News

Bay of Plenty school devastated by fire

The school year has started in devastating fashion for a Whakatāne school that was engulfed in flames on Waitangi Day.

Fire ripped through Apanui School on early Saturday morning, with firefighters being called to tackle the blaze at 2am.  The impact has been devastating: eight classrooms, a staffroom and a newly-renovated administration block have been destroyed.

A Givealittle page was set up on Saturday to help support the school community at this difficult time. It shared the news, “Today, on Waitangi Day 2021, our school whanau awoke to the devastating news that, just two days into the new school year and on the verge of re-opening the main admin block after long awaited ‘leaky building’ repairs, the main block of the school has been destroyed by fire.

“Our kids are resilient, but many families save hard to start their kids off in a new school year with all the supplies they need. Replacing these will be challenging for starters, and we have a long school year ahead while we try to recover.”

Apanui School principal Simon Akroyd told media the entire school community had been shocked and saddened by the fire.

The 400 pupils enrolled at the Bay of Plenty school, which has 35 staff, have been relocated to Whakatane War Memorial Hall for lessons until the school is able to reopen. 

Investigations are being carried out into the cause of the blaze.

givealittle.co.nz/cause/apanui-school-fire-recovery

School News

School News is not affiliated with any government agency, body or political party. We are an independently owned, family-operated magazine.

Recent Posts

Thank you and goodbye for 2024

It's been a big year in the education sector, and we're all looking forward to…

1 week ago

Supporting changes in 2025 – new resources from ERO

ERO is publishing a series of best practice guides to help educators effectively implement incoming…

1 week ago

Summer reading

Summer reading can help students retain literacy skills over the break – how can we…

1 week ago

Pakuranga Intermediate: A school like any other

Pakuranga Intermediate demonstrates the simple power of a friendly, welcoming environment

1 week ago

New Māori Education plan released

The new Māori Education Action Plan has been criticised by some as being light on…

1 week ago

Revolutionising education through AI: a thoughtful approach

How can we use AI to transform education while being mindful of its limitations, pitfalls…

2 weeks ago