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Newsletter ~ 20 August, 2026
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From the Principal
Another great couple of weeks at Diamond Harbour!
We had a lovely assembly last week, absolutely full of joy, celebration and talent, followed by a week of lots of focused learning happening across our classrooms. It’s always great to see the buzz around the school and, more importantly, to see our students getting stuck into their learning.
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And then there was the massively successful Quiz Night! An incredible $18,000 was raised for our school pool project.
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The quiz was absolutely vital in saving the pool and has given us the money for all the extras that will make the pool even better — a new pool cover, changing-room upgrades and, perhaps most importantly, a gold-plated lounger just for the Principal! Joking aside, we think this will be the best little community pool in the country by the time it’s finished.
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Meanwhile, the team at Mighty Staagz have started work and, as I write this, they are installing the new fibreglass liner. It is fantastic to see the project moving from something we’ve talked about for a long time to something that is actually happening.
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This week we also headed off to the Canterbury Regional Basketball Tournament, where our athletes did us all incredibly proud. They had the talent, determination and hard work needed to go all the way and were very unlucky not to make the semi-finals, narrowly missing out to the eventual winner. That shows just how tight the competition was — and what an amazing achievement it was to finish among the top teams in Canterbury.
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And then, in true Diamond Harbour fashion, three of our students raced across town to join their fellow band members for a fantastic performance at BandQuest.
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A massive thank you to Sam and Ben for their basketball coaching, and to Ursi and Clare for all the mahi that went into BandQuest. These amazing opportunities for our students simply could not happen without the adults who give up their time, energy and expertise to make them possible. Thank you!
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I’m having an absolute ball sitting in the Principal hot seat and am really enjoying getting to know as many of our parents and whānau as possible. Please know that I’m always accessible — grab me before or after school, catch me around the school, or flick me an email and we can set up a time to chat.
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This year we are going to produce a yearbook! The aim is to create a great, memorable snapshot of 2026 that captures our classes, our people and the things that have made this year special.
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If you have photos from school events throughout the year, please send them through to me at principal@diamondharbour.school.nz The more great moments we have to choose from, the better!
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Just a heads-up that I’ll have final editorial discretion over what makes it into the yearbook, though! =)
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We will, of course, follow all the usual permissions around whose photos can be published. We’ll also update our permissions list before the holidays so that we have a clear and up-to-date record of exactly who can and can’t appear in the yearbook.
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So please send those photos my way — let’s make this a yearbook worth keeping!
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And a question for you...
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What do you want to hear from your Principal in these fortnightly updates?
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Would you like a rundown of what’s been happening, like this one? A view from the hot seat about how the school is going? Some snippets of my thoughts on the education world and how Diamond Harbour is responding to all the changes coming our way? More of a focus on how we work as teachers in our professional growth?
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I’d love to make my fortnightly messages meet your needs as parents and whānau, so if you have a view, please flick me a line and let me know what you’d like to hear about.
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I’m really enjoying being part of this school community and I’m looking forward to sharing the journey with you.
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Richard Goodyear
Tumuaki | Principal
Te Kura o Te Waipapa Diamond Harbour School
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BandQuest
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On the 19th of August 2026 Diamond Harbour Schools' rock band went to BandQuest with the name No Off Switch.
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The members of No Off Switch are Luke and Awa on guitars, Molly on the drums, Kenzie and Milly and Maddie, Abbey on piano, Indie on bass and pipes the pipes were (the pipes sound like xylophones but cooler) and last but not least, Hazel on the egg shaker
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Sound check is where the order of the night gets reversed, and the bands practice in a different order we were third on the night, so in sound check we were third to last Maddie, Awa and Luke had a basketball game and almost didn't make it, but they just barely did
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The show went great everyone loved it, and we won the specialist instrument award, which is for the most unique instrument. We did have tough competition against the trumpet, saxophone and the bagpipes, but we won it
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We played Somewhere Only We Know and crazy train
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On the 19th of August, the school's rock band, No Off Switch, went to BandQuest. In the band, we have Molly on the drums, Awa and Luke on the guitars, Abbey on the keyboard, Kenzie, Maddie, and Milly all singing, Hazel on the shakers, and Indie on the bass and the pipes. The pipes instrument was made by Ursi, and Indie played the instrument with jandals.
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In the morning at school we started getting ready in Te Kete. We had lots of things to get dressed up in, like hair extensions, coloured hair spray, glitter, gems, eye shadow, and more. Once everyone in the band was ready, we left in two different cars. When we got to the town hall, we got a tour around backstage. Then we had the sound check. Once we finished the sound check, we went to Spagilimis for dinner. When we came back to the town hall, we went backstage because we were the third to perform. We played Somewhere Only We Know and Crazy Train. Once all the performances were finished, we had the prize-giving, and we won the specialist instrument award. It was a great night.
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Save our School Pool Quiz Night
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What an incredible night!
A HUGE thank you to the Diamond Harbour School Education Trust and the Four Square Diamond Harbour team for all the hard work, time, energy and passion that went into making the quiz night such an amazing success. The amount raised is absolutely incredible, and we are so grateful for everything you have done to support our school and our pool!
