Dr Ngāpare Hopa

Whaea Pare was heavily involved in the establishment of our school, and gifted us our school name. She wanted a school name that would be all encompassing and link together Māori, European and the many other cultures, respect the past, while also focusing on the present and future. The school name is considered hugely prestigious and is a real taonga (gift). 

Whaea Pare was deeply passionate about education and loved children. Her wisdom and Māori world view were inspirational. Her passing was deeply symbolic, as it coincided with the blessing of our new pāwaha. Our pāwaha is based on the concept of a waka-pou-mau-mahara, which is an old practice of decommissioning a waka (canoe) and standing it upright in memory of a special person.

Whaea Pare’s legacy will live on at our school and our thoughts are with her whānau.

Moe mai rā.