Kia ora and welcome to Apanui School.

​

Apanui School is a full primary school in Whakatāne for Years 0–6. We have around 420 amazing ākonga and a team of about 40 caring, skilled teachers and support staff. We’re proud of our tamariki, our whānau, and the strong sense of community that makes our kura a warm, safe place to learn and grow.

​

We believe learning works best when school and home are connected. “It takes a village to raise a child” sits at the heart of how we work — he waka eke noa — we’re in this together. When adults share consistent messages, high expectations, and lots of encouragement, our children thrive.

​

We are committed to giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, growing te reo me ōna tikanga Māori across our kura, and strengthening genuine partnership with whānau and Ngāti Awa so our learners can succeed as themselves — with pride in who they are and where they come from. Our values — Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience — guide how we learn and how we treat each other every day, creating the conditions for teaching and learning to flourish.

​

Our learning programmes are built around strong foundations in Literacy and Mathematics, including structured teaching approaches and clear progress monitoring. We also make sure our tamariki experience a rich, diverse curriculum across The Arts, Science, Social Sciences, Technology, Health and PE, and Te Reo Māori. In our junior spaces we use Learning Through Play to grow oral language, curiosity, problem-solving, and real-world learning — and across the school we connect learning to authentic local contexts.

​

To stay connected with what’s happening at school, we encourage you to sign up to our secure school communication app, HERO, and keep an eye on notices and updates for timely communication, celebrations, and learning information. We also have a school Facebook page for sharing information and news.

​

Whakatāne is a special place to grow up. We want our children to understand the stories of this rohe, care for our environment, and see themselves as confident learners and positive contributors — locally and in the wider world.

Nau mai, haere mai — we look forward to learning alongside your whānau.

Regards - Marama Stewart

Tumuaki