Our small school is rich with history that we are very proud of...
From the early 1900s, dairy and agricultural farming became prominent in what is now the Waitoki area. In 1924, due to the increase of settlement in the area, pressure from local residents increased to have access to education for their children. Many of these prominent families who settled in the area all these years ago are still in the area today and involved with our school.
An abandoned building on Horseshoe Bush Road, which used to be a school, was dragged out of the bush and placed on the land, supplied by the Drinnan family, that we are currently on. Rumour has it there was a family of goats living in the abandoned building, hence the reason why goats are so interwoven into our school fabric, including our values.
Before the school could open, it had to be given a name. After much discussion, it was given the name Waitoki. Wai- meaning 'Water' due to the stream flowing along the school land, and -Toki which means 'Battle Axe' relating to a battle that took place on Flat Top Mountain. Therefore, it is said "...the Toki made the blood run like water".
And just like that, on 22nd April 1924, Waitoki School was opened with 22 pupils. It was said that "the little school stood still and stark near the Kaukapakapa - Wainui -Whitehills Junction - the roads along which the first pupils either walked or rode ponies to reach".
Because of our rural heritage, many of the students at the school left at an earlier time to tend to their family farms while there was still light in the day. We still have those start and finish times to this day!
In the 1930s, and onwards, we saw the addition of more buildings as the numbers grew. In 1950, our swimming pool was built so that the pupils no longer had to do swimming lessons in the local stream! The Sunshine building, which was added in 1939, was removed from our site in 2011 and can now be found at the Helensville Museum.
Waitoki has grown and extended over the many years into the wonderful kura you see today. Our history has played, and still plays to this day, an integral part in who we are and how we function. You can still see elements of our heritage scattered throughout the school. One example is our special old school bell that we still use to signal break times and the beginning and end of school. Another is our Agricultural Day (Ag Day) which has been running since the 1930s.
Attending a school like Waitoki means you are part of not only an educational facility that has evolved into the successful, proud, and nurturing school it is today, but you will be part of a strongly connected and supportive community.
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