Puketapu School, Bell Block

19/06/2026

🚨 Today we carried out an evacuation drill using our continuous school bell.

Our tamariki responded quickly and calmly, moving to the courts where they were safely accounted for on the roll. 👏

Everything went smoothly, and it was a great opportunity for us to practise our emergency procedures and ensure everyone is familiar with what to do if we ever need to evacuate the school. 🏫✅

17/06/2026

KEEP VOTING!!!

🌱🎉 WE NEED YOUR VOTE! 🎉🌱

We are incredibly excited to share that Puketapu School has been selected as one of the Top 3 Finalists in the Mitre 10 MEGA Helping Hands Initiative!

Our vision is to create a Community Garden at our kura – a place where our tamariki, whānau, and wider community can come together to learn, grow, and connect.

🌿 The garden will help our students:
🥕 Learn about sustainability and growing kai
🌻 Develop practical gardening skills
🤝 Work alongside whānau and community members
🌏 Care for our environment
⭐ Celebrate Matariki by looking to the future and nurturing growth

Now we need your help to make this dream a reality!

🗳️ Voting opens tonight at 7.00pm and closes at 7.00pm on Sunday 28 June.

Please vote for Puketapu School and share with your whānau, friends, neighbours, and community supporters.

👉 Vote here:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/ZMxRdHRFht

👉 Check out the finalists on the Mitre 10 MEGA New Plymouth page:
https://www.facebook.com/Mitre10MEGANewPlymouth

A huge thank you to Mitre 10 MEGA New Plymouth for selecting our project as a finalist. We are so grateful for the opportunity and can't wait to see our community get behind this special project.

Together, let's help grow something amazing for our tamariki and community! 💚🌱

16/06/2026

📸✨ What a busy and exciting few weeks it has been at Puketapu School! ✨📸

Our tamariki have been out and about learning, competing, and growing through some amazing opportunities. We've finally gathered together some of the photos and student write-ups, and we'd love for you to check them out!

🌟 National Young Leaders Day (NYLD) 2026
Read the student news story:
https://puketapu.school.nz/puketapu-school-at-nyld-2026/
📷 Photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/tnDtTwHLr8nrVqJS9

🌿 Year 3 & 4 Rotokare Trip
Read about the adventure:
https://puketapu.school.nz/year-3-and-4-trip-to-rotokare/
📷 Photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QWBZ7nGpV1t1ZzRm7

🏉 Year 7 & 8 Rippa Rugby Tournament
Read the tournament report:
https://puketapu.school.nz/year-7-8-rippa-rugby/
📷 Photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/eMhhvFwvpLYcYJDfA

A huge thank you to our staff, whānau, and supporters who help make these opportunities possible for our tamariki. We are so proud of the way our students represent our kura wherever they go! 💚💚

Shared album · Tap to view!

15/06/2026

Puketapu Hoodies, Tees & Crews are available for PRE-ORDER NOW!

🎉 IT'S BACK!!! 🎉

💚 Puketapu Hoodies, Tees & Crews are available for PRE-ORDER NOW! 💚

Make it yours by adding your name on the back, or simply enter "NONE" or "N/A" if you don't want a name printed.

A huge thank you to our new supplier, E HOA - Clothing & Design from Waitara, who create amazing apparel for our local community, including our recent Puanga merchandise! 🌟

🛒 Order here:
https://www.ehoa.nz/collections/puketapu-school-2026

📅 Orders open now and close on Sunday 19 July
📦 Collection from Puketapu School: 29 July

⏰ Don't miss out, once orders close, that's it!

Order your Puketapu school kakahu right here! PLEASE NOTE: Orders are Pre-sale Till Sunday 19th July Collection from School 29th July

15/06/2026

🌱🎉 WE NEED YOUR VOTE! 🎉🌱

We are incredibly excited to share that Puketapu School has been selected as one of the Top 3 Finalists in the Mitre 10 MEGA Helping Hands Initiative!

Our vision is to create a Community Garden at our kura – a place where our tamariki, whānau, and wider community can come together to learn, grow, and connect.

🌿 The garden will help our students:
🥕 Learn about sustainability and growing kai
🌻 Develop practical gardening skills
🤝 Work alongside whānau and community members
🌏 Care for our environment
⭐ Celebrate Matariki by looking to the future and nurturing growth

Now we need your help to make this dream a reality!

🗳️ Voting opens tonight at 7.00pm and closes at 7.00pm on Sunday 28 June.

Please vote for Puketapu School and share with your whānau, friends, neighbours, and community supporters.

👉 Vote here:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/ZMxRdHRFht

👉 Check out the finalists on the Mitre 10 MEGA New Plymouth page:
https://www.facebook.com/Mitre10MEGANewPlymouth

A huge thank you to Mitre 10 MEGA New Plymouth for selecting our project as a finalist. We are so grateful for the opportunity and can't wait to see our community get behind this special project.

