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WHAKATANE HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
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Issue 1 - 5 February 2026
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PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
E ngā reo, e ngā mana, e ngā rau rangatira mā, ngā matā waka, tēnei te mihi maioha atu mō te tau hou ki ā koutou katoa. Ko te wawata me te tūmanako ka noho ora pai koutou katoa.
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Nau mai hoki mai e te whānau. A warm welcome to all of our Year 9s, our new staff and welcome back to school to all of our returning students and staff for 2026.
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We also welcome all of our whānau of our new Year 9’s to the Whakatāne High School community, nei rā te mihi me te aroha nui ki a koutou katoa. It was great to see so many of you there last Thursday at the Pōhiri for our new students. The relationship between school and home is very important in supporting the wellbeing, learning and achievement of our students here at the kura. We look forward to working alongside you and thank you for entrusting us with your child’s education.
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The first few days for our Year 9s were focused on orientation, connection and fostering a sense of belonging. Their Mentor teachers and buddy prefects led these activities and will continue to be there to support them throughout the year. There are a number of scheduled activities in the coming weeks and months that will allow further opportunities for our Year 9s and their whanau to connect and form relationships with their buddy prefects, Mentors, Deans and subject Teachers.
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It has also been lovely to reconnect with all of our Year 10-13 students over the past week, ka nui te mihi ki a koutou me o koutou whānau.
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We have asked all Mentor teachers to communicate with home in the first few weeks to establish the relationship, or in the case of our returning students, reestablish those important relationships with you all. Your child’s Mentor is your primary point of connection with the school. Our Mentors ensure that:
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Your child is happy and settled at school. They are working with you through any issues.
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You and your child know how they are progressing through school.
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Your child has the right learning program and course selection.
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Contact details of all staff including the list of Deans for each year level can be found here: https://whakatanehigh.school.nz/relationships/
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A few important dates coming up are:
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Year 9 Big Day Out - Friday 13th February
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Year 9 BBQ - Thursday 19th February
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Athletics Day - Friday 20th February
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Mentor Interviews - Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th March (no school on Thursday)
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2026 Prefects
There are many opportunities for our students to show leadership here at the kura. These will be communicated to our students as they become available throughout the year.
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Congratulations to our Prefects for 2026. They recently attended a camp at Maungarongo Marae in Ōhope to establish the teamwork and collective vision required to effectively perform their roles throughout the year. Thank you to Mrs McKane, the Guidance team and the teachers from Te Aka Matua who supported that kaupapa. The welcome that the prefects performed for our new teachers was amazing.
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Our Prefects for 2026 are:
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- Head Boy - Caiden Simmons
- Head Girl - Jiko Bryant
- Deputy Head Boys - Hamish McPherson and Chris Martin
Deputy Head Girls - Trista Baker and Jada Peters
- Aidan Hogg
- Maseo Adlington
- Misty Mika
- Waiwhakaata Hunia
- Tukotahi Rapana
- Sincerely Wikitera
- Aeon Smith-Scott
- Mackenzie Reid
- Nikkolas Brown
- Nav Kaur
- Cassandra Davy
- Quaylin Fraser-Jones
- Sam Knapton
- Hannah White
- Aaria Boynton
- Jaz Black
- Te Mahea Hei-Hei Kalolo
- Zoe Laurent
- Aramia Hanlen
We wish all of our students and their whānau a safe, happy and successful year in 2026.
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He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata.
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What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.
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Ngā manaakitanga ki a tātau katoa.
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𝗡𝗮𝘂 𝗠𝗮𝗶, 𝗛𝗮𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗶 – 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
Last week, we officially began the 2026 school year by warmly welcoming our new staff, new students, and their whānau with a pōwhiri led by Te Aka Matua and our Prefects.
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The pōwhiri also provided an opportunity to formally acknowledge and welcome our new Principal, Peter Barsdell, as he steps into his new role as Tumuaki and begins this next chapter of leadership within our kura.
