In today’s ANI Guild we have the following:
ANZAC Day Diggers
ANZAC Day is a public holiday held in Australia and New Zealand to honour the deceased who fought in WW1 & WW2. It’s held yearly on the 25th of April, which marks the anniversary of the first campaign led by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, known as ANZAC.
The ANZACS fought bravely against the Turkish force, and we honour the service and sacrifice of all the Australians and New Zealanders in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. It is a solemn day of national remembrance, featuring dawn services, memorial marches, and the laying of poppies, recognising those who died or served.
But why the 25th? The date marks the anniversary of the landing of the ANZACs on the Gallipoli Peninsula in modern-day Turkey during World War I. Their mission was to capture the Dardanelles and open a sea route to the Black Sea for the Allied navies.
The campaign was a military failure, ending in evacuation after eight months of brutal stalemate and heavy casualties. Over 130,000 men died, including 2,779 New Zealanders and roughly 8,700 Australians. Despite the defeat, the courage and “mateship” shown by the soldiers became central to the national identities of both countries, often cited as the moment they emerged as distinct nations from the British Empire.
Traditions and Rituals
The day is marked by solemn traditions that follow a military funeral pattern.
Dawn Service: The most famous tradition, held at local war memorials around 4:30 am to mark the time of the original landings. It typically includes the sounding of the Last Post, a minute of silence, and the singing of national anthems.
ANZAC Parades: Later in the morning, veterans and current service personnel march through major cities and small towns, often joined by descendants wearing their ancestors’ medals on the right side of their chest.
The Red Poppy: A global symbol of remembrance, worn in New Zealand and Australia most commonly on or leading up to Anzac Day.
Rosemary: Often worn on lapels, rosemary is a symbol of remembrance that grew wild on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
ANZAC Biscuits: These rolled-oat biscuits have a long-standing cultural association with the era, though historians debate if they were actually sent to the front lines during the war.
Modern Significance
Today, ANZAC Day remains a public holiday with strict trading laws. Most shops in New Zealand must stay closed until 1 pm. While it remains a day of deep personal and national reflection, there is also increasing focus on recognising the roles of nurses, immigrants, and Indigenous soldiers whose contributions were historically overlooked.
For many, it is a day to say “Lest we forget,” a phrase adopted from Rudyard Kipling’s poem “Recessional” to ensure the sacrifices of the past are never forgotten by future generations.
ANI commemorates ANZAC Day. We learnt about the wars during class and researched the historical studies. Our assemblies and Kapa Haka performances also bring us back to the time of ANZAC.
Remember, Anzac Day is not just about looking back, it’s what we do today. Whether it’s showing courage in the classroom or mateship during games, we keep the ANZAC spirit alive through our own actions.
Written by: Mason H, Mya P, Sophie, Caleb E, Cherie, and Kavisha K
Edited by: Kavisha K and Sophie
Illustration by: Charlee
Interviews with ANI Student Leaders
Please see linked here some interviews with ANI’s awesome Student Leaders.
EOTC, Adventures Await!
The Year 7’s EOTC had ups and downs as they climbed, ran obstacle courses, kayaked in the freezing cold weather and much, much more. The week was made up of 4 days: A day at Windmill Park, a day at ANI, a day at Orakei Basin, and a growth day at ANI run by the teachers.
EOTC this year consisted of 4 main days: one at ANI, Orakei Basin, Windmill Park, and Growth Day at ANI.
At Orakei Basin, we built rafts that had to carry a team of many people and race on the raft to a kayak and back. Then, we had a lot of fun on the coastal walk, answering questions and earning sweets. The main event of the day was kayaking, and we played a paper, scissors, rock game on the kayaks.
At Windmill Park, we had loads of activities. We made pancakes, learned about first aid, made shelter and did orienteering. When we made shelters, we split up into 2 groups. We each chose a suitable tree and put a tarp in a specific position to make a shelter. For orienteering, we ran all over Windmill Park to find green markers placed in the ground.
