Garin College facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Garin College |
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| Address | |
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35 Champion Rd,
Saxton, Nelson, New Zealand |
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| Coordinates | 41°20′09″S 173°12′19″E / 41.3357°S 173.2052°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Integrated secondary (year 9–13) co-ed |
| Motto | Small School, Big Heart |
| Established | 2002; 23 years ago |
| Ministry of Education Institution no. | 6975 |
| Principal | Mr John Maguire |
| School roll | 653 (February 2024) |
| Socio-economic decile | 8 |
Garin College is a Catholic school in New Zealand. It's for both boys and girls, and students can attend during the day or live there. The school is located in Nelson, near Richmond.
It opened on January 28, 2002. The school was created to serve the Catholic community, especially in the upper part of the South Island. Garin College is named after Father Antoine Marie Garin. He was an important leader of the Catholic Church in Nelson a long time ago. The Catholic Archbishop of Wellington is in charge of the school.
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How Students Join Garin College
Garin College is a state-integrated school. This means it gets some funding from the government. However, families also pay a fee called "attendance dues." These fees help cover the costs of the school buildings and other big expenses. For the 2025 school year, these dues are $1,147 per student each year.
As of August 2025, Garin College has 653 students. About Expression error: Unexpected / operator.Expression error: Unexpected / operator.Expression error: Unexpected / operator.Expression error: Unexpected / operator.Expression error: Unexpected / operator.Expression error: Unexpected / operator.Expression error: Unexpected / operator.Expression error: Unexpected / operator.Expression error: Unexpected / operator.Expression error: Unexpected / operator.Expression error: Unexpected / operator.Expression error: Unexpected / operator.Expression error: Unexpected / operator.% of these students are Māori.
The school also uses something called an Equity Index. This helps understand how many students might face challenges in their learning. Garin College's Equity Index shows that its students have fewer socioeconomic barriers. This is similar to schools that used to be called "decile 8 or 9."
School Houses and Teams
Garin College has four different houses. These houses are like teams that students belong to. Each house has a special name and a color. The names come from important Catholic religious figures. If you have brothers or sisters at the college, you will usually be in the same house as them.
- Aubert is the Blue House.
- Barbier is the Green House.
- MacKillop is the Yellow House.
- McAuley is the Red House.
Where Students Can Live
The school has places for up to 56 students to live. These are called boarding hostels. They are for students who come from areas far away from the school. There are two separate houses for students who live at the school. Francis Douglas House is for male students. Mother Teresa House is for female students.
The Garin College Haka
A haka is a traditional Māori dance or challenge. Garin College created its own haka in 2006. This was four years after the school first opened. The haka was first shown to the school and others at a festival called Te Wairua o nga Mahi Toi. It was the first performance on the final night of the festival in 2006.
Garin College Values
The name "Garin" is also used to stand for the school's main values. This is a special way of using the letters in the name.
- G stands for Generosity.
- A stands for Aroha, which is a Māori word for love.
- R stands for Rangimarie, a Māori word for respect.
- I stands for Integrity.
- N stands for New life.
School Leaders
Garin College has had two principals since it opened.
- John Boyce was the principal from 2002 to 2015.
- John Maguire has been the principal since 2016.
Famous Former Students
Many students have gone on to do interesting things after attending Garin College.
- Caleb Nott is a member of the music group Broods.
- Georgia Nott is the lead singer of the music group Broods.
- Anna Robinson is a singer.
- Nate Wilbourne is an environmentalist.
