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WHAKATANE HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
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Issue 19 - 4 December 2025
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PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
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E ngā reo, e ngā mana, rau rangatira mā, ngā matā waka, tēnei te mihi nui atu ki ā koutou katoa. Ko te wawata me te tumanako ka noho ora mai koutou katoa.
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Our senior students have now finished their exams. I want to thank our achievement team who have been working hard over the past four weeks to help a few seniors complete their outstanding assessments. Our results are already looking very good, particularly at Level One and Two and it is heartening that so many of our students can launch into 2026 having been successful this year.
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Many of our junior students are currently off the school site attending their Wider Living Week activities. The wide range of opportunities available to them is testament to the efforts of our teaching staff who prepare and organise these trips throughout the year. I also wish to acknowledge Mr. Jim Hagger for his coordination of the week, ensuring all students are able to participate if they wish to.
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Junior Prizegiving will be held on Tuesday 9th December in the Hall. This is the students’ last day of school and they will be released once Prizegiving is completed, usually around midday, on that day.
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This is the last newsletter for the year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the students, staff and wider school community for their support of me in my role as Acting Principal this year. I happily hand over to Pete Barsdell in 2026 and will continue to support him. I will return to my role of Deputy Principal for Pastoral Care which I am looking forward to.
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I trust you will all enjoy your summer break and I look forward to working with you all again next year if your child is returning to Whakatāne High School.
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Level 2 Mechanical Engineering
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Over the past few weeks, some Level 2 Mechanical Engineering students have been coming into the workshop to persevere and complete their E-scooter projects. The smile on their faces as they completed their builds is a testament to the effort invested. A huge thank you to Trust Horizon for their generous sponsorship of the electrical components, making these fantastic projects possible!
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WHS Wetlands Enviro Project
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Project Manager - Joss Matthews
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Students identified an area of the school that required revisions to make it more user friendly. The area was often used by students as a thoroughfare, and during winter it became muddy, tracking mud into the classrooms. They decided it was the perfect place to design and develop a wetland area that will showcase native species and provide a way of managing excess water effectively in that area. The area will also be used to start a seed gathering/eco sourcing region to keep a native nursery going. This will ensure resilience of the native species we will be planting and show how native planting that aligns with good riparian/wetlands management.
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Thanks to Bay of Plenty Regional Council Toi Moana and Trust Horizon for supporting the vision of our students. Our Whakatāne High School Board of Trustees for their approval and support of the project. Mr Cochrane for leading the hands-on building and all the hard materials work for the project. Mr Archibald, our grounds team manager, for supporting the kaupapa and organising contractors when we needed big jobs done. D Brunsden Builders for the piling work to get the project started. Mr Hanlen and Mr Speedy for being Mr Cochrane’s hammer hands, on call anytime.
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Department of Conservation for donating the wool mulch. Matua Makka for his building amazing skills that were needed to complete the project. Matua Karlan for help with the hands on work and advice. Superior Excavation for the top quality mulch to finish our project.
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Finally, thank you to all the students (approx 90), especially the core group of students, who worked hard to complete this project. We hope that they will be able to enjoy and visit with their own tamariki and the plants grow.
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Sports Acknowledgement and Awards Evening 2025
On Friday evening, the annual WHS Sports Acknowledgement and Awards Dinner was held at the Awakeri Events Centre. This dinner acknowledges all the amazing coaches, managers and volunteers who support our students on and off the sports field. We are so very grateful to everyone who gave up their time to support our students throughout the year.
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The night also celebrates students success at national and international level and Year 13s who have performed at a high level in premier teams over the last 3 years.
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Congratulations to our major award winners and all students who were awarded Sporting Honours for 2025. Major award winners were:
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- Contribution to Sport - Talei Bryant (Volleyball)
- Coach/Manager of the Year - Te Aorere Walker (Netball)
- Outstanding Achievement - Premier 1 Netball team
- Team of the Year - Double Rowing Sculls - Travis Talpos & Ash Schutz
- Sportswoman of the Year - Monique Prasad (Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Hockey)
- Sportsman of the Year - Sam Litteljohn (Football)
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A huge thank you to Awakeri Events Centre for the gorgeous venue and Smokey Flame Catering LTD for their beautiful food and Ana Bryant for her amazing desserts. A massive thank you also to Jiko, Hannah, Harlen and Tai who were fabulous wait staff for the evening.
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Australian Sports Tour Xmas Raffle
Thank you to everyone who bought tickets for this raffle to support the students travelling to Australia next year.
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The raffle will be drawn next week under police supervision and winners will be notified by the school. A big thank you to all the local businesses that provided prizes for this raffle:
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- Bed, Bath & Beyond
- WhakaMax
- Paper Plus
- Whakatane Cycle Centre
- Massage Me & Beautify You
- BOP Rugby
- Chiefs Rugby
- Dermal Glow
RIR Advanced Ltd
- Bee Maori Ltd
- Distinct Fashion Concepts
- Nicholson Autos
- Renshaws Showcase Jewellers
- Cadera
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Funding Grants
A massive thank you to all of the following organisations that provided funding for sport in 2025. These grants help make sport more affordable for all our students and their support is much appreciated.
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- Grassroots Trust - $10,000 towards uniforms
- Aotearoa Gaming Trust - $25,000 towards Sports Equipment and Summer Tournament Week accommodation and transport
- Lion Foundation
- NZ Community Trust - $25,000 towards Winter Tournament Week accommodation and transport
- Sport NZ Rural Travel Fund - $2000 towards travel for sport
- Sport BOP Tu Manawa Fund - $30,000 towards Waka Ama - new waka, paddles and lifejackets
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| The Whakatane High School Principal and Board of Trustees have stated that any students applying to attend a trip must have all previous years' charges paid before they can be accepted/approved to go on any trips valued at $500 or more. If a student applies for a trip and they have an outstanding account for previous years their parent/caregiver will be notified. |
As per the information on students' statements that are sent out a minimum of twice per term, there is the option to set up an automatic payment to a student's account in order to reduce the impact of fees building up. |
When a student leaves, if there is a credit balance on their school account this will be refunded when requested by the parent/caregiver. |
WHS Bank account number 12-3253-0046123-00 (ref: student name; code: student number) |
Please do not be afraid to speak with the Principal, Deputy Principals, Teachers or the Executive Officer regarding arrangements or extenuating circumstances. |
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Science Department Request
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Over the holiday break, please collect up all your ice cream containers and drop them in to the front office from 19 January. Our Science Department would greatly appreciate it!
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