Nestled beside the main highway in the heart of the Far North, Te Kura o Waihārara is proving that small schools can lead big change. With a philosophy rooted in play, student-led learning, and a strong connection to te taiao, this vibrant kura is redefining what education looks like in Aotearoa. By keeping play and student-led initiatives at the heart of learning, the school nurtures curiosity, creativity, and connection to its culture and place. 

The Tumuaki Davene Clarke, Ngāti Porou/Ngāpuhi says “At Te Kura o Waihārara, we believe that learning thrives when it’s connected to the real world, rooted in our local environment, and led by the curiosity and creativity of our tamariki. Our commitment to an integrated, play-based curriculum empowers students to explore, discover, and grow in ways that honour their culture, wellbeing, and individuality. We’re proud of the strong partnerships with our whānau and community that help us create a nurturing space where every child feels valued, supported, and inspired to reach their full potential. We are especially committed to nurturing caring rangatahi who understand their place in the world and their responsibility as kaitiaki of our whenua and culture. A strong partnership with whānau ensures that our learning reflects the heart and spirit of our community.” 

At a time when many schools can feel locked into rigid schedules and traditional teaching models, Waihārara has taken a bold step in the other direction, placing joy, movement, creativity, and real-world experiences at the heart of learning. Students explore academic subjects through integrated, hands-on approaches that connect to their lives and their whenua. 

Whether it’s retelling stories through waiata and movement or using fruit from the school orchard for a maths lesson to learn sorting, comparing sizes, and exploring shapes, learning here feels more like discovery than routine. A recent example saw students using freshly picked loquats to count, group by size and colour, identify patterns, and describe the fruit using mathematical language, a meaningful and delicious way to learn. 

This connection to place goes beyond the classroom. Students regularly venture out on local history trips to their maunga, as well as excursions to nearby lakes and coastal areas, where they learn fishing, water safety, and other essential life skills in and around te taiao. These experiences deepen their understanding of both the land and their own identity, build connections to their local areas and on their understanding and skills.  

Kaiako Thalia Horn, Ngāi Takoto/ Ngāti Kuri/ Te Rarawa explains, “A lot of our kura mahi, especially with our teina centres on storytelling and songs. Storytelling, like Pūrākau is a natural way to embed learning that really sticks.” 

Through cross-curricular projects, outdoor play, and a strong sense of place, Waihārara students’ build not just knowledge, but essential life skills, problem-solving, collaboration, and resilience. Daily mindfulness, virtues, and wellbeing programmes like ‘Pause, Breathe, Smile’, ‘Think and Be Me’, ‘Hikitia te Hā’, PB4L and Te Whare Tapa Wha support their students' emotional development and help embed a strong culture of wellbeing preparing and engaging with the learner for learning. 

Strong Values, Strong Community 

The school’s holistic approach is anchored in its three core values:

Ako (learning together), Rangatiratanga (leadership and self-determination), and Kaitiakitanga (guardianship of the environment). All co-developed with whānau, staff, students, and the Waihārara Board. These values reflect the school's evolving identity and are supported by a new graduate profile and a refreshed school logo.

  
Recently, the kura has successfully reclaimed the name Waihārara to officially include a macron in “Waihārara” to reflect its true pronunciation and cultural grounding.

Waihārara sees whānau as partners in learning. Community connections are nurtured through regular potluck dinners, hāngī, food hampers, and shared gardening. Every child receives a nutritious, school-cooked lunch made by Whaea Lou Sirhoj, using fresh produce from the school’s sustainable gardens and fruit trees. Surplus fruit is sent home in personalised fruit bags that the students have made themselves.

  
As the tamariki say, the best thing about Waihārara is the kai! Each morning, the delicious aroma of Whaea Lou’s cooking fills the air as they arrive at school, and it lingers throughout the day. The tamariki love picking fresh produce from the garden and helping turn it into healthy, tasty meals. A breakfast club ensures tamariki start the day well-fed and ready to learn. 

As part of their environmental learning, students help maintain the school’s worm farm, compost system, pest traps, and recycling stations. You see worm juice bottles in class as each week, they collect and bottle worm juice, which is used to nourish school gardens or sent home with whānau, giving tamariki hands-on experiences in sustainability and a strong sense of kaitiakitanga.  

Behind many of these initiatives is the inspiring work of Kaiako Thalia Horn, whose energy, creativity, and deep care for her tamariki and wider community have shaped the unique, student-centred approach to learning at Waihārara.  

