Thursday, 21 May 2026

Gore schools think pink to combat bullying

    By Gemma Sinclair
    1. Southland
    2. The Ensign

    Waikaka Primary School students braved the cold and wore pink to stand in solidarity against...
    Waikaka Primary School students braved the cold and wore pink to stand in solidarity against bullying on Pink Shirt Day on Friday. PHOTO: GEMMA SINCLAIR
    Schools around the Gore district were in the pink last Friday to do their bit to kick bullying to the kerb.

    Many West Gore School pupils wore hot pink bandannas to mark Pink Shirt Day. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
    Many West Gore School pupils wore hot pink bandannas to mark Pink Shirt Day. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
    West Gore School principal Linda Fraser said bullying was constantly on her school’s radar.

    Menzies College students dressed up in pink early on Wednesday for Pink Shirt Day. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
    Menzies College students dressed up in pink early on Wednesday for Pink Shirt Day. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
    "It’s about making a promise to choose kindness, to include others, [and] to speak up when something’s wrong," she said.

    Staff from Māruawai College’s senior campus embraced the anti-bullying messaging of Pink Shirt...
    Staff from Māruawai College’s senior campus embraced the anti-bullying messaging of Pink Shirt Day. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
    At Waikaka Primary School, pupils agreed there was more to bullying than mean words.

    "Hurt people hurt people," Briar Reeves, 10, said.

    Pupils from Māruawai College’s junior campus dressed to the nines to kick bullying to the kerb...
    Pupils from Māruawai College’s junior campus dressed to the nines to kick bullying to the kerb last Friday. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
    Alfie Bell, 9, added "a bully is a person that is the one that’s already sad, they’re just ... pushing their emotion on to someone else".

    Pink Shirt Day started in Canada in 2007, after a student was bullied for wearing pink at school.

    Year 3 and 4 students from Wyndham Primary School pulled on their best pinks on Friday. PHOTO:...
    Year 3 and 4 students from Wyndham Primary School pulled on their best pinks on Friday. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
    The next day, hundreds of others wore pink T-shirts in support.

    The nationwide anti-bullying campaign, which is supported by the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, has been marked in New Zealand since 2009.