School News

Gateway Work Experience 

We have had some great work experience opportunities for some of our Gateway students recently. Shia is interested in becoming a sports camera operator, and had the chance to join the Sky Sports camera crew at a double-header Warriors game at Go Media Stadium. Shia had an amazing time being behind the scenes of the game, and even got to spend time behind a camera. The Sky Sports camera manager was very complimentary of Shia's attitude and her skills behind the camera, and was impressed that she managed to capture some of the tries scored, which were then broadcast in the try replays!!

Gateway Work Experience

Madi Radd is intending to study midwifery when she finishes school at the end of this year. Through the Gateway programme Madi recently had two days of work experience at the Warkworth Birth Centre where she gained valuable insight and contacts in the industry. Here is what Madi thought of her work experience...
On April 22nd and May 1st, I had the privilege of shadowing the midwives at the Warkworth Birthing Centre. This incredible opportunity allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of postnatal care, how it can be customised to suit each woman, and what those changes can look like. Some of my highlights included observing newborn checks, where we assessed skin colour, searched for signs of conditions like jaundice, monitored umbilical cord healing, witnessed Guthrie procedures, and even snuggled with a few babies. Additionally, I had the chance to observe newborn hearing checks, which was so interesting to see, and learn about caesarean sections, to better understand the healing process required to recover from such an operation. I am so grateful for the chance to be a part of such an intimate moment for the families, and the midwives shared such invaluable knowledge about the intricacies of postnatal care and the significance of personalised support for each mother and her newborn. Furthermore, I learned the basics of taking vital signs like heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature, and identified the danger zones and potential implications of readings that are too high or too low in any of these areas.
Work experience is so important in the years leading up to graduation as it provides an opportunity to spend a day with professionals in the field you may be considering. It helps you decipher whether that job genuinely interests and inspires you, and helps you decide what you want to study after school.

Junior MX Nationals

We travelled down to Christchurch during the school holidays for the Junior MX Nationals and Baylee placed in two classes (only girl to do so this year). Here's her story which has also been published in the local matters for May:
I’m so stoked to have won the 1NZ in the 85cc junior womens 12-16 years class and 5NZ in the 125cc junior womens 12-16 years class on my 105cc supermini at the Junior MX Nationals in Leeston, Christchurch!
It’s been a massive journey with training every week and racing pretty much every weekend. There’s been a lot of hard work with time on the seat and some tough races, but it’s all been worth it.
At the end of the day, it’s not just about winning, it’s about having fun, riding with your mates, and doing what I love. That’s the best parts of it all.
I’d also like to say a huge thank you to the people and sponsors backing me, especially my parents, Mac Civil, Kaiwaka Yamaha, Mackenzie Engineering, and Fence In Services. I couldn’t do it without these guy's support.
For me, it’s time for the next challenge. I’ll be stepping up to a 125cc and working hard towards some more wins at the Northland Champs, the Ruakaka Sandbeast, Taupo MX fest, Woodville MXGP and next year’s national championship. Can’t wait for the weekend to get back out there and give it everything again!
Huge congratulation Baylee we are super proud, all the best for your next challenge.

All the World's a Stage - and there is also one in the Hall - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

And upon it, the Seniors (who were present) were treated to an amazing performance of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare". In their idiosyncratic, frenetic style, the three Ugly Shakespeare players won over our students, who were left smiling after witnessing their antics. The bawdy play would have made Shakespeare proud, and our students were able to see some "pure" verse as well. We saw snippets of all the plays (even the lesser-known ones). Our students did us proud as they were, as Kelly from the Company said, "An excellent audience." 

Football

Our Football Boys travelled to Dargaville on Wednesday night beating Dargaville High School 5-0.

Photo credit to Luke from Dargaville.

Kids Lit

With thanks to the Maungaturoto Op Shop who contributed to our Kids Lit Teams, 8 Year 7 & 8 students went to Kerikeri on the 5th May 2026. As always, the competition was fierce and some questions obscure but the teams performed well and ended in the middle of the 35 teams. OTA 2 won a round with both teams having rounds which saw them in the top 10. 

The Kids Lit Quiz has been happening for 35 years, with 100 questions in sets of 10 and 110 points to win. Wayne Mills ( incumbent) and the incoming quiz master Alan Dingley making the questions which ranged from Birds to Detectives,  Doors to Interspecies Relationships.

Voices of the Future: 2026 Year 7 & 8 Speech Competition

Last week, our Year 7 and 8 students absolutely smashed it at the annual speech competition! The hall was buzzing as we heard everything from deep dives into pollution and animal testing to high-energy talks on Metallica and dirt bikes.

A massive shout-out to our legendary MCs—Lucia Mitchell, Finn Smith, Reggie Blackie, and Lilly Stewart—who kept the vibes high and the event running smoothly. You guys were amazing!

