Ōpōtiki College is a state secondary school located in

Ōpōtiki Ōpōtiki (; from ''Ōpōtiki-Mai-Tawhiti'') is a small town in the eastern Bay of Plenty in the North Island of New Zealand. It houses the headquarters of the Ōpōtiki District Council and comes under the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. ...

, in the

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaw ...

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-larges ...

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 coun ...

History

The first secondary schooling available in Ōpōtiki was at the Opotiki District High School, which was established in 1922. The name was changed in 1953 when Opotiki College opened as a separate secondary school (on its present site). When Opotiki College came into being in 1953, a new crest was decided on. At the top is a burning lamp. Underneath is a cogged wheel and key. The fern and the mere were added later. The first motto was in Latin – ; “as the mind is, so is the man”. This was later changed to te reo Māori – ; meaning “The mind is the measure of the man”. A new logo has recently been developed that has at its centre the

Koru The ''koru'' () is a spiral shape based on the appearance of a new unfurling silver fern frond. It is an integral symbol in Māori art, carving and tattooing, where it symbolises new life, growth, strength and peace. Its shape "conveys the id ...

Kura Ki Uta

The school ''

marae A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...

'' (Maori communal space) was opened in 1981, complete with a dedicated meeting house or '' wharenui'', given the name . The school (Māori Performing Arts team) has taken this name too. The building burned down accidentally in 2014. The reconstructed was rededicated in 2016. The photographs of the House Leaders that had been on display in the original were saved from the fire, but the original '' tukutuku'' panels (latticework used to decorate meeting houses) were tragically lost. The carvings on the outside were restored; the original carvings from 1981 had already been replaced. The new represent the local tribes ('' iwi''),

Whakatōhea Whakatōhea is a Māori iwi located in the eastern Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the area around the town of Ōpōtiki. The traditional territorial lands extend eastwards from Ohiwa Harbour to Opap ...

, Tūhoe, Ngāitai and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui. The twelve heavens and ten ''

Atua Atua are the gods and spirits of the Polynesian peoples such as the Māori or the Hawaiians (see also ); the Polynesian word literally means "power" or "strength" and so the concept is similar to that of '' mana''. Today, it is also used for ...

'' (gods) are represented on each sidearm and the centre piece, representative of Io, the Supreme being , has representations of the three baskets (''

kete KETE (99.7 FM; "Three Angels Broadcasting Network") is a terrestrial radio station, licensed to Sulphur Bluff, Texas, United States, and owned by Brazos TV, Inc. KETE broadcasts a Christian preaching format, featuring programming from the Thre ...

'') of knowledge in Maori tradition (, and ), the influence of the Church and the influence of Maoridom. School functions are held on the '' marae ātea'', the open space in front of the meeting house, including formal powhiri (Maori welcoming ceremony) for guests, orientation for new students and celebrations of student successes.

School houses

With remarkable inclusivity the traditional school house names cover a diverse range of representatives, some of New Zealand's foremost representatives in their domains- sports, academic, science, literature, politicians, Ngati Porou, rainbow, Nobel prize winner, Victoria Cross winner. *Freyberg House, named for Lieutenant General

Bernard Freyberg Lieutenant-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, (21 March 1889 – 4 July 1963) was a British-born New Zealand soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, who served as the 7th Governor-General of New Zealand from 1946 to 1952. Frey ...

*Ngata House, named for Sir

Āpirana Ngata Sir Āpirana Turupa Ngata (3 July 1874 – 14 July 1950) was a prominent New Zealand statesman. He has often been described as the foremost Māori politician to have served in Parliament in the mid-20th century, and is also known for his work ...

*Mansfield House, named for

Katherine Mansfield Kathleen Mansfield Murry (née Beauchamp; 14 October 1888 – 9 January 1923) was a New Zealand writer, essayist and journalist, widely considered one of the most influential and important authors of the modernist movement. Her works are celebra ...

*Rutherford House, named for Lord

Ernest Rutherford Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson, (30 August 1871 – 19 October 1937) was a New Zealand physicist who came to be known as the father of nuclear physics. ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' considers him to be the greatest ...

Notable people

* Dylan "DJ" Collier, Olympian (2021, Sevens), NZ Sevens, 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist * Luka Connor, Black Fern * Exia Shelford, Black Fern *

Sam Henwood Samuel Tamihana Henwood (born 28 March 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He currently plays for the in Super Rugby and in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup. Early career Born and raised in the small town of Opotiki in the Bay ...

, Māori All Black * Murray Ken Hudson recipient of the George Cross *

James Rolleston James Rolleston (born 8 June 1997) is a New Zealand actor known for the films ''Boy'' and '' The Dark Horse''. The latter was released in October 2014 and had its world premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on 4 September. Fil ...

, actor * Frank Shelford, All Black, Māori All Black * Nikki Slade Robinson, author *

Leanne Walker Leanne Walker (born 17 July 1968) is a New Zealand former basketball player who competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics and in the 2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), o ...

, Olympian, (Basketball) and NZ touch * William Walker, Māori All Black *

Marilynn Webb Marilynn Lois Webb (11 September 1937 – 16 August 2021) was a New Zealand artist, noted for her contributions to Māori art and her work as an educator. She was best known for her work in printmaking and pastels, and her works are held in ...

, artist

References

{{Schools in Bay of Plenty Secondary schools in the Bay of Plenty Region Ōpōtiki