About Us
At Greymouth High School, our values shape the way we learn, work, and support one another. We believe that clear expectations and positive guidance help students thrive, both in and out of the classroom.
Our ARCH values — Akoranga, Respect, Community, and Hauora — provide a foundation for learning and wellbeing. These values are taught, celebrated, and lived across all areas of school life, creating a safe and supportive environment where everyone can succeed.
Restorative Practice
Underpinning our relational learning culture is Restorative Practice. This is a relational approach to managing school life grounded in beliefs about equality, dignity, mana and the potential of all people.
The Restorative Practice model focuses on building and maintaining positive, respectful relationships across the school community and offers school staff best-practice tools and techniques to maintain and restore relationships. We believe that by building and maintaining positive, respectful relationships within a school, staff to staff, staff to student and student to student, issues are more easily managed.
Alongside positive relationships, we also use the Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) framework. This aims to promote appropriate behaviour in a positive manner that is non-threatening and supportive of all students and staff. It aims to minimise problematic behaviours and maximise and celebrate positive social and academic student behaviours.
Relational Learning Culture
Underpinning relational learning culture is the desire for:
- Students, staff, and whānau to treat each other consistently in respectful ways
- All teachers to have high expectations for every student
- Every person finds success, whatever that looks like to them and their whānau, in a culturally responsive environment.
We see relational learning culture as our overarching practice, and underneath it sits:
- Restorative practice
- Cultural capabilities with Ngāti Waewae
- Hikairo Schema (Angus and Sonja McFarlane)
- PB4L
Commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
The Board of Greymouth High School is committed to upholding our obligations to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We believe that this ensures a strong partnership between tangata whenua and the Crown, and prioritises equity and inclusion as a school’s core focus.
Greymouth High School, under our Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations, will continue to seek to achieve equitable outcomes for Māori students and ensure that every student at the school is able to attain their highest possible standard in educational achievement.
Greymouth High School is grateful for our relationship with mana whenua, Ngāti Waewae, and we are committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which informs our governance and decision-making.
In partnership with PPTA and NZEI, Greymouth High School wants to publicly express our support of the requirement to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, regardless of any changes in the legislation.
By continuing to:
- Ensure our plans, policies, and local curriculum reflect local tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori and te ao Māori
- Take all reasonable steps to make instruction available in Tikanga Māori and Te Reo Māori
- Achieve equitable outcomes for Māori students
Our Codes, Our Standards
At Greymouth High School we work for strong and positive relationships throughout the community, with associated rights and responsibilities, to give a positive sense of belonging and maximise opportunities for everyone. Here I consider the Kai Tahu whakatuikī ‘Mō tātou, a, mō ka uri a muri ake nei’ – `For us, and our children after us’; we are all working together for today and our future.
Tātaiako
Tātaiako guides our teachers to build strong relationships with Māori learners and whānau. It helps us honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and support Māori students to succeed as Māori, with their culture and identity valued.