The school is broken up into three houses to generate healthy competition. The student PE shirts are designed with a splash of colour on the sleeve to signify what house each student represents. The dominant colour remains blue and the large kotuku on the back of the shirt is to symbolise that we are all part of the kotuku flock. We unite as a collective more often as a mass of blue than we do as individual groups within our allocated houses. There are times, however, when house competitions will rule the roost.

Ko te miro whero, te miro kākāriki, te miro kōwhai ka Tōhea te manu kōtuku i runga i te kōkiri. Kia pūmau i tō mātou tūrangawaewae. Ko te kōtuku mātou.

With the red thread, the green thread and the yellow thread, we will strive for our personal excellence in a ‘V’ formation. We will protect the nest. Because we are Rutherford. The names of the houses were chosen from Maori Myths and Legends.

Rūaumoko is known to many as the God of volcanic activities. Rūaumoko is the youngest child of Ranginui and Papatūānuku. When Rangi and Papa were separated by their children Rūaumoko was still in the womb of Papatūānuku. Whenever there is an earthquake or a natural disaster on earth, Rūaumoko is marking his mother with her moko. Which makes him the God of moko also.

Tāne Mahuta is known to many as the God of the forest. But Tāne is more than that. Tāne is the creator of mankind and the God of knowledge amongst others. Tāne was the one who created the female form we know it as today by creating Hineahuone out of clay. Tane gave her a hongi to bring her to life then she sneezed which created the phrase Tīhei Mauriora. It was also Tāne who fetched the baskets of knowledge by climbing the twelve steps to heaven to attain te kete tūātea. Te kete tuauri. Te kete aronui. Ā reference which is in our school haka.

Tamanui te rā is the sun that travels across the sky to bring us light. He is also the God of haka. Tamanui te rā married hine raumati who is the summer solstice. They had a son Tāne rore. The God of heatwaves. You will see Tāne rore doing the haka to his father every time you see the heatwaves on the ground. You also see him dancing whenever you see the wiri performed to show that the performance is well alive.

The first house event of 2021 was the Staff Top Town Event on January, 29 2021. Attached are a few photos and the points from that event. In the next couple of weeks, there will be the annual Haka competition, Athletics and Swimming. The house that wins those events will be awarded the inter-house shield for each of these competitions.

Staff Top Town House Results
1^ST       Red           Ruaumoko                   900 Points
2^nd       Green       Tana Nui te rā             770 Points
3^rd        Yellow      Tāne mahuta               655 Points