"It's not about outsmarting anybody, it's about being a good global citizen, it means that the work the kids have been doing is making an impact and making change."
Ngarewa has been principal at Patea Area School for almost three years, part of the appeal in taking up the post was to give back to her community as she was born and raised in Patea.
In 2015 before she arrived, the school was described as having some of the worst NCEA results in the country, a high suspension rate and low staff morale.
"We had some significant challenges, but it was an opportunity to innovate the curriculum and do some things that are critical for the New Zealand education system," she said.
"We have a really different curriculum, we don't have bells, we don't have specifically set timetables, it's a very modern and innovative approach to learning."
The school's roll doubled in 12-18 months following the implementation of the new curriculum.
One example of the school's curriculum involves the Feast or Famine event they held late last March.
Feast or Famine raised money for equitable access to digital fluency and fed half of the people participating a feast and the other half a bowl of rice and beans.
It looked at how everyone should have equal access to things like Wi-Fi - exploring availability and access to devices that can connect to it.
Every second Friday, the school is essentially closed while students go out on a range of experiential learning exercises, from surfing lessons to equine studies.
"Kids can design their own programme of learning or personalised learning around these things," she said.
"They're delighted about the award and were excited to go down to Wellington to collect it and do their speeches for some significant people."
Associate Minister of Education Jenny Salesa hosted the event and Ngarewa said that staff and students would work out what to do with the $3000 together.
