In today’s ANI Guild we have the following:
● Vile Vaccines Leave Students Vulnerable And Vexed
● ANIthing is possible
● Cracking the Code: Unlocking Advanced Mathematical Concepts
● Dig, Discover and Feast: A Matariki Gathering
● AIMS Teams: In it To Win it
● Fun Runs!
● Our Powerful Uniform Rangatira!
● Bee Capers!
● Table Tennis CZ:
● Scaling New Heights: The WPC kids are back and pumped!
● Matariki Social
● Pride Week
● Kia Kaha Te reo MāoriLet it Rip!
● HappANIngs
Vile Vaccines Leave Students Vulnerable And Vexed
It was time to run as the vaccines approached.
Those jabs, uurrrgghh! Painful! Actually, those vaccines may seem like devils, but they help a lot. They are biological preparations that safely train your immune system to fight against viruses and infections. This is useful because there are some diseases out there that are deadly if not treated with vaccines. Fun fact: Did you know that in 2000 BC, colds were a terrifying and lethal threat? This was because, without proper treatment and antibiotics, an average person could easily get an infection.
Most of us got the HPV (Human Papillomavirus Virus) when we were 4 years old, and then again, we got it in 2026 (this year), at 11 years of age. We also got the Boostrix vaccine this year, as well (but not previously)
Each of the nurses had fidgets at their tables to distract us and told us to relax. The first shot was the boostrix, which did not hurt as much as it got in. The next one was HPV, and it hurt so much. We had to wait 15 minutes so they could keep an eye on us, just in case we were secretly allergic. Then we went back to class, and some of our teachers made us move every three minutes.
Contributors:
Declan, Ayla, Mason, Alisha
Illustration by CHARLEE !!!! (Not including SpongeBob)
ANIthing is possible: Production Auditions
This is the year that ANI has made their own plot for the school production, and it is called ANIthing is possible. It is about our four houses: Ahi, Whenua, Te hau, and Wai competing in the annual ANI Super Bowl. But when pride turns into rivalry, the mysterious Shadow of Chaos begins to take over. It will take honesty, kindness and courage to bring the school back to one piece.
There are 14 roles to try out for, which are: four ensembles, six main roles, and one person for each of the school’s values (manaakitanga, maramatanga, whanaungatanga, and rangatiratanga). The six main roles include: The New Student, The Teacher/The Dean, MC 1, MC 2 (commentators), The Year 8 student, and The Shadow of Chaos.
The Shadow of Chaos was the most common audition role as it’s the villain of the story. Why does everyone want to be the villain? Beats me. When the friendly competition turns into a battle between the houses, The Shadow of Chaos makes an entrance. The New Student is the hero of the story. New to ANI, they are often caught in the middle of all the chaos. Their honesty turns the story around, and they play an important emotional anchor role in the production. The Teacher/Dean tries to keep the school in order while the chaos is amongst them.
In week 6, the production was introduced in our daily notices for ANI students to check out and sign up for, then on Tuesday, week 7, the auditions started. They were open to anyone who signed up, meaning that people who had no experience with acting could give it a go and audition. More than 80 students auditioned for a variety of roles and from then, they were shortlisted to around 65 students who had to audition in front of Miss King, Miss Astrella, Whaea Tash and some other students. As well as auditioning for their role, they were also auditioning for any role that Miss King or Miss Astrella thought they would be better suited to.
That’s not the end of it. There are also backstage roles for students who want to be a part of the production, but not be in the spotlight. The backstage crew will create sets, organise sounds and music, and help make the production run not only smoothly, but also cleanly.
The students who auditioned know that they need to be committed and be able to manage their time. Miss Astrella, Whaea Tash and Mrs King are organising the production and are very excited to be able to pick the cast for the 2026 ANI production. Yay!
Written by: Reese T, and Scarlett M
Edited by: Declan S
Illustrator: Romee
Cracking the Code: Unlocking Advanced Mathematical Concepts
Every year EP holds an EP math challenge in May, where students work individually to score points. Together with all our bright students,
Auckland Normal Intermediate achieved fourth place around the world with seven hundred students participating and a whopping 142,934 points scored in total. It was amazing! The EP math challenge isn’t just about doing the most lessons and scoring the most points; it’s about using our critical thinking skills to tackle impossible equations.
