Some BACKGROUND

Hāwera Primary was established in 1875 on a South Road approximately 4 ha site. It caters for students within the town and from the surrounding farming districts.

Hāwera Primary is a contributing school which caters for Years 1-6 children. Students come from a diverse range of backgrounds. The school role ranges from 180-240 at its peak. Approximately 45% identify as Maori, 41% as NZ European and 14% other ethnicities.

The school is set in spacious park-like grounds. Features include a two pool swimming complex, an extensive bike track built in 2017, substantial green spaces, a large playground, confidence course, three sports fields, three courts, a sandpit, a courtyard and picnic areas. There are ongoing plans to continue developing the back area of the school...watch this space!

School buildings consist of one block of junior classrooms (built in 1954, upgraded in 2001), two hubs (which accommodate four senior classes or pods) and several stand alone buildings including a recently refurbished hall and admin block (remodelled in 2000 and upgraded in 2011 & 2017). In 2017 the original senior block which was built in 1927 was demolished due to weather tightness issues. In 2018 it was replaced by two state of the art innovative learning environments (ILE) or hubs. In 2019 the junior classrooms were repainted internally and work will begin shortly to gradually transform these classrooms into ILE’s over time. A large wooden deck was built along the front of the junior block in early 2020. In 2021 we plan to begin remodelling the interior corridor of the junior block.

Other buildings on the site include Resource Teachers of Learning & Behaviour (RTLB) office, two prefabricated classrooms, a BOT owned double classroom block that houses the library and a classroom space which was purchased in 1993 and a hall that was refurbished in 2017. A caretaker's shed was erected and the netball courts were relaid in 2005.

Hāwera Primary is one of the 18 schools in the South Taranaki Kāhui Ako. Our current learning priorities being relationship-based learning (RbL) and developing our localised curriculum. We enjoy working closely as a cluster of schools for professional development, learning activities, sporting and cultural events.

A U4 Principal leads and manages Hāwera Primary School, working together with a Deputy Principal, two Team Leaders and several Scale A teachers overseeing ten classrooms. The teaching team is well supported by several excellent part-time teachers and support staff. They bring with them a collective range of skills, strengths and experiences.

We are well supported by an active and involved Board of Trustees.