Westlake Girls’ High School

Deputy Head Prefect – Dinithi Thiwanjana Liyanage. Head Prefect – Isabella Drummond.

Head Prefects announced for 2023

Isabella Drummond and Dinithi Thiwanjana Liyanage have been announced as Westlake’s 2023 Head Prefect and Deputy Head Prefect, respectively.

“Receiving the news that I was Head Prefect for 2023 was such a surreal moment,” says Isabella. “When our Principal Mrs Stanley told me I was next year’s Head Prefect, I was at a complete loss for words. It took me a second to fully comprehend the news, but once I had, I was overjoyed and honestly a bit emotional. I was beyond excited to share the news with my whānau who I knew would be just as happy as I was. It is such an exciting opportunity and a great honour to lead such a prestigious school alongside Deputy Head Prefect, (and my close friend) Dinithi Liyanage. I cannot think of a more rewarding way to conclude my final year of high school!”

It was an exciting moment for Dinithi as well, who said “To be completely honest, I don’t think I fully comprehended that it was real when Mrs Stanley first told me. I had always hoped to become a part of the senior prefect team at Westlake Girls so it is incredibly humbling to see one of my most esteemed ambitions coming true.”

Isabella says the role of Head Prefect is a huge honour but also a great responsibility. “I feel extremely humbled to be in a position where I can represent a school that has given so much to me over the past four years. I believe the role of Head Prefect will allow me to give back to the generosity Westlake has afforded me.”

Both students have immersed themselves in the abundance of opportunities and extracurricular activities our school has to offer. Isabella is very passionate about te Ao Māori (the Māori World) and says “being a part of the Westlake’s Kapa Haka group is the highlight of my high school experience, as it has allowed me to learn, share and embrace my culture”. Both Isabella and Dinithi share interests including debating, Amnesty International groups, service committees and public speaking. Dinithi is also involved in our school choirs and is super excited to be the soprano section leader of Cigno Voce for 2023.

Isabella’s goal is to help foster an environment that ensures all our students thrive and feel supported to achieve personal excellence. “I hope to be an approachable role model who leads by example - who encourages others to make the most of their Westlake experience and leave high school knowing they fulfilled their potential. We all have something to give, something to offer, and by recognising and cherishing each of our different values, we can all flourish.”

“Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi” - “With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive.”

I hope to be an approachable role model who leads by example - who encourages others to make the most of their Westlake experience and leave high school knowing they fulfilled their potential. We all have something to give, something to offer, and by recognising and cherishing each of our different values, we can all flourish.

The Te Kāhui Ako o Pupuke Mural wins a Kūmara Award!

We are thrilled the Te Kāhui Ako o Pupuke Mural has been honoured with an award in the Kei tua atu i te kaupapa Beyond the Brief category, of the 2022 Kūmara Awards.

The stunning 58m mural on Auburn Street, Takapuna is a collaborative work by local schools across the North Shore under the umbrella of Te Kāhui Ako o Pupuke in conjunction with Auckland Council regeneration agency Eke Panuku.

The work was led by artist Emma Jane Ormsby (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Porou), a Westlake Girls High School alumna and artist currently studying a conjoint Arts (Māori Studies/Screen Production) and Fine Arts degree at the University of Auckland.

Emma said, "Having the mural selected as the winner of a kumara award is amazing, not only for myself but for everyone involved. It feels really validating, that Toi Māori within our public spaces is something people want to see more of. The mural was a massive group effort, and I am so proud of the very creative kids I got to work with. Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini (Success is not the work of an individual, but the work of many). "Takapuna is a beautiful part of Tāmaki Makaurau. Having grown up here it holds a special place in my heart. Auckland has an incredibly diverse natural world and using kowhaiwhai and Māori imagery to encapsulate this deserves to be celebrated. Being a part of this mahi has been a real privilege, it has been a pleasure working with Eke Panuku and Te Kāhui Ako o Pupuke and I am immensely grateful for their facilitation of this beautiful mural.”

Susana Tomaz, the Te Kāhui Ako o Pupuke Across School Lead at Westlake Girls High School who coordinated the project, said the vision of Te Kāhui Ako o Pupuke is to create a rich, collaborative culture that unites kura, pouako, akonga and whānau to work collectively on a common goal for the benefit of all.

“The significance of the work is not just in the beautiful piece of art that was produced but the in-depth, involved and collaborative process led by Emma working with teachers from across nine different schools to share knowledge with students”.

Being in both a commercial and residential part of Takapuna, the work has also won the hearts of residents and businesses who have welcomed something so creative and colourful in their neighbourhood. Parents and grandparents who have visited to see their child’s artwork have been blown away by the depth and breadth of the project. The project has also been used across the town square construction hoarding in Takapuna, building continuity and adding colour across Takapuna.