Principal's Welcome

A warm welcome to you and your whānau as you explore what Ōhinetahi | Governors Bay has on offer as a kura and as a community. We invite any questions and visits to our kura - please be in touch.

Our place in the world

As education moves towards a place-based local curriculum, Te Kura o Ōhinetahi is perfectly positioned to take advantage of its unique location: steeped in Māori and European history, at the head of the Whakaraupō | Lyttelton Harbour and nestled at the base of the Port Hills. We only need to look around for inspiration. As tumuaki, I believe that we can achieve a strong understanding of ourselves as individuals and as a collective through playing and learning in our own backyard.

Inspirational teaching and learning through creativity and diversity

The world around us is constantly changing - whether it be earthquakes, fires or a global pandemic - and our mission is to support and inspire our kaiako | teachers, ākonga | students and wider whānau and community to be open to change and adaptive in our approach. This means how and what we learn is also changing. A strong framework for inquiry is vital for ākonga | students to know that they have the transferable skills for learning anything, anywhere. Our mission is to frame our learning through a bicultural lens, honouring our commitments as a partner in Te Tiriti o Waitangi and connecting to Ngāi Tahu through our local marae at Rāpaki. 

It’s exciting to be a part of Te Kura o Ōhinetahi because of how community-focussed and future-ready the school strives to be. This is evident in the school’s commitment to an integrated curriculum that moves away from silos of knowledge towards developing young people who are culturally confident and critical thinkers.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi engari he toa takitini.

We come not with our own strengths but bring with us the gifts, talents and strengths of our family, tribe and ancestors.

Over 2021 and 2022, the school community reviewed their values and logo. As a result, the school has identified new values to take us into the future:

Kō ahau: Grow with curiosity & kindness 

Kō mātou: Connect with others through kotahitanga 

Kō tātou: Create change in the world as kaitiaki 

Our new school logo was also introduced at this time, and “the Kererū in the logo symbolises the Te Kura o Ōhinetahi | Governors Bay School student. Its actions are a metaphor for student life. It is swooping around in a playful way. Students love to learn through play. It is soaring on the ocean winds - thriving on the thermals of learning. It is looking ahead, deciding its direction or what it wants. Te Kura o Ōhinetahi | Governors Bay School students … have been prepared by the school to make a difference in their world…”

Haere mai and welcome

We warmly invite you to come and visit our kura and get a feel for what learning and life is like at Ōhinetahi. We are very proud of our kura and community and would love to share some of that with you!

Nāku iti noa, nā,
Meagan Kelly
Tumuaki | Principal