Westfield Local Hero
Vote for Ella Pracy | Recreate NZ
Exuberant. Compassionate. Authentic.
Right now I will boast about my great achievements. I have been selected as one of three finalists for Westfield local heroes New Market, and if I win Recreate is awarded $20,000. If anyone, you know how much Recreate means to me and how passionate I am about it. I was wondering if I could have your vote and you could share it round school a bit. Of course, no pressure!
From Ella about Recreate
Hundreds of young people living with disabilities benefit from Ella Pracy’s volunteering with Recreate NZ. Her own experience with anxiety and personal loss first brought her to volunteering in 2022 and she has since dedicated more than 1,000 hours to creating life changing experiences for young people. Ella has helped build their confidence and belonging through social events, outdoor adventures and multi-day programmes.
If Ella is successful, the grant will fund additional programmes and activities for young people living with disability and neurodivergent young people.
Here is the link: Vote for Ella HERE
From Ella about Recreate:
I could write pages about the last four years with Recreate. About the camps, the chaos, the youth who have made me laugh until my stomach hurts, and the moments that have opened my heart. But if I had to explain why Recreate matters to me, it would be simple: Recreate gives people somewhere to belong.
It is young people with disabilities getting to just be young people. To be loud, ridiculous, independent and unapologetically themselves. To make friends. To try something scary, fail, laugh, and try again. To discover that their disability does not get to be the loudest thing about them. It is a parent finally getting to exhale because they know their child is somewhere they are not just accommodated, but understood. It is respite for families who spend so much of their lives advocating for their kids to have opportunities many of us never have to think twice about. And yet, Recreate has changed me just as much.
I've watched youth who once stood at the edge of a group become the loudest person in the room. I’ve watched friendships form and flourish. I’ve watched someone do something they were terrified of and come away grinning. I’ve watched parents cry because their child came home exhausted, happy and proud. Those moments stay with you.
They've made me realise how much of the world is built around the assumption that everyone should fit the same mould. Recreate creates a little pocket of the world where you don’t have to.
It's dignity. Freedom. Connection. It’s someone looking at you and saying, I see you. You belong here. Because underneath every diagnosis, difference and barrier, there is still just a person who wants what all of us want. To be loved. To be known. To be included. To be seen.
Recreate doesn’t just give people opportunities they’ve been denied. It reminds us they should never have been denied them in the first place. And after four years, I still think there is truly nothing more important than that. So please vote, share, and do what you can for my people and this life changing organisation.
It is young people with disabilities getting to just be young people. To be loud, ridiculous, independent and unapologetically themselves. To make friends. To try something scary, fail, laugh, and try again. To discover that their disability does not get to be the loudest thing about them. It is a parent finally getting to exhale because they know their child is somewhere they are not just accommodated, but understood. It is respite for families who spend so much of their lives advocating for their kids to have opportunities many of us never have to think twice about. And yet, Recreate has changed me just as much.
I've watched youth who once stood at the edge of a group become the loudest person in the room. I’ve watched friendships form and flourish. I’ve watched someone do something they were terrified of and come away grinning. I’ve watched parents cry because their child came home exhausted, happy and proud. Those moments stay with you.
They've made me realise how much of the world is built around the assumption that everyone should fit the same mould. Recreate creates a little pocket of the world where you don’t have to.
It's dignity. Freedom. Connection. It’s someone looking at you and saying, I see you. You belong here. Because underneath every diagnosis, difference and barrier, there is still just a person who wants what all of us want. To be loved. To be known. To be included. To be seen.
Recreate doesn’t just give people opportunities they’ve been denied. It reminds us they should never have been denied them in the first place. And after four years, I still think there is truly nothing more important than that. So please vote, share, and do what you can for my people and this life changing organisation.
New Zealand teachers and Korean students strengthen ties through English language programme
| Six New Zealand teachers have returned from South Korea after helping deliver an English language programme for 69 secondary students from rural communities, before welcoming the students to New Zealand for a week-long cultural and education experience.
