[6] A new school block for the secondary department was opened in 1955, providing two new classrooms, a headmasters office and a staff room.
[10] In May 1977, the Minister of Education announced that plans for a new Kaikōura High School were ready to go to tender.
[11][12] In 2000, the school received additional funding of $60,000 to establish a junior sports academy as an innovative approach to target students at risk.
[13] The Education Review Office issued critical reports about the school over the period 1999 to 2004, raising concerns about teaching approaches, lower-than-average results in science and English, and failure to meet the needs of Māori students.
[19] A limited statutory manager with employment and financial powers was appointed to the school in July 2015.