Waitākere College is a state coeducational secondary school located in Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand, established in 1975. A total of 1828 students from Years 9 to 13 (ages 13 to 18) attend Waitākere College as of August 2024.[1]

Waitākere College
Address
Map
42 Rathgar Road,
Henderson,
Auckland 0610,
New Zealand
Coordinates36°52′2″S 174°37′15″E / 36.86722°S 174.62083°E / -36.86722; 174.62083
Information
TypeState, Co-educational, Secondary School (Year 9–13)
MottoAchievement for All
Ministry of Education Institution no.44
PrincipalMark Shanahan
School roll1828[1] (August 2024)
Socio-economic decile3I[2]
Websitewaitakerecollege.school.nz

Students entering the college are allocated into one of three "Houses". The house names use Māori words: Aroha (Love), Manawanui (Perseverance), and Matauranga (Knowledge). Their respective mascots are; a Dragon, a Lion and a Dolphin. These three houses represent the school's three core values. During the course of the year students can earn points for their house with good behaviour in class and good marks. These points are added up every week in a house assembly to determine the winner for that particular week. This also happens at the end of terms and a final one at the end of the year shows which house has won that year with the most points.

Waitākere College offers an extra 'Performing Arts' subject run by Stephen Nightingale. Entry is based on an audition process and the course runs for years 9 and 10. It covers drama, dance, music, singing, theatre, film/television, editing, theatre lighting, make-up and costume.

Waitākere College is often used as a filming location for the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, as the location of Ferndale High School.[3]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ a b "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools". Ministry of Education. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  3. ^ Moon, Paul (2009). "Taking Care of Business". In Macdonald, Finlay; Kerr, Ruth (eds.). West: The History of Waitakere. Random House. p. 138. ISBN 9781869790080.
  4. ^ "Kiwi Shayne Elliott appointed to run ANZ". Stuff. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  5. ^ Logan, Innes (2009). "Game On". In Macdonald, Finlay; Kerr, Ruth (eds.). West: The History of Waitakere. Random House. pp. 411–432. ISBN 9781869790080.