At the start of each school year, Year 9 students will attend an Expo in the Hall highlighting the range of groups, clubs and opportunities in dance and drama available to students. To learn more or sign up please email the contact person listed below.
Chess & Card Game Club
Staff contacts – Marcus Blomquist (marcus.blomquist@hvhs.school.nz) & Teri McMullan (teri.mcmullan@hvhs.school.nz)
Ever wanted to learn chess or magic – The Gathering (MTG)? Hutt Valley High School has a Chess & Card Game Club that meets every Tuesday after school in V8 from 3:30-4:30pm.
The Chess & Card Game Club is a very inclusive space so don’t worry about not knowing anyone or the games themselves. Students from all year levels are welcome to attend. The club counts towards Ad Alta as well.
Chinese Chess Club
Staff contact – Yanling Guo (yanling.guo@hvhs.school.nz)
Learn and play Chinese chess (Xiangqi) every Wednesday at lunchtime in G7. Chinese chess is considered more complex than Western chess and is often played at a faster pace.
Also running at the same time and in the same room is the Mahjong Club. Both clubs count towards Ad Alta.
Come along and join in. It will be fun!
Circus Skills Group
Staff contact – Ben Britton (ben.britton@hvhs.school.nz)
The Circus Skills Group meets Wednesday lunchtimes on the green space in the middle of school (C Flat). Why attend? In case you have to run away to join the circus!
Come along learn something new and try your hand at some entertaining circus skills. We have a variety of props to play with including unicycles, devil sticks and rope darts. Open to all year groups and all skills levels are welcome.
Coding and Animating Club
Staff contact – Katie Long (katie.long@hvhs.school.nz)
The Coding and Animating Club is a space for students of all levels of experience to share ideas and knowledge. Students are welcome to bring their own projects or learn how to code and animate 3D games, multiplayer games, 3D models, and complex animations, this club has something for everyone.
Join us us every Thursday lunchtime in B14.
Darts Club
Staff contacts – Stephen Gibson (stephen.gibson@hvhs.school.nz) & Jared Putt (jared.putt@hvhs.school.nz)
Held on Thursday and Friday lunchtimes in the Social Sciences resource room between B21 and B23. With only two boards for play at the moment the club is currently running at capacity. The aim is to hopefully expand the club next if additional boards and a larger space can be secured.
Debating (for the HVHS Team)
Staff contact / Years 11-13 (Seniors) – Ioanna Koroniadis (ioanna.koroniadis@hvhs.school.nz)
For students in Years 11-13, a trial is being held after school on Monday 12 February in room S1. Students don’t need to prepare anything for the trial and students new to debating are also welcome. Simply come along and give it a go.
Staff contact / Years 9 & 10 (Juniors) – Philippa Plewinski (philippa.plewinski@hvhs.school.nz)
For students in Years 9 & 10, please contact Philippa for additional information on debating teams at Hutt Valley High School.
Drawing Club
Staff contact – Olivia McVey (olivia.mcvey@hvhs.school.nz)
Join Drawing Club for a casual weekly meet up hosted by Mrs McVey with some like-minded artists.
Try some new drawing techniques, or bring your own project to work on. All skill-levels welcome! Come to G3, every Thursday at lunch time. This counts towards Ad Alta.
Dungeons and Dragons / D&D Group
Staff contact – Marcus Blomquist (marcus.blomquist@hvhs.school.nz)
Come join us for Dungeons and Dragons every week! The D&D Group meet every Thursday from 3:15-5:30pm in V8. Members range in experience from brand new to any kind of gaming to peers with years of gameplay, all our welcome. The cost is free, we have all of the resources.
EPro8 Challenge
Staff contact – Kylie Miller (kylie.miller@hvhs.school.nz)
The EPro8 Challenge is a fast paced science and engineering competition for students in Years 9-10, designed to promote science, engineering and problem solving. Each year, Hutt Valley High School has teams participating in the EPro8 Challenge.
If you’re interested in joining an EPro8 team or want to learn more please email Kylie Miller at kylie.miller@hvhs.school.nz
Esports (for the HVHS Team)
Staff contact – Tyler Benson (tyler.benson@hvhs.school.nz)
Students can join an Esports team and represent Hutt Valley High School in their favourite game! To register for a team or to learn more email Tyler Benson or come to P1 where he teaches. Competitions include Rocket League, Fortnite, League of Legends and Valorant.
