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In an era focused on scaling up and going digital‐first, it’s easy to overlook the value of the small and local. We often hear that “bigger is better.” A visit to Puriri School quietly challenges that idea. “Smaller” can mean stronger, deeper and far more connected. At Puriri, size isn’t a drawback. It shapes the whole character of the school. The Tuakana/Teina model – older students guiding and supporting younger ones – isn’t a programme. It’s simply how the school lives and breathes.
No child fades into the background.
Personalised learning doesn’t come from new software or systems but from teachers who know each student well. That kind of connection is something unique. Schools shouldn’t sit apart from the world. Learning is at its best when it’s active and rooted in the places around us.
At Puriri, it flows naturally into the community, the awa (river) and the whenua (land).
By weaving learning through local experiences and hands-on activities, the school gives real substance to Kaitiakitanga (guardianship).The children aren’t just studying their environment.
They’re forming a relationship with it – one that may guide how they care for it as they grow. In a time of rapid change, Puriri School offers a steady anchor. It shows that a rich, holistic education doesn’t need a sprawling campus or large role. It needs dedicated teachers, a supportive board, engaged whānau (families) and a clear sense of purpose.
Puriri School is tending its forest – patiently and intentionally – and in doing so, it is giving its students something truly lasting.
-Lydia Lester, Principal of Puriri School
