Tamariki School

Tamariki Graduate Elia Gibbons
I started at Tamariki in 2005, following a long family history with the school. During my time there, I formed strong friendships that remain a significant part of my life to this day. Tamariki's unique community atmosphere is what sets it apart, as it is not merely a school but a community.
At Tamariki, I was encouraged to learn autonomously and to take responsibility for what and when I learned. This approach has been instrumental in my academic success. Transitioning to high school initially seemed daunting, but the resilience, self-reliance, and confidence in my ability to learn that Tamariki instilled in me made the transition seamless. In 2019, I left high school and moved to Wellington to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Criminology, and New Zealand Sign Language. After completing my Bachelor of Arts, I applied to Aotearoa’s only Forensic Psychology Master’s program, finishing in February 2024 with First Class Honors.
University represents a departure from the traditional school system, and for many students is their first real taste of self-directed learning. Like Tamariki, university requires you to manage your schedule, handle independent work, and balance learning with social interactions. In many ways, the foundation Tamariki provided was crucial for my success at university.
Currently, I work doing research within the field of Psychology and plan to enrol in a Doctoral program in Psychology for the 2025 intake. I firmly believe that my achievements would not have been as seamless without the skills that Tamariki fostered in me. Tamariki undoubtedly cultivates strong, independent individuals equipped with the skills necessary for success.

Moe and Iku have made a big contribution to the Democratic School Movement over the years and it is very sad to hear that their school will be closing.
At the Tutorial School they practice a consensus model of school wide decision making and the students play a key role in the decisions around the hiring and retention of staff members.

Change is inevitable, even when you try to avoid it.
In late March, we made the difficult decision to close The Tutorial School campus permanently. We broke the news to our students first at the All School Council meeting and then to their parents and care givers through e-mail.
Enrollment declined during the pandemic, followed by the waves of changes in how people view the role of schools in our current world. Also, the biggest reason for closing the school is that Moe and Iku hit retirement age and could not find anyone to take over the school, after trying for a decade. So here we are, a perfect natural ending for The Tutorial School. The journey we have shared has been nothing short of incredible.
We still have few students now and two graduates to send off.
This year's Graduation will be combined with the Thesis Defense and occur at the school on Thursday, May 30th at 5:30pm and will be our final celebration.
All previous students, as well as current students, parents and their families are welcome to join us in celebrating the graduates and 44 years of providing a safe, sane haven for children to learn about themselves and the world around them.
with gratitude,
Moe and Iku

Belated congratulations to Finlagh for winning The Yr 10 Tuakana Taina award at Hagley College in 2023.

"This award is given to a student in Year 10 who embodies the four values of the College – Mana – respect, Tika – Integrity, Whakamarumaru – Responsibility, and Whakawhirinaki – Trust. You will see this in the prints shown above. The symbolism shows a large fern, or the tuakana, protecting and nurturing the younger fern, the taina. The idea being that the taina of today becomes the tuakana of tomorrow."

Camp all set up.

Matariki Hangi

On Tuesday the 21st of June we are having a hangi to celebrate Matariki. This event will be running throughout the school day and into the early evening.

We are plaining on singing waiata playing games, putting down a hangi, weaving and star gazing. If you have some waiata or any games you would like to share then please do.

All food for the hangi should be dropped off at school no later than Monday the 20th. We will be having two holes this year and Jeremy Scullin has agreed to help make our vegan hangi more exciting than it was last year.

Ngā mihi Blake

Playgroup at Tamariki was bustling with busy children today, and what great fun was had by all! Playgroup on Wednesdays from 10am - 12pm is a great way to learn more about Tamariki School. If you are interested in coming along please phone the school on 033849014 or email [email protected]

SCHOOL IS CLOSING


You may well have seen the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has updated the alert level. We are currently at ALERT LEVEL 3 in 48 hours time we will move to level 4 where all New Zealanders are expected to self-isolate for the next 4 weeks.


Tamariki School will close immediately.
If you would like to talk to any of the teaching staff about anything related to the closure or what we can offer you during theses troubling times then feel free to email or Phone them.

Children of parents in essential services will be able to attend on Tuesday & Wednesday while alternative arrangements are made. If you meet the government's criteria as an essential service and you need your child to attend school on Tuesday & Wednesday please contact [email protected] so staffing arrangements can be made or text 0224768713




Remote Learning
Staff are working providing materials and resources both online and in real life for the children to access if they wish. We will communicate more about this through Storypark over the next couple of days. The immediate priority is to keep our students feeling reassured and supported during this uncertain time, I encourage you to simply spend time with your children reassuring them of the plans that are in place to keep NZers safe, read with them, play games, sing, dance and enjoy family time together.


Please be patient with us while we get these systems established.


As you will be aware the situation continues to develop and change rapidly. I encourage you to keep yourself regularly informed using the Ministry of Health Website.
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus

Take care and look after each other,

Blake Michell

Home : Tamariki School - a special character school, Woolston, Christchurch

Out fundraising for our year 7 and 8 students for their educational trip to Wellington! Come grab a sausage from us Riccarton