Fairhaven School principal Paul Hunt pictured in 2018. Photo / John Borren
The principal of the fastest-growing school in Tauranga and the Western Bay is having to be “very strict” with out-of-zone students as dwindling classroom space becomes a “juggling act”.
Fairhaven School principal Paul Hunt said he would have to use the school’s multi-purpose building by the end of this year for new entrants as it would be “short of classrooms”.
This year, the primary school is projected to grow by 86 students, the biggest increase of any Tauranga and Western Bay school.
The primary school is followed closely by Te Manawa ō Pāpāmoa School with 84 students and Arataki School with 79 students. Te Manawa ō Pāpāmoa opened in Papamoa East in 2022.
That is according to provisional school roll data released in January by the Ministry of Education, which showed all but seven schools in Tauranga and the Western Bay were projected to grow in 2026.
Hunt told the Bay of Plenty Times the school had experienced a “huge burst” of students due to a change in immigration settings.
“We had a big influx of workers coming to Te Puke, around the kiwifruit and other industries, so we had a very unexpected jump and have progressed to over 500 students.”
The ministry’s data showed a provisional school roll of 565 students - up from its confirmed roll of 479 students last year.
Hunt said the underlying issue the school had was its need for more classrooms.
“We are very full and would require classrooms from the Ministry of Education to assist with our numbers if they did increase like that.”
He said one of the school’s key challenges was their out-of-zone students did not count towards the criteria used to determine whether the school qualified for new buildings.
“It’s a juggling act. We’re having to be very strict on people who are out of zone and unable to enrol at school.”
Fairhaven School experienced growth across all year levels, but the majority were new entrants, Hunt said.
“We know that we’re going to be short of classrooms, and we’ve got a multi-purpose building that we’ll have to use, possibly by the end of the year for new entrant classes.”
Arataki School principal Vicki Hiini said she was “not surprised” by the projected roll increase as the school had significant growth in the past two years.
Last year, the Bay of Plenty Times reported the school’s provisional roll for 2025 had the largest increase of students in the region, 108 students.
Ministry data this year showed a provisional school roll of 564 students - up 79 from its confirmed roll of 485 students last year.
“Arataki School is located in a very desirable area of Mount Maunganui that is affordable for families,” Hiini said.
“We have a great community of like-minded families enrolling their children at our kura.”
Hiini said the main reasons behind the school’s continued growth were housing intensification, it being a great place to live, and it was “an awesome school”.
“We have seen significant housing developments in our school zone, but the challenge is that we have to have our school zone closed.”
She said the school had to turn away families who did not live in the school zone as some facilities were now “too small”.
“We are prepared as we can be with staff and teaching levels; however, I am concerned that we are running out of space, and will need additional classrooms in the very near future.”
Hiini said she worked closely with the school’s property adviser from the Ministry of Education as they monitored growth.
Ministry of Education Te Tai Whenua hautū (central deputy secretary) Jocelyn Mikaere said the ministry managed school infrastructure by planning for growth and population shifts in the short and long-term.
Mikaere said the ministry prioritised new schools, expansions and roll growth to ensure funding is directed to where it is most needed.
“We are continually reviewing the data so we can see and quickly respond to changes in the expected timing of, and forecast demand for, additional student places.”
She said in the case of Fairhaven School and Arataki School, both accepted “significant” numbers of out-of-zone students.
“I encourage principals to contact our local team if they have specific matters they would like to discuss.”
Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.