School History
1865 The first school in the district opens at Pencarrow Head in July. The teacher is Miss Kate Sullivan, and the pupils are the children of the two lighthouse-keepers and neighbouring farmers. The school operates until 1880.
1893 Another school opens in the same location, with 7 pupils and Miss Jessie Houghton as teacher.
1896 The first sections are offered for sale in Okiwi-iti (Rona Bay) and Muritai. New houses, a mix of baches and permanent dwellings, appear among the paddocks, scrub and sand-dunes. Land in the northern bays is also subdivided in the years that follow.
A small rural school opens in Gollans Valley in October 1896, with 7 pupils and Miss Lilla Dorizac as teacher. The school lasts only a few months, closing in March 1897.
1897 Muritai School opens for the first time on 17 March 1897 a few days after the Gollans Valley school closes. Ten pupils are enrolled.
Miss Lilla Dorizac is again appointed as sole teacher; she is followed by Miss Julia Stubbs, then Miss Florence Strong. Classes are held in a series of temporary premises, including a house in Puriri Street. The subjects taught are Grammar, History, Geography, Elementary Science, Mental Arithmetic, Reading & Comprehension, Repetition & Recitation, Drill & Exercises, Needlework and Singing.
Children either walk to school or come on horseback; a few hitch a ride on the local milk-cart. From the very beginning, School Inspectors make regular visits (sometimes with no prior notice) to assess the organisation and running of the school. They also assess each pupil, and from 1905 they award Certificates in Proficiency or Competency. The national system of Proficiency examinations continues until 1936.
1903 The first permanent schoolhouse is completed, at a cost of £750, on the present site in Muritai Road (just behind where the War Memorial Gates are now). The single- classroom building is officially opened in July. The school now has 32 pupils and a new Headmaster, Mr Herbert Sanson. The schoolhouse is also used for community events, including political meetings. At one such meeting in 1904, called by the local ratepayers’ association, residents vote in favour of ‘separation [from Hutt County] and self-government’.1904 With 50 pupils now enrolled, Miss Hannah Feist is appointed as assistant teacher.
1904 50 children on roll – Miss Hannah Feist takes up role of assistant teacher.
1905 Paper and pencils replace slates in the classroom, ‘on sanitary grounds as well as for quietness’.
1906 The independent Borough of Eastbourne,* with a population of 358, is formed by Act of Parliament; Rona Bay wharf is built, and a regular ferry service starts operating. These developments boost the growth of the new settlement. * The new Borough extends only as far as Windy Point, because residents of the northern bays choose to stay with Hutt County.
1907 Muritai School now has two teachers and 83 pupils, all crammed into the one classroom. The grounds are also cramped, hemmed in by other properties on three sides. The playground is segregated: boys on one side, girls on the other. Chronic overcrowding means that classes are sometimes held in temporary (and often unsuitable) premises. Truancy is an ongoing problem, often because parents keep their children home to help with chores. In 1906 a visiting truancy officer warns pupils that if they don’t attend school regularly, their parents will be convicted and fined. Vandalism is another concern. Mr Sanson regularly records damage to school property, and asks the School Committee for a fence to be erected and for the gates to be kept padlocked. However, these measures fail to stop the ‘larrikins’.
1909 Roll reachers 100 but still only one room, permission granted to use McGuire’s Hall next to school. Homework introduced to improve attainment in arithmetic: pupils are given arithmetic sums to complete each evening. The resulting improvement in their work is described as ‘marvellous’.
1910 The roll reaches 100, and a second classroom is added to the schoolhouse. On Dominion Day, pupils march to Rona Bay Wharf to salute the flag. Each child receives a bag of lollies. The school board proposes that the name be changed to Eastbourne School. The Education Board rejects the proposal. Nearly all the local children who attend secondary school have to catch the ferry across to Wellington. As the population grows, so does the demand for a more frequent ferry service.
1910 Additional classroom built
1913 The Borough Council buys the ferry service, thus gaining control of the timetable. Mr Sanson arranges for the school to form a junior branch of the Eastbourne Beautifying Society. On Arbor Day each year, teams of pupils plant pohutukawa trees along neighbouring streets. A shield is presented to the team with the best-tended tree. Mr Sanson encourages pupils to learn to swim. He also organises the donation of books for a school library, takes classes into the bush for nature study, and introduces prizes for special achievement and good behaviour. School sports, picnics and fundraising concerts become regular fixtures in the school calendar.
