OUR HISTORY

Manutuke School opened in 1885; a full-primary, mainstream school which today is decile 3, U3. In 1986 a Level 1 Immersion Maori Unit, Te Whanau Reo Maori, opened beginning a critical & unique change to the school, a Dual Medium option; an option that for several years was the desired choice for the wider community. 

In 2006, exploratory investigations and research began to track a Designated Character Status for the school and in 2017 to 2019, a determined drive succeeded in pushing a solid

application through. 


Thus the Establishment of a Designated Character School – Manutuke School (2602) officially started on 28 January 2020.

In 2020, also, an Off-Site Unit for 19 Year 9 students, a full-time teacher & kaiawhina, opened; Te Karaka Area School, 00624 being our Tuakana School.


In 2021, a new Off-Site Unit relationship began with TBAS (Tolaga Bay Area School) Kahukuranui for 27 Year 9 & 10 students (Ngā Manukura) based here at Manutuke kura.

This 2021 Manutuke School applied for Change of Levels and Class for Y1 to Y10 consideration. Manutuke will officially operate as a COMPOSITE Y0-10 school from Term

2 2022. Manutuke, in partnership with TBAS will operate an Off-Site Year 11 unit here at Manutuke School for 2022.

In 2014-2015, the Auraki Syndicate worked to uplift Te Reo Maori and nga tikanga, much more, into day-to-day practices. In 2016–2017, Level 4 was actioned, with a greater emphasis placed on socialising the tikanga and practices with te Reo, by the syndicate. In 2018-2019 the move to Level 3 was made, raising individual/group pride in being Maori, integrating Te Reo Maori deliberately into collaborative place-based learning contexts.


In 2015, the ‘Ngā Manu Manutūkē’ concept was born with ‘Manu Toa’ a ‘Manu Wananga’, in which the curriculum and delivery is based around sports, health and well-being. Manu Toi that harnesses the passions, talents & strengths of teachers and students, followed. Manu Kapa, a historical Manu, was always a whole-whanau based Manu, & in the last few years, the school’s teachers lead, in strong liaisons with whanau & iwi experts & support. Currently, teachers venture to collaborate across classroom boundaries, to share-teach, in Maori-Manutuke & marae-like ways, and teach in their passions.


For some years now, Manutuke has used Campion College for Y7&8 Tech programmes in cooking, computers, woodwork and metalwork up to 2019. 


Today, the school collectively determined to design our own ‘Technology’ programmes, in line with our unique contexts and methodologies. ManuToi (The Arts) ManuKai (Garden to the Plate) ManuHanga (Design&Make) ManuToa (Sport/Health) ManuAo (Enviro) ManuOro (Music) ManuHaka ( HakaPerformance) ManuTūkē (Connection/PlaceBased)

Manutuke School’s roll rise in 2018, occurred, mainly from whole whanau from other urban schools, or other regions, plus a great lift in the 5-year-old roll; highest numbers still come from the City. Purchasing the school’s Mini-Bus, a whanau request, to bring the five-year old to Manutuke, works. In 2019, the school aimed to promote the English Learning Options at Manutuke School in a deliberate effort to showcase. 


This strengthened in 2020, and with support, will continue, in line with the DCS teaching & learning methodologies. The start of 2020, gave the school it’s best-start-of-year roll for some five years. 2021 beginning numbers have been maintained from the end of 2020 figures.

The CHANGES: