Pakaraka School in Northland has become the first state school to convert to a charter school, Associate Education Minister, David Seymour, has confirmed.
“Charter schools give educators more freedom to provide students with an education that suits their needs,” Mr Seymour says.
“The Pakaraka community has chosen a new path for its school. They want to be able to build on what is already working for its students, and the charter school model enables them to do that.
“In 2024 the school partnered with a local kindergarten to introduce a Steiner classroom. The programme was successful and attracted more families to the school. Families saw the positive impact this partnership was having on their children and wanted to build further on that approach.
“This conversion has been driven by the local community. The same parents who serve on the Board of Trustees have established a charitable trust (the Society of Holistic Learners) to run the school and continue supporting their children’s learning.”
A survey conducted by the trust in May found that more than 95% of respondents supported conversion, while no respondents supported remaining a state school.
“As a charter school the community and staff can further lean into the style of education that is working for them. The charter school model allows that,” said Mr Seymour.
“Students will take a hands on approach to learning about things like food growth, harvest, and storage. For example, they might build a traditional Māori storehouse raised on posts to keep it safe from pests (pātaka) to store kumara they’ve grown and harvested to feed community events.
“The charter school model also provides greater accountability. The school will continue to use the same testing state schools use and must prove its students are achieving as well as, if not better than, comparable state schools.”
“For current students and families, very little will change day to day. They’ll keep the same teachers, school leaders and learning spaces, while the school builds further on the teaching approach that is already working for them.”
“The heart of our kura remains the same,” says Patricia Simeon, the school’s Tūmuaki.
“This is about creating the conditions for tamariki to thrive in a school environment that honours who they are and how they learn best. Our teaching team shares this community vision, and they’ve taken an active role in shaping it. I’m very excited about what comes next.”
Mr Seymour said the school will have more flexibility in return for strictly measured results.
“The charter school equation is: the same funding as state schools, plus greater flexibility plus stricter accountability for results, equals student success,” he said.
“There are more ideas in the communities of New Zealand than there are in the Government. That’s why we open ideas to the wider community and apply strict performance standards to the best ones.
“I’m delighted we’ve been able to support the Pakaraka community to take this next step. Local families know what works for their children, and this conversion gives them greater freedom to build on that success.”