My favourite part of E.O.T.C. was the day at ANI. Even though that may sound boring, it was terrific! We rock climbed, learned survival skills and did archery!
Written by: Ayla M, Nina F, Samantha L, Declan S, Yarish G.
Photos by: Faiza Chowdhury
Creativity is key (Tournament of Minds)
Are you creative? Are you ready for a challenge? Meet TOM (Tournament of Minds).
Tournament of Minds is a competition that requires creativity and patience. You are in a group of 7 people; this is for students from year 5 all the way to year 10. Although this may seem fun, it can also cause some mental breakdowns. In term 3, TOM begins. You have 4 categories to choose from: The Arts, Social Sciences, STEM, or Language and Literature. In your group, you have 6 weeks to make a performance, which is normally around 8-10 minutes long. After the 6 weeks, you go to a school where the TOM events are held and compete against other teams from different schools.
During the 6 week challenge (also known as the long-term challenge) , the teachers, siblings, and parents cannot help your team at all. This is to make sure that everything that you enter is original and your group’s ideas only. At the time of the performance, you must perform in a 3m × 3m square. As soon as one person from your team steps into the square, there must always be at least four people in the square at once. You must wear all black under your costume. When making your props, sets or costumes, you can only use the materials on the ‘allowed materials list’. This basically means that anything not on the list, you can not use. After you finish your performance, you get out of the square together and leave no bits in the square.
On the day, there is also a spontaneous challenge. This is a 3-4 minute challenge where every single group solves the same problem. You will enter a room with 2-3 judges. There is a table with 2 laminated sheets of paper with the challenge written on it. The judge will read the challenge (out loud) twice. You are not allowed to discuss the problem until the judges say “Your time begins now”. The more creative your team’s idea is, the higher score you’ll get. Only your team and the judges are allowed in the room; no spectators, parents/guardians or teachers. When your team leaves the room, you are forbidden to talk about the challenge. This is bound by a contract, and if other teams hear about the challenge, this will be a disadvantage to the other teams (also because it’s against the spirit of TOM).
If you win in your division, you will get an opportunity to go to Wellington to compete nationally. This year, ANI’s goal is to win here in Auckland and go to Wellington to compete nationally. The TOM teachers, Ms S and Mr Nicol, are training the students so that they are ready in term 3. Every week, they meet on Friday. And practice team strategies, spontaneous challenges and drama.
Our school is fortunate enough to bring two teams to compete at Diocesan School for Girls. This all started in 2023 when a group of students introduced it to ANI. From that year on, TOM has been happening. On Thursday, the 2nd of April, the teams were announced. The people selected for team 1 are Nina, Noa, Grace, Oreana, Dhriti, Lucy and Saavika. Team 2 has Romee, Declan, Sophie, Ari, Dhanya, Visha and Shanela. Congratulations to all of these students, and we hope to see great things from you.
Written By: Nina, Reese, Ayla, Declan, Lucy and Grace
THREE DAYS AT TUI RIDGE
Camp is extremely important for our Year 8s!
Camp is like the prize they get for completing their first year at ANI. Year 8 camp is not only exciting, but we also have more opportunities to interact freely. This not only increases our confidence but also improves our communication skills.
This year, we camped at Tui Ridge Park again. Tui Ridge has a very professional and thoughtful team. It’s located near Rotorua, and takes 4 hours to drive from ANI, so students can chill in the bus, enjoy the scenery or make a new friend.
At Tui Ridge, there are a variety of different activities, ranging from orienteering to rock climbing. A lot of students liked the giant swing or flying fox the most.
We had a magnificent time, with a jam-packed schedule every day. The food was also quite delicious, and everything was very clean and neat.
One of the highlights, of course, was the Burma Trail. That was great! When you look up, the sky winked with pride. You think stars are pretty, but you would really appreciate them when you see them in full natural power.
