Anyone walking through Waitakaruru School could be forgiven for doing a double take.
Five sets of twins are enrolled at the small Hauraki Plains school, creating a unique little club that makes up almost 10 per cent of the roll.
The twin tally has grown steadily over recent years, principal Tina Taylor said. Two sets were already attending the school in 2021, before another two sets arrived from other schools in 2025. The fifth set joined in Term 2 this year, prompting staff to realise just how unique their student population had become.
Tina, who has a personal connection to the phenomenon, said having so many twins had added something special to the school community.
“Although we have a very inclusive culture at Waitakaruru and treat everyone as individuals, all the twins have a special relationship with each other and that does add something unique,” she told The Profile.
“Four sets of twins are in the same class as their twin, and because we are a small school, they often share the same friends.”
Adding another twist, Tina is a twin too.
As children, she and her brother – who now lives in Wellington – also attended small, rural schools.
“We grew up sharing the same friends and were very extremely competitive with each other,” Tina said. “I look back at that in such a positive light as we were always trying our best – while trying to beat each other.”
Waitakaruru is not the first school to notice an abundance of twins. Ōtūmoetai Primary School in Tauranga earlier this year reported that about five per cent of its students were twins – already well above the global twinning rate of about 1.2 per cent of births. Waitakaruru’s figure is even higher, with twins making up 9.4 per cent of its roll.
Tina said for her teaching staff, one of the highlights has been watching the bonds form between the siblings.
“We also have two sets of identical twins, and we all have unique ways that we’ve learned how to tell them apart.”
And what do Waitakaruru’s twins think about being part of such a rare group?
According to Tina, they love it.
“They love that there are other twins like themselves at our kura.”
BY KELLEY TANTAU
