Girls’ tackle rugby is experiencing a powerful comeback at TGS, with both a Premier Girls U17 and a talented U15 side for the first time in decades. Head of Rugby at TGS, Dean Watkins, said this reflects years of growth at the junior level at North Harbour and improved pathways for female players at school.
Momentum has been building steadily with the rise of girls-only Rippa and non-contact grades, creating a strong foundation. TGS now has nine Girls’ Rippa teams in the North Harbour competition. A junior tackle team established in 2024 and strengthened again in 2025, provided the crucial stepping stone to the return of the premier team. The prem squad, coached by Rob Nicholls and Nik Shipkov, has a core of TGS players supported by guest players from Carmel and Kristin and three international students.
Manager Scott Tibbotts said a significant influence on the programme is alumna and former Black Fern Hannah Porter (née Myers), who captained the team at TGS in 1997 and now coaches the U15s alongside Lewis McClintock. Her daughter, Poppy Porter, is emerging as a standout talent in the junior team. U17 co-captains Mirim Dallimore and Holly Shipkov said the return of a standalone premier team had been a milestone. “We’ve taken some tough losses, but we’ve grown more confident, more resilient, and better at working together,” Holly said. A recent 70–0 win against Vanguard School was a highlight, “but we’ve tried to stay humble winners and gracious losers throughout the season.” Competing against schools with long-established programmes had been challenging, especially when injuries left the squad short. The team valued “having the U15 team to draw from,” Holly said. “We also place strong emphasis on tuakana-teina, where older students support and guide younger students.”
North Harbour Rugby’s Danielle Harrison said there had been “massive growth” in girls’ rugby over the past four years, driven by Rippa and strong female role models.“Having the Women’s Rugby World Cup here in 2022 and the growth of Super Aupiki has shown girls that rugby is truly something they can do and something they can make a career out of here in New Zealand.”
Dance success: Two wins for Cactus
Takapuna Grammar Dance Companies, Cactus and Tempus have delivered stand-out performances at the Secondary Schools division of the National Dance Challenge - one of the highest calibre competitions in the country. Premiere group Cactus wowed the judges with both their Jazz and Contemporary routine, taking home first place in both categories. Junior group Tempus was awarded 6th place in the Variety category. This reflects the depth of emerging talent within the TGS dance programme.
A special acknowledgement goes to the student choreographers whose creativity was instrumental in these results. There is more to look forward to with tickets to the Dance showcase “Takapuna Grammys” at the Bruce Mason Centre on sale through Ticketmaster now.
TGS Chorale off to Big Sing Finale
Talented TGS choristers are off to the Big Sing Finale after showcasing their talent at Auckland regionals. Proudly representing TGS were Chorale, conducted by David Squire and accompanied by Year 12 Elaine Zhang; Leona Ensemble, conducted by Elise Bradley with Soomin Kim; and Nessamoré, conducted by Keani Taruia-Pora with Year 11 Lisa Murata Gutierrez. Chorale won Excellent Performance for Choral Art Music Composition for Sure on This Shining Night and was selected for the prestigious Big Sing Finale, where 24 choirs are chosen from more than 250 entrants nationwide. Leona Ensemble was runner-up for Excellent Performance for a New Zealand or Pasifika Composition or Arrangement for Matariki and named a reserve choir for Cadenza.
