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A warm welcome to our new student Jackson Foley
Kia ora koutou,
Last week, we had our PTA Colour Run, which was a huge success. I still have shades of green in my hair as a memory, and it’s been neat seeing children wearing their colour run day t-shirts that are now splashed with colour. We are truly grateful to the PTA for organising this event and raising a substantial amount of money to help rebuild our playground. Thank you to all our wider community for setting up the fundraising pages and gathering so much support.
Here is a video of the day if you haven't already seen it. https://youtu.be/qcV1CXTt1Tc
On other news, the Puketaha School Board and I would like to keep you updated on the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) decisions regarding the rebuild of our Performing Arts Centre (PAC) and classroom, which were damaged by the fire in October 2024. While we have made some positive progress, there are still challenges we are working through, and we wanted to keep you informed.
What’s Happening with the PAC? As you know, the fire destroyed our PAC and a classroom. The MOE does not carry external insurance for its buildings, so it reallocates existing funds to cover repairs and replacements. The rebuilding process has proven to be more complex than we initially anticipated, particularly as MOE policies for rebuilding are influenced by the number of in-zone students. Since our school runs a ballot system for out-of-zone students, it has led to some complications.
On a positive note, the MOE has confirmed that the PAC will be rebuilt to a similar size to the original, with only minor variations. This is a big step forward, and we are optimistic that the new facility will closely resemble what was lost. The MOE is considering two options: rebuilding on the existing concrete pad, or removing the pad and using Offsite Manufactured Buildings. They are currently pricing both options, and we are working with them to ensure the final design meets both the school’s needs and the MOE’s cost-efficiency goals. We are confident the result will be a functional and versatile space for our students.
Classroom Space – Unfortunately, the MOE has informed us that the classroom will not be rebuilt. This decision is based on our proportion of out-of-zone students and the total floor space we already have in relation to our current enrollment numbers. The MOE believes that our school already has more space compared to others of a similar size, and we are not entitled to any funding to rebuild.
We want to assure you that the Board is fully committed to advocating for the restoration of classroom space. The Board has already discussed the next steps and plans to approach the MOE to explore options in a way that doesn’t risk changes to our current enrollment scheme. We also recognise that many of you may want to support this cause, and we will keep you updated on how you can help. Your continued patience and support are deeply appreciated during this time.
Short-Term Solutions for Our Students In the meantime, we are making the best use of our existing classroom spaces to ensure we meet the needs of our students. For Terms 3 and 4, we will temporarily use the library as a classroom for our Year 0 students, who will continue to enroll throughout the year. Additionally, some Year 1 students will move into Kaakano 2, as part of our regular yearly process to balance class sizes and meet teacher-child ratio requirements. This will also help reduce the numbers in Kaakano 1 and ensure a more optimal learning environment for all.
Looking ahead to 2026, we are planning how to best utilise the available space to accommodate all of our students, with some immediate solutions supported by the Board’s funding. It’s important to note that the Board cannot independently build new classrooms without MOE approval, as our entitlement rules remain unchanged.
Our Commitment to Your Children’s Education Despite both the good and disappointing news, we want to reassure you that the needs of our students remain our top priority. We are committed to ensuring that every student has the best possible learning environment. Thank you for your continued support and patience as we navigate these challenges together.
We will keep you informed of any further updates and appreciate your ongoing partnership as we work towards rebuilding and improving our school facilities.
I hope you have a lovely rest of your week.
Ngaa mihi,
Nyree Olliver
First of all, a big thank you to all who supported the Colour Run, which was held last Wednesday, especially to the sponsors and those who donated to each of the children who fundraised. Plus thanks to the teachers who helped setup, cleanup afterwards and those who partook in the event- especially those who got slimed! Your great spirit and enthusiasm is appreciated. We received donations in excess of $14,000 which is just incredible. Kaakano were the Roopuu who received the pizza and hot chips free lunch yesterday as a reward for raising the most per child. They did so well with an average per child of $93! The funds raised were to help with the cost of reinstating the Junior Playground, so this money will be donated to the board to help them with this exciting project.
I would like to give a special shoutout to Ross, the Manager of Domino's Rototuna, who when I went to order and pay for the pizzas for the lunch shout insisted on processing this order free of charge and delivering them personally. They also donated a heap of pizzas for all the children last year after the school fire. Thank you, Domino's!! We love your community spirit. Finally, a special thank you to Mel Hammond who (once again) took lots of amazing photos of this school event that were made into a Youtube clip for the Hero App. Love your work Mel.
That was the last event for us for term one. Thanks team, see you in term two.
Kind regards,
Merynn Connors
Puketaha PTA Chairperson
M:027 629 6820 E: pta@puketaha.school.nz
Becoming a Board Member - Why join a school board?
School board members are active leaders in our schools. They have an important role in supporting strong professional leadership and ensuring effective teaching for all students through informed governance.
Parents/caregivers and people in the wider community can be parent representatives. School boards need to represent the diversity of their school communities to ensure a bright future for all our children.
The school board elections are the opportunity to vote for candidates who will make a positive difference in children’s education. We need more people willing to use their skills and experiences for the benefit of students!
"Board members are entrusted by the community to ensure the success of our schools and a bright future for our children. We need an education system where all children are expected to succeed and one where we all take shared responsibility in ensuring this happens. As a member of a school board, you can make things happen - you can make a difference."
- Lorraine Kerr, NZSTA President
Puketaha School will be holding elections in September this year. If you would like to find out more, you can contact Nyree at nyreeo@puketaha.school.nz or contact one of our current board members.
Here is the updated Concerns & Complaints process. For more information about policies and processes go to School Docs, search for our school and use the User name Puketaha and password puketaha
Pick-up/Drop off from HAMILTON, TAURANGA & AUCKLAND
Based at Ngamuwahine Lodge (SH29, Tauranga), this affordable 4 day camp is for children aged 7-13 looking for a mix of our usual fun outdoors activities including, archery, target shooting, bush walks, swimming, hut building, camp fires and much more.
Book at: www.edventure.co.nz
Netball Skills Camp
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The April School Holidays are just around the corner, which means we are running our Poipoia te Manawa Skill Camps!
This is the perfect opportunity to learn new skills or develop existing skills before the season kicks off.
Year 3-4: Tuesday 15th April and/or Wednesday 23rd April
Year 5-6: Thursday 17th April and/or Thursday 24th April
Cost: $50.00 per day
The camps run from 9:00am - 3:00pm each day and will be held at the Hamilton City Netball Centre.
Please email for more information
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