Our Vision is to deliver Aotearoa New Zealand's best all-round education.

Principal's Message

Wakatipu High School’s vision is to ‘deliver Aotearoa New Zealand’s best all-round education’. This aspirational vision challenges us to strive to deliver the very best possible opportunities and outcomes for all of our students each and every day.
​
Our ‘Ākonga Profile’ outlines what we want for our students in their time at WHS, and encapsulates the all-round nature of our vision. The Ākonga Profile (see Curriculum) includes not only every student gaining their best possible qualification, but essential competencies and knowledge, and holistic development as a young person - underpinned by our school values of excellence, responsibility, resilience, inclusion and respect.
Integral to the Ākonga Profile and our vision is student learning, progress and achievement, and our strong academic results are testament to our significant success in this area. Students are also supported to achieve in vocational pathways, which include our Trades Academy, Gateway and Central Otago Youth Employment programmes. In addition, we provide learning support in literacy and numeracy, and have a Gifted Education programme.

A key part of our all-round education is the wide range of extra and co-curricular opportunities that we offer, including sport, arts, music, culture, outdoors, community and leadership. From our Winter Sports Academy and rowing, to our jazz band, school musical, Kapa Haka group and Duke of Edinburgh programme, our students have an incredible range of opportunities in which to participate and excel, as well as to grow and develop holistically. Furthermore, the Wakatipu Basin and its unique environment enables us to offer great outdoor education programmes.

Student engagement and wellbeing are also very important at WHS, and we work hard to support our students to enjoy coming to school and feel safe. We have a comprehensive pastoral system, central to which are our five Houses. This year we have also introduced a school-wide wellbeing programme.

While we continue to grow as a school, ‘Phase Two’ - the expansion of WHS will be completed during 2022 providing us with considerable additional teaching and learning spaces.
​
Well-governed and very generously supported by the WHS Foundation and Branches Trust, Wakatipu High School is on an exciting journey as we strive to deliver Aotearoa New Zealand’s best all-round education for our students. We welcome you to join us at our remarkable campus and to ‘Reach For Your Heights’.

Mr Steve Hall
​Principal

For the latest  news and events happening at WHS,  please visit our Facebook page: Wakatipu High School Queenstown.

Our Values

Board of Trustees

Parent Trustees 
Charlie Phillips (Chair)
Tony Balfour
Niki Hawke
Gigi Hollyer
Grant McCulloch
Rajeev Sunder

Staff Trustee
Jennifer Smart

Student Trustee
Sofia Taquet

Whanau Representative
Roni Bouchier

Secretary
Karla Dawson - for all correspondence please email kdawson@wakatipu.school.nz 
Next Board Meeting - 16 August 2021
If you would like to attend, please contact Karla at kdawson@wakatipu.school.nz 

2021 Strategic Plan

All-Round Education
  1. Finalise, and develop a strategy to implement and deliver the ‘WHS Ākonga Profile’ (see below).
  2. Develop and deliver education that promotes engagement, learning, progress and achievement on their pathway, for all students.
  3. Increase engagement, learning, progress and achievement for Priority Learners (including Maori, Pasifika and English Language Learners) in a culturally responsive and inclusive way.
  4. Set and achieve annual goals with the aim of continuing to raise student achievement to be in the top 15% of schools nationally by 2021.
  5. Provide a range of extra and co-curricular opportunities (including sport, outdoors, arts, cultural, community and leadership) which support the holistic development of students and in which all students participate and have the opportunity to excel.
  6. Participate effectively in the Kāhui Ako ō Wakatipu (Community of Learning) and support achieving the Achievement Challenges.​
Future-Proof WHS
  1. Plan and prepare effectively for growth.
  2. Have effective input into the second phase of the new school.
  3. Be in a financial position to support delivery of the strategic plan.

Community
  1. Communicate effectively with our stakeholders and community.
  2. Engage with the community to provide opportunities for the great all-round education.
  3. Contribute to the local community.
Staff
  1. Retain and develop great WHS staff, teachers and kaiārahi.
  2. Recruit great staff.
  3. Develop and maintain a positive and constructive staff culture.
​
New School and ILE (Innovative Learning Environment)
  1. Implement and continue to develop a WHS pedagogy which supports the delivery of a great all-round education and optimises the opportunities of the new school.
  2. Support staff and students to teach, learn and work effectively in the new school.

ERO Report

Education Review Office Report
The ERO evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in early childhood services and schools. ​Read the full report for Wakatipu High School here.  

Tahuna - School Waiata

​E te tini e te mano 
Kia ora ra 
Anei a Wakatipu 
E mihi mahana 
Kia koutou katoa 
Takahia mai ra 
Ko te aroha       
Mai ringa ringa pōwhiri 
E tuwhera atu nei 
Ko Whakatauki te maunga
Ko Wakatipu te roto 
Haere mai ra ki Tāhuna (x2) 

​To the many
To the thousands
Greetings
Here we are Wakatipu
A warm welcome
To you all
Come forth with love
We welcome you all 
With open arms 
Bob’s Peak the mountain
Wakatipu our lake
Welcome again to you all

Learn More...