SPORT 

Sport is an integral part of every student's wellbeing and education. Iona College has an extensive range of sporting opportunities for girls of all fitness levels and abilities. 

 While we strive to have highly competitive teams across all sports, we are equally focussed on inclusion and participation. As part of the Special Character of the College, we encourage all of our girls to enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle. ​​​​​​​Sport is compulsory from Year 7 to Year 12 to promote good health, fun, fitness and self-confidence. We recognise that regular participation in sporting activities develops the whole person and further empowers our girls with social skills, leadership, teamwork and the drive for excellence. 

Our sports programme is extensive and wide-ranging, and our girls enjoy modern sporting equipment and superior facilities. Within the school grounds, there is an outdoor multi-sports complex for hockey, netball, tennis and basketball, a multi-lane swimming pool, large fields for athletics and football, a  full-sized indoor netball court, and provision for badminton, volleyball, equestrian and more. In addition, we have a recently refurbished fitness room. 

We take great pride in our achievements at a regional and national level and support our elite sportswomen in their international endeavours. Our dedicated Sports Department and coaches foster an inclusive sporting culture with a considered balance of support, guidance, expert advice and challenge.   ​​

We are agile and
responsive in our
varied sports programme
​​​​​​​ which can include:



  • ​​​​​​​Athletics
  • Badminton
  • Basketball
  • Cricket
  • Cross Country
  • Cycling
  • Equestrian



  • ​​​​​​​Football
  • Golf
  • Hockey
  • Kayaking
  • Netball
  • Pilates
  • Polo

​​​​​​​


  • Rowing
  • Skiing
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Water Polo
  • Yoga

IOWNIT - HIGH-PERFORMANCE ATHLETE PROGRAMME

In 2021, we were proud to launch IOWNIT - a new high-performance athlete development programme, organised in conjunction with the Hawke's Bay Community Fitness Centre Trust.

 I (Individual) O (Opportunities) W (With) N (Nutrition) I (Insight) T (Training)

PROUD SPORTING MOMENTS 

Athletics High Flyer  

In 2022, Year 10 student Angalla Carney went from strength to strength in her sporting endeavours, taking her one step closer to fulfilling her ambition to become a professional athlete. 

At the East Coast Secondary School (ECSS) Athletics Championships, Angalla Carney won four of her five events – Intermediate Girls 80m Hurdles, 300m Hurdles, High Jump, as well as the Open Pole Vault. She was selected to represent Hawke’s Bay/Gisborne at the national championships in March and finished 3rd in the U18 Pole Vault. 

Angalla also holds the Iona Junior Hurdle record, the ECSS record for junior 300m Hurdles and both the Junior and Intermediate ECSS records in pole vault. At the 2022 Hastings Athletics Club Prize Giving, she was named the U16 Jumper of the year and U16 Hurdler of the year for the 2021/22 season. 

At the NZ Athletics National Championships held in Inglewood on 9-11 December, Angalla finished 1st = in the Junior Girls Pole Vault. This was an outstanding high-performance achievement and an exceptional end-of-year result. 

Equestrian 2023 

It has been an incredible year for our Iona Equestrian team, with the major highlight being riding to second place at the prestigious Pegasus North Island Secondary Schools' Equestrian Event. A combined year group team finished in second place out of 45 schools. The event was held at the stunning Takapoto Estate by Lake Karapiro. 

A special mention to Ella Von Dadelszen, who finished second overall in the "top rider award." 


Izzy Jarvis Canoe Sprint 

​​​​​​​With only eight months of training in the boat, Izzy Jarvis made a strong impression finishing incredibly well in four A finals at the 2022 NZ Canoe Sprint Championships at Lake Karapiro:
U16 K4 500m - 6th in A final
U16 K4 200m - 5th in A Final
Junior mixed K4 200m - 4th in A final
U16 K1 200m - 9th in A final


Golden Moments at Maadi Cup 

​​​​​​​In Year 12, Arianna Wright won Gold in her very first Maadi Cup, stepping up from the novice grade to compete in the under-16 single sculls. She was the only novice rower to make the finals, which she went on to win by a massive margin of over five seconds.

As an encore, she and fellow Iona student Libby Christie won a silver medal in the under-18 novice double sculls, and once again going up a grade into the under-16 double sculls, they won a bronze medal, making it a medal haul of three for Iona.

This was a phenomenal achievement for first-year rowers, combining exceptional sporting ability and the amazing work of coach Ross Webb.

Maadi 2023 - A record number of A Finals ​​​​

A large group of 16 Iona athletes competed at the 2023 Maadi Cup on Lake Karāpiro in Cambridge. Iona had six boats make the A finals, which was an outstanding achievement placing each in the top 8 in the country. 

Special congratulations to medal winners Angalla Carney, who entered two events and came home with a medal from each race,  and doubles partner Libby Windhager. 

- Silver medal - Angalla Carney and Libby Windhager – U16 Double Single Sculls  
- Bronze medal - Angalla Carney – U16 Single Sculls​​​​​​​

Clay Shooting Champion Team 2021 ​​​​

Iona’s Clay Shooting Team and the Iona ‘Team of the Year’ Giulietta Whitney, Billie France and Maddie France won the Central and Lower North Island Secondary Schools’ Championships and finished first overall in the National Secondary Schools Championships for points score.​​​​​​​

Ranked No.1 Hockey team in NZ 

​​​​​​​In 2018, Iona College defied the odds to win the NZ Secondary Schools' top tier Federation Cup Tournament for the first time in the school’s history. This achievement was the culmination of commitment, tenacity, talent and teamwork over many years. Iona College secured 9th place in 2016, 5th in 2017,  and 1st in 2018. 

The team created double history celebrating a first for Iona and also the first Hawke's Bay secondary school to be crowned the best senior schoolgirls' hockey team in New Zealand. 

This is an outstanding record of success for a team from a small school and is aspirational for all future players, in the school. It is important to have dreams and when they are achieved there is deep satisfaction in that achievement. 

Olivia Shannon, the star striker for the team,  recently made her Olympic debut representing the NZ  Black Sticks hockey team at the Tokyo Olympics, held in July 2021.