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We are located in the northwest reaches of the Waikato near the rugged, yet beautiful west coast of the North Island.
Our school provides many learning opportunities for children from 5 to 13 years of age, from year 1 to 8.
Established in 1924 with a roll of 16 students, Waikaretu School has a long and successful history steeped in strong community spirit. Our rural environment provides tourism and farming-related opportunities for the community. Waikaretu School is strongly connected to our local community and is supported by two local marae: Pukerewa Marae and Weraroa Marae.
Our curriculum empowers our learning community to make connections to and from our rural context. We support our learners to develop the necessary knowledge and skills to become resilient, critical thinkers who actively achieve their goals in a connected world.
The footage on the right below is from last year's 2023 cluster cross-country hosted by Waikaretu School.
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Happy New Year everyone!
Welcome to a new school year.
Here are some important dates for the start of our year:
Tuesday 27th January - the school office open from 8am to 1pm for new enrolments and uniform purchases.
Friday 30th January - Teacher Only Day - school closed
2nd February - First day of school for 2026
Our school board has kindly opted into the Government's donation scheme so there is no need to purchase any school stationery for your child.
From Monday 26th January we will check our messages regularly, so if you have any queries regarding the new year, please leave a message on our school phone or email admin@waikaretu.school.nz and we aim to respond as soon as possible.
Looking forward to seeing you all again!
Kia ora koutou,
Please find a letter attached regarding teacher changes for the rest of 2025 and the beginning of 2026.
Ngaa mihi
To All Parents/Caregivers of Waikaretu School Students,
Waikaretu School Board of Trustees has made the decision to opt into the Donation Scheme
as offered by the NZ Government.
Waikaretu School will receive $150.00 per student, per year (based on the July 2025 roll
return) which will be paid to the school as part of the January 2026 Operational Funding
Instalment.
Waikaretu School will not ask you to pay for a school or general donation for the 2026 school
year. Exempt from this are any overnight camp fees which will still be required to be covered
by parents/caregivers. The $150.00 will not be sufficient to meet all costs and the school
will be looking to fundraise to cover the shortfall.
The choice to opt into the Donations Scheme is an annual decision for the Waikaretu School
Board of Trustees and the decision will be revisited each year for the following school year.
For further information on the scheme please go to the following link:
https://www.education.govt.nz/school/funding-and-financials/fees-charges-and-donations
and you will find additional guidance which outlines what schools can charge for and what
parents need to pay for here
If you have any questions regarding this, do not hesitate to contact the school office.
Ngaa manaakitanga,
Waikaretu School Board of Trustees
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