Riwaka School, Motueka, New Zealand

Role: teaching assistant

Riwaka School was founded in 1848, making it one of the 10 oldest schools in the country. The school is located on the South Island, around 5km from the town of Motueka and 55km from the city of Nelson.

Motueka is a rural district in which farming, horticulture and tourism provide the main income. The community comprises New Zealanders and an increasing number of other ethnic groups and many residents are fourth and fifth-generation landowners. Community facilities include a hall, tennis courts, Scout den, hotel, churches, sports clubs and recreation grounds. Natural amenities include rivers, beaches, mountains and the Abel Tasman National Park.

The school roll has grown from 69 students in 1989 to almost 200 students today. School facilities include a performing arts centre, a music studio, a 25x8m swimming pool, a well-stocked library, digitally-equipped classrooms and a studio for delivering science, technology and visual arts.

Riwaka School aims to encourage in students a lifelong love of learning and to equip them with the skills to lead full lives in an ever-changing and technological world. These include relationship skills, an understanding of what promotes health and wellbeing, and the ability to be flexible and adaptable, to cope with rapid change and to work at assimilating new skills to solve existing or new problems. The school encourages its students to be problem solvers, creative thinkers, innovators and self-managers. 

A 2008 Education Review Office report on the school stated: “The staff work collegially and there is a strong culture of professional learning. They are well informed and reflective. The principal has led the development of clear expectations for teaching and learning that promote a discernible focus on student achievement. Weekly school goals reinforce the mission statement that emphasises tolerance and caring. Classroom environments are inclusive, well resourced and make effective use of the available space.”