Green Fingers Horticultural Club
Staff contact – Richard Edwards (richard.edwards@hvhs.school.nz)
The club meets Friday lunchtimes in the Horticulture Area. Growing plants throughout the year. Prepare and plant your winter crops during Term 1 (broccoli, lettuce, radishes, broad beans, potatoes, silverbeet, cabbages….) and summer crops (corn, strawberries….) in Term 4 and harvest! Make use of our raised beds, tool shed and glass house.
Homework Club
Staff Contact – Jamie Casley (jamie.casley@hvhs.school.nz)
Homework Club is for students who don’t speak English at home. It offers assistance and support with school assignments and homework.
Homework Club runs every Wednesday from 3:15pm to 5:15pm in the Library at Hutt Valley High School. This club is open to all high school students (Years 9-13), all subjects, and all levels. Students simply need to bring their homework and snacks are also provided.
This Club is run by KiwiClass, an organisation dedicated to helping former refugees and new migrants in the Wellington region. Homework Club is free to attend.
HVHS Fusion Club (for New Migrants & Former Refugee Students)
Staff Contact – Sarah Roper (sarah.roper@hvhs.school.nz)
The wonderful youth workers from Ignite will come in on Tuesday lunchtime in G7 for weekly mentoring, and relationship building for former refugee students and new migrant students. Day trips are also run, one per term, where students are taken out into the community for activities (sports and games). Everyone is welcome.
Please also see our Homework Club that runs on Wednesdays at 3:30pm in the Library.
Kapa Haka
Staff contact – Whaea Krystal Clarke (krystal.clarke@hvhs.school.nz)
Te Rōpū Kapa Haka o Te Awakairangi is the Hutt Valley High School Kapa Haka. This group meets in the Hall on Tuesday and Thursday lunchtimes. If the Hall is in use they meet in Hotuwaipara (school marae).
The group is comprised of students from Years 9-13 and is open to all students from all cultures.
K-Pop Club
Staff contact – Sarah Roper (sarah.roper@hvhs.school.nz)
This group meets once a week to listen and dance to the latest K-pop songs. The low key group meets Wednesday lunchtimes in the dance room to listen to or sing along to K-pop and sometimes dance or learn some moves.
Language Buddies Club
Staff contacts – Yanling Guo (yanling.guo@hvhs.school.nz) & Victoria Mitchell (victoria.mitchell@hvhs.school.nz)
Language Buddies Club offers students the opportunity to use their language talents and strengths to help our English Language students. To get involved, students need to be able to commit themselves to volunteering for one hour per week. During this hour they will help English Language students to develop their conversational skills.
This club counts towards Ad Alta as well. If you’re interested, please contact Yanling Guo or Victoria Mitchell.
Mahjong Club
Staff contact – Yanling Guo (yanling.guo@hvhs.school.nz)
Learn and play mahjong every Wednesday at lunchtime in G7. Mahjong was developed in the 19th century in China and is a tile-based game played by four players.
Also running at the same time and in the same room is the Chinese Chess Club. Both clubs count towards Ad Alta.
Come along and join in. It will be fun!
Maths Help
Staff contact – Jill Skinner (jill.skinner@hvhs.school.nz)
Maths Help Room runs from 3:30-4:30pm every Wednesday after school in P4. Students receive individualised help from Hutt Valley High School’s fantastic Maths teachers. Students can bring their own work or our Maths teachers can help them find work. Maths Help is open to all year levels and abilities. No bookings are necessary, students are welcome to just show up.
Philosophy Club
Staff contacts – Jill Skinner (jill.skinner@hvhs.school.nz) & Paul Christeller (paul.christeller@hvhs.school.nz)
The Philosophy Club meets every Friday at lunchtime in the P10. It’s open to all year levels and no prior knowledge of philosophy is required. What is Philosophy? It is the study of the fundamental nature of reality, knowledge, morality and logic. At Philosophy Club students hang out, discuss and debate a range of issues like – is the world a simulation, is corporal punishment unethical, or what is truth. This club also counts for Ad Alta.
Pasifika Group
Staff contact – Rob Everett (rob.everett@hvhs.school.nz)
The Pasifika Group meets in S2 on Monday lunchtimes, and Wednesday and Friday intervals as well.
Students are learning new items for performances at school events and possibly HuttFest! The aim of the Pasifika Group is to make Pacific Island cultures more visible.
Queer Straight Alliance (QSA)
Staff contacts – Jill Skinner (jill.skinner@hvhs.school.nz)
The QSA meets every Thursday lunchtime in P4. The QSA is for students who identify as queer including lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, asexual, takatapui, fa’afafine, intersex and gender non-conforming students. We also have many cisgender, straight allies who are here to support their friends. Our aim is to provide a social space, a support network, and to work together to make our school and wider community more inclusive for students of gender and sexual minorities.
