Where is Totara North School?We are on the north bank of the Whangaroa Harbour. We overlook beautiful mangroves to the long harbour beyond, and if you turn around there is bush behind us.
Description of the CommunityTotara North is an independent community that has been established for over 160 years. As a measure of its spitit, the community voluntarily built the school in 1862, and ran it for the next 12 years, when the community again voluntarily built the school house. In 1878 the government took over the running of the school and a teacher was appointed. In 1983 the community saw a need for a pre-school, and in keeping with tradition, a building was voluntarily built by the community in teh school grounds. Today this operates as an independent Early Childhood Centre. The school and schoolhouse are still available for the purpose for which they were built and stand as a monument to the men and women of early Totara North who were determined to better themselves as well as provide a better chance for their children. Totara North will always stand by its school. Bastienne Kruger became Principal of Totara North Primary School at the beginning of 2009. She is such a woman of many talents!! Her bubbly shining spirit, teaching expertise, and many devoted hours with sometimes burning the midnight candle at both ends, has lifted this school to great height! |