A Brief History of Kaipara College

Steve Mccracken

Kaipara College is situated in the beautiful South Kaipara District, north west of Auckland City.

The college's location allows it to draw on the best of the urban and rural characteristics within its community.

The college was founded in 1924 as Helensville District High School, becoming Kaipara College in 1959.

A devastating fire in December 2006 destroyed the last original classrooms and took with it many years worth of archives and resources belonging to the original school.

The college draws from a wide catchment area - from Riverhead, Kumeu and Muriwai in the south, through to Glorit and Tahekeroa in the north.  The college population of approximately 870 students is diverse and the school caters for a range of individual needs.  The relatively small size of the college allows students to be recognised for the qualities that they bring to the school.

The facilities of the college are impressive; modern and purpose built, enabling high quality teaching and learning to take place.  The college is on a nine hectare site, with over 80% of the buildings new or redeveloped since 2009.  The growing roll is leading to ongoing investment in state-of-the-art facilities over the next four years.