Principals Message

Nau Mai, Haere Mai. A warmest welcome to Motueka High School.

Motueka High School sits at the heart of the Motueka community and is a vibrant and lively school.  With a roll of  over 680 students and growing, students at Motueka High School enjoy diverse programmes full of opportunities both within and outside the classroom.  We are very proud of outstanding and sustained student achievements in academic, cultural, sporting, outdoor education and leadership areas and know that this school has much to offer.

​​​​​​​At the Heart of the Community

A distinctive feature of Motueka High School is the strong sense of belonging of students, whanau and community.  This is evident all throughout the school in the way that students care for each other and take on roles which support fellow students through their time at school.  This helps maintain an environment which is safe and secure for all students and makes Motueka High School a great place to be.  This is further enhanced by active support from the wider community.

Our school boasts a high number of notable academic successes every year, celebrated regularly within the school. Academic, sporting, cultural, musical and community achievements are publicised and actively supported by the community with local businesses and individuals sponsoring generous contributions at prize-giving. However, as not every student will have published successes, our general emphasis is for all students at Motueka High School to become well-rounded citizens who will contribute positively to our society.

We are very proud of all of the curriculum areas that are offered to students at Motueka High School. One in particular is our world-class Outdoor Education Programme. Being on the doorstep of three National Parks and access to coastal, alpine and cave environments, means our programme is unique and sought after by both domestic and International students. All of our Outdoor Instructors are nationally qualified specialists and our Outdoors Mark certification means that our programme meets the very highest safety standards.

Opportunities for leadership at Motueka High School are plentiful including the ‘Whānau Class’ which provides an effective, supportive environment for all students who choose this option.

We are fortunate at our school to attract dedicated and skilled teachers, several of whom have been formally recognized with National Excellence in Teaching Awards. Motueka High School has more NEiTA Foundation National Excellence in Teaching Awards than any other state secondary school in the country. This is a real achievement.

Our original and polished school productions, our hugely popular Talent Quest and the large plethora of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities are excellent examples of the high standard of teaching and learning that extends beyond the classroom.

We look forward to welcoming you into our school.

Kia Kaha, Kia Uu.

John Prestidge
Principal