Education – Celebrating 70 years of Ōrewa College

Seventy years is a significant milestone for any school. Since opening in 1956 as Ōrewa District High School, generations of young people from across the Hibiscus Coast have walked through our gates.

To celebrate that history, Ōrewa College recently held two special events: a Foundation Generation High Tea, bringing together students from the school’s earliest years, followed later in the week by our main OC70 community celebration, which opened the College to alumni, whānau and the wider Hibiscus Coast.

Here, we welcomed around 60 former students from 1956 to 1966, some of whom had not seen each other since leaving school. Watching old friends reconnect, share stories and meet our current students was really special.

Our students were exceptional. They catered, entertained, hosted and served our guests throughout the morning, with hospitality students also preparing the food and creating a special 70th anniversary cake. Feedback from our former students about the young people they met was incredibly positive, with one saying, “If this is the future of our youth, we are in great hands.”

Another highlight was our pop-up OC Museum, created in the school library by college staff Sara Hampton, Angela Mandeville and Megan Day. Old photographs, uniforms, yearbooks, memorabilia and even the original head teacher’s logbook brought 70 years of school history to life.

Hundreds visited during the celebrations. Former students spent time searching photographs for themselves, old classmates and teachers, while our current students were equally fascinated, discovering old uniforms, seeing how the College had changed and, in some cases, finding mum, dad or other family members among the photos. It was amazing to watch.

Later in the week, our OC70 celebration brought the community together. We were blessed with fantastic weather, and the College was filled with former students and staff, current students, families and people from across the Coast.

Our students again took centre stage, performing, hosting visitors, giving school tours and helping run activities throughout the day. Kapa haka, Pasifika, Bollywood, music and drama featured alongside food trucks, stallholders, vendors and community groups, with the Hibiscus Rodders adding plenty of character to the occasion.

An enormous amount of work was contributed by staff, students, families, alumni, volunteers, performers, stallholders and community supporters. It genuinely took a whole school community to make it happen.

Deputy Principal Linda Rubens, who helped spearhead our anniversary celebrations, summed it up perfectly: “There was a huge amount of work involved, but it was absolutely worth it. We asked our staff, students, families and community to get involved, and they did. It was brilliant to see how many people wanted to contribute and be part of celebrating 70 years of Ōrewa College.”