Waitaki Girls' High School
| Waitaki Girls' High School | |
|---|---|
Junior Block | |
| Address | |
Trent Street, Oamaru, New Zealand | |
| Coordinates | 45°05′17″S 170°58′25″E / 45.0881°S 170.9735°E |
| Information | |
| Type | State, Girls, Secondary years 9–13 |
| Motto | Latin: Dulcius Ex Arduis "Satisfaction from hard work" |
| Established | 1887; 138 years ago |
| Ministry of Education Institution no. | 366 |
| Principal | Sarah Hay |
| School roll | 420 (March 2025) |
| Socio-economic decile | 6N |
| Website | waitakigirlshigh.school.nz |
Waitaki Girls' High School is a state high school for girls situated in Oamaru, on the East coast of New Zealand. It was founded in 1887 on the initiative of local parliamentarians, Samuel Shrimski and Thomas William Hislop, and presently has a roll of just over 400 girls from the ages of 13 to 18. It also has a boarding hostel which houses approximately 50 girls, including international students and tutors.
The school uses a house system with four houses and accompanying colours: Burn (red), Ferguson (yellow), Gibson (green) and Wilson (blue). These houses were named after the first four principals of the school: Margaret Burn, Catherine Ferguson, Mary Gibson and Jessie Wilson. Competitions between the houses, such as athletics, swimming, choir and drama, are held annually.
The school motto is Dulcius Ex Arduis, which in Latin means "satisfaction from hard work".