2025 Sports Awards

Excellence in Sport - Rui Hou - Swimming

Rui has excelled in one of New Zealand’s most competitive and widely participated sports – swimming. His results this year have shown consistency and dedication, both for school and for his club. 

Representing our school, Rui achieved medal placings in all events entered at the New Zealand Secondary School Championships, becoming National Champion in the 50m and 100m Freestyle, and earned silver in the 200m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly. At both the Central East Zones and Auckland Championships, Rui completed a clean sweep in his chosen 50m events, winning both the 50m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly. 

Beyond school competitions, Rui has continued to shine on the national stage with the Roskill Swim Club. He is the 16-year-old boys National Short Course Champion in the 200m Freestyle and also claimed silver in the 100m Freestyle and bronze in both the 100m Butterfly and 50m Freestyle. At the National Age Group Championships, Rui placed second in the 50m, 100m, and 200m Freestyle events. 

At a regional level, Rui is the Auckland Age Group Champion in the 100m and 200m Freestyle, and runner-up in the 50m Freestyle. His performances also saw him qualify for the Super Finals, an open-age event, where he placed second in the 100m Freestyle and fourth in the 50m freestyle. 

At the Auckland and Northland Short Course Championships, Rui again impressed, taking gold in the 100m freestyle and silver in the 50m freestyle for 16-year-old boys, as well as qualifying for both Super Finals, finishing third overall in the 50m freestyle and fourth in the 100m Freestyle. 

To top off an incredible year, Rui broke two club records for his age group in the 50m and 100m Freestyle events. 

Rui has represented both his school and club with pride and distinction, and his results speak volumes about his commitment to excellence. It is with great pleasure that we present the Excellence in Sport trophy to Rui for 2025. 

Senior Sportswoman of the Year - Anna Welling

Anna’s energy, determination, and team spirit make her an invaluable member of all the teams she is a part of. She has been a key figure in both the Senior A Girls Volleyball team and the Senior Netball team this year. Her contributions on the netball court were vital in helping the team achieve a runner-up placing in their grade. Her commitment, outstanding ability, and “never say die” attitude along with her dedication to coaching and umpiring, were recognised when she was awarded the Senior All-Rounder trophy. Her dedication to coaching – which includes Volleyball – also saw her named as one of two finalists for Student Coach of the Year at the Auckland Secondary School Young Sportsperson of the Year Awards. 

In Volleyball, Anna was a pivotal player in the Senior A Team, helping them secure fourth place in their group, while also demonstrating dedication and skill beyond the school environment. She competes for the Auckland All Stars Volleyball Club, representing the U17 team, the Women's Development Team, and most impressively, was selected for the Premier Women’s Team to compete at the New Zealand Club Championships. 

Looking ahead, Anna’s talent will take her even further, as she has been chosen to represent the U18 Team in Hawaii at the TransPacific Volleyball tournament in January 2026. 

Senior Sportsman of the year - Hamish Young

Hamish embodies everything we value in sport – dedication, teamwork, ability, and leadership. He has showcased this across a wide range of sports in 2025, contributing to several teams achieving success.  As captain of the Senior A Volleyball team, Hamish guided his team to an impressive second place finish in the Central Zone competition. In addition to volleyball, Hamish also served as co-captain of both the 1st 11 Football and Senior Futsal teams. His leadership, enthusiasm, and ability helped the Senior Futsal team claim the title of Central Zone Senior Boys Champions. 

Hamish was also a valued member of the Premier Table Tennis team, which qualified for the Auckland-wide Premier Grade for the very first time. Competing against some of the best players in the country, the team achieved an outstanding 4th place finish after the round robin. 

Beyond these achievements, Hamish also continued to represent the school in Ultimate Frisbee, representing the Senior A Team at the Auckland Secondary School Outdoor Championships. 

Across all these accomplishments, what stands out most is Hamish’s consistency – his commitment over the past five years, his willingness to contribute wherever needed, and his ability to lift those around him. He has been a role model and true team player in every team he has been a part of, and we thank him for his dedication and wish him every success for the future. 

Junior Sportswoman of the Year - Ayumi Moriyama-Picard

Ayumi has once again demonstrated remarkable talent, determination and an exceptional level of achievement in Table tennis. 

She was once again recognised by the International Table Tennis Federation as a ‘With the Future in Mind’ Scholarship winner, an honour awarded to the world’s most promising young players. 

Representing New Zealand at the Oceania Junior and Senior Table Tennis Championships, Ayumi secured a silver medal in the Under 15 Teams event, along with bronze medals in the Women’s Doubles, Under 15 Girls Doubles, and Under 15 Mixed Doubles. 

Representing Auckland, she helped the Under 15 Girls team to win both the North Island and New Zealand team titles, and played a key role in the Women’s team, who took out the North Island title and finished runners-up at the New Zealand Open. 

Alongside many regional top three placings as an individual, Ayumi was selected to compete in Table Tennis New Zealand’s new premier event – the Table Tennis NZ Top 8 Tournament. Competing against the country’s best players, she placed an outstanding runner-up in the Open Women’s event and has finished 2025 as third overall in the Table Tennis New Zealand rankings for Open Women. 

