It’s that time of year again!

The faculty of Creative Industries warmly welcomes you to our End of Year Show ‘Human Made’. This show primarily features the work of our senior students, spanning Food, Spatial and Product Design, Paint and Printmaking, Photography and Graphic Design.

Join us on Friday 23rd October to celebrate the core practice of each of these disciplines and delight in our student’s creative journey and final hurrah for 2026. Doors open at 3:30, a prizegiving will be held in the main foyer at 4:00pm and doors close at 5:00pm.

Works are exhibited across 5 locations: the main office foyer, Whare Toi foyer, B3 Cafe, B6 entrance and the Museum (between B6 and B8).

Some works will be available for purchase with cash on the night. More information about the event including an exhibition guide, sales and project collection details, will follow.

For now, please save the date and we hope to see you there!

Any queries please contact Demelza Round: roundd@waihekehigh.school.nz

Info Guide (link)

Price List (link)

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Jewel Dick, Year 13

Our WISE of the Week awarded by the Māori Faculty is Jewel Dick, Year 13.

Nā tōna kaha ki te ārahi i ngā tēina me ōna hoa mahi. He tauira rangatira a Jewel he kaha ki te whakaatu i te whakaute, te manawanui me te kaha ki te whakarongo me te whai whakaaro ki ngā kōrero āwhina. He kōtiro whakawhirinaki ia, ā, ahakoa ngā wero, ka mau tonu tana menemene me tana ngākau pai. E tino whakaatu ana ia i ngā ūara WISE.

She excels at guiding younger peers and her colleagues. Jewel is an exemplary leader who consistently demonstrates respect, patience, and a willingness to listen to and consider helpful advice. She is a confident young woman who maintains her smile and kindness, even when facing challenges. She truly embodies the WISE values.

photo credit: Manuka Churcher

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We have had a settled start to Term 4, with students quickly getting back into the school rhythm and approaching their learning with a positive attitude. It was incredibly encouraging to see our school attendance continue to improve last term, with regular attendance up 4% compared to Term 3, 2025, despite the waves of illness that buffeted our community. This is a testament to the diligence and positivity of our families and students, which will open more pathways for their futures. With the worst of the winter sickness behind us and the summer months on the horizon, we look forward to continuing our trend of record high regular attendance throughout Term 4.

I spoke at this week’s assembly about the importance of making the most of this time for our seniors and I am pleased to see the maturity and diligence with which they are approaching this period. With just three weeks to go before our seniors head off for their end of year exams, the message has been to enjoy their last weeks while continuing to lay a strong foundation for success in their externals by doing a little bit of extra work each day. Parents can continue to support their senior students by checking that they have a positive study space free from distractions, especially phones, and that they have a clear study plan in place.

With respect to our junior students, we are shifting our focus to our WISE value of Independence. Parents may hear juniors speaking about the expectation to routinely carry their equipment and take greater ownership of self-management. This aligns directly with the key capabilities outlined in the New Zealand Curriculum and naturally connects with our school values. Where materials were previously kept largely in classrooms, we recognise that this can foster dependency, whereas taking personal responsibility will serve students well in the long run. Parents can support their juniors by ensuring they bring all required stationery in a pencil case and all necessary books for each day’s lessons in their bags.

Ngā mihi mahana,

Cameron Flude

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The past few weeks have been filled with remarkable enthusiasm, achievement, and vibrant school spirit across Waiheke High School. I am thrilled to be able to celebrate the outstanding efforts of so many students in this week’s newsletter. Alongside the general dedication that we regularly see from our students, themes of performance, perseverance and pride are common throughout the major highlights listed below:

Mathex – A group of keen junior teams represented us at the Auckland Mathex competition. This was followed by our school house Mathex competition where our top mathematicians earned points toward our house competition.

Year 9 camp – Another unforgettable time at camp on Motutapu, facing new challenges, strengthening friendships, and exemplifying whanaungatanga in every activity.

Junk to Funk – The annual Junk to Funk wearable art showcase highlighted imagination and ingenuity, as students turned everyday recycled items into artistic creations.

Wheeler’s Luck – Our talented drama students performed two stellar productions of Wheeler’s Luck. Their energy and presence drew the audience in with raucous laughter throughout.

RSA Music Performance – Our gifted musicians delivered assessed performances at the RSA, bringing their best efforts and entertainment to our wider community.

UNISS Netball – Our senior netball girls represented our school at their winter tournament this week. Though a young team, they secured many wins showing grit, teamwork, and positive sporting attitude throughout.

