WEGC has four houses, each led by a prefect.
There are fierce rivalries between them, especially for Athletics Day and House Singing.
At the end of the year a trophy is presented for the top overall house.
Dame Whina Cooper was a Māori activist. She was a leader in her rural community, and was involved in programmes enabling Māori to keep and develop their land and access vital services, such as healthcare, housing, and education. Cooper was the first president of the Maori Women’s Welfare League. Cooper was awarded a CBE in 1974. In 1975, aged 79, she led a march from Northland to Wellington to publicise Māori determination to retain their land and culture For her dedication to the protection of Māori and their land, Cooper was nicknamed ‘Mother of the Nation’. She was made a Dame in 1981 and a member of the Order of New Zealand in 1991. Cooper's colour is yellow.
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Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan was a prominent New Zealand politician, diplomat, and advocate for Māori and women's rights. She was New Zealand’s first Māori female cabinet minister and the first MP to give birth while in office. She promoted Māori fashion design, teaching of te reo Māori, and abolition of laws discriminating against Māori, and made significant contributions to New Zealand's political landscape. Whetu was a prefect at WEGC in 1949. Tirikatene's colour is red.
Kate Edger was a trailblazer for women in Aotearoa by becoming the first woman in New Zealand (and probably the first in the British Empire) to earn a university degree. She graduated from the University of New Zealand in 1877, with a Bachelor of Arts in Latin and maths. She went on to gain a Master of Arts from Canterbury College (now University of Canterbury). Edger became a school principal and also worked for the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. By defying the norms of university and championing social causes, she paved the way for women to pursue higher education and careers and be involved in fighting for progress in New Zealand society. Edger's colour is green.
Kate Sheppard was a leading light of the New Zealand women’s suffrage movement. In 1885 she joined the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, which advocated women’s suffrage as a means to fight for liquor prohibition. For Sheppard, suffrage quickly became an end in itself. Sheppard travelled around New Zealand holding meetings and collecting signatures in support of female suffrage. After suffrage was won in 1893, Sheppard continued to fight for women’s rights, becoming president of the National Council of Women of New Zealand in 1896. In recent years her contribution to New Zealand’s identity has been acknowledged on the $10 note and a commemorative stamp. Sheppard's colour is blue.