In 1973 the
ÅŒkaihau
ÅŒkaihau is a small town in the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island, just north of Kaikohe. New Zealand State Highway 1, State Highway 1 passes through ÅŒkaihau making it fairly busy. ÅŒkaihau has a primary school (ÅŒkaihau Primary ...
district high school in the
Far North District
The Far North District is the northernmost Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority district of New Zealand, consisting of the northern part of the Northland Peninsula in the North Island. It stretches from North Cape (New ...
of
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 ...
was granted Form 1–7 (Year 7–13) status and became
Okaihau College
In 1973 the Ōkaihau district high school in the Far North District of New Zealand was granted Form 1–7 (Year 7–13) status and became College, Okaihau College with Mr. Laurenson as first principal. At the same time a Okaihau#Okaihau Primary S ...
with Mr. Laurenson as first principal.
At the same time a
full primary school was completed around the Infant Block with Mr. N. Thomson becoming the first headmaster. At the end of 1973 there were 263 pupils attending the college and 219 at the primary school.
Since then, the school has grown to the larger roll of 427 pupils. The
decile rating is 2.
Students are predominantly of
MÄori
MÄori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the MÄori people
* MÄori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* MÄori language, the language of the MÄori people of New Zealand
* MÄori culture
* Cook Islanders, the MÄori people of the Co ...
(67%), and
European
European, or Europeans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
(28%) descent.
The name "ÅŒkaihau" is a MÄori name which means "Feast of the winds", which is relevant to the location of the area on a ridge over 200 m above sea level. This part of
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 ...
was originally a dense tree landscape, and even today large old trees such as the
puriri are found in the area of the school. The puriri leaves and berries make up the college logo, and the schools motto is "Harmony, Truth and Effort".
Staffing includes approximately 35 teachers and 25 support staff. The curriculum includes all the traditional subject areas up to
NCEA Level 3 with an emphasis on performing arts and education out of the classroom. Over 90% of students travel to school by bus, coming from an area bounded by
Mangamuka Bridge, Motukiore,
ÅŒhaeawai
ÅŒhaeawai is a small village at the junction of New Zealand State Highway 1, State Highway 1 and State Highway 12 in the Far North District of New Zealand, some from Auckland. The town of Kaikohe is to the west, and the Bay of Islands is a sh ...
and
Waimate North
Waimate North is a small settlement in Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand. It is situated between Kerikeri and Lake ÅŒmÄpere, west of the Bay of Islands.
It was one of the earliest centres of European settlement and features the second-o ...
.
References
{{reflist
External links
Official Website
Secondary schools in the Northland Region