From the Principal 24 July

It has been a fantastic start back to Term Three, 2020.  One of the most noticeable factors surrounding this is how much more relaxed staff and students are feeling after a well earned holiday break.

 It was very clear over Term Two that we had all felt the various stresses and strains of Lockdown during unprecedented times brought about by COVID-19.

 Staff and students are very positive moving into one of the busiest times of the year, particularly for our seniors as they work towards NCEA Levels 2 and 3.  It is important for our students to apply themselves to gain the greatest opportunities to catch up on lost ground and work towards their qualifications.

 In Week 9, 15th-18th September, derived grade examinations will be undertaken by students and it is important to state that students should be working towards the very best outcomes during this exam period.  As we are still living in uncertain times, this is even more important than usual.  The results of these exams are used by NZQA to determine if students can pass external papers should a student be unable to attend exams or the exams are halted for whatever reason (including COVID-19).

Sport is Back

It is fantastic to see our students back out training in a variety of codes and engaging with other colleges in our Sport Wellington Region competitions.  I recently had the pleasure of watching one of our Boys Basketball teams and it was really gratifying to see, not only how well they played, but the enjoyment they were gaining from participation in sport.  We look forward to continuing our participation over 2020 and I am certain we will see a number of codes represented in finals.

Cultural Events

While it is great to have sport back up and running it is equally exciting to see our students engaging in the arts.

 Variety Concert

I am pleased to announce that our annual Variety Concert will be taking place on Thursday 30 July, commencing at 7pm in the College Hall.  While this will not be as big a show as we have had in the past it will still be a great opportunity to showcase the talents of our students.  We look forward to seeing the community at this event.

 Drama Production

Senior Drama students are bringing the streets of South Auckland to the streets of Ōtaki in their rendition of the iconic and award winning kiwi comedy Bare by Toa Fraser, which is this year's Senior Production. The play is a series of intertwined monologues and duologues that provide a “gritty” and “real” view of New Zealand. The play aims to cut through the “personal and political” and lay everything down bare, making the audience stop, think and reflect on New Zealand's culture, people and policies. So come along for a night of comedic storytelling and watch our students play multiple roles and explore characters from all walks of life.

This will be taking place on Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd September starting at 7pm in the College Hall. R15 (contains mature themes and language). Bookings should be made through the college office (due to limited seating capacity).  Koha entry.

Exciting Property Developments

We continue to make every effort to not only improve teaching and learning in the College but also to continue to improve the environment that our young people work and interact in.  We have a number of projects that are in the process of being worked on:

 Solar Farm

The first part of Energise Ōtaki’s new solar farm has been built at the College and is producing energy.  The 23kWp solar array will be providing power to the College and the money received will be put into Energise Ōtaki’s community investment fund for community projects.  This is part of a wider project which includes a 108 kWp system to feed the Ōtaki Wastewater Treatment Plant.

 Energise Ōtaki has also committed to having their Projects Officer, Kaylie Potaka, work with us part time in the College over the next year.  Kaylie will work with teachers and students, exploring innovative projects around energy in all its forms, and wider sustainability issues.  Contributing to helping students take positive action around impacts of climate change is also a focus. 

 Climbing Wall

In order for our climbing wall installation to take place in the next holidays significant work has had to be undertaken to strengthen the structure of the small gym.  This has not been an easy project but I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Hamish Wells of Hamish Wells Engineer Ltd and former student Regan McMurchie of Mac Engineering for the work that they have undertaken to make this possible.  I would also like to acknowledge Tamati Davis of All Area Scaffolding Ltd who, at extremely short notice, enabled us to commence this project.  We are certainly lucky to have a community that rallies around when jobs like this are required to be undertaken.

This climbing wall will be incredibly challenging and there will be nothing currently to equal its complexities between Palmerston North and Wellington.  This wall will be a huge asset in further developing our students’ confidence and skills in this area of Outdoor Education.

All Weather Area

The construction of an all weather area for students has recently commenced through the support and funding of our XŌtaki Alumni Trust.  The floor slab, which we retained after the old music room was removed, will have a large roof erected over the top to provide shade in summer and protection from rain in the winter.  Sincere thanks to Rob Kofoed for the time that he has taken to design this structure and to Hamish Sweetman who is now undertaking this project.

 Tennis Courts

Many of us have been used to the sight of the large phoenix palms that have been a feature of the tennis court area at Ōtaki College.  Like most large trees, whilst they might look very appealing, they have started to play havoc with the asphalt by lifting this significantly in some areas.  We are pleased to say that no job has been too big for Mr Chipper and that these trees have now been removed to allow the courts to be prepared ready for the installation of all weather turf.  The new courts will have three tennis courts, three netball courts, a basketball court and a hockey turf marked and will be able to be used effectively all year round.  In order for us to get the best use out of these courts new moveable nets, goals and multi-purpose hoops will be encorporated into this area.  It should be noted that the equipment has been purchased through funds that have been bequeathed to the College by Eileen Cooper, daughter of Iris Maffey.

Iris Maffey Bequeathment

The College is extremely grateful to Elaine Cooper who, earlier this year, made a substantial bequeathment to the College in the name of her mother, Iris Maffey

Iris Maffey (nee Patience) was born in June 1916 in Wellington. As a young woman she was very active, playing basketball, and hurdling, both at the county level, and participating in a marching team. She also played the piano. During WWII she was a nurse, until marrying a soldier, Eric Maffey, in 1943. After the war the young couple continued to live in Island Bay in Wellington, where they raised four children and shared a passion for growing their own vegetables. Like so many people did in the 1950s, Iris visited and grew to love Otaki, so much so that she purchased some land there and paid her father, a master builder, 500 pounds to build a bach, which he did. Iris had painstakingly saved that money from working at a liquorice factory in Newtown. In her later years unfortunately, Iris went blind from complications of diabetes. She was blind for the last 25 years of her life, but this never prevented her from living independently - she could still get around, shelling peas and stringing beans to the very end! She died in 2000 after four heart-attacks.

 The money that has been provided through this bequeathment has been used to support the Performing Arts Department and the Health and Physical Education Department with a focus on wellbeing.  It has enabled us to develop a wellbeing/College gym with equipment for students to use.  We are incredibly grateful for this gift to the students of Ōtaki College.