Te Uru Karaka Newton Central School

Check the weight restrictions Matua! 😳

off grid at kura vibes 💁🏽‍♂️

We are now officially accepting out-of-zone expressions of interest for the 2027 school year.

If you are looking to join our whānau, please note the key dates and details below for our English-medium pathway, Te Puāwaitanga:

Expressions of Interest: Now open for Year 0 to 1 (Priority 6).

Our Educational Approach
We want to ensure our community understands how learning is beautifully structured at our kura:

🌿 A Tiriti-Centric Environment: Te Tiriti o Waitangi is our foundational document. Our core pou of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, rangatiratanga, and kaitiakitanga create a supportive, whānau-like learning environment.

📖 Explicit Core Learning: In Te Puāwaitanga, core literacy and structured mathematics are taught explicitly using evidence-based practice to build strong foundational skills.

🎨 Holistic Creative Inquiry: This explicit instruction is balanced with creative inquiry, using a holistic approach to teach all other curriculum areas.

🌍 Cultural Immersion: Students follow the New Zealand Curriculum while fully immersed in an environment that deeply values Māori culture.

💻 How to Apply
For full details on the ballot process and to submit your application online, please visit our website.

👉 Apply here: newton.school.nz/enrol

Stop right now, thank you very much! 🛑🚲 It’s a wheelie good Wenerei at our kura!

This past Saturday, our school community gathered for a deeply moving and historic occasion, the retirement celebration of our former Tumuaki, Hoana. It was a beautiful day filled with aroha, laughter, and shared memories, providing the perfect opportunity to honor a leader who truly shaped the heart and soul of Te Uru Karaka Newton Central School.

Hoana’s journey with Newton Central began back in 1994, when she was first employed as a senior teacher with a vital kaupapa: to establish our very first te reo Māori bilingual class. Driven by a deep concern that tamariki transitioning from kōhanga reo needed their language and culture sustained and integrated into their primary education, Hoana committed herself to being a lifelong learner. She stepped into leadership with a clear vision: to ensure every child arriving at the school gate knew they were special, unique, clever, and capable of anything.

Serving as Principal from 1998 to 2015, after inheriting the foundation built by Tim Heath, Hoana worked alongside incredible educators like Dianne Bassett to foster a culture of love, care, and respect. Under her guidance, Newton Central truly became "the best little school in the world" and famously, home to the "best little cuddle class in the world!" Hoana worked closely with our board members including Te Kawehau Hoskins, establishing the co-governance model that we formalised in 2023.

During the celebration on Saturday, surrounded by past and present students, staff, and whānau, we looked out at the landmarks of her legacy. Notably, our beautiful inner-city forest (ngahere), which Hoana helped transform from barren banks into a thriving canopy that now shelters the seedlings growing below. It was a poignant reminder of her commitment to a learning community where we support each other to understand and grow.

We remembered the vibrant Whānau Days, Fiafia Days, art exhibitions, and beach picnics that define our community’s history. Most of all, we remembered the people, including those we have lost along the way, like Graham Kake, Winmill Sipley, and Margaret Sipley, who gave so much to our school.

To Hoana: Thank you for the courage, the commitment, and the immense privilege of your leadership. You showed us what it means to lead with relationships at the center and to never walk away when things get hard. Your legacy lives on in the fabric and foundation of our waka-hourua and tiriti-centric practice. You will always be a part of the canopy that shelters this kura.

Mauri ora!

Inner city cross country belated photo post!

The shade is real 🕶️

They really know how to stick together!