Waikino School principal Joanna Wheway inside the new pizza palace. Photo / Rebecca Mauger
Waikino School principal Joanna Wheway inside the new pizza palace. Photo / Rebecca Mauger
Waikino School has its own pizza hut.
The school's whare manu has been rebuilt after the devastating fire which took hold in November last year, with a separate ''pizza palace'' at the back of it.
The school is having a welcoming launch party later this month to celebrate the newspace which is pegged as a place for project-based learning and creativity.
School students and staff were devastated about the fire. The original whare manu was built in 2018 and housed the school's popular pizza oven which caused the fire during a community fundraising event.
The damage was immense and the school was in shock, says principal Jo Wheway.
Waikino School's whare manu building was engulfed in fire in 2020. Photo / Supplied
Undeterred, she knew the whare manu had to be rebuilt including its much-used pizza oven.
''The pizza oven was on every day, the kids loved it. We had pizza available for our students daily — it's just what we do. It was especially important for the Year 6 students who were hands-on in the building process.''
Fundraising and insurance helped pay for the new whare manu which contains science and technology, arts and crafts equipment. The container with an industrial kitchen remains.
The palace is the brainchild of Jo and artist Rose Tuffery. The clay structure is built around the cob wood-fired pizza oven and the little house is peppered with decorative glass, coloured bottles and mosaics with a stable door and serving areas.
Whare manu version two will be up and running by the end of the month.