The Big Winners
The competition was tough, but these students blew the judges away with their research and delivery:

Year 7: 1st: Armani Worsfold | 2nd: Saffy Dare | 3rd: Charlotte Rogers
Year 8: 1st: Aaliyah MacKenzie | 2nd: Kerehi Hakaraia | 3rd: Maisy Freeman
Huge Thanks
We couldn’t have done it without our judges: Mrs. Antunovich, Mr. Malcolm, Mr. George, and Miss Linnell. Thank you for making those hard calls!

We also want to say a huge thank you to all the whānau members who came along to support. Having you there in the audience meant the world to the speakers.

To everyone who stepped up to the mic: we are so proud of you. It’s clear that every year our writing and presentation skills just keep getting better. You truly outdid yourselves!

Ngā mihi to everyone involved!

Boys Basketball

Our Senior Boys Basketball team travelled to Mangawhai Beach School for the finals against Rodney College to which they took home the Kaipara Basketball title for 2026.
Started off the 1st quarter leading 27-21, keeping the lead throughout the entire game, ultimately taking down Rodney 90-74. 
Congratulations to Ollie Clark who took home the trophy for most improved player throughout the season.
Jordan Davis who finished the game with 40pts the most ever scored in a finals winning the trophy for the most valuable player.
The whole team contributed to winning the Kaipara Basketball competition, for the first time.

A huge thanks to our amazing coach Tana Phillips.

Building Excellence: A Productive Term for Trades Academy

Our Trades Academy students are looking sharper than ever in their new uniform shirts, and their work ethic is proving just as professional.
Current Projects & Achievements  - The team has recently completed a set of six high- capacity picnic tables, providing enough seating for 60 students across the school grounds.
They have also been busy transforming our old sheds into a dedicated, modern workspace, utilizing a brand-new suite of Makita cordless power tools.

The next challenge is already underway: the construction of six garden sheds. We are excited to announce that these high-quality builds will eventually be available for purchase by
members of our local community!

Real-World Experience To simulate a genuine industry environment, students work in six
small teams. Each group is responsible for:

 Managing their specific workspace.
 Maintaining their own toolbelts and equipment.
 Upholding rigorous health and safety standards.

New Expertise on Site -  We are incredibly fortunate to welcome a new staff member, Ethan Bone, to the Trades team. As a qualified builder and cabinetmaker. Ethan’s professional
expertise will be invaluable as he leads the students through the shed-building process, bridging the gap between the classroom and the construction industry.

 

Mana Ake programme

Last year, Otamatea was fortunate to be part of the Mana Ake programme, an incredible initiative that promotes the health and wellbeing of our tamariki. As part of their learning, our students worked together to design and create vibrant murals to brighten up A Block and bring more colour and positivity to our days here at Otamatea High School.
The students did an absolutely amazing job, showing creativity, teamwork, and pride throughout the project. The murals have made a wonderful addition to our school environment and are something our whole school community can enjoy.
A very special shout-out goes to Matua Rob for supporting and guiding our tamariki through the process and helping bring these beautiful creations to life.

We are moving to Digital Trip Permissions

Otamatea High School is transitioning to a digital permission process for all EOTC events. Parents and caregivers will now receive trip information and a safety summary via their registered email, which will serve as a secure digital signature. Please ensure your contact details are up to date with the school office and check your inbox regularly for upcoming trip notifications. 

Hotmail and  Windows Live issues with contacting school

These are all now ‘legacy’ domains, which are no longer current.

While Microsoft has not disabled or deleted them, they have been converted to the Outlook.com domain so they can continue being used.

However, more and more spam filters are now aggressively marking these email addresses as spam or even as malicious, meaning emails sent from these addresses either go into spam folders or are not delivered at all. OHS filters operate on the assumption that anything from these domains is likely to be phishing or bot-related, and it is very difficult for us to get around this. Unfortunately, bots and malicious groups will eventually take over many of these email domains, so this will become more true.Users can try the recommended steps (see below) to alleviate these issues, but there are other important considerations on keeping these addresses.

No Further Support - these domains are no longer supported, so any issues with your email account may not be fixed.

Spam Filters - it is likely that these will no longer be present or kept up to date, meaning you may experience more and more spam coming into your inbox (there are already reports and complaints about this circulating since December last year).

Bots and Phishing - as mentioned above, these will begin to take over these domains, causing more chaos.

Domains will be Disabled or Deleted - One day, this will happen as Microsoft will not want to keep running them indefinitely.

Consider setting up a new account with a more current mainstream provider (e.g.,iCloud.com, Outlook.com, Gmail.com, etc.). You can still keep your Hotmail or Live account in the interim. But you can email all your contacts the new address and set up automatic forwarding, which will catch any senders you haven’t already notified (or haven’t updated).

It does mean monitoring two accounts for a while, but this way you will make the switch over time and not when Microsoft suddenly gives you a deadline.

If you want to update your contact details you can log on to the portal and let us know. Contact: alison.cadman@otamatea.school.nz if you don’t know your portal details.

Events coming up at school