The annual programme, delivered under the Korea-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (KNZFTA), aims to build English language skills while strengthening educational and cultural connections between New Zealand and the Republic of Korea. Teachers selected from schools across New Zealand travelled to South Korea in July to teach students aged 14 to 17. |
New Zealand teachers enjoy an outing in South Korea
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After completing the programme, the students travelled to Whangārei, where they experienced New Zealand culture, tourism attractions and the country's inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning.
Above: 69 students came together from across Korea to Bloomvista in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, to participate in their English language classes taught by New Zealand teachers
For participating teachers, the programme also provided valuable professional development opportunities and fresh perspectives on language learning.
Hayden Macdonald, Assistant Head of Department English and Year 10 Dean at Palmerston North Boys’ High School, said the experience had a lasting impact.
“Having taught English to second-language learners in New Zealand, including both international and migrant students, it was a genuine pleasure and privilege to teach students in their home country. The experience gave me a valuable new perspective, placing me in the unfamiliar position that many of our students experience when they arrive in New Zealand and must navigate a different language and culture. It was both humbling and enlightening.
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The programme has provided significant benefits to my teaching practice and professional development. I have returned with a deeper understanding of language learning, greater cultural awareness, and many ideas that I can apply in my own classroom.
It was an experience that I will remember fondly for many years.” Jeremy Downing, Teacher and Mentor Coordinator at Lynfield College, said: “It was a lot of work but equally an incredible opportunity. I've taken a range of learnings with me back to my own context.” |
The programme is led by the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and is one of the education initiatives established under the Korea-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement signed in 2015.
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GARBA Night Fundraiser for the Australian Dance Tour 2026
Namaste Everyone,
Our Lynfield College Indian Team has the exciting opportunity to represent our school in an international dance competition in Melbourne, Australia later this month.
To help raise funds for the tour, we are hosting a Cultural Night Fundraiser on Friday 14 August from 6.30 pm –10.00 pm in the Lynfield College School Hall. It would be wonderful to have your support. Please bring your family and friends for an exciting evening of cultural dancing, music and food.
If you're unable to attend but would still like to support our students, you can also purchase a ticket as a donation. Every contribution helps make this opportunity more affordable for our students. We would also really appreciate it if you could share this with your Hui Mai classes and encourage students and their families to come along and support the team.
Thank you for supporting our students as they represent Lynfield College on the international stage.
Tickets are available now via TryBooking: https://www.trybooking.com/nz/event/20684
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Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki 'Airani:
Cook Islands Māori Language Week from 2 - 8 August 2026
The 2026 theme for Cook Islands Māori Language Week is “Me kite koe i te tuatua i to’ou reo tupuna, e turanga rangatira tena nō’ou no te uki amuri atu" - With our language as our foundation, we will embrace the future.
For more information: https://www.mpp.govt.nz/programmes-and-funding/pacific-languages/pacific-language-weeks/cook-islands-maori-language-week/
Lynfield College School Ball 2026
On the evening of 17 July, the 2026 Lynfield College Ball was held at its new venue, the Grand Millennium Hotel. Students stepped into an evening filled with glowing decorations, music and plenty of memorable moments. The ballroom's Sky Garden ceiling lights added a touch of magic, and with students dressed in their best, the night felt straight out of a fairytale.
The decorators did an amazing job transforming the space, while the DJ kept the dance floor full throughout the night. As one of the most anticipated events of the year, the ball lived up to the hype for all the Year 12 and Year 13 students who attended.
A massive thank you to everyone on the Ball Committee: Cyrus, Ashton, Akeelah, Mahant, Lupe, Finau and George. An extra special thank you also goes to Mrs Clark for helping us make everything possible.
Best Dressed Teacher: Mr Braithwaite | Light of the Dance Floor: Tukuhetoa Levi
Ball Queen: Lupe Fetuani | Ball King: Iszak Tuisaula-Stewart | Ball Princess: Josephine Sor
Ball Prince: Geo Sandyang | Royal Couple: Frank Ave and Joanne Kuang
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