IONA COLLEGE AT DANCE NZ MADE NATIONALS ✨

What an incredible weekend for our Iona College dancers at Dance NZ Made Nationals! 💙

We are so proud of our students for representing Iona on the national stage and performing alongside so many talented dancers from across New Zealand. It was such an inspiring weekend filled with incredible performances, creativity and a shared love of dance. 🇳🇿✨

We were so proud to have four Iona teams represented at Nationals:

✨ Year 7/8 Contemporary
Choreographed by Sofia Webster, Emma Lu & Willa Mulcaster

✨ Year 7/8 Jazz
Choreographed by Bridget Peacock, Kiki Lewington & Emma Powdrell

✨ Open Jazz
Choreographed by Isobel Taylor

✨ Open Lyrical
Choreographed by Hayley Xu

A huge congratulations to all of our dancers and student choreographers for the hard work, commitment and passion they have put into these pieces. Seeing our students perform their work on a national stage was incredibly special.

We came away from the weekend feeling proud, inspired and grateful to be part of such an amazing dance community 💙

Ngā mihi ki a Sophie Follett, our amazing dance teacher, for your support of our dancers 🙏

25/09/2026

What a way to finish Term 3! The Senior Performing Arts Concert 2026 did not disappoint with a wide variety of talent on display 🎶

From choirs, drama, waiata and dance to bands, orchestra, a moving tribute, the iconic Year 13 dance and even an original song, the concert was entertaining from start to finish.

He mihi whakahirahira ki nga kaiako, thank you to the teachers who supported our students behind the scenes. Thank you also to our amazing technical crew and special mentions to Director of Performing Arts, Fredi Jones and Music Teacher Lindsay Coxen (who also has the job of wrangling and performing in the infamous staff choir on top of everything else!)

Happy Holidays and keep an eye out for the link to the official recordings and photos in the next issue of Moving Forward Looking Back.

25/09/2026

Even the lost property pile is getting those end of term feels... 🤪

24/09/2026

🏑🏐 Winter Inter-House Tournament ⚽️🏓

Yesterday, House spirit, skill and sportsmanship was on display across four sporting codes – pickleball, football, hockey and netball.

Fraser took out the Senior Hockey competition with Gartan claiming bragging rights in the Junior competition. In the Netball, McNeill were winners across both the Senior and Junior competitions. The Senior Football champs were Columba and Junior champs were McNeil. McNeill and Gartan were joint winners in the Senior division of Pickleball with Gartan taking out the Junior division. Ka rawe ki a koutou katoa!

OVERALL -
💙 1st - McNeil (72 pts)
❤️2nd - Gartan (55 pts)
💚3rd - Columba (46 pts)
💛4th - Fraser (36 pts)

📸Check out all action from the day at: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjD5Jf9

24/09/2026

Congratulations to our students who represented Iona in the North Island Secondary Schools Skiing and Snowboarding competition at Tūroa earlier this week ⛷ 🏂

This is the first time that Iona has entered a team in several years and it was great to see the girls back out on the slopes on what was a beautiful bluebird day.

In the Senior Girls competition, Tessa Moffett came 3rd in the Slopestyle and 11th in the Giant Slalom with Kennedy Lachmund in 17th place and Ciara Miller in 23rd place in the Giant Slalom.

Daisy Hoggard and Goldie Gilligan both competed in the Junior Girls competition and put in great effort.

Overall, the event was a huge success that all the girls enjoyed. It was a fantastic experience for them all to compete in the Giant Slalom, as not many had ever raced through gates before. Karawhiua e te whānau!

A huge thank you to Sean Moffett for his organisation and support of the students 🙏 We look forward to next season!

21/09/2026

Last week, our Year 11 Technology students travelled to Wellington to experience the World of Wearable Art show and a tour of Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School where they got a taste of costume, set and prop design at a tertiary level.

Having completed their own wearable art garments for assessment earlier in the year, this trip was an enriching and inspiring experience.

Thank you to HOD Technology, Shannon James and Technology teacher, Samantha Overweel for accompanying our students on the trip. We look forward to seeing future creations from this group of enthusiastic students.

18/09/2026

All this week our students have been celebrating Te Wiki o te reo Māori by using new kupu (words) including a kīwaha o te Rā (saying of the day). Here are some of our Intermediate students practicing their reo - E ngā tauira mā, wananei!

18/09/2026

On Thursday, 10 September, Year 11 students Libby Pearce, Maddie Butler and Carly Beech competed at the East Coast North Island Road Race held at Frimley Park with fantastic results.

🥇 As a team, the students won the Senior Girls Teams title
🥈 Libby Pearce ran 2nd place in the Senior Girls 4km
🥉 Maddie Butler ran 3rd place in the Senior Girls 4km

Well done girls - Kei runga noa atu koutou 👏

17/09/2026

🎯Clay Target Shooting Update 🎯

On Sunday, Hana Pearse, Annabelle Pinker and Ellie Simmons took out the Overall Girls Team Championship title for Iona Gold for the season across the Central and Lower North Island circuit!🏆

It was a very close fought circuit this year, with the Iona Gold girls narrowly edging out Woodford A and the Woodford B team not far behind in third. NGHS were also super competitive this year and will certainly be tough to beat next year.

Hana achieved second placed overall girl for the season, and Annabelle achieved third with only a few points between them. Ellie stepping up in her first season of competitive shooting and handling the pressure was a remarkable effort.

A big thanks to the dedication put in by the girls' coach, Richard France, and the support of the Iona Gold team sponsor in Dannevirke Hunting and Fishing.

Wishing Iona Gold all the best as they head to Christchurch next weekend to defend their South Island title💙💛

17/09/2026

Congratulations to Georgie Beaufoy on her first try of the season with the Hawke's Bay Tui 🙌🏉 A fantastic result against the Wellington Pride at McLean Park on Sunday 🦁

The Wellington Pride came to Napier unbeaten, but the Tui were too strong! 💪🎉