Ngaruawahia High School

Ngaruawahia High School (often abbreviated NHS) is a state co-educational school situated in Ngāruawāhia, New Zealand. The school was opened in 1963 and the current principal is Rebecca Hodgson. Mr. Chris Jarnet retired at the end of 2022.

Ngaruawahia High School
Address
56 Kent Street,
Ngāruawāhia.
 New Zealand
Coordinates37.660450°S 175.158588°E / -37.660450; 175.158588
Information
TypeState Co-educational Secondary School
MottoWahia Nga Rua
Founded1963
Ministry of Education Institution no.127
PrincipalRebecca Hodgson
GenderCo-Ed
School roll301[1] (April 2023)
Hours in school day8:45 am – 2:30 pm
Socio-economic decile2D[2]
Websitengaruawahiahigh.school.nz

The school typically hosts a Year 9–13 roll which fluctuates between 150 and 250 students each year and also provides learning opportunities to adult students.

Academic

The school offers NCEA courses to senior students and allows some students to study certain subjects by enrolling with The Correspondence School. The school is also affiliated with foreign student exchange programs. Ngaruawahia High School has signed up to the Te Kotahitanga programme, intended to improve the academic performance of Maori students.[3]

Sports

The New Zealand football club Ngaruawahia United was formed in 1968 and is made up primarily of the teenagers attending the secondary school.

Ngaruawahia regatta

The school embraces the local regatta, a traditional perseverance of New Zealand's history and Māori culture. An event is held every year in March on the Waikato River.[4]

Controversies

In March 2010, a 14-year-old student at the school, Bronwyn Ormbsy-Ward, was assaulted by at least three girls. The attack happened outside school grounds, and video footage was wildly circulated. After viewing the footage, Bronwyn's mother laid a complaint with police.[5] In August 2011, a 17-year-old and her friend were refused use of school toilets at interval, after finding all other toilets in the school locked. They were also denied use of staff room toilets. Upon returning to the staff room to 'beg' to use the toilets, they were told "there's a bush out there." Principal Robyn Roa, who introduced the strict policy, later apologised. The girl's mother, who is writing a complaint to the school's board, said that an apology was not enough, calling the staff 'immature' and 'pathetic'.[6]

Recent history
  • In 2011, mainly in response to the attack of former student Bronwyn Ormbsy-Ward, of which a video was widely circulated, principal Robyn Roa introduced a ban on all electronic devices, which includes cellphones and iPods. She also said the prevalence of violence among young girls was a worrying trend and was unsure whether it was because they were prone to gossip or whether it was a cultural shift.[7]
  • In 2014, it was reported that the school would replace traditional classrooms with a modern approach to education in an attempt to "restore the school's once glowing reputation".[8]

Notable staff

Notable alumni

References
  1. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  2. "Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools". Ministry of Education. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  3. Ngaruawahia High School – Te Kotahitanga
  4. Ngaruawahia Regatta Article
  5. Video of girl's schoolyard beating sickens mother., TVNZ, 23 December 2010, retrieved 29 August 2011
  6. Stack, Greg (27 August 2011), "Locked loos leave girls angry.", Waikato Times, retrieved 29 August 2011
  7. School targets bullies with phone ban., TVNZ, 28 March 2011, retrieved 30 August 2011
  8. Ngaruawahia 'kick starts' new way of learning. Retrieved February 2014
  9. Sydney Roosters – Profile
  10. New Zealand national rugby league team#Most recent squad
  11. "Queen's Birthday honours". The New Zealand Herald. 5 June 2000.
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