Westlake Girls High School
Westlake Girls High School (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 students from Years 9 to 13 (ages 12 to 18), making one of the largest single-sex schools in New Zealand.
Westlake Girls High School
- Name
- Westlake Girls High School
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Overview
Overview
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).
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Westlake Girls High School • Native Name — Te Kura Tuarua o Ngā Taitamawāhine o Ururoto • Motto — Virtute Experiamur • Motto Translation — Let Courage Be Thy Test • Type — Public school • Established — 1957 (co-ed), 1962 (single-sex) • Sister School — Westlake Boys High School • Moe — 38 • Principal — Jane Stanley • City — Auckland • County — New Zealand • Years — 9–13 • Gender — Female • Enrollment — • Colours — Red & Green • Houses — 5 • Decile — 9Q • Website — http: www.westlakegirls.school.nz/
History
History
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, though they maintain relations. • Illustration — Westlake Girls High School (1988) After three decades of service, principal Alison Gernhoefer retired at the end of 2011, succeeded by Roz Mexted. In the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours, Gernhoefer was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services. The Gernhoefer Administration building is named in her honour. She died on 12 April 2022. 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. She is married to former Olympic rower Mike Stanley.
Westlake Girls and Boys
Westlake Girls and Boys
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
Enrolment
As of, Westlake Girls High School has roll of students, of which (%) identify as Māori. As of, the school has an Equity Index of, placing it amongst schools whose students have socioeconomic barriers to achievement (roughly equivalent to deciles 8 and 9 under the former socio-economic decile system).
Principals
Principals
• 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
Notable alumnae
• Rosie Cheng – tennis player • Erin Naylor – association footballer • 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 • Karen Plummer – cricketer • Allison Roe – athlete • Samantha Scott – theatre director • Rebecca Sowden – association footballer • Kate Sylvester – fashion designer • Rosita Vai – singer • Lisa Wallbutton – basketball player • Diana Wichtel – writer and critic • Chelsea Winter – celebrity chef
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Westlake Girls High School, revision 1367885900 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Ministry of Education. Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools.
- 2.Westlake Girls High School House System.
- 3.Sparks, Zizi. Former Westlake High School students celebrate 60-year reunion. North Shore Times. 17 February 2017.
- 4.Westlake Girls' new head. Stuff.co.nz. 23 June 2011.
- 5.53697. 11 June 1994. 35.
- 6.Alison Gernhoefer obituary. The New Zealand Herald. 16 April 2022.
- 7.Westlake Girls High School finds new principal. Stuff.co.nz. 20 December 2016.
- 8.Russell, Alexia. New head for NZ's biggest girls' school. newsroom. 18 April 2017.
- 9.School Equity Index Bands and Groups. www.educationcounts.govt.nz.
- 10.Westlake Girls High take out the champs. Stuff.co.nz. 31 January 2009.
- 11.Community spirit is key for Perkins. Auckland Cricket. 2011-08-14.
- 12.Theatre runs in her veins - Lifestyle News. The New Zealand Herald. 2024-10-22.
- 13.Soccer takes to the beach. Stuff.
- 14.Designer Kate Sylvester on celebrating her heroes with her designs. Stuff.
- 15.Noted. Diana Wichtel's long search for her Holocaust-survivor father. www.noted.co.nz.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 26 September 2026.
Elsewhere in General
22,760 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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