Guidance Counselling

At Rangiora High School we have four qualified counsellors serving our school community. Tony Jones, Kirsty Newberry and Kay Henson are all registered with the New Zealand Association of Counsellors. Tony and Kay are also qualified and registered teachers.

We abide by the Code of Ethics of the NZAC which means that confidentiality is maintained unless there is an imminent risk to safety.

We are passionate about maintaining our students’ right to free and confidential counselling and guidance. We aim to work collaboratively within our strong pastoral team, helping students work toward reducing any barriers to their academic progress while also supporting them to develop skills to better manage their hauora. We work closely with our wonderful Student Support Team, Health Clinic Nurse (Chanel Kent) and wider pastoral network, when appropriate, to provide a holistic model of wellbeing.

Guidance Department hours are 8.30am - 3.00pm

If there is a need for urgent support outside of these hours please see the “After Hours Support” information further down this page.

Common challenges we are able to support students with include:

Abuse	Advocacy	Anxiety
Bullying & Harassment	Creating Change	Depression / Low Mood
Drugs & Alcohol	Emotional Regulation	Friendships
Goal Setting	Holistic Well-being	Identity
Loss & Grief	Relationships	Resilience Building
Self Esteem	Sexuality	Trauma

While supporting students is our primary focus we also work alongside school staff and whanau to ensure students’ wellbeing needs are met. When required, we liaise with external agencies who might provide additional support to students and their whanau.

Requesting An Appointment:

We encourage students to self refer. When caregivers, friends and school staff feel a student has a counselling need and would like to request an appointment for them, it is our hope that, whenever possible, the student is consulted and involved in this process.

Guidance staff welcome a call or email from anyone with concern for a student and unsure how to help them navigate the counselling process.

We now receive all requests for appointments via email. To request an appointment, students can head to the Student Tautoko Hub and complete the form accessed there.