Ōtaki College
Ōtaki College is an intermediate and secondary school located in Ōtaki, in the north of the Kāpiti Coast in New Zealand. With a roll of  in , the college has been recognised for achieving success in spite of its Decile 4 ranking.

History
Before Ōtaki College was established, students from Ōtaki and the surrounding area had to travel north to Horowhenua College to receive education. As New Zealand's school-age population grew markedly after the Second World War, there was growing public pressure to establish a school in the region. The school was founded as Ōtaki District High School on 2 February 1959, and officially opened on 3 March 1960 by Minister of Education Philip Skoglund.

By 1961 the roll had grown to 217, and the school was formally incorporated as a college. At this time it also catered to manual training primary school students. Through the 1960s and 1970s, several facilities were constructed including a swimming pool, library, and gymnasium. The assembly hall block was officially opened in 1964 by Governor-general Bernard Fergusson.

Demographics and relationship with Māori
The school is rated as Decile 4L, meaning a higher-than-average proportion of its students come from low-income households. In 2014, Ōtaki College was one of seven schools in New Zealand identified by the Education Review Office as the highest-performing low decile schools.

More than half of students at Ōtaki College are Māori, the majority of whom are from Ngāti Raukawa, the local iwi of Ōtaki. The school engages closely with Ngāti Raukawa, including through the board of trustees, learning plans, and in the college's tikanga and kawa. Each year, new students are welcomed to the college through a pōwhiri at Raukawa Marae.

Notable alumni

Ōtaki College has produced several national representative sportspeople, including Olympic Kayaker John MacDonald, Commonwealth Games high-jumper Kelley O'Hagan, and Silver Fern Katarina Cooper.

References

External links
 
 School Website

Category:Educational institutions established in 1959
Category:Secondary schools in the Wellington Region
Category:Kāpiti Coast District
Category:Schools in the Kāpiti Coast District
Category:1959 establishments in New Zealand