The Last WordAssemblyYear 13LeadershipPrefects
Toby Ollerenshaw, 25 June 2026
The Last Word
Today I want to talk about something that every single person in this room wants and that is important to life: happiness.
Loads of people spend their lives looking for happiness and think it will come from getting more money, a nicer car, cool clothes, or a new phone. However, although we live in one of the most developed countries in the world, some people still struggle to find happiness.
A study by Harvard University, known as the Harvard Study of Adult Development, has spent more than 80 years trying to answer one simple question: What makes a good life? After following hundreds of people throughout their lives, the researchers found that happiness is built on three things: strong relationships, a sense of purpose, and meaningful experiences. Surprisingly, money was far less important.
When I read this, I thought it could be summarised into three simple ideas: people, places, and experiences.
First, people.
The people around us matter more than we often realise: family, friends, teammates, and teachers. When we look back on our lives, we don't often remember what we owned. We remember who we spent time with.
According to the study, one of the strongest sources of happiness comes from feeling connected to others.
Second, places.
Places have a way of making us feel connected, relaxed, and happy. It might be going to St Clair Beach, heading out into one of the many national parks we have nearby for tramping or hunting, or even something as simple as going to school or spending time where we play our sports.
Earlier this year, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Nepal and visit the Annapurna region with my grandparents. It was an experience that changed the way I think about happiness. Nepal is a country where many people have far fewer material possessions than we do here in New Zealand. However, everywhere I went, I met happy people who smiled, laughed, and genuinely enjoyed themselves.
What surprised me most about this trip was that happiness did not seem to come from what the people of Nepal owned. It came from their sense of community and connection with their villages, families, and friends. It reminded me that happiness is found in appreciating and enjoying what we have.
Finally, experiences.
The things that really shape who we are are the experiences we have. They're the adventures we go on with mates, the struggles we face, and the stupid mistakes that we learn from.
When we are old, we probably won't remember every test we sat or everything we bought. But we'll remember the yarns, the sports games, the school trips, and those moments that pushed us. These are the experiences that help us grow and stay with us.
Because of this, the things that matter most in life are not what we own, but the people we spend time with, the places we enjoy, and the experiences that change us.
True wealth and happiness come from people, places, and experiences. So my challenge to you boys is to spend more time with the people who matter to you, appreciate the places around you, and say yes to new experiences.
In true OBHS fashion, I will end with a quote:
"It's not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness." — Charles Spurgeon