It wasn’t just a competition between students, it’s also a challenge to see how much we can commit and see how far our comfort zone can go. This four-day challenge pushed our students to tackle complex mathematical problems with their quick thinking and problem-solving skills.
We are incredibly proud of how our students contributed, collaborated, and showed true brain power. Way to go, ANI mathematicians!
Written by: Flora, Yarish, Lucy and Riya
Edited by: Flora and Riya
Illustrated by: Romee
Dig, Discover and Feast: A Matariki Gathering
Do you like Kumara? We sure do!
Do you like picking/pulling stuff out of your garden?
At ANI, we have a beautiful, vibrant garden filled with kumara, carrots, bok choy, and so many amazing plants. When we picked the kumara, it was a tedious task but also really fun. The members of the Sustainability Club said, “It was dirty and a bit of a struggle at first, but after a while, it became so much fun to gently wrestle dirt. To pull out the Kumara out of the tires. We had to be very careful and gentle with the kumara because they were really fragile.”
After picking all the Kumara we needed to dry it, so we went to the MPS boys’ changing rooms to dry. Every couple of days, we needed to roll them over so that the wall of the kumara would be dry.
We harvested them so we can make a delicious Kumara soup for the whole school on Matariki.
Kumara is very special to Auckland Normal Intermediate because, before it was a school, it was a kumara field, so it is an extremely special kai (food) at ANI.
Written by: Yarish, and Mya
Edited by: Caleb, Yeheni
AIMS Teams: In it To Win it
On Friday, the 19th of June, all the AIMS teams will be announced. These are the teams that will be participating in the AIMS games down in Tauranga in September. They will then compete against more than 430 schools and 14,000 athletes to try to win the title of best in the sport.
This year, ANI has decided to take 150 people to this year’s AIMS games. We have been fundraising for named AIMS hoodies, transport and accommodation. To raise funds, all the people who are going to AIMs will sell six boxes of samosas each. It will save a lot of money and give the students more leadership opportunities.
Participating in AIMS is an important part of ANI, and everyone who is going is excited to participate in AIMS. Join us in cheering on ANI as they pass, dribble, run, and have fun.
At ANI, we take every opportunity that comes our way, particularly when it comes to sports! It’s really exciting that so many students are going down to represent our kura and show those ANI values with ANI pride!
Good luck teams!!!
Written By: Samantha L, Sophie M
Edited by: Sophie M, Reese T
Photographed by: Samantha L
Fun Runs!
Cross Country 2026 occurred on Friday, the 19th of June in Week 9!!
Cross Country was when students at ANI took on a challenge to run around 3.4km or more, depending on the competition they’re up for. There were 2 sections in this event: the fun run and the competitive track. The fun run was when students were just encouraged to give long-distance running a go and have fun and enjoy the track, while the competitive run was a competition between students where they could place in the top 10 Spots of Cross Country.
The competitive track was a little longer than the fun run, which was a big challenge for the students. Those top 10 runners are going to compete with other schools all around Auckland.
Everyone was pumped and excited to compete and had LOADS of fun on the day!
The field was packed with house colours! Red, Yellow, Green and Blue, it looked like a rainbow. After we finished with the competitive race, we moved on to the non-competitive race. After that, we had fun activities and games to do, including class relays.
We also had awards and prize giving, and a house chant competition. The results were not shocking as most of them were expected.
Cross Country was NO JOKE, all the students who competed in the competition were athletic and had a serious competitive mindset. Both year 8’s and year 7’s were equally as energised for this competition.
Everyone enjoyed a whole day of competition and exhilaration! I mean, who doesn’t want to skip a day of boring lessons and a teacher growling at them? Of course not! So kids love cross country! (but some people don’t like to run the course because they prefer not running).
Cross Country map:
After cross country, everyone gathered together in their houses and did exciting activities like house chant comps, playing sports organised by our amazing 14 sports captains, Codie, Charlotte, Zarni, Jed, Finn, Kamya, Caiden, Lulu, Grace, Kyla, Caleb, Ben, Leo, Rafa.
We also had class relays where 2 people from each class go to a station assigned by their teacher and they compete to see who wins and find out which class is the best in relays.
