Nau mai, hoki mai, e te whānau ki Te Kāreti o te Oneroa o Kahu—Welcome back to Long Bay College for 2025! And a very special welcome to the whānau of all our new students who are starting with us this year across all year levels, nau mai, haere mai.

2025 will prove to be a very special year for our school, with it marking the anniversary of 50 years since we very first opened our doors to our community. Whilst our current cohort of over 1900 students and 170 staff mark the present, we look forward to welcoming back many of our alumni students and staff at a variety of events throughout the year.

We start the year on the back of very strong NCEA results at Level 2 and Level 3 (both over 92% and climbing) and University Entrance rates of over 73%, and our Māori and Pasifika students, in particular, had a fantastic series of results, topping our school results in many categories. As always, we sit way above National averages and, when compared to similar schools using the Equity Index.

The year is already underway, with all of our students having now returned to school, and our campus is busy and bustling with energy and optimism for what lies in store this year.

Shortly, we will embark on community consultation, relating to the strategic direction of our school, and that is always an exciting prospect. For now, we continue to focus on our culture of care, which, alongside the high expectations and standards we set for ourselves in relation to behaviour, culture, and uniform, has worked incredibly well for us over the length of our current strategic plan.

The role of whānau and home should never be underestimated in the success of a school, and I look forward to your continued support of our expectations, our staff, our students – your children, and our school in general; it is appreciated.

I would also like to thank Long Bay College’s capable, experienced, and enthusiastic staff for all the planning they have put into making the 2025 school year a success. A very big thank you also to all of our student leaders for taking time out of their summer holidays to learn more about their roles and in working with us to provide a warm and fun transition to Long Bay College for our new Year 9s.

Here’s to a wonderful year at Long Bay College.

Ngā mihi nui

CJ Healey

Principal