Student Life
Manutaki | Student Leaders
Congratulations
Our Manukura/Head Girls for 2026 are Miriana Haiatana, Mareikura Nepia, Sophia Nicholas, Piper Patrick.
The Manukura will be supported by their team of Manutaki.
Kia Ora Koutou,
“E rere kau mai te awa nui nei, Mai i te kāhui maunga ki Tangaroa, Ko au te awa
Ko te awa ko au.” The great river flows from the mountains to the sea. I am the river and the river is me.
Ko Miriana Haitana tōku ingoa. This whakataukī from my people, reflects the idea that I did not arrive here alone. Like a river shaped by the streams that join it, I am here because of those who have come before me and those who walk with me in this journey. It is in that spirit, that I step into this role as one of your four Manukura – Head Girl’s of Marlborough Girls’ College for 2026, leading not alone, but together as a team.
It is a pleasure to work alongside Māreikura Nepia, Sophia Nicholas and Piper Patrick. Together, our vision is to encourage a school environment where students walk in knowing they are supported, valued, and feel safe to be themselves. A place where people feel excited to learn, comfortable to speak up and confident that their voice matters. I believe students shouldn’t just feel proud to attend MGC; they should know that MGC is proud of them.
As a Manukura, what matters most to me is being genuine and relatable. I hope students feel comfortable approaching me, not because of a title but because they feel heard and understood. By doing so, our role becomes something lived every day, creating positive change in both small moments and meaningful ways throughout our school. Together we will proudly guide and support our exceptional Manutaki Collective for 2026, turning ideas into action by building on past legacies and introducing fresh initiatives that strengthen and uplift our kura. We do this with the intention to uphold – “Ma te kahukura ka rere te manu”. Adorn the bird with feathers so it may fly.
Miriana Haitana
“There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be” – The Beatles
Tēnā koutou katoa,
Ko Mareikura Nepia tōku ingoa, ā, he uri tēnei nō Te Whare Wānanga o Hawaiki Kura. It is my absolute honour to serve as one of the four Manukura Head Girls of Te Kāreti Kōhine o Wairau (Marlborough Girls’ College) for 2026.
As I step into this role as Manukura, I have the privilege of working alongside Miriana Haitana, Sophia Nicholas, Piper Patrick, and the wider Manutaki team. Throughout the year, we hope to encourage students to embrace new challenges, take pride in who they are, and feel confident expressing themselves in all areas of school life. At the same time, we aim to create an environment where students feel proud to be part of our kura and show school spirit in their everyday lives.
Through school initiatives, everyday interactions, and working alongside my fellow Manukura, I hope to help shape a school culture that celebrates identity, reflects our school values, and supports students to grow both individually and collectively. One of my key goals is to strengthen connections across our school. I want Marlborough Girls’ College to be a place where students of all year levels feel connected to one another and supported by their teachers. By building strong relationships and fostering mutual respect, we can create a positive environment where everyone feels a genuine sense of belonging and purpose.
I am looking forward to the year ahead and the opportunities it will bring for our kura.
Mai i te kore, ki te pō, ki te whaiao, ki te ao mārama —
From untapped potential to self-mastery.
Ngā mihi nui,
Mareikura Nepia
Ko Sophia Nicholas toku ingoa and I am deeply honoured to be named as one of your Manukura head girls of Kareti Kohini o Wairau for 2026. Excited is an understatement about this coming year and I can not wait for our vision to flourish and come alive.
“He rau ringa e oti ai” – “Many hands make light work”. Standing beside me are three beautiful wahine: Māreikura Nepia, Piper Patrick and Miriana Haitana. Together we aim to work as one, utilising our individual strengths and act as strong pillars in support of our Manutaki collective. Our shared vision statement is, “To foster a vibrant and supportive school culture where people feel safe. We will strive to build a strong school spirit and sense of belonging for everyone.” To achieve this we will be active participants within the school, showing students that getting involved is fun and enjoyable! From this, we hope to see a significant increase in MGC school spirit, attendance and love and laughter at kura. We want every person who attends Marlborough Girls College to feel they belong and are connected to us as Tuakana/ big sisters.
Our Manutaki team this year are strong, eager leaders who are full of ideas that will benefit MGC in 2026. I will be working closely with the House Manutaki (Fenella Cooney, Gabby Miller, Ava Petersen and Jess Curzon), Sports Manutaki (Bree Flynn, Anna Hurren and Ryleigh Gale), and Events Manutaki (Olivia Brown, Sophie Barnes, Lusia Anderson and Ayla McPhee) to develop school wide events, make sure they feel supported and to grow the school spirit.
My goal this year is to embody the school values and be an approachable, smiley role model for not only students but teachers and the wider community. To do this I will be kind, open minded and an active leader within the school. This will help me work well alongside my three other Manukura to ensure that we bring our vision to life. I want to support each and every idea the Manutaki team comes up with and follow through with events and activities around the school.Overall, I’m hoping to have a fun, memorable, laughter filled year and to make everyone around me feel the aroha. I truly believe that 2026 is going to be unforgettable.
“Ma te kahukura ka rere te manu” – “Adorn the bird with feathers so it may fly”
Nga mihi nui,
Sophia xx
Kia ora koutou,
Ko Piper Patrick tōku ingoa and it is an absolute honor to be one of the four Manukura for 2026!! Words cannot express how excited I am for the year to come and for us as a kura to grow together as one.
As a school, it is important that we are willing to change and adapt to improve all aspects of school life. This is why I am ready to step into the new year with a group of Manukura (Miriana Haitana, Sophia Nicholas and Māreikura Nepia) who will work together to strengthen our kura using each of our talents, interests and abilities. Our shared goal for the Manutaki collective is to foster a vibrant and supportive school culture where people feel safe. We will strive to build a strong school spirit and a sense of belonging for everyone where people are excited to come to school, make memories and enjoy all that kura has to offer.
My role in the school is to support all students, particularly the Manutaki collective. This incredible collective is filled with amazing wahine who are working to improve the school from a students perspective; the portfolios I will be working closely with are Teaching and Learning (Jordan Sampson and Nicola Lovell), Student Council (Matilda Phelps, Jeasinah Alipia and Juliette Nowacki) and Environmental (Pippa Fissenden and Alice Mundy). Each of these groups have different goals that contribute to achieving our collective goal of belonging within our kura.
Mā te whakarongo, ka mōhio, mā te mōhio, ka mārama, mā te mārama, ka matau, mā te matau, ka ora. – Through listening, comes knowledge, through knowledge, comes understanding, through understanding, comes wisdom, through wisdom, comes wellbeing.
I hope to see every student participating in house activities and being proud of our kura. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us all!
Ngā mihi,
Piper Patrick
