Westlake Girls High School

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Public school in Auckland, New Zealand

Westlake Girls High School

Māori: Te Kura Tuarua o Ngā Taitamawāhine o Ururoto

Location

Auckland

New Zealand

Coordinates| 36°46′57″S 174°45′03″E﻿ / ﻿36.7825°S 174.7508°E﻿ / -36.7825; 174.7508
Information
Type| Public school
Motto| Virtute Experiamur
(Let Courage Be Thy Test)
Established| 1957 (1957) (co-ed), 1962 (single-sex)
Sister school| Westlake Boys High School
Ministry of Education Institution no.| 38
Principal| Jane Stanley
Years offered| 9–13
Gender| Female
Number of students| 2,275[1] (November 2024)
Houses| 5
Colour(s)| Red & Green
Socio-economic decile| 9Q[2]
Website| www.westlakegirls.school.nz

Westlake Girls High School (Māori: Te Kura Tuarua o Ngā Taitamawāhine o Ururoto) is a state girls secondary school, located to the west of Lake Pupuke in Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand. The school was established in 1957 as a coeducational school, changing to girls only in 1962 when Westlake Boys High School opened. Westlake Girls has a roll of approximately 2,275 students from Years 9 to 13 (ages 12 to 18), making one of the largest single-sex schools in New Zealand.[1]

The school is divided into five house groups; based on the five Olympic Rings: Akoranga (black), Hauraki (gold), Onewa (red), Pupuke (blue) and Wairau (green).[3]

## History

[edit]

The school has its origin in 1957, when it opened as a co-ed institution. In 1962 Westlake Girls and Westlake Boys High School emerged as separate schools,[4] though they maintain relations.

Westlake Girls High School (1988)

After three decades of service, principal Alison Gernhoefer retired at the end of 2011, succeeded by Roz Mexted.[5] In the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours, Gernhoefer was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services.[6] The Gernhoefer Administration building is named in her honour. She died on 12 April 2022.[7]

Mexted was principal from November 2011 to November 2016. Changes during her tenure were the introduction of a new Junior and Senior uniform, and the development of the undercover netball and tennis courts visible from the motorway. The house system was also updated in an effort to increase school unity and spirit.

Jane Stanley was appointed to succeed Mexted and took up the position of principal at the beginning of the second term in May 2017.[8] She is married to former Olympic rower Mike Stanley.[9]

## Westlake Girls and Boys

[edit]

Physically merely a few hundred metres apart, Westlake Girls and Westlake Boys engage in an annual theatrical production together, several joint musical ensembles (including a joint choir, two orchestras, a concert band and a jazz band), and some social dances, among other things. The two schools share a motto – Virtute Experiamur (Let Courage Be Thy Test).

## Enrolment

[edit]

As of November 2024, Westlake Girls High School has roll of 2,275 students, of which 219 (9.6%) identify as Māori.[1]

As of 2024, the school has an Equity Index of 402,[10] placing it amongst schools whose students have the fewest socioeconomic barriers to achievement (roughly equivalent to deciles 9 and 10 under the former socio-economic decile system).[11]

## Principals

[edit]

| Name  | Term  | Notes

|
|
|

1  | Sylvia Mollard  | 1962–1969  |
2  | Helen Ryburn  | 1969–1981  |
3  | Alison Gernhoefer  | 1981–2011  |
4  | Roz Mexted  | 2011–2016  |
5  | Jane Stanley  | 2017–present  |

## Notable alumnae

[edit]

Main category: People educated at Westlake Girls High School

* Rosie Cheng – tennis player
* Erin Naylor – association footballer[12]
* Jo Aleh – sailor
* Alethea Boon – athlete, gymnast, weightlifter
* Naisi Chen \- politician
* Cathie Dunsford – novelist, poet, anthologist, lecturer and publishing consultant
* Joanne Gair – artist, bodypainter
* Nikki Jenkins – gymnast
* Jenny Kirk – politician
* Kayla McAlister – rugby sevens player
* Judy Millar – artist
* Carol Oyler – cricketer
* Anona Pak – badminton player
* Katie Perkins – cricketer[13]
* Karen Plummer – cricketer
* Allison Roe – athlete
* Samantha Scott – theatre director[14]
* Rebecca Sowden – association footballer[15]
* Kate Sylvester – fashion designer[16]
* Rosita Vai – singer
* Lisa Wallbutton – basketball player
* Diana Wichtel – writer and critic[17]
* Chelsea Winter – celebrity chef

