Tears were shed and the sound of waiata, haka and applause echoed as Te Kāpehu Whetū marked its last day as a partnership school.
Staff, students past and present, and whānau packed Maumahara, one of the school's buildings, for a final assembly yesterday.
Next year the Whangārei school will open as a designated character school - state schools with a special character that sets them apart from ordinary state schools - after Education Minister Chris Hipkins launched the Education Amendment Bill in February to formally end partnership schools, also known as charter schools.
Raewyn Tipene, chief executive of He Puna Marama Trust which runs Te Kāpehu Whetū, told the crowd that forcing the closure of Te Kāpehu Whetu - which encompasses a primary school and a composite senior school (Years 7 to 13) - was a disgrace.