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WHAKATANE HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
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Issue 12 - 27 August 2026
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PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Tēnā koutou e ngā mātua, e ngā whānau o te kura tuarua o Te Mānuka Tūtahi. Nei rā te mihi nui ki ā koutou e tautoko mai nei i ngā mahi i roto o tō tātau kura. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou. E tāpiri ake nei ko te pānui a te kura mō tēnei wiki.
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Warm greetings to all of our Whakatāne High School community.
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Our Subject Selection Evening takes place tonight at 6pm for Year 10, 11 and 12 students. This is a great opportunity for students and whānau to connect with Department Heads and teachers to discuss the best learning pathways moving forward. We look forward to seeing you there.
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A strong partnership between kura and whānau is essential to supporting student wellbeing and achievement. In Week 8, you will have the opportunity to meet with your child’s Mentor Teacher to discuss their progress. We strongly encourage you to book an appointment so we can keep your child’s learning at the centre of the conversation.
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A number of our students recently sat ICAS exams in Maths, English, Writing and Science. We look forward to celebrating their successes with them once results are released.
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A special acknowledgement also to our 15 Mathsmind students who recently represented our school with distinction at the competition held down at Trident.
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Many of our Junior students are hard at work preparing for the upcoming CAA (Common Assessment Activities) exams for Literacy and Numeracy. It has been fantastic seeing so many dedicated students attending Iti Pounamu, our Wednesday homework club, to get extra support from staff. We wish everyone sitting these exams all the best!
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Many of our whānau across the community have been hit by winter illnesses recently, and it can be tough to decide whether to send our tamariki to school when they are recovering or starting to feel unwell. These guidelines may offer helpful advice to consider. Additionally, accessing timely medical care can be challenging, so Health New Zealand has shared online GP appointment options for families. With days warming up and getting longer, hopefully the worst of the winter bugs are behind us!
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As winter school sport draws to a close, we want to acknowledge all of our Coaches, Managers and Supporters who tautoko our rangatahi in their sport. I have been proud to see how our teams have carried themselves and competed throughout the season. Student growth and development through sport is a key focus for us, and a big mihi goes out to all the volunteers who made our students' participation possible this year.
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Next week, many of our premier sports teams will travel to compete in National Winter Tournament Week. We wish them all a safe and successful week, both on and off the field.
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The following teams will be participating:
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Senior Premier Girls Netball in Hamilton - UNISS Championships
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Senior A Boys Basketball in Rotorua - Regional Championships
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1st XI Boys' Football in Rotorua - Trident Tournament
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1st XI Girls' Football in Hamilton - Grant Jarvis Tournament
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1st XI Girls' Hockey in Whangārei - Federation Cup/Marie Fry Trophy
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Premier Badminton team in Wellington - NZSS Championships
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Senior Boys' 10 aside Rugby in Napier - Central Co-Ed SS Rugby Festival
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- Equestrian team in Taupo - National Equestrian Centre
Ngā manaakitanga ki a tātau katoa
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Duke of Edinburgh
Congratulations to Esther Pearce and Trista Baker who have received their Duke of Edinburgh Leadership Gold level award.
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This is a huge achievement and they both have committed a lot of time to completing this award. In order to get their Gold award, they have to learn a new skill, be physically active and volunteer over a 52 week period. Furthermore, they have to complete a residential project as well as a 4-day, 3-night trip with a defined team goal for their adventurous journey.
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Esther volunteered at various community events which included our primary school EPro8 club, played hockey and developed her photographic skills. In addition, for her Gold Residential Project she completed the Walsh Flying School and completed the Scouts Photography camp for her Adventurous journey.
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Trista volunteered at Steps Dance School and also practised her own dancing as her skill. For her Residential project, she shadowed a group of WHS silver level students who were completing their own Adventurous Journey, following this she then completed the Round the Mountain walk for her Gold Level Adventurous Journey.
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This brings the total number of Gold Duke of Ed students from our WHS award unit to three as Beren Pearce completed his last year. Also, Esther Ferguson is about to begin her Gold Duke of Edinburgh award and will be the first student from our award unit to complete all three levels of Duke of Edinburgh.
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Please get in touch with Erin Nolan if your son/daughter is interested in completing this award.
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Junior Science
Our Junior Science classes are mastering mechanical engineering through hands-on EPro8 challenges. Students are investigating how gears and pulleys transfer kinetic energy to change the direction and magnitude of a force.