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
2. ^ "Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools". Ministry of Education. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
3. ^ "Westlake Girls High School House System". Retrieved 15 February 2017.
4. ^ Sparks, Zizi (17 February 2017). "Former Westlake High School students celebrate 60-year reunion". North Shore Times.
5. ^ "Westlake Girls' new head". Stuff.co.nz. 23 June 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
6. ^ "No. 53697". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 11 June 1994. p. 35.
7. ^ "Alison Gernhoefer obituary". The New Zealand Herald. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
8. ^ "Westlake Girls High School finds new principal". Stuff.co.nz. 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
9. ^ Russell, Alexia (18 April 2017). "New head for NZ's biggest girls' school". newsroom. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
10. ^ "New Zealand Equity Index". New Zealand Ministry of Education.
11. ^ "School Equity Index Bands and Groups". www.educationcounts.govt.nz. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
12. ^ "Westlake Girls High take out the champs". Stuff.co.nz. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
13. ^ "Community spirit is key for Perkins". Auckland Cricket. 14 August 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
14. ^ "Theatre runs in her veins - Lifestyle News". NZ Herald. 22 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
15. ^ "Soccer takes to the beach". Stuff. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
16. ^ "Designer Kate Sylvester on celebrating her heroes with her designs". Stuff. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
17. ^ Noted. "Diana Wichtel's long search for her Holocaust-survivor father". www.noted.co.nz. Retrieved 23 December 2019.

## External links

[edit]

* Westlake Girls High School website
* Education Review Office (ERO) reports for Westlake Girls High School

* v
* t
* e

Schools in the Auckland region, New Zealand

State secondary
and composite|

* Albany Senior High School
* Alfriston College
* Aorere College
* Auckland Girls' Grammar School
* Auckland Grammar School
* Avondale College
* Birkenhead College
* Botany Downs Secondary College
* Edgewater College
* Epsom Girls' Grammar School
* Glendowie College
* Green Bay High School
* Henderson High School
* Hobsonville Point Secondary School
* Howick College
* James Cook High School
* Kaipara College
* Kelston Boys' High School
* Kelston Girls' College
* Kia Aroha College
* Long Bay College
* Lynfield College
* Macleans College
* Mahurangi College
* Mangere College
* Manurewa High School
* Massey High School
* Mission Heights Junior College
* Mount Albert Grammar School
* Mount Roskill Grammar School
* Northcote College
* One Tree Hill College
* Onehunga High School
* Orewa College
* Ormiston Senior College
* Otahuhu College
* Pakuranga College
* Papakura High School
* Papatoetoe High School
* Pukekohe High School
* Rangitoto College
* Rodney College
* Rosehill College
* Rutherford College
* Selwyn College
* Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate
* Southern Cross Campus
* Takapuna Grammar School
* Tāmaki College
* Tangaroa College
* Te Kura Maori o Nga Tapuwae
* TKKM o Puau Te Moananui-a-Kiwa
* TKKM o Hoani Waititi
* TKKM o Mangere
* Vanguard Military School
* Waiheke High School
* Waitākere College
* Waiuku College
* Western Springs College
* Westlake Boys High School
* Westlake Girls High School
* Whangaparāoa College

State-integrated|

* Al-Madinah School
* Auckland Seventh-day Adventist High School
* Baradene College of the Sacred Heart
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* Kingsway School
* Liston College
* Marcellin College
* Marist College
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* Sancta Maria College
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* St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic College, Drury
* St Mary's College
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Private|

* ACG New Zealand International College
* ACG Parnell College
* ACG Senior College
* ACG Strathallan
* ACG Sunderland
* Auckland International College
* Destiny School
* Dilworth School
* Diocesan School for Girls
* Hebron Christian College
* King's College
* Kristin School
* Manukau Christian School
* Pinehurst School
* Pukekohe Christian School
* St Cuthbert's College
* St Kentigern College
* Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School
* Tyndale Park Christian School
* Wentworth College

* v
* t
* e

Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand

Buildings and facilities|

* North Shore Hospital
* The PumpHouse Theatre
* Sentinel
* Shore City Shopping Centre

Geographic features|

* Lake Pupuke
* Rangitoto Channel
* Shoal Bay
* Takapuna Fossil Forest

Infrastructure|

* Auckland Northern Motorway
* Smales Farm busway station

Historic sites|

* St Mary's Seminary

Government|

* Auckland Council
* Devonport-Takapuna Local Board
* North Shore ward
* North Shore City Council (defunct)

Schools and organisations|

* Carmel College
* Rosmini College
* Takapuna AFC
* Takapuna Rugby Football Club
* Westlake Boys High School
* Westlake Girls High School