Adding to the fun, we were stuffed into the forest with only a rope guiding us through the roots and rocks of the path. Teachers and parents flashed their lights
while yelling as students screamed, either terrified or merely enjoying it.
In conclusion, camp was a truly special experience that none of the Year 8s will forget anytime soon.
Article by: Charlee, Erin, Flora, Olivia, Mason and Kavisha
Edited by: Charlee, Erin, Flora, Olivia, Mason and Kavisha
Illustration by: Charlee
AIMS Announced Again
In week 9, the last week of term 1, the AIMS squads were announced.
But wait, that wasn’t all. Only the AIMS team squads were announced. This time it’s the individuals. The first one that was announced was table tennis. Next came …. badminton, swimming, tennis, cross country, orienteering, gymnastics and much more.
The option of joining any sport you wanted was such a big hit, everyone was excited to sign up, but then they realised that for some sports, you need to do trials. Some individual sports didn’t have trials! So unfair, right? The unlucky sports are badminton, tennis and table tennis and 5 other sports.
As soon as term 2 started, the badminton trials came straight away! It was such a tough decision on who made it to the AIMS and who didn’t. There were more than twenty students who wanted to join, shocking, right? While we wait for the other trials to begin, a huge congrats to everyone who got in!
Aims sports are nice and all. But during the first stage: selections, they’re brutal!
Mixes of tears and happiness come about the decision the teacher makes.
As of term 2, there are still plenty of sports waiting to be trialled for throughout this week and next week. So what are you waiting for? Go and try out for a sport that you love!
Written by: Nina and Riya
Edited by: Nina, Olivia and Riya
Illustrations by: Riya
Maori and Pasifika Math Challenge!
Are you ready for a block of awesome maths challenges?
Be ready to travel into a world of fun!
The Maori and Pasifika math challenge is a time where you get to compete against other schools, such as St Peter’s College, Mt Roskill Intermediate, Liston College and our very own, Auckland Normal Intermediate!
Before they begin, 6 students from Year 8 from different schools will be chosen as the judges. In the first round, the Year 7s will be in teams of 3 or 4.
How this works is the teams have 15 questions to answer in 20 minutes.
Once they get an answer, they have to run to the bleachers before they head to the judges to check their answer. If their answer is correct, then they get another question. Every right answer is worth 5 points.
This will go on until one team answers all 15 questions or the time runs out. If it’s a tie breaker, the 2 winning teams will compete again. They answer the question on the judge’s table; the first team to answer correctly wins.
The teams that have finished all of their questions go back to their seats and cheer on their fellow students. As the second team went to compete, it was booming with ‘You got this!’ and many ‘Woos!’ in the MPS. It was so great to see students from schools have so much fun with their time here at ANI.
We’ve interviewed a few of the students and one of the organisers before the competition began. Video linked here.
It was great to hear how countless students were excited to compete! Some of them were a bit nervous but still gave it their all.
Year 7
1st place Orewa College
2nd place St. Peter’s College
3rd place Mt Roskill B
Year 8
1st place ANI A
2nd Place ANI B
3rd ANI C
Written by Jackie
Edited by Agness, Yenhei and Mya
Goodbye Ms Okamura!
Ms Okamura has left ANI and is going to Diocesan School for Girls to teach Japanese. Mrs O was our SPEC Japanese teacher who taught us from the very first day of SPEC till the end of most students’ time at ANI. She always greets everyone with a thoughtful heart and charming smile. We will most certainly miss Ms O! She was (still is) the best Japanese teacher we could ever ask for.
She prepares fun and engaging lessons for us each week, which includes Blooket, and is something not everyone can experience. We are so very lucky to have Ms O in our school. She is also the phenomenal leader of the school’s Japanese club. The Japanese club is here to help students boost their Japanese skills at all levels. This club does Japanese Blooket, calligraphy and more stuff related to Japanese culture as well as the country itself.