Written by: Kavisha, Caleb, Chloe, Riya
Edited by: Chloe, Kavisha
Illustrated by: Riya
Our Powerful Uniform Rangatira!
What Is Uniform Rangatira?
Being a uniform rangatira encourages you to show rangatiratanga by leading and taking responsibility in the ANI uniform shop.
Working as a uniform leader is a difficult yet extremely helpful job towards the ANI community. Although it may be chaotic in such a tight space, the sports uniform leaders are working hard to make sure that students have the right uniform for their specific sport and that they have the right sizes. They work together in groups in order to get everyone’s uniform ready.
How Do They Help?
They sort out the sports uniforms onto the right shelf with the correct sizes. Uniform rangatiras assist the students by checking their sizes and handing them the uniform they need. They help peers who are in need of a uniform for their specific sport, and they use their personal time to aid the school’s sports uniform space. They organise and keep the space tidy while they work hard in their jobs. On the daily notices at random times, the sports uniform monitors will be pulled from their classes or at lunch time to help and sort out the sports uniforms.
Who Are The Leaders?
There are currently five main uniform leaders, but they are hoping to branch out to more people in the school community. Applications for the uniform leader position will be reviewed carefully, and eventually, another ten students will join the sports uniform community. The next 10 students who will be chosen are going to be announced in term 3, as the uniform rangatira are still organising the space for selective students.
Why Is There Uniform Rangatira?
Uniforms, in general, connect us as students in a way that communication cannot. It helps us create a shared bond whether we want to or not. Being a sports uniform leader gives you an opportunity to show how organised and responsible you can be and how well you can communicate with your peers. Uniforms promote pride, which is exactly why it is so important that we have students who focus on taking care of our uniforms.
Written by: Cherie and Grace
Edited by: Jackie and Agness
Illustration by: Angeline
Bee Capers!
Table Tennis CZ:
The annual Year 7 and 8 Central Zones Table Tennis Tournament in 2026 brought together young players from different intermediate schools all across Auckland on June 18th.
Known for their fast-paced matches and immense tallies, this one-day tournament gave students the chance to compete against top students from other schools and tested everyone’s quick reflexes.
The competition featured both a girls’ and boys’ division, where each gender was only allowed to play the same gender in a single-player match. The tournament typically starts at “pools” where students from different schools are randomly placed in a group, so everyone gets the chance to verse each other. The top player/s from each pool will go on to “knockout finals” where they verse the other top players until it reaches 2 finalists. Those 2 players from each gender will have to win the best of 5 games up to 11 points to determine 1st and 2nd place.
A total of 10 players went to compete in the tournament from ANI. Everyone responded with a positive comment about how much fun the day and the experiences were. Walking into a hall packed with professional players was intimidating at first, but over the course of 5 hours, everyone seemed to calm down and enjoy the evening.
Competing there made everyone realise that table tennis isn’t just about winning medals, it’s about testing your skills, making new friends and sharing a passion for the sport.
Students who represented ANI:
Caylin J
Disen W
Karanveer S
Kavisha K
Luke S
Mabel Y
Maisie M
Rohan S
Stephen Y
Violet R
William F
Written By: Kavisha K
Edited By: Grace W
Scaling New Heights: The WPC kids are back and pumped!
On Tuesday, 23rd June, 24 excited students embarked on an exciting journey to Birkenhead Leisure Centre.
The day started off in the library, as most of the other WPC outdoor activities had. The trip began a bit rough, with a few students forgetting their permission slips and delaying the departing time from 9 to 9:15. When all the students finally had their permission slips signed and returned to Mr Pocock, the day could finally begin, and the kids were pumped. Driving to Birkenhead took no time at all, with limited traffic and smiling kids to help move things faster.
Once they arrived at Birkenhead Leisure Centre, they jumped out of the vans and practically sprinted inside, excited to start their 2 hours of fun rock climbing. As usual, the instructors at Birkenhead Leisure Centre briefed the students on how to get into their harnesses and how to 3-person belay. Once the instructors let the students go, it was finally time to climb; all the students got into groups of 3 and lined up against different walls. Surprisingly, the actual rock climbing wasn’t the hardest bit of the day; it was the belaying.
