Nau mai, hoki mai e te whānau ki Te Kāreti o te Oneroa o Kahu, welcome back to Long Bay College for 2026.
A particularly warm welcome to all new whānau, teachers, support staff, and of course the many new students joining us this year. Nau mai, haere mai, we are delighted to have you as part of our community.
We have enjoyed a wonderfully positive start to the year. Our opening pōwhiri was a powerful and affirming way to gather as a community, and it set the tone for what already feels like an exceptional year ahead. As we reflect on the end of 2025 and our tradition of clapping our school leavers out, we welcomed our new students by ‘clapping them in’. With over 2000 students now enrolled, the largest roll in the school’s history, our campus is vibrant, energetic and full of promise.
We begin 2026 buoyed by outstanding academic achievement from our 2025 cohorts. Our NCEA results across Levels 1-3 continue to be very strong, particularly in the number of Excellence and Merit Endorsements achieved and our Year 13 students have delivered record success in University Entrance. These results reflect not only the hard work of our students and staff, but also the collective support of whānau and our wider community. They are achievements we can all be proud of and sit high above National averages and significantly above the averages of schools with a similar Equity Index score.
As always, we remain committed to fostering a culture of care, high expectations and strong relationships. These foundations support our young people to thrive academically, socially, and personally and they underpin the positive, purposeful start we have experienced this term.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our staff, our systems, and most importantly, our students, your children. It is valued and appreciated. I would also like to acknowledge our dedicated teachers and support staff for the thoughtful planning that has gone into launching the year so smoothly, as well as our student leaders who have contributed their time and leadership to help welcome our newest learners.
This year will also see a full refurbishment of O Block and the building of a water-based hockey turf at the school. While this will cause some inconvenience, we know that the outcomes will be worth it in the end.
Here’s to a successful, enriching, and productive year at Long Bay College.
Ngā mihi nui
CJ Healey
Principal
