Taradale High School (Māori: Te Haikura o Otatara) is a co-educational secondary school in Taradale (a suburb of the city of Napier in New Zealand). It caters for years 9 to 13 and has an attendance of approximately 1,049 students as of July 2026. David Oliver is the current principle of the school.
Facilities The school was originally constructed to the Nelson Two-Storey standard plan, like most New Zealand secondary schools built in the 1960s. The Nelson Two-Storey is distinguished by its two-storey H-shaped classroom blocks, with stairwells at each end of the block and a large ground floor toilet and cloak area on one side.
History The school opened on 3 February 1970, although some of the buildings were not yet complete or painted, and the playing fields were bare earth with stones and rocks. The science class had no equipment, and the library was short of books. The opening ceremony was not held until 17 July 1970, and the Minister of Education, Brian Talboys, was unable to attend and a replacement speaker was hastily organised. Of the original ten staff members, four left during the first year. Despite these problems, the school presented a concert involving every class at the end of the second term, and a basketball marathon set an endurance record for the Guinness Book of Records. The school magazine, then called Teamhar Leabhar (Gaelic for The Book of Tara), published its first issue.
The school grew rapidly over the next decade. B block was built in 1971–72 and C block in 1975. A mezzanine floor was added to the library in 1974, and the gymnasium opened in 1981. The roll increased to over 800 in 1976 and was then stable until 1984 when it increased to over 900. The school magazine become The Brooch in 1976.Taradale High School Reunion Easter 1995, pages 8–9
In 1975 the local community decided that the school should have its own Board of Governors in place of the Napier High Schools Board. The school gained the right to internally assess all School Certificate subjects from 1977.Taradale High School Reunion Easter 1995, page 10
A connection with Tomakomai Commercial High School in Tomakomai, Hokkaidō, Japan, formed in 1979, with several Japanese students spending a year at Taradale. A second sister school relationship was formed with Samil Commercial High School in South Korea in 1993.Taradale High School Reunion Easter 1995, pages 14, 18
The school celebrated its 25th anniversary with a reunion during Easter 1995.Taradale High School Reunion Easter 1995, pages 2, 40
Taradale High School received unfavourable national attention when the head boy, deputy head boy, head of sport, and four fellow pupils anally gangraped an acquaintance with a broomstick coated with muscle relaxant during a party on the evening of 17 October 2001. Six of the students were convicted of sexual assault and sentenced to between 2 and 2.5 years imprisonment.
Notable alumni
Ross Burden – celebrity chef Krysten Cottrell – rugby union player Rhiarna Ferris – rugby union player Laura Nagel – middle- and long-distance runner
Principals +#NameTerm1Bob Twaddle1970–19842Ian Eliffe1984–19853Michael Kilty1985–20034John Pitts2003–20065Stephen Hensman2006–20196David Oliver2019–current
References
External links Official site ERO Report