As part of our school redevelopment, staff worked with Ngāi Tūāhuriri to develop our cultural narrative in order to have as a resource for place based learning and our locally based curriculum. We were also able to determine the naming of our learning spaces and communities to reflect this very important part of Wairakei School.

Wairakei means adorning waters; looking into the waters. 

Our Learning teams and their Learning spaces have been named the following using our water theme as it is a very important part of both the Waimairi-iri Kahui Ako and Wairakei cultural narrative:

Ōtākaro: The place of play; spring of water

Wai-iti: A tributary waterway in our local area

Wairere: A waterfall

The learning communities and the associated learning spaces are located by connecting verandas, and meander across three existing buildings, and a recently added building.

The Ōtākaro building is a part of the Junior learning team and includes our new entrant learning space, alongside a year 1 class and two spaces which include a literacy support teaching space and a sensory room. It is named as such as it is the beginning of the educational journey for children at Wairakei School.

The Wai-iti building is a part of the Junior learning team which has three learning spaces, years 1-3. It is named as such as it is the connecting space before the senior team.

Wairere is the Senior School (Year 4, 5 & 6) and is named as such as it is at this point after our tamariki graduate, that they flow out into the world, usually attending one of a number of intermediate / full primary schools in the local area.