It’s incredible to see the variety of outstanding commitment and excellent performance on display here – all set against the backdrop of Term 3 which is genuinely our heaviest academic term. We’ve also seen the end of our winter sports seasons with strong performances being put in across the board – well done to all students who were dedicated to extra-curricular activities throughout the past couple of terms. Things aren’t slowing down just yet with some major events happening in the next couple of weeks too:

AIMS Games: Our dedicated athletes are preparing to represent us at the AIMS Games. We wish our competitors all the best as they showcase their skills and compete alongside New Zealand’s best.

Kotahi Aroha: We are eagerly anticipating the inspiring Kotahi Aroha kapa haka showcase, celebrating rich cultural traditions through passionate performances next Sunday at Te Huruhi School.

Senior Exams: For our senior students, upcoming examinations mark a critical period of study and reflection. We encourage all seniors to stay focused, trust their preparation, and put forth their absolute best effort.

CAAs: Our second round of common assessment activities takes place in Week 9 giving our students their final opportunity of 2026 to secure their literacy and numeracy requirements for NCEA.

It goes without saying that we will have a busy run into the end of the term and I want to offer a huge congratulations to everyone who has been putting in their best effort over the recent weeks. Equally, I want to wish good luck and encouragement for those who are about to perform over the next couple of weeks. A special mention also goes out to all of the staff and whānau who are supporting these efforts both at home and away. Our students continue to rise to the occasion, and this couldn’t happen without the dedicated team that are working behind the scenes to develop them and give them the confidence to deliver their best.

Ngā mihi mahana,

Cameron Flude

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I am delighted to begin this pānui by celebrating the incredible progress we are making together at Waiheke High School. Our recent data reveals that our collective efforts to prioritize learning and excellence are yielding real results for our students. Most notably, during term 2 we have seen a significant 9% jump in regular attendance (90%+) compared to term 2 last year – consolidating the major improvements across term 1. We are also seeing a much higher rate of Merit and Excellence grades in NCEA, which we directly associate with this improvement in attendance along with strong messaging from staff around their high expectations for our very capable students. These positive gains are evidence that our school is moving in the right direction and that we are achieving our vision of being the best we can be for our community.

To sustain this momentum and ensure every student continues to thrive, we need your ongoing help and support. While we celebrate these successes, we must also acknowledge that the landscape of education funding in New Zealand currently faces significant systemic shortfalls as I’ve touched on in some recent newsletters. Our core purpose remains a commitment to outstanding learning and the belief that every student has the potential for individual excellence, yet the cost of providing this high-quality, holistic education continues to rise beyond the increases provided in recent government budgets. We have been careful to reduce expenditure while protecting vital resources like teacher aides, but further support is essential to maintain and build upon the gains that we have made over the past few years.

In order to maintain the high standards we hold for our students and ensure our teaching staff have the resources they need to help every learner excel, the Board of Trustees has conducted a thorough review of our school donation, which currently sits at $175 per student or $250 per family.

This school donation has remained unchanged for a decade and its purchasing power has been eroded by significant inflation. To address this and align our school with comparable secondary schools across Auckland, the Board approved an adjustment to our donation rates starting in 2027.

We do not make this decision lightly – we do so to protect the learning journey of our children and ensure they are not bearing the brunt of the current economic climate. To provide context, our current research into the annual donations requested by our closest neighbouring Auckland public secondary schools produced an average donation request of over $500 per student for the year and in some cases the request was over $1000. However, we acknowledge that this comes at a time when many families are feeling a fiscal pinch. As a result, we are increasing the requested donation for the 2027 academic year to $300 for a single student and $400 for a family.

These contributions remain voluntary, yet they are vital. Where subject fees are directly related to consumables for a given subject, the school donation provides discretionary funding for generic classroom resources, technology upgrades, and co-curricular opportunities that allow our students to live out our Waiheke WISE values—Whanaungatanga, Independence, School Culture, and Excellence. This investment ensures we can continue to provide the learning environments and wider school initiatives that are helping us to raise the standard of education on Waiheke.

For whānau and community members who are in a position to provide additional support beyond these rates, I am pleased to update that the Waiheke High School Foundation, first announced at our 40th anniversary celebrations, is currently in its final stages of establishment. This foundation will serve as a long-term vehicle for community-led investment into the future of our kura. We will share more details on how you can contribute to the Foundation in the coming months.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership and for the support you show our staff and students. By working together, we ensure that every student at Waiheke High School can embody our school whakataukī in pursuit of their farthest horizon.

Ngā mihi mahana,

Cameron Flude

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