Despite her national and international commitments, Ayumi has continued to represent the school with pride and excellence. She was a key member of the school’s Premier Table Tennis team, who qualified for the Auckland-wide Premier grade for the first time and finished in a very respectable 4th place after the round robin. Ayumi also shone at the New Zealand Secondary School Championships, where she was crowned the Under 15 Girls Singles Champion. 

But Ayumi’s talent doesn’t stop at the table. She also represented the school in football and was a member of the Junior A Girls Volleyball team, who had an outstanding season, finishing runners up in the Central Zone competition. 

And to top off a phenomenal year, Ayumi is the Year 10 girls Athletics Champion, where she placed first in the shot put, 100, 200, 400 and 1500 metre events, and she is also the Year 10 Girls Cross Country Champion. 

Junior Sportsman of the year - Daniel Schaeffer De Melo

Daniel has truly set the bar high for dedication, leadership, and all-round sporting ability. 

He has represented the school in four different sport codes, demonstrating both talent and versatility. What makes his achievements even more impressive is that Daniel has competed not only in his own age group, but also at a senior level – and excelled there too, as just a Year 9 student. 

He has been a key member of three senior teams this year: the 1st 11 Football team, the Senior A Volleyball team, and the Senior Futsal team. 

Across all three, Daniel has contributed significantly to the teams’ successes, including helping the Senior A Volleyball team to finish second overall, and played a vital role in the Senior Futsal team, who were crowned Central Zone Champions. 

Daniel’s ability, commitment and leadership were also recognised when he was awarded the Junior Football All Rounder Trophy, where he served as vice captain of the 1st 11 – a remarkable achievement for someone in year 9. 

In his own age group, Daniel’s leadership continued as he captained both the Junior Boys Volleyball team and the Junior A Futsal team, while also representing the school in the Junior A Basketball team. 

On top of his success in team sports, Daniel also shone in athletics, being named the ACG Parnell Year 9 Boys Athletics Champion after placing 1st in the high jump, shot put, 100m and 200m events. 

Daniel’s attitude, teamwork, and consistent pursuit of excellence make him a role model for all young athletes in our school and is a thoroughly deserving winner of Junior Sportsman of the Year.

Junior Team of the Year - Archery Recurve
Team Members: Seunghye Chang, Vicki Zhang, Ella Qiu, Isabelle Shi, Arjunveer Grewal, Alcide Zhou, Corren McCartney

2025 has truly been a landmark year for our competitive archers – a year defined by dedication, teamwork, and outstanding success. Our Recurve teams have set a new benchmark for excellence, making this the most successful competitive season in our school’s archery history.  

This year saw record participations, multiple podium finishes and even national representation – achievements that speak volumes about the talent, determination, and spirit of this group of young athletes. 

In the College Sport Auckland Archery League, the team of Ella, Vicki, Arjunveer, and Isabelle qualified for Division 1 – the top level of competition reserved for the six strongest teams out of 30 across five divisions.  

At the Winter AIM Tournament, Ella, Vicki, Arjunveer, and Seunghye took out the title of U16 Recurve Team Champions. 

For the first time ever, our school was invited to compete in the SPC Archery Invitational Cup, where all seven students came together to form a team and claimed an impressive bronze medal in an open age competition. 

Individually, every member of the team has contributed to this success, performing with focus and pride throughout the season. Seunghye, in particular, has achieved outstanding individual success, collecting multiple medals, including silver at the Winter AIM Tournament, bronze at the SPC Invitational and bronze at the Auckland Secondary Schools Match Play Championships. Her exceptional form earned her selection to the New Zealand team to compete against Australia in the Trans-Tasman Challenge, where she achieved silver in the U16 Recurve Ranking round. 

Together, these students have not only brought home medals - they've also brought visibility, enthusiasm, and momentum to archery within our school community. 

Senior Team of the Year - NZSS Tennis Cup Team
Team Members: Ethan Ning and Edward Bassett

Ethan and Eddie put in a performance that was nothing short of flawless at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Tennis Cup. 

Not only did they go through the entire tournament undefeated, but they didn’t drop a single set along the way. 

In the group stages, they stormed past Whanganui and Rathkeale, winning both ties 3 nil to qualify for the top four play-offs. In the semi-final, they maintained that same dominance, defeating Kristin School 3 nil to book their place in the final. 

There, they faced New Plymouth Boys’ High School. By the end of the two singles matches, Ethan and Eddie had already sealed the overall victory - but they weren’t finished yet. Determined to keep their perfect record intact, they dug deep in what turned out to be the most tightly contested doubles match of the week. Under pressure, they held their nerves, and with skill and teamwork, they closed out one final win to secure a 3 nil victory in the final, completing a tournament clean sweep. 

An incredible achievement from two talented players who not only showcased their skill but also embodied true sportsmanship and pride whilst representing the school. Congratulations, Ethan and Eddie.