Our 2026 Arts Awards recognised student achievement across six areas of the Arts.

Last night, Onehunga High School held its annual Arts Awards ceremony, celebrating the achievements of our students in Design, Dance, Painting, Drama, Music and Photography. It was a lovely evening bringing together students, staff and whānau to recognise the work and talent of our young artists and performers. Principal Shameen Hayat addressed the audience, reflecting on the successes of our Arts students throughout 2026, including our production of Macbeth, our Theatre Sports team's second-place finish in the Auckland Grand Final, the achievements of our musicians in Rockquest and Play It Strange and the growing opportunities for students in Dance and Visual Arts.

We were delighted to welcome back Wesley Dowdell, OHS alumnus from the Class of 1997, as our guest speaker. Wesley has built a successful career as a professional actor in New Zealand. It was particularly special to have a former student return to share his experiences of working in the performing arts and the opportunities that can come from pursuing a career in this field. Throughout the evening, we enjoyed performances from our Dance students, a musical performance by Dornia Silupe-Ulumani and a performance by Jane Deacon and Cayce Coe.

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of our major Arts Awards, recognising students who have achieved at the highest level across the Arts. Azalea Jaensch received the Top Junior Arts Student Award, while Jacob Henderson was recognised as our Top Level 1 Arts Student and Myla Van Dolleweerd as our Top Level 2 Arts Student. The Weston Family Cup for Outstanding Achievement in a Subject was awarded to Abigail Nathan for Design, while Hamna Khan received the Weston Family Cup for Overall Arts, recognising achievement across multiple arts disciplines.

Vicky Guan received two of the evening's major awards: the ARA Fine Art Award and Dux Artium, our highest Arts honour, recognising excellence across the Arts.

Thank you to our Arts Learning Area, led by Anthony Clark, and our Arts Council for organising the evening. We also thank our parents and whānau for supporting our students throughout the year. Congratulations to all our award recipients. We are proud of what you have achieved.

2026 Arts Awards Recipients

Special Awards

• Vicky Guan — Dux Artium
• Vicky Guan — ARA Fine Art Award
• Hamna Khan — Weston Family Cup, Overall Arts
• Abigail Nathan — Weston Family Cup, Subject (Design)
• Myla Van Dolleweerd — Top Level 2 Arts Student
• Jacob Henderson — Top Level 1 Arts Student
• Azalea Jaensch — Top Junior Arts Student

Design

• Myla Van Dolleweerd — Top Level 2 Designer
• Abigail Nathan — Top Level 3 Designer
• Harlin Kita Mokalei — Top Illustrator
• Ruby McGovern — Designer's Eye Award
• Hayley Thomas — Breakout Artist
• Coen Zurrer — Resilience Award
• Troy Horrocks — Most Original
• Aariz Ali — Most Improved Level 2
• Aizah Kalim — Most Improved Level 3

Dance

• Aivenhi Fahina — Excellence in Dance Artistry
• Jayda Tearikimana — Excellence in Dance Technique
• Cayce Coe and Jane Deacon — Excellence in Choreography
• Isabella Cathro — Most Entertaining Performer
• Aivenhi Fahina — Breakout Artist
• Lara Aitchison — Resilience Award
• Normitha Rathnayaka — Most Improved
• Ruby Johnson — Top Junior Dance Student

Painting

• Ruby Stephens — Top Year 9 Visual Artist
• Azalea Jaensch — Top Year 10 Visual Artist
• Hikianna Anaru — Top Painter
• Samuel Shah — The Colour Painter
• Kae Hagiwara — Top Level 1 Painting
• Stevie Robinson — Top Level 2 Painting
• Hikianna Anaru — Top Level 3 Painting
• Hayden Chandler — Most Original
• Sam Bolton — Most Improved

Drama

• Reese Kilpatrick — Excellence in Devising
• Ashton Mahy — Performer of the Year
• Maya Mendis — Best Emerging Performer, Junior Theatresports
• Daniel Grange — Outstanding Performer, Theatresports
• Joe Milne — Technical Support in Arts
• Hazel Argent — Breakout Artist
• Reese Kilpatrick — Resilience Award
• Emma Roberts — Most Improved
• Micah Hart — Top Junior Drama Student

Music

• Kierah Stevens — Excellence in Musical Composition
• Samuel Shah — Excellence in Technical Musicianship
• Xavier Nakatsuji — Best Emerging Performer
• Aron Kristoff Diaz — Most Improved Performer
• Liam Herbert — Most Original
• Arlo Gould and Dornia Silupe-Ulumani — Top Level 1 Musicians
• Allesandra Mahoney — Top Level 2 Musician
• Leo Kelly — Top Level 3 Musician
• Ghardyan Silupe-Ulumani — Top Year 10 Musician
• Jackie Chen — Top Year 9 Musician

Photography

• Louie Gould — Junior Shutterbug
• Ana Peni — Senior Shutterbug
• Haru Arbuthnot — Photographer's Eye Award
• Amelia Scott — Top Year 10 Photographer
• Toren Paston — Level 1 Art Photography Design
• Mackenzie Seales — Top Portrait Photographer
• Samuel Shah — Breakout Artist
• Joseph Nathan — Most Original
• William Apa — Most Improved
• Ryan Cooper — Photography Award Sponsored by PhotoLife