Together, let's help grow something amazing for our tamariki and community! 💚🌱

12/06/2026

📸 A little photo dump to end the week 💚

📚⭐ Duffy Award recipients
🐰 School pets
🏉 Year 7 & 8 Rippa Rugby
🌺🎶 NPBHS Pasifika group

It’s always great to see our students learning, achieving, connecting, and making the most of every opportunity.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone! 🌞

✨ Kia pai tō koutou mutunga wiki! ✨

12/06/2026

🎉 What a fantastic assembly we had today! 🎉

A huge thank you to our wonderful student leaders, Sophie McGovern and Channing Rajput, for confidently leading today's assembly. 👏

We celebrated our fortnightly Assembly Award recipients. Congratulations to:

🏆 Room 1 – Jordan Wightman
🏆 Room 2 – Leo Dudley
🏆 Room 3 – Oliver Tancred
🏆 Room 4 – Harlee Old
🏆 Room 5 – Reign Sua-Moore
🏆 Room 6 – Rosie Wilson
🏆 Room 7 – Asher Greenfield
🏆 Room 9 – Rubeelee Jeffrey
🏆 Room 10 – Summer Greenfield
🏆 Room 11 – Zoe Jones
🏆 Room 12 – Cairo McLeod
🏆 Room 13 – Mckayla Almario
🏆 Room 14 – Kiah-Jayne Wylde-Prestney
🏆 Room 15 – Madison French
🏆 Room 16 – Fergus Luke
🏆 Technology – Damion Paora

We also recognised our Cross Country top 3 place-getters in each age group. Well done to all our runners for their determination and effort! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

A massive thank you to our whānau for supporting our Cross Country Fundraiser. Together, our students raised an incredible $4,293.36! 🎉 This money will go towards helping Home & School upgrade our much-loved pump track.

As part of our fundraising celebration, we awarded 13 Warehouse vouchers and sports balls to our top fundraisers, who each raised over $100:

⭐ Thomas Smith
⭐ Luca Jayne
⭐ Elijah Jordan
⭐ Harlee Old
⭐ Kyran Lily
⭐ Jacob McGovern
⭐ Liliana Hodson
⭐ Te Koro King
⭐ Romie Marlow
⭐ Kyan Hoskin
⭐ James Smith
⭐ Te Aorangi Wanakore-Sioli
⭐ Sophie McGovern

We also gave away 30 sports balls as spot prizes, with every student who returned a fundraising form going into the draw. 🎁

🍕 Finally, congratulations to Room 10, who won the pizza lunch prize for their outstanding fundraising efforts!

Keep an eye out for our next assembly, where we'll reveal the latest Whānau Point standings and announce which whānau is currently in the lead! 👀🏆

Well done everyone – we're so proud of our amazing tamariki and school community!

09/06/2026

🚀🧪 Room 13 Needs Your Help! 🧪🚀

Kia ora mai e te whānau,

Room 13 are on the hunt for 1.5L PET soda bottles (with lids) for an exciting rocket project! 🚀

If you have any empty bottles at home that you no longer need, we would love for you to send them along to school.

♻️ 1.5L PET soda bottles only
✅ Lids required

Thank you for helping support our tamariki and their learning adventures!

Aku mihi,
Cara & Room 13 💚

09/06/2026

🏀💚 A huge thank you to the Taranaki Airs for generously donating free kids' tickets to Saturday night's home game at TSB Stadium!

We were able to share the tickets with members of our school basketball and miniball teams, and it was awesome to see so many Puketapu School tamariki and whānau cheering from the stands and supporting our local team.

A special shout-out goes to Manaaki Taipari, who was selected to be the ball carrier and deliver the game ball to the Airs at the start of the match! 🏀⭐ What an incredible experience and a memory he'll never forget. He even won a free ball during the game!

Thank you again to the Taranaki Airs for providing this opportunity for our tamariki. Experiences like these help inspire the next generation of basketball players and strengthen connections within our community.

🏀💚

08/06/2026

🌿 Check out this awesome article about Richard Carr's recent visits to our kura!

https://puketapu.school.nz/richard-carr-visits-environmental-education-officer/

Over the past few weeks, Richard has been working with our tamariki across all year levels, teaching them about kaitiakitanga, conservation, water quality, pest control, and caring for our environment. It has been an incredible learning experience for everyone involved.

The article also includes a link to a gallery packed with amazing photos captured by our teachers during Richard's visits. 📸

A huge thank you to Richard for sharing his knowledge, passion, and expertise with our tamariki. We are so grateful for the opportunities he provides to help our students become the next generation of kaitiaki. 💚 Taranaki Regional Council

Kaitiakitanga in Action at Our School 🌿 Over Weeks 5 and 6, our akonga were...