Back to Where It Began: Ahipara School Gets a Modern Learning Upgrade

Recently, our crew completed the soft finishings for this brand-new building at Ahipara School — flooring and walls. A bit of background on this: both Tyrone and I attended Ahipara School in the '90s, when the area that is now part of the library and learning facility was the dental clinic, and the space that is now under the big canopy was the school house. To say that our little community school has changed over the time we’ve been away is an understatement. Tyrone’s brother, mum, and previous generations also attended Ahipara School.

But life has come full circle, and we find ourselves once again being part of the story of our community school… a bit of a story indeed. The process of getting a completed building on an operational school site can be long, and unforeseen events can make it seem even longer. We were part of the successful tender team to complete the composition wall coverings and the carpet tile flooring. Once we knew the date for our part of the project was approaching, we ordered the material from suppliers based in Auckland — and this is where things went a bit awry.

We had the materials wrapped and waiting in our storage bay. I didn’t think to check what we had ordered against the plans… lesson learned.

Laying day came, and we discovered we had ordered the completely wrong carpet tile. We were heading into a long weekend, so getting the correct carpet tile delivered in time for the next tradesperson to complete their final fit-off was going to be difficult. We made a quick decision to pack all of the tile into our trusty little red van and drive it back to Auckland on King’s Birthday, picking up the two different coloured tiles needed to match the pattern shown on the plans. Waiting for the correct order to arrive by truck would’ve taken another four days.

Even though it took time away from our family, we couldn’t ignore that this was something we could fix — and fix in a more timely manner.

So, Tyrone and I agreed that in order to meet our commitment, we needed to make this happen for our school. Was it inconvenient? Yes. Was it time-consuming? Yes. Did it feel like the right thing to do? Absolutely.

Our little community school is changing and growing to meet the needs of our tamariki, and this modern learning facility is an important part of the vision — bringing to life the dreams set down many years ago for a school that embodies the values underpinning life in Te Hiku o te Ika: respect, manaakitanga, perseverance, and tikanga.

It has been an honour to again be a whenu — a strand — in the long and far-reaching whāriki that is Ahipara School.

Here are some photos of the internal finishings. As you can see, it is a carefully thought-out design that helps dampen noise and provides a safe space for future generations of our tamariki.