Tahakopa School, in the remote rural Catlins, will mark its 125th anniversary on November 27, despite facing an uncertain future beyond the end of this year.
Teaching principal since the beginning of this year Cherie Zoutenbier-Bisset said although the school held a fond place in many people’s hearts, the changing rural landscape and after-effects of pandemic lockdowns meant it was struggling for numbers.
At present, the school had a roll of just four, three of whom would be leaving for high school next year.
"We’re by no means giving up, and we’re extremely well supported by the community and ministry, who both see the need to retain a school in this area.
"In its heyday, the school had 60-plus pupils, and has generally run up to around a dozen in recent times.
"Unfortunately, forestry growth and farm expansion have led to a gradual decline of families in the area over the years. And, more recently, the pandemic and other factors have led to some local families choosing to home-school."
The current situation was one of "use it or lose it", she said.
"Our goal is simply to provide the best educational and social outcomes for local children and their families.
"For all the benefits of home-schooling, it can mean children miss out on the broader social interactions of public schooling, and it can be hard to access the same level of resources we have available as a ministry-funded facility.
"We’d love to welcome anyone who wants to see what we’re about back to school and, to that end, we’ll be making the jubilee an open day too."
She said the school ran a home-school support programme on Tuesdays. Home-schooling families could also "try" a term back at school without losing their exemption status.
"We love what we do and we want to keep offering Tahakopa’s unique rural schooling experience to this amazing community.
"It’s certainly a poignant situation to be in as we approach this anniversary, but the school has been here before and always come through. We’ll celebrate with our community, and keep moving forward."
