Havelock North High School is a state co-education secondary school located in

Havelock North Havelock North ( mi, Te Hemo-a-Te Atonga) is a town in the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island of New Zealand, situated less than 2 km south-east of the city of Hastings. It was a borough for many years until the 1989 reorganisation of loca ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. HNHS has a head boy and head girl chosen by the Form 7 (Year 13) students at the start of the year as well as the secretary. HNHS is split into four

houses A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

which compete against each other during the year in events such as a swimming sports, an athletics event and house choir. Havelock North High School 1XI Girls Cricket Team were the national secondary school girls cricket team title holder in 2008. HNHS also hosted the national orienteering secondary school girls champions in 2008.

History

Havelock North High School opened in 1975. Like many New Zealand state secondary schools of the era, it was built to the "S68" standard plan, with single-storey classroom blocks of masonry construction, low-pitched roofs and internal open courtyards.

Houses

The Houses are named after trees found in New Zealand. *''Tainui'' (yellow) *''Kauri'' (blue) *''Rata'' (red) *''Miro'' (orange)

House activities

Throughout the year, the four houses compete in a variety of sporting, cultural and academic events. Points are awarded both on individual success and collective house participation. The house with the most points is declared that year's winner, and a symbolic

patu A patu is a club or pounder used by the Māori. The word ''patu'' in the Māori language means to strike, hit, beat, kill or subdue. Weapons These types of short-handled clubs were mainly used as a striking weapon. The blow administered w ...

is presented to representatives of the winning house at the end of year prizegiving. Each year the school picks a selection of 8 events. Athletics, Swimming Sports, Year 13 camp all are done while House Kapa Haka and Choir alternate every year. The final four are selection of past years and new ideas. Some house events include: *

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

Sports * Athletic Sports *Year 13 camp *House Quiz *House Cross Country *House Orienteering *House Theater Sports *House Choir *House

Kapa haka Kapa haka is the term for Māori action songs and the groups who perform them. It literally means 'group' () and 'dance' (). Kapa haka is an important avenue for Māori people to express and showcase their heritage and cultural Polynesian identi ...

*Army Challenge The introduction of several new events over recent years, (such as house quiz), are an attempt to expand house competition to beyond the traditional confines of sporting activities.

Notable alumni

Lynda Chanwai-Earle Lynda Chanwai-Earle is a New Zealand writer and radio producer. Her written work includes plays, poems and film scripts. The play ''Ka Shue – Letters Home'' in 1996 is semi-autobiographical and is significant in New Zealand literature as the fi ...

(living), writer *

Jarrod Cunningham Jarrod Cunningham (7 September 1968 – 23 July 2007) was a New Zealand rugby union fullback. Born in Hawke's Bay, Cunningham played for his home town rugby club from 1990 to 1997, during which time he was trialed for the All Blacks in 1993, b ...

(1968–2007), rugby player * Alby Mathewson (born 1985), rugby player *

Connan Mockasin Connan Tant Hosford, better known by the stage name Connan Mockasin and sometimes credited as Connan Hosford, is a New Zealand musician, composer and record producer. Critically acclaimed and described as "a psych-funk oddball...a contrarian", ...

(born 1982/1983), musician, composer and record producer * Greg Murphy (born 1972), V8 supercar driver * Geoff Sewell (born 1972), opera singer *

Antonio Te Maioha Antonio Te Maioha (born 1 February 1970) is a television and film actor from New Zealand. He came to international prominence playing a gladiator Barca, the Beast of Carthage, in the television drama '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand'' and its preque ...

(born 1970), television and film actor *

William Trubridge William Trubridge (born 24 May 1980) is a New Zealand world champion and world record holding freediver. Trubridge was the first diver to go deeper than without oxygen and as of 2013 held the world record in the free immersion and constant ...

(born 1980), world champion and world record holding

freediver Freediving, free-diving, free diving, breath-hold diving, or skin diving is a form of underwater diving that relies on breath-holding until resurfacing rather than the use of breathing apparatus such as scuba gear. Besides the limits of breath- ...

* Benson Wilson (living), opera singer

References

Secondary schools in the Hawke's Bay Region Schools in Hastings, New Zealand Educational institutions established in 1975 New Zealand secondary schools of S68 plan construction 1975 establishments in New Zealand {{NewZealand-school-stub