Kāpiti College

Kapiti College is situated at Raumati Beach on the Kāpiti Coast in New Zealand, 45 minutes drive from Wellington City. It was called Raumati District High School when built in 1954, then renamed Kapiti College in 1957. The Kapiti College motto is "Semper Fidelis" which translates to "Always Faithful".^{[citation needed]}

Kapiti College Māori: Te Kāreti o Kapiti
Location
Margaret Road, Raumati Beach, New Zealand
Coordinates	40°55′19″S 174°58′59″E
Information
Type	Coeducational State Secondary (Year 9–13)
Motto	Semper Fidelis
Established	1954
Ministry of Education Institution no.	247
Principal	David Lowe
School roll	1438[1] (July 2025)
Socio-economic decile	8P[2]
Website	www.kc.school.nz

The roll is 1438^[1] in July 2025, including international students. Numbers of students at the college increased by 400 in the 2003–2012 period.

History

In October 1961, the school was officially opened by Lord Cobham.^[3]

In 1963 there was a dispute about whether the college's hockey team should play as a part of Horowhenua, or as a part of Wellington due to a boundary change.^[4][5]

In 1970, staff claimed that the college illegally deducted their salaries. A meeting was then held, with approximately one thousand teachers attending, closing the college for the meeting. Onslow College also closed to allow their teachers to attend the meeting. The teachers sent a telegram to the Ministry of Education.^[6]

Enrolment

As of July 2025, Kāpiti College has a roll of 1438 students, of which 240 (16.7%) identify as Māori.^[1]

As of 2025, the school has an Equity Index of 429,^[7] placing it amongst schools whose students have below average socioeconomic barriers to achievement (roughly equivalent to deciles 6 and 7 under the former socio-economic decile system).^[8]

Facilities

Te Raukura ki Kāpiti

The latest addition to the school is Te Raukura ki Kāpiti, a performing arts centre for use by the community and school^[9][10] which opened in February 2020. The facility was opened by Steven Joyce, a former student.^[11]

Arts

The school has its own radio show on Wellington Access Radio.^[12]

Notable alumni

• Christian Cullen – All Blacks player^[13]
• Peter Jackson – film maker^[14]
• Steven Joyce – Economic Development Minister^[15]
• Mark Shaw – All Blacks player^[16]
• Blair Davenport – Professional wrestler^[17]