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Through teamwork, our young scientists are identifying mechanisms in everyday machines like cars and cranes. They are learning how gear sizes affect speed and torque, calculating gear ratios, and exploring mechanical advantage for heavy lifting. It is fantastic watching them problem-solve and bring physics to life!
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Mechanical Engineering
Our Mechanical Engineering students have been busy bringing some awesome projects to life.
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Year 12 students Jacob Baigent and Max Schlepers have completed their Level 2 project by building a fully functional electric scooter, while Year 13 student Oli Harris has finished constructing an electric go-kart. Oli already has plenty of ideas for tweaks and improvements to make it perform even better!
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The students recently put their creations through their paces, taking them for a spin around the school field and testing out all their hard work.
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A big thank you to Trust Horizon for generously sponsoring the electrical components for these projects. We really appreciate the support that makes hands-on learning like this possible!
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Environmental Studies
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Our Level 2 Enviro students completed their annual tree planting project at Te Tawa Kaiti Lands Trust Farm, Ruatoki in early August. This is the second year our students have grown native trees for the trust. Last year, we grew species to regenerate a stream bank and this year we planted our mature species at the Te Wai Tākihi Wetlands site. Every year we receive 1000 tiny seedlings from the Trees for Survival team. These seedlings are germinated locally from local eco sourced seeds. The students raise the seedlings for a year, caring for them and ensuring they stay healthy. Then during winter, the students from the Level 2 Environmental Studies class plant their trees on the chosen site in our community. It was great to see our trees planted by many other groups who attended the planting day. The local news and media company, Pūkāea was also on site to record the work on the day. Well done, Enviro students!
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Career News
Year 11 and 12 students wanting to take a Trade in 2027 can visit the BOPFA Trades Academy prospectus for details of the courses on offer. Students attended a Trades Assembly in Week 5 and were instructed on how they need to fill in an expression of interest form to start the process of being selected for a trade course in 2027. See here for details that were shared at the assembly. Enrolments will begin next week.
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Subject selection for 2027
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On Thursday evening there is the Subject Selection evening. Here is what was shared at the Year 11 and 12 hui.
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Tuesday 15 September - Awanuiārangi Open Day
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Saturday 19 September - Toi Ohomai Open Days, Mokoia Campus, Rotorua
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Students should have applied for their scholarships and accommodation by now. We have some final course planning sessions. Students can now start setting up their StudyLink account to access student loans and allowances.
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Iti Pounamu – Homework & Study Club
A huge thank you to our dedicated teachers who generously give up their after-school time every Wednesday to support our students at Iti Pounamu, our school homework club.
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This week was a fantastic turnout, with 50 students from Years 9 to 13 attending to work on their subject studies, as well as targeted Literacy and Numeracy preparation for the CAA co-requisite assessments.
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If your child would like extra help in any subject, they are welcome to join us!
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When: Every Wednesday after school
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Where: Meet in the Staffroom for a small kai, then head to the Library for study time
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We deeply appreciate our staff for making this space possible, and we look forward to seeing more students take advantage of this awesome support! Please note: Next Wednesday is our last session for this term and we will start up again in Week 1 of next term.
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Gold medals for Nikau
Congratulations to Nikau Deane who competed at the Eastern Region Surf Life Saving Pool Champs in Gisborne over the weekend and came home with 4 Gold medals.
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- 1st U17 Line Throw with Dom Rowland (Trident)
- 1st Open 4 x 50m Obstacle Relay
- 1st Open 4 x 25m Manikin Carry
- 1st Open 4 x 50m Medley Relay
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Hockey
Congratulations to Whakatāne High School 1st XI hockey players Addie Tetze and Madie Carter, who have enjoyed another outstanding season playing for the Whakatāne Women's Hockey team.
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The Whakatāne team compete in the Mid North Island Intercity competition, a premier-level competition. Their commitment to weekly training and Saturday games has made for a busy season, with both Addie and Madie also representing the team last year.
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After winning the competition in 2025, Whakatāne Women were determined to defend their title. The team produced an incredible comeback in the semi-final, recovering from 3-1 down to win 4-3 and secure their place in the final.
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The final was another closely fought contest, finishing 1-1 at full time and sending the match to a shootout. Both Addie and Madie showed great composure and stepped up to take shots, helping their team secure the victory and go back-to-back as Mid North Island Intercity champions.
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We couldn't be prouder of the girls and wish Addie, Madie, and the Whakatāne High School Girls 1st XI team all the best as they head to Whangārei in two weeks to compete in the Federation Cup.
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