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A massive thank you also to all of the local businesses, suppliers and community members who generously donated prizes, food, drinks and auction items. Your generosity made the night extra special and helped make this such a fantastic fundraiser.
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And of course, thank you to everyone who came along, bought a ticket, entered the quiz, bid in the auction, and generously opened their wallets to help Save the Pool.
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We are incredibly grateful and very proud of everyone who played a part. What a result! What a community!
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Canterbury Basketball Tournament
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Our amazing young basketballers fought incredibly hard in the quarter-finals, but it just wasn’t to be. They went down by one point to the eventual tournament winners, St Mark’s, showing just how tight and competitive this tournament was!
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But finishing in the top eight in all of Canterbury is an absolutely amazing result!
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A massive shout-out to the whole team for their effort, determination and sportsmanship. They showed great resilience, teamwork and never gave up, even when the games got tough.
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A huge thank you to all the parents and whānau for getting behind the team, cheering from the sidelines and supporting them throughout the tournament. Your encouragement makes such a difference!
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And, of course, a massive thank you to our epic coaches, Sam and Ben, for all the time, energy and encouragement you have given the team.
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You should all be incredibly proud of yourselves. What a tournament and what an achievement for Diamond Harbour School
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The Diamond Harbour basketball team went to zones and won it
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Then we went to the Canterbury champs we drove to
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The basketball stadium. We then went to a briefing
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They told us the rules, then we made a home base
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Then we had a match, and we won it.
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Then we had a snack and a drink.
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Then we had another match, and we won.
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And then it was time for another match, and we won.
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And some more matches that we lost.
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Me and my basket ball team went to Canterburies on Wednesday because we won zones. We came in eighth place out of 200 schools.
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We did really well, but we lost against St Marks team. We faced six schools. We won three games and lost three. I was nervous because I hadn't gotten to Canterburies before we got so far.
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Library News
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What better way to celebrate the beginning of Spring than with Book Week (31 August - 4 September)!
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More detailed information about this will be given at assembly next week and on a poster outside our library, but key dates to know are:
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Wednesday 2 September 9:15 am - Book Character Parade Dress up as your favourite book character and partake in our parade around the basketball court. This is completely optional but is a lot of fun.
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Thursday 3 September 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm - Storytime in PJ's with hot chocolate in Te Kohanga with guest storytellers. Please bring your own mug.
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We welcome all members of our community to join us in this special evening, you don't have to attend our school to come along.
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If any whanau or members of our community would like to read a story to our tamariki, we would love to hear from you. Please email me so we can ensure you get to read. lorna.carnaby@diamondharbour.school.nz
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Support Our Daffodil Day Team
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Diamond Harbour School Daffodil Day Team is fundraising for the Cancer Society to help support New Zealanders affected by cancer.
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Every donation, big or small, makes a real difference by helping provide vital support services, funding life-saving research, and promoting cancer prevention and education.
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If you'd like to support our team, please consider donating.
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Together, we can help make a positive impact for those facing cancer.
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Tilly's School Scrunchies
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Tilly has been busy making school scrunchies and we'd love to support the school by donating all proceeds to the school pool fundraising.
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They are $5 each, and all money raised goes directly towards the school pool.
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The scrunchies are made using the school gingham fabric, and Tilly is very excited about raising money for the school.
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Please let the office know if you would like to purchase a school scrunchie
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What's Coming Up at Diamond Harbour School
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- Friday 28th August - Daffodil Day
- Friday 28th August - Te Kohanga Assembly
- Monday 31st - Friday 4th September - Book Week
- Wednesday 2nd September - Book Week Parade
- Tuesday 8th September - EnviroAfternoon
- Friday 11th September - Tipu Year 1 Assembly
- Monday 14th September - Choir Rehearsal
- Thursday 17th September - Jonah and the Whale (inflatable life-size whale) St Andrew’s Church Hall
- Thursday 17th September - Po Whakangahau
- Monday 2st September - Teachers Only Day
- Wednesday 23rd September - Senior Athletics Day
- Friday 25th September - Last Day of Term 3
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What's Up In The Local Community
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LEARN TO SAIL – TERM 4
Is your child showing an interest in sailing, boats or being out on the water?
Learn to Sail starts in Term 4 at Charteris Bay Yacht Club, and registrations are now open!
The programme is a great way for children aged 8+ to learn the basics of sailing, build confidence on the water, make new friends and, most importantly, have fun!
If your child is always asking to go sailing, loves boats, or simply enjoys being around the water, this could be the perfect opportunity to give it a go.
Starting Term 4
Ages 8+
Charteris Bay Yacht Club
Monday/Tuesday and Saturday programmes (subject to demand)
Have questions or want to know more? Get in touch — we're happy to help!
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Expression of interest form
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If you're the parent of a child who is (or will be) 9-13 years old we would love to invite you to the next DHYCT Parent Upskill night.
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We are excited to be hosting a Parenting Place presentation Staying Connected in the Tween Years - connection and communication. On Weds 26th August, 7pm in Te Kete. Suggested donation of $10 per person to help us cover costs.
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Deborah Swaney
Administrator & Youth WorkerDHYCT
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What's Up Outside Diamond Harbour
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