Sacred Heart College Napier

Sacred Heart College, located on the beautiful Bluff Hill with stunning views of the seas, is the perfect environment for study.

Our site has seen many changes over our rich 154 year history, creating the beautiful college you see today.

Our modern facilities tie in with our fascinating history and create an exceptional learning space for our students.

The Mission Centre is the most recent addition to our site and is a stunning building that opens onto our amphitheatre, with a dual-purpose of Sacred Chapel and Cultural Performance Stage.

The outdoor spaces include tennis and netball courts, open grass areas and an amphitheatre used by students for numerous performances, gatherings and socialisation.

We have a large gymnasium with a climbing wall, an auditorium also used for performances such as music, drama or speeches and a beautiful library with an extensive selection of books as well as resources and space for students to study.

Specialised rooms cater for musical groups and individuals. The orchestra, jazz and various other bands, chamber groups and several choirs make full use of the music suite. Individual music and drama lessons are available to students to sign up for upon enrolment.

A selection of hot and cold food is available for staff and students from the canteen. The canteen is open every day during interval and lunchtime. We are a water only school and healthy choices are promoted.

We also have specialised rooms that cater for our range of technology classes on offer. They include computer suites and collaborative workspaces that are specially designed for subjects such as Photography, Design, Nutrition, Hospitality, and Textiles.

The carvings in our Mission Centre represent the history to the present day of SHC and it's relationship with the Iwi of Ngāti Kahungunu. The carvers Emanuell Dunn and Heremia Marsh presented these beautiful pieces.

The element of biculturalism is clearly expressed within these carvings, with Sister Euphrasie Barbier (foundress of Our Lady of the Missions) and Sister Mary Madeline (first local superior of our sisters in Napier) represented on one side, and two of the rangatira from this area that gifted land for educational purposes on the other side.

The bottom carved pieces represent students of the past, present and future, and the poutama (stairway to heaven) pattern on the tukutuku symbolises their journey to higher levels of learning. Their journey ends in heaven, symbolised by the spiral carvings at the top and the opening of the spiral signifies the creation of light.

In the middle, the large carving is representative of the local Iwi, Ngāti Kahungunu. The figure at the top is Tamatea-ariki-nui (captain of the Takitimu waka). Below is his wife Toto, and in the middle is their son Rongo-kako. The four tongues represent the four generations to Kahungunu.

In 1990, the Convent Past Pupils and Friends Association commissioned Ray Dunningham, a Havelock North graphic painter and designer, to design a stained glass window for the College foyer. This was to mark the 125th Jubilee of the arrival of four pioneer Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions in Napier, New Zealand in 1865. This stained glass window was crafted by David Nichol and son Peter, of Nichol Glass and Aluminium Ltd, Napier.

The mosaic shows the sailing ship to the left, with Cape Kidnappers in the middle, and the four Sisters on the right; Sr Marie des Anges, Sr Marie St Madeleine, Sr Marie St Anne, and Sr Marie St Jean.

The light behind the cross symbolises both divinity of purpose and an ideal of education and enlightenment, as does the Māori taaniko pattern. Taaniko is an art form traditionally done by women, and this pattern is known as aonui (the broad aspect). The inverted triangles are sometimes interpreted as the kite (basket) of knowledge, which seems appropriate to the College charism in both spiritual and secular education.

In recognition of the 150th Jubilee, the Board of Trustees commissioned the Arts Department HOD, Sandie Howlett, to design a piece relevant to the school theme of ‘Following in her footsteps'.

Largest Sail: Using European and Art Deco inspired patterns that reference the library and stained glass.

Second Sail: References the Mission Sisters. The crosses are designed to start large and gradually get smaller as they head up the sail - symbolising the journey from France to New Zealand.

Third Sail: Acknowledges our bi-cultural society and Tiriti O Waitangi - the triangles reflect Niho Taniwha (representing hospitality) and the steps reflect Poutama (representing the stairway of learning and knowledge).

Fourth Sail: Acknowledgment of our connections with the Pacific. Includes Fa'a tuli Fa'a gogo (footprints of the sandpiper), Fa'a Aveao (starfish - meaning protection), Fa'a Masina (Pandanus leaf - meaning women figures), Gogo (birds - meaning freedom and direction).