Nukutere College held its highly anticipated annual prizegiving ceremony yesterday celebrating the academic, cultural, and sporting achievements of its students.

The event marked a significant milestone for the college as it wrapped up another successful year according to the school principal, Delaney Yaqona

He highlighted the school’s notable accomplishments, particularly in the cultural domain.

“We've had lots of success across the sports field, in the classroom,  and particularly with our culture. I guess if we talk about the biggest achievements this year, it'll be in the culture side of things, with our traditional food activity that we had a couple of months ago, that was a huge success. We had our umu-making competition and string band,” he said.

He emphasized the importance of rejuvenating Cook Islands culture among the younger generation.

“We know our culture is strong, but at the moment it's strong with our older generation, with our grandparents, with our parents. But when it comes to our tamariki, they're starting to lose the culture, and that's what we want to do. We want to instil that love for the culture back in our young people.”

The principal also expressed pride in the school’s academic performance, referring to a favourable report from the Ministry of Education.

“Our biggest lesson is making sure that we're always trying to improve in everything that we do. When you get to the very top, staying there is harder than getting there,” he commented.

This year, the college enrolled 182 students, including its final-year graduates, who will now embark on new journeys.

Head girl Eitiare Watson reflected on the challenges and rewards of her leadership journey.

“This journey was definitely one to remember as well as being difficult. A journey that started since elementary that throughout the years, some joined making it more important. My advice to all the students of Nukutere College is, commit to the Lord in whatever you do, and He will establish your plans,” Eitiare said.

She also shared insights from the leadership camp that shaped her and her peers. “At this camp, we learned the importance of being a leader, and also, getting to share amongst each other.”

The ceremony honoured students across various categories. The top academic achiever of the year, Elizabeth Akava-Akaruru, was named the Dux, earning multiple accolades including the Te Marae Ora Excellence in Science Award Shield, Excellence in geography, and the prestigious Brother Ignacy Mathematics Memorial Award.

In sports, Primrose Savage and Paul Ngaroi were named the Overall Sports Champions for female and male categories, respectively.

The Top House Award went to John Rodgers House for their exceptional performance throughout the year.

Full List of Awards

Sports Awards:

Top Junior Girls: Kierly Beniamina-Neagle

Top Junior Boys: Johnson Naslund

Top Intermediate Girls: Vainemoeroa Tauira

Top Intermediate Boys: Joseph George

Top Senior Girls: Anillia Heather-Marsters

Top Senior Boys: Josua Ravuaceva

Academic Awards:

Year 7 Academic Honours: Aye Quelidoro

Year 8 Academic Honours: Kaitiaki Cousins, Danielle Pinero, Leihaina Tararo

Year 9 Academic Honours: Leo Nand, Maraea Wichman, Tairatea Aue, Vainemoeroa Tauira, George Tanu, Moana Piri

Year 10 Academic Honours: Charles-Trevor Wooton, Leu Moemai, Tania Teinaki, Joseph Rua

Year 11 Academic Honours: Elizabeth Akava-Akaruru

Special Awards:

Excellence in English: Ngatokorua Elisa

Special Character Award: Leu Moemai

Proxime Accessit: Ngatokorua Elisa