150th Jubilee

Te Kura Tuatahi o Paeroa: Paeroa Central School is honoured to be celebrating our 150th Jubilee this December – a milestone that recognises our proud history, our community, and our future.

Our kura has a rich hītori. Once the only school in Paeroa, we had more than 400 students in our heyday, and one of our original school rooms still stands proudly on our site today. As part of Paeroa’s Heritage Trail, our kura is a living taonga that continues to reflect the spirit of our community.

Today, Paeroa Central is a dual medium kura with both English and Māori medium pathways, proudly serving a roll of 96% Māori ākonga. Our tamariki and kaiako are deeply connected to Hauraki iwi – Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Tara Tokanui, Ngāti Hako, and hapū Ngāti Tawhaki – and we celebrate that identity every day in our learning, our values, and our kaupapa.

We are very proud to be nurturing the next generation here in Paeroa. Our vision, ‘Ko te ako, Ko te tipu ake,’ speaks to the growth of our tamariki as lifelong learners, grounded in their culture and confident in both worlds.

The Jubilee will be a time for our community, past and present, to reconnect, share memories, and celebrate the many generations who have been part of our kura whānau. With a committee of just two, we’re working hard to spread the word far and wide so that all those with a connection to Paeroa Central can come and join us for this once-in-a-lifetime event.

We invite everyone with a link to our kura to return, to walk the grounds, to remember the old times, and to celebrate with us as we look ahead to the future of education in Paeroa.

An excerpt from the Ōhinemuri Regional History Journal 44, September 2000 – “A major setback occurred with an early morning blaze which destroyed most of the school on 10 August, 1910. The exceptions were the 1903 Juniors' block and the classroom nearest Wood Street (built in 1896). The rest of the school was then accommodated in the adjacent Drill Hall. The inquiry following revealed a defective chimney to have been at fault.

It was announced in October 1910 that a replacement was to be of brick and from a list of tenders, John Davis who quoted £1598 was successful. Construction commenced in early 1911 and the new school opened on 23 August of that year”

Paeroa District High School – 1911