Furthermore, Tumuaki Davene shares, “At Te Kura o Waihārara, we have passionate educators who bring not only skill, but deep connection to our kura and community. One of those people is Thalia, whose presence in the classroom has had a quiet, yet powerful impact on our tamariki. Thalia’s expertise and feel in the classroom puts the child at the centre, which is immeasurable. The students feel connected, seen and safe, so they are ready to learn. The fact that Thalia comes from an ECE background was perfect, with 16 years’ experience in early childhood education, Thalia has brought a strong foundation in Te Whāriki into the school setting. She has embedded the Te Whāriki values with the new refreshed curriculum into tamariki learning. Her approach to learning is wholesome, purposeful and grounded. She was already aligned with our values,” Davene adds. “She’s embedded them naturally into tamariki learning, creating such a true base for growth. Thalia is mana whenua, with whakapapa to Kaimauamu and strong connections to Wharemaru Marae. This local knowledge and connection bring real depth to her teaching and enriches the experiences of both students and staff”.  

“Working with Thalia has been a joy,” says Davene. “She’s more than just a taonga. The impact she has on people is felt deeply, and everything just seemed to align when she joined our team.” 

Movement and PE That’s Meaningful 

At Waihārara, Physical Education isn’t a standalone subject it’s a natural, everyday part of the school’s culture with movement naturally part of the school day. The school draws on the vision of Healthy Active Learning, a nationwide initiative promoting physical activity and wellbeing and quite naturally implements practices in accordance with the PENZ resource PE for Primary School Teachers, which encourages movement that is inclusive, meaningful and fun!  

Waihārara reflects several of PENZ’s recommended approaches, including: 

• Student leadership in classroom movement activities and through student voice and their PAL (Physical Activity Leaders) programme, where students initiate lunchtime activities. 

• Inclusive and fun movement for development and regulation from song and dance in learning to games and a wide range of outdoor exploration. 

• Using the local environment, such as the orchard and garden, as active learning spaces as well as education outside the classroom with local curriculum embedded. 

• Integrating movement into all subjects such as storytelling, songs and action, building those fundamental movement skills. The curriculum intention is to make it about them for their wellbeing and learning with connection to self through movement and co-regulation.  

These strategies help students develop a love for lifelong learning complemented through the building of resilience through movement and physical skills. It builds confidence and supports a lifelong enjoyment of learning, being active and supporting students’ emotional and social development. 

Pedal Power: Bikes and Belonging 

Thanks to Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa funding, Waihārara launched a school-wide bike programme to provide more movement opportunities, particularly for older students.  

Inspired by the opening of Oruaiti School’s bike track, Thalia and her students began planning their own interest in bikes and a bike track for their school. Student voice played a key role in shaping the kaupapa and they have designed a bike track now which will one day wind through the orchard, combining fun with learning.  

A bike maintenance leadership programme is also now developed with big thanks to whānau, as part of the Year 7–8 curriculum, giving students practical, hands-on experience and whānau involvement.  

With generous support from Arwen Page at Bike Northland, the kura received a fleet of helmets, each fitted personally to students for both safety and a sense of ownership. Kaiako Thalia credits Arwen and Ebony Paaka the Healthy Active Learning School Connector with helping make this vision become a reality. “Their support has helped us bring the students' ideas to life and embed more movement into school life in a way that really works for our kids.”

The school recently held a fundraiser for ‘Red Nose Day’ using the bikes to complete laps around the school and raise money. Such a creative and thoughtful way to celebrate their new bikes while also giving back to community.  

Big Opportunities for a Small School 

Despite its small size, Waihārara makes sure students don’t miss out. The kura regularly teams up with other small rural schools for kapa haka and sporting events, building friendships and opportunities across the wider region. They actively participate in the far north sports calendar creating combined teams for events like touch rugby, ki-o-rahi, eliminating barriers and finding a way for their akonga to join in.  

Waihārara works closely with external partners such as, Ngāti Kahu, The Heart Foundation, Whakawhiti Ora Pai, Seaweek, On Our Way and Te Rūnanga o Te Rarawa to support its strategic goals and enrich student learning through place-based and cultural experiences. Te iwi o Ngāi Takoto generously funded a school van several years ago, allowing tamariki to attend events, excursions, and learning experiences across the rohe. And as a civil defence post, solar panels were installed, and plans are underway to install solar-heating to the swimming pool, enabling students to swim year-round a crucial skill for rangatahi living near the moana. 

Looking ahead, the kura is focused on providing even more for its Year 7–8 students from leadership opportunities to tailored physical activity programmes, ensuring they’re equipped with the skills and confidence to thrive moving forward.  This sits alongside whānau reo classes to support the rejuvenation of te reo Māori.  

Te Kura o Waihārara may be small in size, but its vision is strongly embedded in the local history and grounded in its roots. The values are strong, and their impact is growing. With a commitment to integrated learning, wellbeing, and community connection, this kura is truly living up to its motto: 

“He iti pioke, nō Rangaunu”.  

Article written by Ebony Paaka, Healthy Active Learning School Connector