13PED - Wānanga Day

By Andrew Willmott | Posted: Thursday May 22, 2025

On Wednesday’s Wānanga Day, our 13PED students focused on safety management in preparation for their upcoming internal assessment, which centres on potential risks and hazards involved in their Triathlon/Duathlon event.

The morning began with an investigation into recent EOTC (Education Outside the Classroom) tragedies. This allowed students to explore key safety concepts and terminology before applying these ideas to identify potential hazards and assess risk levels—both with and without safety controls in place—for their own event.

In the afternoon, students visited the University of Otago School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences. It was a hands-on experience where students engaged with practical applications of what they’ve been learning. Volunteers Brayden Thorburn, Toby Kerr, Victor Edwards, and Vance Butler took part in VO₂ max testing and flume drag analysis, while their group members operated equipment and recorded data. Brayden recorded an impressive VO₂ max of 66.4 mL/min/kg—surpassed only by Ruie Hyslop, who achieved 70.6 mL/min/kg in Tuesday’s testing with Mr McGarry’s class. Both students recorded values in the top 1% for their age group, highlighting the high level of aerobic fitness within our cohort (the population average for their age group is 44.9 mL/min/kg).

The visit concluded with talks from Dr Chris Harvey, Nigel Barrett, and Nick Parata, who shared insights into undergraduate study pathways in the field. A huge thanks to the university for hosting our students and helping bridge the gap between secondary and tertiary learning.

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