Tarawera High School Newsletter

Tēnā koutou e te whānau.

As we move through Term 4, we would like to thank everyone who took the time to meet with the ERO (Education Review Office) team during their recent visit. We appreciate your openness, your perspectives and the support you continue to give our kura.

Plenty is happening over the coming weeks. Our ākonga will be completing junior testing, taking part in junior athletics, preparing for senior prizegiving and sitting their exams. We wish all our students well as they work hard, take part and celebrate their achievements.

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa.

Senior Ball 2026

Our Senior Ball, held on Friday 25 September, was a memorable evening filled with laughter, great food, and plenty of dancing. The theme, "Meet Me at Midnight," created a magical atmosphere for students and staff alike.

A special thank you goes to Whaea Anneke, whose outstanding efforts transformed the theatre into a beautifully decorated venue. Her creativity and attention to detail helped make the evening truly special.

From the stunning decorations to the delicious food and energetic dancing, the Senior Ball was a fantastic success and an event that will be remembered for years to come. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to making the night such an enjoyable celebration.

Essity Visit

A group of our senior students visited Essity for an awesome tour of the full manufacturing process. We’re grateful for our strong connection with Essity, and the students loved seeing everything in action!

Wāhi - Mental Health Awareness

WĀHI and our prefects hosted Mental Health Awareness activities during Week 1. Huge thanks to Luke from WĀHI for organising the event, and to our prefects for helping out!

WĀHI’s in-school PETRA programme supports resilient adolescents and works to improve youth mental health.

🏆Senior Prizegiving 2026

This will be held in the theatre on Friay 6 November. No school for Year 7, 8, 9, & 10

Junior Athletics Day

This will be held on Monday 9 November. Yeah 9 & 10 will be distance learning on this day.

AFS Host Family

If you are interested in becoming a host, email the hosting team on the email below.

Te Whatu Ora Health NZ

Please read below from Te Whatu Ora | Health NZ.

Volleyball

What a fantastic start to the season!

A huge well done to our two junior volleyball teams for their efforts, teamwork and sportsmanship at their first competition. We're so proud of you all and can't wait to see what the rest of the season brings!

Results: Junior Girls

vs TGCB 2-0 (Win)

vs WHHS 0-2 (Loss)

vs Taupo A 2-1 (Win)

vs Bethlehem 9A 2-1 (Win)

Results: Junior Boys

vs Rotorua Lakes 2-0 (Win)

vs WHHSC 2-1 (Win)

vs JPC 0-2 (Loss)

vs TBCC 2-0 (Win)

Golf

During the school holidays, 7 tamariki, alongside Whaea Toni and Whaea Eden, headed into Whakatāne to compete in the Junior Open.

Our juniors took on 9 holes, while our seniors completed 18 holes. A huge congratulations to Ocean Te Poono, who placed 2nd!

It was a long day to finish off the school holidays, but we are incredibly proud of every single one of our tamariki who turned up, gave it their best and represented Tarawera High School with pride.

Our tamariki are consistently commended for their behaviour and etiquette when representing our kura. They demonstrated our school values to a high standard both on and off the course.

A big thank you to everyone who continues to support our rangatahi and provide these opportunities for them to grow, learn and compete.

Ka pai, tamariki! We are very proud of you all!

Touch

Two Year 7&8 touch teams represented our kura in the Whakatane touch tournament. Both teams made it to the play offs today. Tarawera Green lost by 1 try in the last minute of the game and Tarawera Blue went into a drop off and won their game. Both teams are still learning the game, so it was awesome to see them develop and enjoy the game throughout the day.

We are grateful for the amount of support we received from whānau who took the day of mahi, especially to Libbys Pāpā, Terrence, for helping with transport and taking one of the teams. Also want to acknowledge our two senior refs, Pounamu and Maewa for being the tuakana for our teina today.

Futures Academy & Takatini

Well done to the Futures Academy students who are receiving Excellence and Merit Awards for 2026

Neveisha Wilson-Wharerimu received a special mention at Takitini's graduation for her 100% attendance, and Poppy Andrews was awarded "Hairdresser of the Year" at Vivo salon's EOY celebration. They can all be very proud of themselves!

Scholarships