Mana
Strength & standing
We build the confidence of every learner — the mana to stand tall, speak up and take on what is next.
Our kura, our story
Whakarewarewa School is a place of learning shaped by its people, its language and its whenua — a kura where every tamaiti is known and every whānau belongs.
Our story
A kura at the heart of Whakarewarewa
Our school stands in one of the most remarkable places in Aotearoa — beside the geothermal valley of Whakarewarewa, home of Tūhourangi, where the land breathes and stories are carried in the whakapapa of the people who live here.
For generations, tamariki have walked through our carved gateway each morning. The school has grown with the community around it, and today it offers something rare: a genuine choice of two learning pathways, delivered in one kura, with one set of values.
We are proud of who we are. We are proud of our reo, our tikanga, and the achievements of our graduates — and we are equally proud of the warm, ambitious, forward-looking school we are building for the next generation.
Explore our pathways
Te tomokanga — the gateway Every learning day begins beneath our carved waharoa.
Our values
The way we do things here
Our values are lived in the classroom, on the field, at the gate and around the dinner table at home.
Aroha
Care & connection
Relationships come first. We know our learners by name and by story, and we walk alongside their whānau.
Whakaute
Respect & regard
Respect for one another, for tikanga, for our environment, and for those who carried this kura before us.
Tika me te pono
Right & true
Honesty, fairness and responsibility — doing what is right even when no one is watching.
Our place
Te whenua o Tūhourangi
Learning at Whakarewarewa is place-based by nature. The geothermal landscape around us, the stories of the village, and the living culture of Tūhourangi are part of our curriculum — not as decoration, but as the ground we teach from.
Our tamariki learn the names of the awa and the maunga that surround us. They learn the karakia and waiata that belong to this place. And they learn the modern skills they will need in a changing world — side by side.
- Place-based learning rooted in local stories
- Te reo Māori and tikanga in daily practice
- Strong whānau partnerships and open doors
He waka eke noa We are all in this waka together — kura, whānau and community.
At a glance
Whakarewarewa School
2
Learning pathways
4
Core values
1
Whānau of learners
Rotorua
Bay of Plenty
Our people
Leadership & staff
A teaching team that brings together curriculum expertise, te reo Māori fluency and deep knowledge of our community.
Matua Boxer — Te Tumuaki
"Our job is simple to say and demanding to do: know every child, stretch every child, and make sure every whānau feels they belong here." Full staff profiles and contact details are available from the school office.
Teaching team
Class teachers, kaiako reo Māori, and specialist support staff across both pathways.
Board & community
An engaged board and whānau who shape our direction and support our mahi.
School office
Open Monday–Friday, 8.00am – 3.30pm. Enrolments, notices and enquiries.
Ng\u0101 mahere — our plans
Whakarewarewa School Strategic Plan
Where we are heading as a kura — our priorities, our commitments to wh\u0101nau, and how we measure our progress.
Whakawhiti kōrero
Talk to us about your tamaiti
Every child's journey is different. Come and kōrero with our team about the pathway that will suit yours.