Rock n Roll Dance
Staff contact – Matua Paul Morris (paul.morris@hvhs.school.nz)
The Rock n Roll Dance group meets on Tuesdays at 3.30pm and Wednesday lunchtimes in the S1 Dance room. The aim of the students involved is to participate and compete at the Hutt Valley Rock n Roll Club Champs and the Regional Championships.
RockQuest
Staff contact – Katriona MacDonald (katriona.macdonald@hvhs.school.nz)
RockQuest is a nationwide, live, original music competition designed to give young musicians the opportunity to perform in a professional setting. In 2024, two HVHS bands, The Boy Boilers and Dude, We’re Screwed qualified for the RockQuest regional finals as one of the top 12 bands in Wellington. At the Wellington RockQuest final, Seth Houghton (11MS), the drummer from Dude, We’re Screwed won the award for Best Musicianship.
For more information, visit the RockQuest website
ShowQuest
Staff contact – Anna Flaherty (anna.flaherty@hvhs.school.nz)
Open to all year levels, keep an eye out in Term 1 for information on auditioning for ShowQuest.
In 2024, sixty-five dancers from Hutt Valley High School spent the day at St James Theatre showcasing their creativity at the Wellington Showquest event. The HVHS team placed second overall for the Wellington Region and received several additional awards: Best Choreography, Best Props, Highly Commended Theme and Highly Commended Lighting.
To learn more about ShowQuest, visit their website
Photo credit: ShowQuest
Stitch in Time
Staff contacts – Annette Inglis (annette.inglis@hvhs.school.nz) & Sarah Robbins (sarah.robbins@hvhs.school.nz)
A group for all things needles & stitching – knitting, crochet, embroidery and basic hand sewing including buttons, mending and hemming. Come along and learn a new skill or get help with a project. Stitch in Time meets on Wednesdays at lunchtime in B10.
Theatre Sports
Staff contact – Anna Flaherty (anna.flaherty@hvhs.school.nz)
Our Theatre Sports Club meets every Friday at lunchtime in the E5 drama room. Students get involved in a variety of drama games, learn improvisation (and that it’s fun) and the rules of Theatre Sports, and gain confidence as they work in teams of four making things up on the spot. It also contributes to Ad Alta.
The focus of the club is on creating a relaxed space where students can banter, share a laugh, think on their feet, and have fun getting their creative juices flowing. The club is open to all students and you’re welcome to come along to watch or get involved slowly with a non-speaking part.
Trans and Non-Binary Group
Staff contact – Jill Skinner (jill.skinner@hvhs.school.nz)
The purpose of this group is to help support gender diverse students, allow them to support each other with more targeted advice relevant to their transitions and to discuss changes needed within the school to further support trans and non-binary students.
While facilitated by Jill Skinner, the group is primarily led by its student members. The group meets every Tuesday lunchtime in P4. New members are welcome – just turn up.
Warhammer Club
Staff contact – Sarah Thomas (sarah.thomas@hvhs.school.nz)
Student contacts – James Beaton (24248jb@hvhs.school.nz) & Joshua Thorn (24357jt@hvhs.school.nz)
A Warhammer Club is starting up in Term 3 for Year 9 students. The club is for beginners and experienced players. Warhammer is a tabletop miniature wargame where players assemble and paint miniature models representing their armies.
The club will start after school in Term 3 on Wednesdays in B1 with 90 minutes sessions. The focus of the Warhammer Club is on painting figures rather and not gaming. Students who come along with receive a free model and be introduced to a new hobby.
If you’re interested, please contact Sarah Thomas at sarah.thomas@hvhs.school.nz
Youth UN (United Nations)
Staff contact – Hayley Knights (hayley.knights@hvhs.school.nz)
Student contact – Katrina Schaff-Ede (22074ks@hvhs.school.nz)
The group at meets to help organise logistics when events are posted from time to time from the President of UN (United Nations) Youth New Zealand.
The aim is to connect young people with a broad range of international and domestic talking points and help them develop confidence in their own beliefs and abilities. Youth UN run a number of local and national civic simulation-based events designed to showcase the role of international and domestic civic’s bodies in shaping a range of different policy areas.
In 2024, in addition to participating in the Hutt Model United Nations (MUN) and the European Union (EU) Parliament events, the HVHS Youth UN also hosted visits from the U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and the British High Commissioner to New Zealand.
This group is open to all year levels. Note, attendance at Youth UN events make require students to catch public transport into Wellington for events.
Please contact student organiser, Katrina Schaff-Ede at 22074ks@hvhs.school.nz for more information.
