Te Awamutu College Covered Multi-Sports Turf
Te Awamutu College principal Tony Membery has revealed the 2025 school leavers are the first Year 13 group to top attendance.
“Attendance is one of the strands of our strategic plan,” Membery told the senior prizegiving.
“Te Awamutu College is week after week bettering Waikato and national averages for attendance and our average overall weekly attendance is 88 per cent.”
He thanked staff, students, parents and caregivers for their combined effort in that area.
“Of the Year 13 attendance he said it was “a huge contrast to the days of wearing mufti and going on outings during study periods”.
Tony Membery
Membery said 2025 has been another full-on year.
As well as year 13 camp, 11 interhouse events, science fair, Battle of the Waipā schools and many more events, there were plenty of trips across the North Island.
He said it’s about bettering the all-round person.
“Academic, sporting, cultural, leadership and service. They get a chance to do it all, they work hard and live balanced lives,” Membery said.
“There’s an increasing number of activities for our students to be able to do at lunch time.
“They do not all just sit, look at their phones and text each other even though the person is right next to them.”
One of the highlights for the school community was the introduction of a $50 uniform shop credit for each student.
Membery commended the board on that initiative via the Rogers Charitable Trust.
He also paid tribute to outgoing school board chair Craig Yarndley who was replaced by Nick Hewlett after nine years on the board.
Other significant points were the building of a changing room for the multi sports turf, which will be ready by term 1 2026, and the departure of Maree Letford.
Letford retires after 29 years and now has a cup named in her honour for first in level three food technology. Tessa King was the inaugural recipient.
“Thousands of college students have benefitted from her knowledge, skills and support, as have her colleagues,” Membery said.