The instructors taught the students the belaying chant, the chant that would help them remember how to belay properly. “V to the knee 1,2,3.” It meant making a V with the rope, dropping it down to your knee, and then moving your hands down the rope 3 times (1,2,3). That chant ensured that the belayer’s hand were always on the bottom rope, making sure that if the person did fall, they would be caught by the rope and be able to safely come down. At first, all you could hear in the gym was whispers of “V to the knee 1,2,3” “V to the knee 1,2,3”, but after a while, people got the hang of it and could actually look up at the person and give them tips on where to go next.
All in all, the day was a complete success with students coming home with funny stories, sore arms and fond memories of the day.
Written By: Scarlett
Edited By: Soleil
Matariki Social
Were you looking for a fun way to celebrate Matariki with your friends? The year 7 & 8 Matariki Social happened on the 17th of June, and it shaped up to be a great night to remember!
For just a $10 entry, students enjoyed an evening filled with music, dancing, food and great company. Whether you wanted to hit the dance floor or just hang out with your friends, there was something for everyone.
Adding to the excitement, DJ Cadelis returned to DJ this exciting event! Known for his energy and music, he certainly pleased everyone.
The Matariki social was a fantastic way to celebrate the Maori New Year, make memories, and have fun with classmates from all over ANI. Tickets and permission slips were grabbed while everyone got ready to enjoy the night!
Thank you to the PTA for organising a fantastic night of fun! We danced the night away (until 7pm) thanks to all your efforts!
WRITTEN BY: Kavisha K, Samantha L
EDITED BY: Kavisha K
Pride Week
Has the last week affected any of your opinions of lgbtqia+ people?
Have you attained any new knowledge regarding queerness?
What are your thoughts on this year’s Pride Week?
Have you been to any of the activities during lunchtime, and if so, how have they run?
Do you believe that the lessons on pride are beneficial, and why?
We all know that June is the month made to celebrate Pride. Our school is celebrating pride, too!
ANI is a Rainbow Tick school, and in week 9 we got the chance to prove that! We started this week with an assembly led by student leaders of our Pride Ambassadors! The assembly was all about pride and the LGBTQIA+ community, and we got an expert to come to ANI and talk about that! Valentina from InsideOUT (A Rainbow Tick company) came over to ANI to talk about some things they do around schools to spread love and support, and things we could do to support rainbow people!
The amazing Pride team has also organised activities around the school. We had a scavenger hunt the whole week – the pride team put up flags all around the kura for students to search for. It was such a fun experience!
That wasn’t the only activity we had – on Monday, we had a poster competition for anyone to join! Our students came over to ILE 17/18 to make a variety of posters all about pride and our Rainbow community. All the people who came and participated were so creative!
Our wonderful kaiako have also been putting in hard work for queer equality. Various lessons on the LGBTQIA+ community have occurred around the school. Ranging from team time activities to impactful learning sessions within ILE’S. We are very grateful that the staff here at ANI are truly supportive adults students can rely on when they need help.
Written by Nicole and Grace
Edited by Nicole and Grace
Kia Kaha Te reo Māori
At Auckland Normal Intermediate, Matua David, the ANI Te Reo teacher, has started the Te Reo Māori extension, where students get together once a week, learning new vocabulary and making connections with each other by learning Te Reo Māori. Every week, on Thursday period 2, they meet in the tuc shop with Matua David. On the 4th of June, it was the first week of the Māori extension. They worked on their Pepeha, and some were even brave enough to share it with the whole group. The students who go to the Māori extension get nominated by their teacher, and one person from each class (so two from the ILE) goes to attend the Māori extension. From that week on, the students get together learning more Māori. In this way, the students who go to the Māori extension can help their friends during classroom Te Reo.
As many of us know, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 to agree on the sharing of the land and to establish a British government while protecting Māori land ownership and rights. We also know that the British banned speaking Te Reo Māori. As a result, the language was lost quite quickly. That’s why here at ANI, there is the Māori extension to bring back the Aotearoa language.
At the Māori extension, we started learning our own pepeha. A pepeha is a traditional oral introduction used in Māori culture. We normally introduce our parents, grandparents, uncles/aunties, siblings and possibly your river, tribe, etc. After they finish writing their pepeha, they are going to present it to the Māori extension. They can’t wait to present it to the kaiako.
Written by: Nina F
HappANIngs
Community Notices:
