Principal's Welcome

Nau mai, tautī mai ki Te Kura o Ōhinetahi  Governors Bay School.

A warm welcome to you and your whānau as you explore what Ōhinetahi | Governors Bay has on offer as a kura and as a community. We invite any questions and visits to our kura - please be in touch.

Te Kura o Ōhinetahi Governors Bay School is a small community nestled at the top of Lyttelton Harbour in a unique semi-rural setting, only 15 minutes from Christchurch and 10 minutes from the active port of Lyttelton. We look from our school playground to the wider playground of the bush-clad Port Hills and sparkling water of the harbour where we have direct access to an array of walking tracks and water activities. An active outdoor lifestyle and appreciation for the environment is strongly reflected in our school culture and broader community.

​Our school serves as the heart of our small community and is well-supported by an engaged and proactive parent group who are welcomed into the classroom and beyond to help with activities. Students hail from a diverse range of backgrounds, with a reasonable number coming from families that have emigrated from other parts of the world. The community is recognised for its creative character, and is proud to be home to such notable residents as the late author Margaret Mahy and architect Sir Miles Warren.

Our place in the world
As education moves towards a place-based local curriculum, Te Kura o Ōhinetahi is perfectly positioned to take advantage of its unique location: steeped in Māori and European history, at the head of the Whakaraupō | Lyttelton Harbour and nestled at the base of the Port Hills. We only need to look around for inspiration. As tumuaki, I believe that we can achieve a strong understanding of ourselves as individuals and as a collective through playing and learning in our own backyard.

Inspirational teaching and learning through creativity and diversity
The world around us is constantly changing - whether it be earthquakes, fires or a global pandemic - and our mission is to support and inspire our kaiako | teachers, ākonga | students and wider whānau and community to be open to change and adaptive in our approach. This means how and what we learn is also changing. A strong framework for inquiry is vital for ākonga | students to know that they have the transferable skills for learning anything, anywhere. Our mission is to frame our learning through a bicultural lens, honouring our commitments as a partner in Te Tiriti o Waitangi and connecting to Ngāi Tahu through our local marae at Rāpaki. 

It’s exciting to be a part of Te Kura o Ōhinetahi because of how community-focused and future-ready the school strives to be. This is evident in the school’s commitment to an integrated curriculum that moves away from silos of knowledge towards developing young people who are culturally confident and critical thinkers.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi engari he toa takitini.
A strong framework for inquiry continues to be vital for ākonga | students to know that they have the transferable skills for learning anything, anywhere. 

Our mission is to frame our learning through a bicultural lens, honouring our commitments as a partner in Te Tiriti o Waitangi and connecting to Ngāi Tahu and Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke through our local marae at Rāpaki. 

Ahau: Grow with curiosity & kindness.

Kō mātou: Connect with others through kotahitanga. 

Kō tātou: Create change in the world as kaitiaki. 

Our new school logo was also introduced at this time. The kererū in the logo symbolises a Te Kura o Ōhinetahi | Governors Bay School student. Its actions are a metaphor for student life. It is swooping around in a playful way. Students love to learn through play. It is soaring on the ocean winds - thriving on the thermals of learning. It is looking ahead, deciding its direction or what it wants. Te Kura o Ōhinetahi | Governors Bay School students are being prepared by the school to make a difference in their world

Haere mai and welcome
We warmly invite you to come and visit our kura and get a feel for what learning and life is like at Ōhinetahi. We are very proud of our kura and community and would love to share some of that with you!

Nāku iti noa, nā,
Christine Murphy
Tumuaki | Principal