Kohimarama School News - 17th September 2025
School News
A Message from the Principal
Dear Parents and Whānau,
This week we join Aotearoa New Zealand, in celebrating Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) a special time to kōrero and think deeply about our reo Māori, one of our three official languages. Te reo is more than just words; it is taonga, linking us to our tūpuna, our whenua, and the narratives that have shaped this place. We celebrate it to ensure it lives today in our everyday kōrero so our future generations inherit a rich cultural heritage.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori began in 1975 as part of the wider movement to revive and strengthen te reo in all parts of New Zealand. Under the Māori Language Act 1987 and more recent legislation, te reo is protected and promoted, with ambitions such as “One million New Zealanders speaking at least basic te reo Māori” by 2040.
Here at Kohimarama, we are particularly honoured to be on Ngāti Pāoa whenua, part of the Marutūāhu confederation. Ngāti Pāoa’s history is woven through this place; the Kohimarama block, which was originally part of Ngāti Pāoa lands, tells stories of settlement, guardianship, change and resilience.
As we come to the end of this term, I want to take a moment to reflect on the many successes and highlights we have shared as a learning community.
One of the outstanding achievements was our Year 8 student winning the Remuera Speech Competition, a recognition of the depth of thinking, clarity of expression and confidence our students develop through their learning journey at Kohimarama. Equally, we celebrate the Year 8 girls’ netball team, who for the second year in a row have won their grade—an incredible demonstration of skill, teamwork and determination.
Perhaps the greatest collective celebration of the term was our school production, The Secrets of the Pōhutukawa Tree.
This production is more than a performance, it is a partnership. Parents, staff and students worked together to create something truly memorable, and in doing so, strengthening our school community. The pride on the students’ faces and the joy that the audiences so far, captures the essence of what it means to be part of Kohimarama School. The production has allowed for an innovative learning approach to cross-curricula opportunities including The Arts, English, Technology, Physical Education etc.
I want to thank our parent community for your continued support and encouragement. Thank you to our students for their energy, enthusiasm and commitment to learning. And thank you to our staff, who continue to design innovative learning opportunities while ensuring that the foundations of literacy and numeracy remain strong.
We can all look back on this term with pride and look forward to the next term with excitement, knowing that the Kohimarama Way, our commitment to academic success, creativity, wellbeing and community continues to thrive.
Cast A
Cast B
Thank you for coming along to be an audience member for our Production. Your smiles, clapping and encouragement of our students is so very much appreciated. See some photos of our early performances above show how much enjoyment we are all getting and what we have achieved as a Team.
The Kohimarama Way - Aroha/Compassion
"It only takes a split second to smile and forgets yet to someone that needed it, it can last a lifetime." "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." Dalai Lama.
Students leaving at the end of 2025
If your child/children will not be returning to Kohimarama School in 2026, please can you complete this form as soon as possible. If you are thinking of moving and waiting for a decision from another school, please can you still complete the form. Many thanks in advance
Sport News
Congratulations to the Year 8 Netball Flames for winning their grade
The team had a tough start to the season however really came together in the second half and went on to win the grade! Congratulations to the Year 8 Flames.
Estella D, Isabella R, Noah F, Zoe F, Georgia P, Sophia R, Mia-Rose K, Bella H, supported by Coach Claire and Team Manager Marina.
Year 8 boys' Futsal - AIMs Games experience
Our Year 8 boys’ futsal team are back from the Zespri AIMs Games in Tauranga, where they represented Kohimarama School with pride and determination.
A huge thank you goes to coaches Craig and Tommy, who guided the boys through the highs and lows of the competition. We’d also like to thank everyone who supported them, family and friends and everyone who came along to the fundraising car wash and sausage sizzles at Bunnings. And finally, thank you to the school for allowing the boys the time off.
We hope this is just the beginning, and that more Kohimarama teams will follow in their footsteps at future AIMs Games!
'The Aims Games was a fun experience for us as we competed in futsal against teams from all over New Zealand. Our coaches gave us great advice and we played our hardest. Prior to the games we did lots of training and found our hard work really paid off. It was great to observe other sports and be a part of such a large sporting event. In our spare time there was a lot to do in Tauranga such as swimming at the beach, the hot pools and walking around Mount Maunganui to see the seals. Overall it was a great experience and I would recommend it to any athletes looking to go to the Aims Games in the future.' - Fletcher D
'AIMs Games was awesome and an amazing experience that I will never forget. All of this was possible because of our parents and our effort. It was truly incredible to stand on the court and realise how much we can accomplish and how far we have come.' - Leo M
PTA News
Lunch Survey RESULTS
And the results are in! As a parent community, you have spoken and below is the out come of the lunch survey which was run last week.
As of Term 4, Dollar 4 School will be supplying our lunch service. Please see relevant instructions below.
Term 4 is looking exciting!
2 DAYS INTO TERM 4, GALA TICKETS SALES CLOSE
Grab your GALA tickets ASAP. Due to venue requirements, Ticket sales will close 2 days into term 4. Don’t delay.
Thermometer
We have our fundraising Thermometer which we will be placing up on the walls of the school hall over the term holidays. We will be using this thermometer for the Gala as we run into our major Bi Annual event.
From next year, It will then be used to show the over all Years Fundraising from the PTA.
Thank you to Speedy Signs, Newmarket for the donation of this sign to the Kohimarama PTA.
Bizzy Bodz - Holiday Programme
Community Notices
