Havelock North High School opens new special needs building

Havelock North High School is opening a state-of-the-art special needs building that has been five years in the making. Photo / Jennifer Bake

Thirty-four years ago, Havelock North High School opened its first special needs unit to six students, who had one teacher and a teacher aide.

It is now called the 600 block—Te Wāhanga Ono Rau, and the school celebrated the complete rebuilding of the special needs facility in July.

Since it was first established in 1990, the size of the staff and Ongoing Resourcing Scheme students has quadrupled, and a new building for the department was well overdue.

The Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) provides support for students with the highest ongoing levels of need for specialist support.

Havelock North High School students are loving the new 600 block—Te Wahanga Ono Rau. Photo / Jennifer Bake

HNHS principal Joel Wilton explained the name Te Wāhanga Ono Rau intentionally connects this building to the rest of the school.

The parents of the ORS students strongly believed that the name reflected the integration of the students into the fabric of the school, not separation or segregation.

Much like the name, the position of the new 600 block is also intentional. Wilton said along with the new Barham Common performing arts area, the 600 block is the hub of Havelock North High School.

“It is already wonderful to see students from all over the school congregating on the new tiered seating at break times,” he said.

The new block provides two specialist teaching spaces, staff work areas, breakout spaces, a kitchen, laundry specialist bathrooms and a landscaped outdoor area.

Wilton said, “This building is the product of at least five years of hard work and negotiation.

“I am incredibly grateful to our parent community, which has worked alongside us to ensure that our students got what they deserved.”

Te Wāhanga Ono Rau is a state-of-the-art building that the school believes the community can be proud of for another 34 years.

The new 600 block was officially blessed by kaumātua Jerry Hapuku on July 22 and officially opened on July 26.