Unfortunately, we’ll also have less time with the one and only one-year-old Rhea. We’re really grateful to have Mrs O sharing her fun videos and experiences with her family during SPEC! We will miss Rhea’s Monday visits every week! Thank you for sharing all your cute moments with us, Ms O!
She is an extraordinary runner; she has run long distances that go up to 80km, and she loves to participate in marathons. She often runs to school with Rhea in her pram! Once, she left her car at ANI overnight to run back home, when she came back to school, the side mirror of her car was broken! Fortunately, there will be a new Japanese teacher at ANI but of course, no one would ever leave behind our iconic Ms O! Everyone truly cherishes all the awesome moments you have created with us!
Written by: Agness O, Chloe C, and Olivia W
Edited by: Chloe C and Jackie T
Speech Competitions
On the 25th of May, the students of ANI got together for the annual speech competition. Everyone spent weeks writing and preparing their speeches to present.
First, we had a classroom competition, where one person was chosen to represent their class in the Team competition. Then, the students who had outstanding speeches were chosen to go to the year group competition.
In the Year 8 speech competition, all the speeches wowed the judges, Mrs T, Miss Olivia, and two special guests from Papatoetoe South School. Still, there was one speech that exceeded the judges’ expectations, and the student who wrote that speech was…Thea M-D!! Her speech was about Te Reo Māori and the importance of her home language. Thea’s speech had a great hook and introduction, causing it to immediately capture the attention of all the judges. Her speech fascinated and inspired everyone to think about their own pepeha.
The Year 7 speeches were all equally exciting. There were special judges from Kohia Terrace School. Although everyone tried their best to convince the audience of their opinion, one speech stood out the most, and that one was … Asher McB’s speech! His speech was about why homework is evil and should be banned.
During the break, the Year 8s got a special performance from the kapa haka, as they performed on stage while the judges were making their decision. A special thanks to Douglas K and Akshiththa V for presenting their speech during break alongside the year 8 winners, as it takes a lot of courage to stand in front of a large group of people.
Overall, everyone made a huge achievement in presenting in front of their peers and should be awarded. A special shout-out to the judges at Papatoetoe South School and Kohia Terrace School for sacrificing their time to help us judge, and a contribution towards awarding the winner.
Article by: Olivia, Alisha, Flora, Samantha, and Yeheni.
Edited by: Olivia, Yeheni, Alisha, and Flora.
SHARKS WATERPOLO!
On Tuesday 5th of May, at Diocecian school, the Sharks water polo team represented ANI and won an amazing 6 games. In fact, they did so well that they came in second place overall!! A huge congrats to: Arie, Codie, Elijah, Euan, Harley, Jackie, Jordan, Marissa, Zachary, and Kyla. who proudly represented ANI.
What a day it was at the Central Zones WaterPolo competition! The team showed determination, resilience, and outstanding sportsmanship from the beginning to the finish. After a strong run in pool play, taking out top place against Remuera Intermediate and Kowhai Intermediate, we headed into the finals full of confidence and momentum.
We first met St Peter’s in the top four round, where we went down 4–0. From there, the team bounced back brilliantly with strong wins against St Cuthbert’s and Mt Roskill, earning their place in the final. That set up one more showdown with St Peter’s for first and second. Despite the earlier result, the team showed real grit and belief, giving it everything in the final and finishing with an 8–3 scoreline. While St Peter’s took the win, our team secured an impressive second place and should be incredibly proud.
A standout moment of the day was an incredible goal by Jordan, with the goalie swimming out and throwing the ball straight to him. He seized the opportunity and launched it straight back over the goalie’s head into the net. The ball was barely out of play for five seconds before it was back in the goal! While Jordan was not the goalie, Harley made some epic saves too.
A special thanks to Roger Carter for coming along to help with coaching! More than anything, we are grateful for the positive attitudes, perseverance, and teamwork these students displayed all day. They never gave up, supported one another, and represented our school with pride.
Article by: Declan S, Yarish G, and Ayla M
HappANIngs
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