Ngongotahā Primary School principal Eden Chapman says the school is struggling with classroom space. Photo / Andrew Warner
Ngongotahā Primary School principal Eden Chapman says the school is struggling with classroom space. Photo / Andrew Warner
Two fast-growing Rotorua primary schools are prepared for “steady and sustained” roll growth whilst another is a “little nervous” as it has no spare classrooms.
This year, Otonga School Te Kura o Tihiōtonga is projected to grow by 69 students – the highest increase in the Rotorua area.
Theschool is followed closely by Selwyn School with 55 students and Ngongotahā School with 49 students.
The provisional school roll data released in late January by the Ministry of Education showed all but eight schools in Rotorua were projected to grow in 2025.
Otonga School principal Gareth Cunliffe told the Rotorua Daily Post the school’s projected roll growth was “not unexpected” and was encouraging.
“The growth appears steady and sustained rather than sudden, suggesting families are making intentional choices rather than reacting to short-term pressures.”
He said growth was driven by strong demand for inclusive, future-focused learning that balanced structure with student agency and fun.
“Schools that prioritise wellbeing, strong relationships, quality teaching, and a broad curriculum are often seeing increased interest.”
Cunliffe said growth was strongest in the younger year levels, with steady enrolments across all ages as families moved to the area for work or lifestyle reasons.
“In our school, population movement can be fluid, with families relocating as circumstances change, which adds to the complexity of planning.”
He said growth was managed with careful planning around forecasted new entrant numbers.
Otonga School Te Kura o Tihiōtonga principal Gareth Cunliffe.
“With a clear focus on ensuring that increased rolls do not come at the expense of learning quality or student wellbeing.”
Selwyn School principal Peter Barker also said the projected roll growth was not unexpected.
“Our school roll has stabilised and is now growing.”
He said the school had planned for this growth and was “good to go” at this stage.
“We are well-prepared. We have teaching spaces and resources available and are fully staffed with trained and qualified teachers across all areas of the school.”
Selwyn School’s growth had mainly been in the Year 0–3 area across the school and in its rumaki (immersion education) Māori space.
“As a result, we will operate seven rumaki Māori classes in 2026, up from three in 2023 and 17 classes in total across the school to start with in 2026,” Barker said.
Nerves spark for a ‘pretty full’ Ngongotahā School
Ngongotahā School principal Eden Chapman said current staffing and resources would cope with more students, but classroom space was “not fine”.
“We have no spare classrooms, and already are using up every little space around the school.”
He said Ngongotahā School was not well supported by the Ministry of Education when it came to planning ahead for buildings.
“The school is pretty full already so we are a little nervous about it.”
Chapman told the Rotorua Daily Post the school had instituted a cohort entry system this year, which would help with the intake of 5-year-olds.
“There’s eight intakes for them, which is just helping us to manage that process a little better.”
He said the school was managing “as well as we can,” and when classroom numbers reached a critical point, then the ministry would consider adding more classrooms.
Ngongotahā School principal Eden Chapman. Photo / Eden Chapman
“We feel positive about having more kids. It’s just, where do we put them?”
Jocelyn Mikaere, Ministry of Education Te Tai Whenua hautū (central deputy secretary), 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 Ngongotahā School, it 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.
