Location & History

Location

Ōpōtiki College is located in the sunny Eastern Bay of Plenty (view map). Its beautiful beaches are fed by several rivers flowing out of the surrounding bush-covered mountains. With easy access to the beautiful natural resources and the town settlement of Ōpōtiki it is a wonderful place to live. Maori culture and values are evident throughout our community and College. Living and being educated in Ōpōtiki provides opportunities to experience the indigenous culture of New Zealand.

We believe a strength of our College is our relatively small size. We have approximately 330 tauira which allows us to know our students as individuals and to be able to cater for their needs. As well, our emphasis on biculturalism ensures our school is a place where all belong and feel valued. This bicultural ethos has resulted in a sensitivity and appreciation of diversity.

Ko wai Mātou

Ōpōtiki College has a long and proud tradition of secondary education for our community. It first began its life as a District High School when the then Auckland Education Board authorised its establishment at a meeting in January 1922, with an opening roll of 33 tauira.  In 1953 it opened as a separate secondary (on its present site) and has been known as Ōpōtiki College since that year.  

When Ōpōtiki College came into being in 1953, a new crest was decided on.  At the top is a burning lamp, which signifies the pursuit of knowledge.  Underneath is a cogged wheel and key, which symbolises engineering and the fleece is for the agriculture of the area.  The fern and the mere were added later to signify the Māori and Pakeha elements in the College.

The first motto was in Latin – UT MENS ITA HOMO; “as the mind is, so is the man”.  This was later changed to Māori –TE HINENGARO TE TOHU; “The mind is the measure of the man”.  This motto stresses the importance of developing the mind as well as the body.

As our Charter and Curriculum has evolved we still recognise and honour the significance of the crest and our motto in the historical development of the College but wish also to signify our commitment to the future and our expectations for our current tauira and future tauira.

A current logo has recently been developed that has at its centre the Koru. The Koru is symbolical of new life, growth, and strength and peace. It is an integral symbol in Māori art, carving and tattoos and clearly places biculturalism at the heart of our College. The Koru is supported by our vision statement: ‘Connected Learners, Confident Citizens: Tohenihorau, Toherauariki'. These words verbalise what we want all learners to aspire to be.