INTRODUCTION
| Ko Heteri te puke-maunga | Heteri is the hill/mountain |
| Ko Mangaorua te awa | Mangaorua is the river |
| Ko Ruakwa te Iwi | Raukawa is the tribe |
| Nō Raukawa ngā hapū maha | The many hapū of Raukawa reside here |
| Ko Te Waotu te kura rongonui | Te Waotu is the school of peace |
“He waotu tahi na rakau” – Tall bush that stands alone. When Taupō erupted in 186AD a hill prevented the ash cloud from destroying an area of bush and it is from this that our area got its name.
Rangowhitiao Arekatera Te Wera a Te Puni, a Waotu Māori chief, believed that education was an opportunity for tamariki in the district so he applied to the Inspector General of Schools to open a native school at Te Waotu. After site visits, the present location was chosen because of its centrality and also because it had the largest Māori population due to the milling of timber. In November 1886 Te Waotu Native School opened with a roll of 31 tamariki with all but one being of Māori descent. Clara Haszard was the first teacher of the school. The house system of Rongowhitiao, Haszard, Barnett and Simmonds recognises our links to founding members of the community.
Te Waotu is a school that prides itself on its long history with rich Māori narrative and strong connections to Ngāti Huri and Pikitū Marae. Our school is an important part of our rural comnunity and is very well supported. The surrounding area offers plenty – the local agricultural scene is complemented by natural and recreational features such as native bush, the Waikato River trails, Lake Arapuni, Waikato River and Maungatautari. These uniques features all combine to make Te Waotu School a special place.
It is our belief that we need to create children who are future ready. This means growing children who are active, self managing and resilient in their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Tamariki who are active in the learning process achieve more and at Te Waotu School we foster this through high impact learning environments which create high levels of student agency.
We cater for students up to Year 8 and our school roll is stable between 110-130 learners. We employ 6 teachers and currently 6 additional support staff. Our school roll includes students of Māori, NZ European/Pākehā, Filipino, European and Indian ethnicities. We have a skilled and a highly capable Board of Trustees who take a very proactive role in the governance of our school.