* v
* t
* e

Members of the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia

In Australia|

| In the Australian Capital Territory|

* Canberra Girls Grammar School
* Merici College
* St Clare’s College

|

In New South Wales|

* Abbotsleigh
* Ascham School
* Bethlehem College, Ashfield
* Brigidine College, St Ives
* Caroline Chisholm College
* Catherine McAuley Westmead
* Danebank
* Domremy College
* Frensham School
* Georges River College (Penshurst Girls Campus)
* Kambala School
* Kincoppal School
* Loreto Kirribilli
* Loreto Normanhurst
* MacKillop College, Bathurst
* Marist Sisters' College, Woolwich
* Meriden School
* MLC School
* Monte Sant'Angelo Mercy College
* Mount St Benedict College
* Nagle College, Blacktown
* New England Girls' School
* Our Lady of Mercy College
* Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College
* Presbyterian Ladies' College, Armidale
* Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
* Pymble Ladies' College
* Queenwood School for Girls
* Randwick Girls' High School
* Ravenswood School for Girls
* Roseville College
* SCEGGS Darlinghurst
* St Catherine's School, Waverley
* St Clare's College, Waverley
* St Mary Star of the Sea College, Wollongong
* St Patrick's College, Campbelltown
* St Scholastica's College
* St Ursula's College, Kingsgrove
* St Vincent's College, Potts Point
* Santa Sabina College
* Stella Marris College
* Tangara School for Girls
* Tara Anglican School for Girls
* Wenona School

In Queensland|

* All Hallows' School
* Brigidine College, Indooroopilly
* Brisbane Girls Grammar School
* Clayfield College
* Fairholme College
* Ipswich Girls' Grammar School
* Loreto College Coorparoo
* Lourdes Hill College
* Mary MacKillop College, Brisbane
* Moreton Bay College
* Mount Alvernia College
* Mt St Michael's College
* Rockhampton Girls Grammar School
* St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School
* St Hilda's School
* St John Fisher College, Bracken Ridge
* St Margaret Mary's College
* St Margaret's Anglican Girls' School
* St Mary's College, Ipswich
* St Monica's College
* St Patrick's College, Townsville
* St Rita's College
* St Ursula's College, Toowoomba
* St Ursula's College, Yeppoon
* Somerville House
* Stuartholme School
* The Glennie School

In South Australia|

* Kildare College
* Loreto College, Marryatville
* Mary MacKillop College, Kensington
* Mitcham Girls High School
* Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College
* Roma Mitchell Secondary College (Girls' Education Campus)
* St Aloysius College
* St Mary's College
* St Peter's Girls' School
* Seymour College
* Walford Anglican School for Girls
* Wilderness School

In Tasmania|

* Fahan School
* Mount Carmel College
* Ogilvie High School
* St Mary's College
* St Michael's Collegiate School

In Victoria|

* Ave Maria College
* Avila College
* Camberwell Girls Grammar School
* Canterbury Girls' Secondary College
* Catholic Ladies College
* Clonard College
* Fintona Girls' School
* Firbank Girls' Grammar School
* Genazzano FCJ College
* Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School
* Kilbreda College
* Korowa Anglican Girls' School
* Lauriston Girls' School
* Loreto College Ballarat
* Loreto Mandeville Hall
* Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School
* Mac.Robertson Girls' High School
* Mater Christi College
* Melbourne Girls' College
* Melbourne Girls Grammar
* Mentone Girls' Grammar
* Mentone Girls' Secondary College
* Mercy College, Coburg
* Methodist Ladies' College
* Mount St Joseph Girls' College
* Our Lady of Mercy College
* Our Lady of Sion College
* Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College, Bentleigh
* Pascoe Vale Girls College
* Presbyterian Ladies' College
* Ruyton Girls' School
* Sacré Cœur School
* Sacred Heart College, Geelong
* Sacred Heart Girls' College
* St Aloysius' College
* St Catherine's School, Toorak
* St Columba's College
* St Margaret's School
* Santa Maria College
* Shelford Girls' Grammar
* Siena College
* Star of the Sea College
* Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School
* Toorak College
* Worawa Aboriginal College

In Western Australia|

* Iona Presentation College
* Mercedes College
* Methodist Ladies' College
* Penrhos College
* Perth College
* Presbyterian Ladies' College
* St Brigid's College
* St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls
* St Mary's Anglican Girls' School
* Santa Maria College, Perth

In Hong Kong|

* Good Hope School

In Japan|

* International School of the Sacred Heart
* Ohtani Junior and Senior High School

In New Zealand|

* Baradene College
* Carmel College
* Chilton Saint James School
* Christchurch Girls' High School
* Columba College
* Craighead Diocesan School
* Diocesan School for Girls
* Hamilton Girls' High School
* Iona College
* Marlborough Girls' College
* Napier Girls' High School
* Nga Tawa Diocesan School
* Otago Girls' High School
* Palmerston North Girls' High School
* Queen Margaret College
* Rangi Ruru Girls' School
* Rotorua Girls' High School
* St Cuthbert's College
* St Hilda's Collegiate School
* Saint Kentigern School for Girls
* St Margaret's College, Christchurch
* St Matthew's Collegiate School
* St Oran's College
* Samuel Marsden Collegiate School
* Selwyn House
* Taranaki Diocesan School for Girls
* Timaru Girls' High School
* Waikato Diocesan School
* Waitaki Girls' High School
* Wellington Girls' College
* Westlake Girls High School
* Woodford House

In the Philippines|

* Miriam College

In Singapore|

* Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) (former)

In South Africa|

* St Stithians College

in Zimbabwe|

* Chisipite Senior School

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