Principal's Welcome 

Welcome to Ngākuru School!

Welcome to Ngākuru School

Ngākuru School is a proud Year 1–8 country school with a strong, close-knit community at its heart. One of our greatest strengths is the way our children learn and grow together across the school, building relationships and a real sense of belonging. Being a full primary allows our older students the responsibility and privilege of leadership, while our younger students benefit from learning alongside and from them—a strong example of tuakana–teina in action.

Our children truly get the best of both worlds. They enjoy the opportunities available through our connections with larger Rotorua schools, while still having the freedom to be country kids—learning outdoors, engaging with rural life, and making the most of our unique environment.

Ngākuru students achieve highly across the curriculum, with consistent progress and strong academic outcomes year on year. Even through recent periods of disruption, our learners have continued to progress and achieve at levels above expectations. We are passionate about doing what is best for children and supporting them to succeed not just academically, but as confident, capable, and well-rounded learners.

Sport and physical activity are an important part of life at Ngākuru. We field several winter hockey teams and a futsal team, and many of our students also participate in club rugby, soccer, netball, and cricket. We work closely with our Healthy Active Learning Advisor and Sport BOP to promote healthy habits and active lifestyles. Our school pool is a real asset, with daily swimming in Terms 1 and 4, and community access available outside school hours.

Students also have access to a wide range of academic, cultural, and leadership opportunities, including Rotomaths, Top Schools, EPro8, AIMS Games, and more. Strong links with town schools ensure our children don’t miss out on experiences beyond our kura. We are part of the Rotorua Central Kāhui Ako, working alongside teachers and leaders from nine other schools to strengthen learning outcomes for all.

Every child at Ngākuru is well known by our caring and dedicated staff. Programmes are tailored to individual strengths, interests, and needs, and we celebrate what makes each child unique. Small class sizes and mixed-age interactions support strong relationships, teamwork, and a sense of shared responsibility.

Our facilities continue to be developed and maintained to support learning and play. We have a well-used astro turf, upgraded playgrounds, new pool and boundary fencing, and classrooms that have been refurbished over recent years. These spaces help create a positive and engaging learning environment for our students.

We are committed to a future-focused, local curriculum that reflects our community and the world our children are growing into. Teaching and learning at Ngākuru is grounded in Visible Learning, with students developing key dispositions such as persistence, curiosity, collaboration, communication, and self-management.

Environmental and sustainability education is another important part of our programme. Through our work with Enviroschools and Garden to Table, students engage in hands-on learning through our orchard, vegetable gardens, worm farm, and outdoor spaces.

Ngākuru School is a PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning) school, and we place a strong emphasis on growing character alongside achievement. We have high standards and clear expectations, grounded in our core values of Respect, Responsibility, Excellence, and Leadership. These values guide how we learn, how we treat one another, and how we contribute to our school community.

All students from Year 0–8 learn te reo Māori, waiata, and tikanga, with weekly Kapa Haka sessions strengthening cultural understanding and identity.

We warmly invite you to visit Ngākuru School and experience what makes our school such a special place. We would love to welcome you and show you around. 

Ryan Porteous

Principal