Facilities

Swimming Pool

Our community is very proud of our school pool. This two pool complex consists of a 25m pool and a junior/toddlers pool.

Over summer the pool is available to the local public through a key hire system.

Our pool is expensive to run! It relies on volunteers to help with daily chlorine dosing, testing and cleaning. Please let us know if you are available to help out on a roster system.

Sports Turf

Installed in 2020, our multi-purpose sports turf is a safe, highly versatile turf surface that is suitable for tennis, netball, hockey and many other sports and PE uses.

Basketball / Tennis Courts

Completed in 2022, our new sports court provides full sized basketball and tennis and courts in a beautifully landscaped surrounding.

This is a wonderful facility for casual play, PE lessons and organised sports.

Edible Gardens and Plant Propogation Area

Our edible gardens include raised vegetable beds, chickens, a fruit orchard and recycled bottle greenhouse.

In addition to all these, we have also developed a plant propagation area where native plants are being grown to be planted in our school grounds as well as riparian planting for local properties.

School Bikes and Bike Tracks

Another new addition in 2020, our bike tracks are a fantastic addition that encourages our tamariki to be fit, active and to challenge their skills.

The pump track and the jumps have been built and maintained by our super-keen cyclists. The children love the features and they really take ownership for them.

Natural Play Areas

We are blessed with lots of space and lovely natural play areas where our tamariki can learn, play, relax and socialise.

We love finding out about our environment through play. We create amazing huts and learn a lot about team work through our play.

Community Crop Swap Stand

Feel free to bring your excess fruit and veg to put on the Crop Swap Stand. Help yourself to produce that's on there. Payment is not compulsory but donations are welcome. These are used to purchase seeds and supplies for our edible gardens.

Pa Harakeke (Heirloom Weavng Flax varieties)

These harakeke (flax) plants have been collected by NZ Landcare Research. They have been passed on through generations from various regions around Aotearoa. Each variety has unique properties that make it valued for specific weaving purposes.

These plants were planted here in 2019 and are intended to be a renewable resource for our school and our community.

Beautiful Playgrounds

We are proud of our fun, attractive play areas set in beautiful surroundings. We are very proud of our connection with Taranaki Mounga.

Community Defibrillator -

We have a defibrillator located at Norfolk School that is available to our community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is in a locked box near the main entry of the school. There are instructions on the box for how to get the access code. We are pleased to be able to have this essential life saving equipment available to the community.

Maketehinu Riverside Reserve Tomokanga (carved entranceway)

A Tomokanga is a gateway to a special space. The project to complete this Tomokanga was led throughout 2022 by Matua Kingi, with support from Allen Desmond, and students from our senior classes.

From Week 6, Term One, some of the senior students from Te Aratika and Moa Hut worked with Matua Kingi to brainstorm ideas about what represented us as a kura, drew these ideas, and designed the overall look of the Tomokanga.


The carved shapes tell the story of our river, Te Awa Maketehinu. The left pou (post) was designed by tamariki from Moa. It tells the story of the awa (river) and nga ika that live in it, such as tuna (eel) and kōura (crayfish). At the bottom of the pou is hei matau which represents good luck on your travels, safe journey (through the bush)


The right pou (designed by Te Aratika), tells the story of the ngahere (forest) and plants. At the bottom of the pou is a koru design(mamāku) that represents the beginning of life, which leads upwards to become harakeke. The name Te Aratika is represented in the design. The pou represents a journey, and growth. Te Aratika means the right path.


The waharoa (top panel); the koru design depicts the winds of change, the sky (Rangi), and Maunga Taranaki, who is the Manaia (guardian) overseeing the area. Though the winds change, Maunga Taranaki stays the same.


This Tomokanga is a beautiful feature which shows how important our natural environment is to our school and community. We had a lovely blessing for this on Wednesday November 30 2022.