Awhitu District School

Awhitu District School was opened in 1949 when the single classroom schools of Awhitu Central, Grahams Beach and Matakawau were closed. There were originally only three classrooms in the new school, but with the growing population, this number has slowly increased, with a sixth classroom being added in 2008.

Other major building projects over the last 15 years have been: a larger than normal swimming pool; a separate Library/ICT room; a modern administration block including a large staffroom; and a multi-purpose room/kitchen which is large enough for school assemblies and it also used by lots of community groups.

The school is perfectly situated at the northern tip of the Awhitu Peninsula on the way to the Manukau Heads and is surrounded by beautiful West Coast beaches and the Manukau Harbour. From the school there are excellent views of Auckland City (including the Skytower), the Waitakere Ranges and Auckland Airport.

As in most rural areas the school is the hub of the community and the support received by the locals is amazing as shown each year when the school runs it Easter Saturday Monster Auction.

The school is very environmentally focussed. It has the first ‘Trees for Survival’ unit established in Franklin, a Worm Farm which produces ‘Wormweez’ for sale, a mature Pine Plantation and eight ‘Edible Gardens’ planted and maintained by the students.

EOTC is a major part of our school’s curriculum with major camps held each year for the two senior classes and an overnight camp for Year 3-4.

The school also does very well inside the classrooms as can be seen by our 2009 ERO report.