Principal’s Welcome

Kia Ora, I am Dr Catherine Law, and I am proud to be the Principal of Avonside Girls’ High School, Te Kura Kōhine o Ōtākaro. Having attended an independent Girls’ school myself and worked in top girls’ schools in London and Hawkes’ Bay, I am passionate about the power of single-sex education to empower young women. More than ever, our young women today need an educational space that allows them to flourish as critical, courageous, and compassionate thinkers with a strong sense of leadership, identity and purpose going out into the world. At the heart of this we want our young people and their families to belong, and our strong values continue to be key.

‘Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua: I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past’. Te Kura Kohine o Otakaro /Avonside Girls’ High School has a strong sense of its’ history, and traditions, that go back almost a century. I acknowledge the strength of this identity. The interweaving of past and future is informing our move forward to a modernised, engaging curriculum and supportive wellbeing innovations at Avonside, and our young wahine are challenged to achieve personal excellence across all areas of the school. We are excited about our new Junior Curriculum in which students have choice and a voice in their learning pathways. The breadth of learning offered to senior students means there are pathways to success for all. Our modern, state-of-the-art facilities provide spaces for outstanding performing arts, sport and cultural programmes.