Prizes & Awards
We have a large range of prizes and awards which are presented each year at our award ceremonies.
KAUPAPA, TIROHANGA WHANUI, O MATOU UARA
Junior Prizes (Y9 & Y10)
Academic
- Certificates of excellence for top in class
- Niki Brocherie Memorial Cup for Junior Japanese
Top academic and overall awards for Juniors
- General Excellence Year 10: Top academic student
- Best All Rounder Year 10
- General Excellence Year 9: Top academic student
- Best All Rounder Year 9
Junior Prizes (Y9 & Y10)
Arts
- The AGHS Linda O’Brien Junior Dance Cup
- The J Walkey Junior Drama Cup for Outstanding Performance
- Year 9 Junior Speech Winner
- Year 10 Junior Speech Winner
- Most Improved Junior Vocalist
- Most Improved Junior Instrumentalist
- Most Improved Intermediate Kapa Haka Performer
- Te Pumanawa Taonga for the student who reflects, models and exemplifies tikanga and Te Ao Māori
Top Junior Arts
Junior Arts Woman This is awarded to a student who has had high levels of participation and achievement in the Arts.
Senior Prizes (Y11, Y12 & Y13)
Academic
- Certificates of Excellence for top student in each subject
- Cullinan Cup for Senior Textiles
Gillian Diehl Cup for French
This cup goes to a student who has demonstrated commitment to learning French and has consistently achieved at an excellent level.
Niki Brocherie Memorial Cup for Senior Japanese
This cup goes to a student who has demonstrated commitment to learning Japanese and has consistently achieved at an excellent level.
Vocational
- Outstanding Participation in the Gateway Programme
- Offsite Vocational Top student
Senior Prizes (Y11, Y12 & Y13)
Arts
- The Magazine Cover Award
- the Cup for Outstanding Contribution in Dance
- The Best Novice Performer in a Production
- TF Joel Cup for Outstanding Contribution to Drama
- the Helen Brew Cup for Best Short Film Documentary
- the Helen Brew Cup for Best Short Film Narrative
- Mary-Lou Wardell Music Cup for the most improved instrumentalist
- The Anne Reid (Robinson) Cup for Most Improved vocalist
- the Robinson Cup for the Best Instrumental Group
- Senior Speech Prize
- The Prose prize
- The Poetry Prize
Top Arts,
Arts Woman of the Year. The recipient will have demonstrated amazing dedication and a high standard of artistic excellence.
The Joan Conder Memorial Award
- This is awarded to the student who reflects our school mauri or values. Their words and actions enhance the AGHS reputation. They display pride in the school and being a member of the school, they demonstrate leadership potential; and show initiative and responsibility.
The Lilian Exton Award
- This award is designed to recognise a student (or student group) from across the school who demonstrate(s) empathy and seeks to include or advocate for a student or students with disabilities.
Special Prizes (Y11, Y12 & Y13)
Year 11 Special Prizes
- The Haar-Greenland Prize is awarded to the Most Improved year 11 student who has shown perseverance in all subjects.
- The L Jenner Cup for Science is awarded for interest and ability in Year 11 Science.
- The top academic prize in Year 11 is the Miss R P Karsten Cup for General Excellence.
Year 12 Special Prizes
- There are 4 Karsten Scholarships awarded to students who achieve to a very high standard across their subjects. This is a monetary award.
Year 13 Special Prizes
- The Research Prize. This prize is awarded to a student or students who have demonstrated a high degree of research skill in a course over the year with emphasis on the understanding and competency of the research process shown. The student must demonstrate planning and organisation of the information, a variety of relevant resources used, critical thinking, and reflection and evaluation of the knowledge gained.
Past Pupils’ Association Prize for Best All Rounder
- The Board of Trustees Prize for Service to the School is awarded to a member or members of a school club or group. The student could have held an office of responsibility and will have a good work and conduct record. They will have provided significant service to the school.
Proxime Accessit – awarded to the 2nd top academic student
Dux – awarded to the top academic student
Cultural Prizes
- The Pasifika Cultural Leadership award is awarded to a senior student who has engaged with the Pasifika school community, leads by example and has championed Pasifika cultures at AGHS.
- The Te Wai Pounamu Scholarship is awarded to a Māori student or students who identify strongly with Tikanga Māori and/or studies Te Reo Māori.
- The Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki | Lincoln University Māori Excellence Award awarded to a Māori learner who has demonstrated the following attributes: Rangatiratanga | Leadership, Kaitiakitanga | Guardianship, Manaakitanga | Reciprocity and to encourage them to aim for higher education.
- The Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki | Lincoln University Pacific Excellence Award awarded to a Pasifika learner who has demonstrated the following attributes: Rangatiratanga | Leadership, Kaitiakitanga | Guardianship, Manaakitanga | Reciprocity and to encourage them to aim for higher education.
Sports Colours
- The Colours Award is a recognition for service, performance and fulfilment of commitments, after three years in a top school team. (This may vary according to age requirements.)
Sports Prizes
Sports
Senior and Junior Sportswoman of the Year
The first set of criteria below are mandatory:
- must participate in Avonside sports
- contribution to the sporting community at Avonside, eg. sports council, coach, umpire, manager
- exhibits excellent sportsmanship and fairplay
- excellent role model to whole school community in area of sport
- role model throughout the school community, in class and co-curricular.
The following criteria should also be considered:
- participation in more than one sporting code
- high level participation or competition, eg. regional/national representation
The senior sportswoman of the year may be a student from Years 11-13.
The junior sportswoman of the year may be a student from either Year 9 or 10.
Service Awards
Given out at a special assembly, recognise those students who have helped coach, manage or referee a sport. These are the support crew in our school community, that make things happen.
Whakanui Prizes
Whakanui is our biggest event of the year, in terms of celebrations for our ākonga Māori. It is a wonderful whānau event with kai, awards, performances, kapa haka and celebration.
We have a number of awards including the prestigious Badge awards, as below:
Overall Service Award (Tuakana/Senior & Teina/Junior)
Tuakana Teina Award
Whakawhanaungatanga Award
Kaitiakitanga Award
Commitment to Hauora
Overall prize for Innovation / Research
Overall prize for Creativity
Top Māori Academic Achiever Y9-13
Cultural Leader (Tuakana & Teina)
Whaikōrero Leader (Tuakana & Teina)
