122 | Te Kura O Waikare COMMUNITY Engineering Northland Since 1952 www.RSEng.co.nz 09 438 3273 Civil Structural Geotech School’s expansion set to become reality T T Virginia Wright Located in Waikare Valley, between Kawakawa and Russell, Te Kura o Waikare used to be a primary school but, after community consultation, applied for and was approved by the Ministry of Education to be an area school catering for Years 0 to 13. By next year it will cater for Years 0 to 13. It’s a full emergence school where teaching and learning is done in Te Reo Māori. Its approved status as an area school means that interested pupils from their catchment area, which extends north to Paihia and south to Kawakawa, with their furthest pick up currently 40 kms north towards Whangarei, can attend Te Kura o Waikare instead of going to Bay College in Kawakawa. “At the college there is only room in the Māori department for one cohort to have rumaki (total language immersion), so it’s first in first served, but now we can provide for that here,” says Principal Te Rerenga Walker. “The unique thing about this kura is that it’s a kura a iwi, a special character school, not a kura kaupapa, so not a mainstream school,” Principal Walker says. “We have a specially designed curriculum that reflects this area of Waikare, designed to meet the character and needs of our community,” she says. The roll fluctuates between 60 and 80, with a current enrolment of 68, but has been put on hold by the Ministry while they await the three roll growth classrooms that have been approved. While they wait for the additional capacity, to allow them to accept those on the waitlist, they’re managing by repurposing spaces as they stretch their primary school resources. Two classrooms meant for a maximum roll of 30 struggled to cope with their college students but, thanks to its recent major refurbishment, while everything remains stored in containers, the library is doubling as a classroom, as is their assembly hall, their resource room, and a prefab building they had brought in. After a hold-up due to council requirements to bring their wastewater treatment up to the required standard, including future-proofing for further potential growth, an ‘Approved in Principle Consent and Compliance’ for the new classrooms is finally through, and the mixture of kitset and new build on site can get underway promising considerable improvement to the whole school. The school’s remote location and exposure to Northland’s severe weather means frequent power cuts are part of life at Te Kura o Waikare. The new solar panels to be installed will combine with what they already have to allow them to sustain for three days before they have to use a diesel generator if the power stays off. Up-to-date ICT (Information Communication Technology) means a reliable connection to remote learning sites via satellite is assured rather than having to count on the current unreliable wifi connection. The new Science & Technology hub will have all the fixtures to allow students from Years 9 to 13 to meet the new compulsory science curriculum, interpreted through the Te Kura o Waikare lens. As she waits for primary school resources to catch up with their area school status Principal Walker is grateful to Project Managers Rubix NZ, for taking on the stress of managing all the parties involved, and to RS Eng for handing the critical foundational and structural designs. “They’ve been core players in developing this vision for Te Kura o Waikare and the ongoing work that will see it through future generational growth,” she says. In the meantime, the whole school is looking forward to their new, modern classrooms, well insulated and well equipped to cater for their area school obligations. From 2027 Te Kura o Waikare will cater for Years 0 to 13. It’s a full emergence school where teaching and learning is done in Te Reo Māori.
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