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Pete’s connection to our kura runs deep - as a former student, long-serving teacher, Deputy Principal and through his whānau. This appointment is a proud and historic milestone for our school, with the welcoming of our first Māori Principal in 106 years, a moment of significance for our kura, our community, and our future.
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Our Year 9 students spent their first two days with mentor teachers and buddy prefects, with a strong focus on whakawhanaungatanga - forming connections, building relationships, and developing a sense of belonging as they start their journey at Whakatāne High School. Our Prefects were outstanding in the way they supported and guided their teina, and we’re excited to see these connections continue to strengthen throughout the year.
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We’re look forward to a great year ahead .
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𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗹𝘆
Last week, we held our Prefect Assembly to formally acknowledge our 2026 school leaders in front of the whole school and their whānau. We also heard from our Head Girl Jiko, for the first time in her new role, setting a positive tone for the year ahead.
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The prefect team spent time together on prefect camp, where they set goals for the year, began brainstorming their first project, and started getting to know their new roles of responsibility . We look forward to introducing them properly in the coming weeks!
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Welcome to our new international students
We are excited to welcome 21 new international students to WHS this year! Students from Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Luxembourg have joined us and are already embracing our rohe and learning programmes.
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A special thank you to Mr Manning and Lena for ensuring a smooth start to the year, and to our homestay families for providing such a warm and supportive environment.
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We’re looking forward to building strong connections with our international students throughout the year.
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Bullying
The definition of bullying is the repeated and intentional use or abuse of power to intimidate, hurt, oppress, or damage someone else. Bullying can be physical or emotional.
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Mutual arguments or disagreements
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Single episodes of social rejection or dislike
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Single episode acts of nastiness or spite
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Random acts of aggression or intimidation
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Bullying is not tolerated at Whakatane High School. To help us address any issues, cases of bullying need to be reported to us.
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If you or someone you know is experiencing bullying, please go and have a confidential talk with your Mentor, Dean, one of our DPs or any staff member you feel comfortable speaking with.
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Sports at Whakatane High School
Sports Department
Director of Sport - Ben Sexton - ben.sexton@whs.co.nz
Sports Coordinator - Renske Forsyth - sport@whs.co.nz
The sports office is located beside the basketball court at the end of the school gym.
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Sports
We offer a wide range of sports and we encourage all students to get involved in sports. Over 50% of our students compete in sport each year, with our teams competing in local, regional and national events. If students are interested in a sport that we do not offer, please get in touch and we will see what we can do to offer support for school events.
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Sport Notices
All messages about sport (sign-ups, trainings, cancellations, game info, tournaments) will go through the school notices. The school notices are also available through the school portal.
Sports Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/sportswhakatanehigh
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Volunteers
We rely on the community members to help coach/manage a lot of our teams at Whakatāne High School. If you are interested in helping with a team, then please get in touch with the sports department.
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Overseas trips
For 2026, there are two overseas trips on offer to our students.
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We are taking 60 senior students to the Gold Coast in the July Holidays. We currently have a couple of spaces available for the Boys Basketball and Football teams.
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This trip is for Year 9 and 10 students, we are taking a Boys Rugby 7s team, a boys Football 7s team and a Girls Netball team.
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We currently have a space for one footballer and one netball player and then space for either a footballer or netball. The rugby team is currently full and has a waitlist.
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If you would like further information about these trips then please email Ben or Renske.
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Surf School
Thursday afternoons for Term 1 (starting 12th Feb). Students make their own way there (most take the Ohope bus). We provide boards and wetsuits, free of charge. We finish around 5:30pm.
Come see Mr. Mac, Mr. Hagger or Mr. Mahon for a permission slip.
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Device-free break times
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Whakatane High Margaret Mahy Library has decided to go device free during break times and this is going well. Students are engaged in board and card games and conversation. Here are some photos from our Wednesday Chess Club.
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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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