Whakatane High School

School in Whakatāne, New Zealand
  Black
  GoldSloganChallenging Students to AchieveSocio-economic decile4K[2]Websitewww.whakatanehigh.school.nz

Whakatane High School (or Whakatāne High School) is a secondary school located in the town of Whakatāne, New Zealand. As of 2022, the school has a roll of 1067 students and aims to offer every student an equal opportunity to succeed with strong values around responsibility, respect and achievement. Whakatane High School has a 100-year history as a co-educational public high school, opening in 1920 as Whakatane District High School, becoming a full high school in 1950.[3] The school held its centennial on 2–3 April 2021, postponed from 2020.[4]

History

Whakatane High School is over a century old, opening in 1920 as Whakatane District High School, becoming a full high school in 1950. In 1973, as the population of Whakatane neared 10000, Trident High School was opened[5]

Facilities and buildings

The school consists of a field, gymnasium (a separate gymnastics building operated by the local Gymnastics Club lies next to it), school & student office, Careers Centre, the Barclay Hall, a library (named in November 2011 after New Zealand author Margaret Mahy, who went to Whakatane High School for a period of time), and numerous buildings split into blocks including: N block (Mainly used for Math, and Computer sciences), T Block (Mainly used for Technology), B Block (Mainly for English, Social Studies and related subjects), A block (Multiple subjects including Languages and Health), C Block (Mainly for art and related subjects) and L Block (Mainly for science and related subjects).

  • The N block
    The N block
  • The L block
    The L block
  • The T block
    The T block
  • The main office viewed from Ghoulstone rd.
    The main office viewed from Ghoulstone rd.

Students

As of the 1st of July 2023, the total school roll was 1067 students. 62.76% of the students are European / Pākehā, 46.33% are Māori, 2.53% are Pacific, 4.98% identify as Asian, 0.87% are classified as MELAA, and 1.22% are registered as Other.[6] There are 39 international students as of the first of July, 2023.

Houses

Students at Whakatane High School are split into one of four houses. Each house is named after a tree that is native to New Zealand. Students compete in school-related sporting and cultural events to win points for their house. At the end of the year, one house is named champion for that year. The houses are represented by a colour and are listed below:

  • Matai  
  • Kauri  
  • Totara  
  • Rimu  

Notable alumni

  • Jack Brodrick, New Zealand rugby league international, Māori All Black, NZ Māori rugby league team player
  • Lisa Carrington, Canoe Sprint World Champion, Olympic gold medalist
  • Richard James Conway, New Zealand rugby union player
  • Karen Hanlen, Oceania mountain bike champion
  • John Vernon Head QSM, anti-landmines activist
  • Toni Jeffs, New Zealand swimmer
  • Jozef Klaassen, Member of Nederlands Olympic Eight at 2012 London Games
  • Jaimee Lovett, New Zealand canoeist
  • Margaret Mahy, author
  • Benji Marshall, rugby league player
  • Noel Mills, former New Zealand rower, Olympic silver medalist
  • Ian Shearer, former National MP[7]
  • Brett Sinkinson, rugby union player
  • Paul Steel, New Zealand squash player
  • Sir Alan Stewart, founding vice-chancellor, Massey University
  • Jon-Paul Tobin, New Zealand windsurfer
  • Nathan Twaddle, world champion rower and Olympic bronze medalist
  • Wybo Veldman, former New Zealand rower, Olympic gold medalist
  • Stacey Waaka, New Zealand rugby union player

References

  1. ^ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools". Ministry of Education. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Welcome". Whakatane High School. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  4. ^ "Centennial 2021". Whakatane High School. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  5. ^ Williams, Shirley; Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Whakatāne High School". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  6. ^ Counts, Education. "Ministry of Education - Education Counts". www.educationcounts.govt.nz. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  7. ^ Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. p. 341. ISBN 0-474-00177-6.

External links

  • School Website
  • Education Review Office (ERO) reports for Whakatane High School