Waimea College is a co-educational secondary school in Richmond, Tasman District, New Zealand. Opened in 1957, the college has over 1500 students, and is the largest school in the top of the South Island.
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History
Waimea College was established in 1957.
Enrolment
As of July 2026, Waimea College has a roll of 1,526 students, of which 173 (11.3%) identify as Māori.
As of 2026, the school has an Equity Index of 447, placing it amongst schools whose students have below average socioeconomic barriers to achievement (roughly equivalent to decile 7 under the former socio-economic decile system).
House system
Waimea College has a house system, with six houses named after six famous New Zealanders:
Cooper (red), named after Whina Cooper
Hillary (yellow), named after Edmund Hillary
Rutherford (green), named after Ernest Rutherford
Sheppard (blue), named after Kate Sheppard
Ngata (purple), named after Apirana Ngata
Carrington (orange), named after Lisa Carrington
Students participate in various inter-house competitions throughout the year. At the end of each academic year, the house with the highest points total across all the events is awarded the House Shield.
Notable staff
Harold Nelson, athlete