Waitākere College

Waitākere College
Location
42 Rathgar Road,
Henderson,
Auckland 0610,
New Zealand

36°52′2″S 174°37′15″E / 36.86722°S 174.62083°E / -36.86722; 174.62083
Information
TypeState, Co-educational, Secondary School (Year 9–13)
MottoAchievement for All
Ministry of Education Institution no.
44
Principal
Mark Shanahan
Enrollment1,988 (July 2026)
Socio-economic decile
3I
Websitewaitakerecollege.school.nz

Waitākere College is a state coeducational secondary school located in Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand, established in 1975. A total of 1,988 students from Years 9 to 13 (ages 13 to 18) attend Waitākere College as of July 2026.

Students entering the college are allocated into one of three "Houses". The house names use Māori words: Aroha (Love), Manawanui (Perseverance), and Matauranga (Knowledge).

Waitākere College offers an extra 'Performing Arts' subject formerly run by Stephen Nightingale. Entry is based on an audition process and the course runs for years 9 and 10. It covers drama, dance, music, singing, theatre, film/television, editing, theatre lighting, make-up and costume.

Waitākere College is often used as a filming location for the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, as the location of Ferndale High School.

Enrolment

As of July 2026, Waitākere College has a roll of 1,988 students, of which 509 (25.6%) identify as Māori.

As of 2026, the school has an Equity Index of 480, placing it amongst schools whose students have above average socioeconomic barriers to achievement (roughly equivalent to deciles 4 and 5 under the former socio-economic decile system).

Notable alumni

References

  1. 1 2 3 "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools". Ministry of Education. Archived from the original on 24 January 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "Principal's Welcome". Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  4. ↑ Moon, Paul (2009). "Taking Care of Business". In Macdonald, Finlay; Kerr, Ruth (eds.). West: The History of Waitakere. Random House. p. 138. ISBN 9781869790080.
  5. ↑ "New Zealand Equity Index". New Zealand Ministry of Education.
  6. ↑ "School Equity Index Bands and Groups". www.educationcounts.govt.nz. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  7. ↑ "Kiwi Shayne Elliott appointed to run ANZ". Stuff. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  8. ↑ Logan, Innes (2009). "Game On". In Macdonald, Finlay; Kerr, Ruth (eds.). West: The History of Waitakere. Random House. pp. 411–432. ISBN 9781869790080.