Ōpōtiki College is a state secondary school located in

Ōpōtiki Ōpōtiki (; from ''Ōpōtiki-Mai-Tawhiti'') is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty in the North Island of New Zealand. It houses the headquarters of the Ōpōtiki District Council, the mayor of Ōpōtiki and comes under the Bay of Plenty Region ...

, in the

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty () is a large bight (geography), bight along the northern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It stretches from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway in the east. Called ''Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi'' (the Ocean ...

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

History

The first secondary schooling available in Ōpōtiki was at the Opotiki District High School, which was established in 1922. The name was changed in 1953 when Ōpōtiki College opened as a separate secondary school (on its present site). When Ōpōtiki College came into being in 1953, a new crest was decided on. At the top is a burning lamp. Underneath is a cogged wheel and key. The fern and the mere were added later. The first motto was in Latin – ; “as the mind is, so is the man”. This was later changed to te reo Māori – ; meaning “The mind is the measure of the man”. A new logo has recently been developed that has at its centre the

Koru The is a spiral shape evoking a newly Circinate vernation, unfurling frond from a Cyathea dealbata, silver fern frond. It is an integral symbol in Māori people, Māori art, bone carving, carving and Tā moko, tattooing, where it symbolise ...

Kura Ki Uta

The school ''

marae A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...

'' (Maori communal space) was opened in 1981, complete with a dedicated meeting house or ''

wharenui A wharenui (; literally "large house") is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand, generally situated as the focal point of a ''marae''. Wharenui are usually called meeting houses in New Zealand English, or simply called ''wikt:wh ...

'', given the name . The school (Māori Performing Arts team) has taken this name too. The building burned down accidentally in 2014. The reconstructed was rededicated in 2016. The photographs of the House Leaders that had been on display in the original were saved from the fire, but the original ''

tukutuku Tukutuku panelling is a distinctive art form of the Māori people of New Zealand, a traditional latticework used to decorate meeting houses (wharenui). Other names are Tuitui and Arapaki. Tukutuku flank the posts around the edge of the wharenu ...

'' panels (latticework used to decorate meeting houses) were lost. The carvings on the outside were restored; the original carvings from 1981 had already been replaced. The new represent the local tribes (''

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

''),

Whakatōhea Te Whakatōhea is a Māori iwi of the eastern Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. Their traditional territory extends along the coastline eastwards from Ōhiwa Harbour to Opape, and inland to Mātāwai, and is centred in the area around th ...

, Tūhoe,

Ngāitai Ngāitai is a Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) centred around Tōrere in the eastern Bay of Plenty of New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () ...

and

Te Whānau-ā-Apanui Te Whānau-ā-Apanui is a Māori iwi (tribe) located in the eastern Bay of Plenty and East Coast regions of New Zealand's North Island. In 2006, the iwi registered 11,808 members, representing 13 hapū. History Early history During the 17th ce ...

. The twelve heavens and ten ''

Atua Atua are the gods and spirits of the Polynesian people such as the Māori or the Hawaiians (see also ). The literal meaning of the Polynesian word is "power" or "strength" and so the concept is similar to that of '' mana''. Many of the atua ...

'' (gods) are represented on each sidearm and the centre piece, representative of Io, the Supreme being , has representations of the three baskets (''

kete KETE (99.7 FM; "Three Angels Broadcasting Network") is a terrestrial radio station, licensed to Sulphur Bluff, Texas, United States, and owned by Brazos TV, Inc. KETE broadcasts a Christian preaching format, featuring programming from the Th ...

'') of knowledge in Maori tradition (, and ), the influence of the Church and the influence of Maoridom. School functions are held on the ''

marae ātea A wharenui (; literally "large house") is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand, generally situated as the focal point of a ''marae''. Wharenui are usually called meeting houses in New Zealand English, or simply called ''wikt:wh ...

'', the open space in front of the meeting house, including formal

pōwhiri A pōwhiri (also called a pōhiri or pōwiri in some dialects) is a formal Māori culture, Māori welcoming ceremony onto a marae, involving speeches, cultural performance, singing and finally the ''hongi''. Traditionally, the was a way by whi ...

(Māori welcoming ceremony) for guests, orientation for new students and celebrations of student successes.

