Pastoral Support

To help us provide the best possible care and guidance for all the students in our school, we place great importance on the House and Ako Group system.  The school is divided into five houses, each under the leadership of a House Dean. The names of the five houses are taken from early settlers in the Wakatipu:  Arthur, Duncan, Fox, Hay and Mackenzie.

Each house has several Ako Groups.  Students remain in the same Ako Group with students from their year level throughout their time at Wakatipu High School.  Ako Groups meet three mornings of the week. Ako time is a time to support students to reach for their heights. The name ako represents both teaching and learning which reflects the nature of it being a two-way relationship where kaiārahi and tauira (students) are working together. Ako time will generally involve a mixture of development of personal aspects from the ākonga profile, goal setting and activities related to holistic development and all-round education.

Over these five years, the Kaiārahi gets to know their ako group well. If a parent has any concerns about progress or welfare, they should contact the Kaiārahi in the first instance. 

The Kaiārahi will work with their Dean to resolve any issues. Should parents feel that the matter has not been resolved, or the issue is serious, they may contact the House Dean.

Ako groups are identified by a four-letter code, which starts with the first letter of the House and then a three-letter code for the name of the Kaiārahi.

For contact details see Our Staff.

Each house has a Dean who is responsible for the welfare of all students in the house.  Their role is one of coordination, administration, guidance and discipline within their house and encouraging student leadership.

Kaiārahi meet with their tutor group three days per week.  The ako group is comprised of students from Year 9–13 in the same house.  The Kaiārahi remains with the same group of students for the duration of their time at Wakatipu High School.  The Kaiārahi is the key point of contact for parents, students and staff in dealing with the pastoral life of the students.

Wakatipu High School employs  Guidance Counsellors who works within the NZAC code of ethics to provide a confidential counselling service to assist students and families of our school. To access the service students can self refer or referrals can be made by parents and school staff. 

For more about our Guidance Counselling please visit our page on our Guidance support.

Students at Wakatipu High School are supported to develop their ability to self-manage their life with the ultimate goal of enabling them to successfully transition from school to further learning and/or work. Making decisions about subject choices and future pathways requires students to know themselves, explore the options available to them and make a career pathway decision based on the best fit for them.

 The Careers Department provides support and assistance to students with their ongoing career journey. This includes course planning, scholarship information, assistance with job and tertiary education applications, apprenticeships, work exploration and/or transitioning to work, STAR and Gateway programmes, CV writing and more.

The Careers Hub is located at student services. Students can see a career advisor during school hours by appointment for longer sessions, or by dropping by the hub for an informal chat. Senior students can book an appointment with one of our qualified careers staff by emailing the Head of Careers, Linda Richards ([email protected]). Parents are welcome to attend career counselling sessions.

​Career Education opportunities are promoted to all students through a range of mediums such as the school newsletter, google classrooms, Kaiārahi  and where appropriate targeted emails. Some opportunities include:

• University and polytechnic liaison officers visit the school on several occasions throughout the year to give general course advice and students are encouraged to attend their open days, careers events and information evenings.
• Presentations from the defence forces and employers
• Employment exploration, exposure and experience 
• Careers Expo
• Holiday courses
• Career information visits.

Individual programmes linked to career aspirations are offered to some students, including STAR and Gateway courses, Trades Academy Courses, Correspondence School study, work experience, Employment Services in Schools (ESiS) and the Southland and Otago Regional Engineering Collective Academy (SOREC).  

Students are encouraged to take responsibility for seeking information about future pathways.

Find out more about these opportunities here.