Strength of community supporting rural South Taranaki school shines through

The new playground at Whenuakura School, south of Pātea, has opened.

The people of Whenuakura have backed the little school that is so much a part of the South Taranaki community.

Whenuakura School was established south of Pātea in 1878 and has fewer than 40 students currently enrolled.

School principal Maria Ferris said the school had long been the hub of the community, with families putting their children through it for up to five generations.

“The community here are really passionate about it doing well and supporting it, so they do all they can to make sure it stays supported,” she said.

“If fundraising needs to be done they do it, if caretaking needs to be done they do it, if we’ve got a working bee, they’re here, they do it.”

Four years ago, the school’s board of trustees identified their 20-year-old playground needed to be replaced.

The upgrade was able to happen thanks to donations from parents, funding applications and money raised from annual “Fright Night” fundraisers.

The event takes place over two weekends at the end of February and the beginning of March, with people navigating the school’s maize maze, filled with ghosts and ghouls.

This year’s event was its eighth running and Ferris said it was put on entirely by school board members and volunteer parents.

“The parents put so much effort in, their scenes are a really high standard now, so we’ve got quite a following of people that come back year after year.”

Around 1500 people attended this year.

The playground has been opened and was well received by kids and the community.

“They absolutely love it, on it all the time, they’re just very very busy on it all the time,” she said.

She expected the new playground to last for the foreseeable future.

“In my time here I don’t see us replacing it,” she said.

Now the playground is up and running, Ferris said the money from this year’s Fright Night would be put towards learning support in the school, as they have students from multiple year groups in each classroom.

“There’s a real need for learning support that we don’t get funded for, so it’s going mainly to that.”

The rest of the funds will go towards extra resources and making sure the school doesn’t run into a deficit.

The school gave special thanks to the entities that helped support the playground upgrade: WR Phillips, Toi Foundation, Waipipi Wind Farm Community Fund, McBroom grant, Kiwi Gaming Foundation, Rural Communities, Aotearoa Gaming Trust and We Care Community Trust.