School houses

With remarkable inclusivity the traditional school house names cover a diverse range of representatives, some of New Zealand's foremost representatives in their domains- sports, academic, science, literature, politicians, Ngati Porou, rainbow, Nobel prize winner, Victoria Cross winner. *Freyberg House, named for Lieutenant General

Bernard Freyberg Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, (21 March 1889 – 4 July 1963) was a United Kingdom, British-born New Zealand soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, who served as the List of g ...

*Ngata House, named for Sir

Āpirana Ngata Sir Āpirana Turupa Ngata (3 July 1874 – 14 July 1950) was a prominent New Zealand statesman. He has often been described as the foremost Māori politician to have served in parliament in the mid-20th century, and is also known for his work in ...

*Mansfield House, named for

Katherine Mansfield Kathleen Mansfield Murry (née Beauchamp; 14 October 1888 – 9 January 1923) was a New Zealand writer and critic who was an important figure in the Literary modernism, modernist movement. Her works are celebrated across the world and have been ...

*Rutherford House, named for Lord

Ernest Rutherford Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson (30 August 1871 – 19 October 1937) was a New Zealand physicist who was a pioneering researcher in both Atomic physics, atomic and nuclear physics. He has been described as "the father of nu ...

Notable alumni

Ken Carrington Kenneth Roy Carrington (born 3 September 1950) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A wing and centre three-quarter, Carrington represented Auckland and, briefly, Bay of Plenty at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand n ...

, All Black * Dylan "DJ" Collier, Olympian (2021, Sevens), NZ Sevens, 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist *

Luka Connor Luka Connor (born 24 September 1996) is a New Zealand rugby union player. She was part of the Black Ferns 2021 Rugby World Cup squad that won their sixth title. She plays for Chiefs Manawa in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition; she also plays for ...

, Black Fern *

Exia Shelford Exia Edwards (née Shelford, born 12 November 1975) is a former New Zealand rugby union player, representing and Bay of Plenty. She made her international debut at the 1998 Rugby World Cup in the Netherlands. She was also part of two other succ ...

, Black Fern *

Kate Henwood Kate Henwood (born 28 January 1989) is a New Zealand rugby union player. She plays for the Chiefs Manawa in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition. Personal life Henwood worked as a management accountant at Control Tech Ltd, an electrical engineer ...

, Black Fern *

Sam Henwood Samuel Tamihana Henwood (born 28 March 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He is nephew of Brian Brown, notable figure in the underbelly of the far north of NZ. He currently plays for the in Super Rugby and in New Zealand's domestic Mi ...

, Māori All Black *

Murray Hudson Murray Ken Hudson, GC (24 February 1938 – 13 February 1974) was a sergeant with the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment who lost his life when trying to protect soldiers under his command at Waiouru Military Camp. He was awarded the George ...

recipient of the George Cross *

James Rolleston James Rolleston (born 8 June 1997) is a New Zealand actor known for the films ''Boy'' and '' The Dark Horse''. The latter was released in October 2014 and had its world premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on 4 September. Fil ...

, actor *

Frank Shelford Frank Nuki Ken Shelford (born 16 May 1955) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A flanker, Shelford represented Bay of Plenty and Hawkes Bay at provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, from 198 ...

, All Black, Māori All Black *

Nikki Slade Robinson Nikola Slade Robinson (born 1968), generally known as Nikki Slade Robinson, is a New Zealand children’s picture book writer and illustrator. Her books have been widely reviewed and shortlisted for a number of awards. ''The Little Kiwi’s Matar ...

, author * Leanne Walker, Olympian, (Basketball) and NZ touch *

William Walker William Walker may refer to: Arts * William Walker (engraver) (1791–1867), mezzotint engraver of portrait of Robert Burns * William Sidney Walker (1795–1846), English Shakespearean critic * William Walker (composer) (1809–1875), American Bap ...

, Māori All Black *

Marilynn Webb Marilynn Lois Webb (11 September 1937 – 16 August 2021) was a New Zealand artist, noted for her contributions to Māori people, Māori art and her work as an educator. She was best known for her work in printmaking and pastels, and her work ...

, artist

References

{{Schools in Bay of Plenty Secondary schools in the Bay of Plenty Region Ōpōtiki