1914 Extra assistant teacher added to staff.
1914-18 At the outbreak of the First World War, the school is given a day off to farewell troops leaving for the conflict. Among them are former pupils and relatives of current pupils; some of them will not return. During the war, Mr Sanson aims to ‘teach the meaning of patriotism in a practical way’. He asks pupils to give their pocket-money to the war effort; at Guy Fawkes he urges them to donate their fireworks money, and to ‘show their displeasure’ to classmates who fail to do so. These personal sacrifices continue throughout the war.
1915 In July, pupils help Eastbourne’s Mayor, Mr J P Kelly, to plant pohutukawa trees in Rata Street to commemorate the recent landing of Anzac troops at Gallipoli. The tree planted on the corner, opposite the school, becomes the first Anzac memorial in New Zealand.
1916 Miss Elsie Cooke joins the staff as the first Infant Mistress, responsible for Primers 1-4 (Years 1 & 2). During the war she gets her pupils to knit socks and mittens for the Red Cross. The Borough’s population is now 952, and is still a mix of permanent residents and Wellington bach-owners (known as ‘weekenders’). When the summer holidays end, some Wellington families stay on for a few weeks and send their children to Muritai School, putting extra pressure on staff and classroom space.
1918 Roll reachers 200 and fourth teacher employed and fourth classroom added.
1918 Mr Sanson complains in the school logbook about overcrowding, and also the leaky roof. 25th April: the first Anzac Day ceremony in the eastern bays takes place at Muritai School, with Mr Joe Heenan, a former Borough Councillor, addressing pupils about the day’s significance.
1918-19 The influenza epidemic sweeps the country, and Muritai School closes early for the summer holidays, in November 1918. For the next 3 months the school becomes an emergency hospital, where 20 local people are cared for by Nurse Hall and Dr Faulke.
1919 School community raises 200 pounds to purchase land on Muritai Rd and Rimu St, opposite the schoolhouse, for the planned expansion of the school.
1920 Roll 229, five teachers / 1 part-time teacher, 4 classrooms, one building.
1920s Manual training is introduced for senior pupils: the Headmaster, Mr King, takes them on the bus each Thursday to Thorndon School in Wellington. Mr King also takes senior classes on day-trips, for example to the Masterton Show (1924) and the Palmerston North Show (1925-28). School trips closer to home include to Wellington Zoo, the Winter Show in Newtown, and the Petone Woollen Mills.
1921 Infant school construction and Mr Sanson retires. New headmaster Eustace King invites Minister of Education Hon C.J.Parr to open new infant school on current senior school site. Roll reaches 280.
1921 Construction begins on the new Infant Block across the road. Regular flooding of the site causes problems in future years.Miss Cooke takes leave to study in Canada and the United States, ‘to get new ideas in [teaching] method and equipment and to attend the Empire Education Conference in Toronto’. Mr Sanson retires in August. On his final day, he plants a Norfolk Pine in the grounds of the new Infant Block. (In 2023, the tree is still standing.) The new Headmaster, Mr Eustace King, MA, BSc, records on 16 September that attendance is ‘satisfactory’, with 245 pupils present out of 275. Mr King lives in Days Bay and cycles to work, raising his hat and bidding ‘Good morning, children’ to pupils walking to school. The two-classroom Infant Block is officially opened in November by the Minister of Education, the Hon C J Parr.
1922 The school now has 6 classrooms, a daily average attendance of 280 pupils, but only 5 qualified teachers.
1923 The school board proposes that a high school be established in Eastbourne, and suggests that a temporary building be located in the Muritai School grounds. The proposal is rejected. The Governor-General, Lord Jellicoe, visits the school. The whole school is invited on a trip around the harbour on the new harbour ferry, the Muritai, which has just arrived from Scotland.
1925 A nation-wide polio epidemic over the summer causes all schools to close in the first term. Lessons are printed in newspapers for children to do at home. Two pupils from Muritai School die in the epidemic.
1926 The Borough’s population is now 1,845, putting more pressure on the school’s capacity.
1927 Roll reaches 382. Facilities around Eastbourne such as halls and churches taking overflow of children. Major issues with drainage and flooding.
1927 Two more classrooms are added to the Infant Block. With the roll at 382, overcrowding is still a problem. At times, classes have to be held in the Masonic Hall or St Ronan’s church.
1928 On Sunday 1 st July, the Eastbourne War Memorial at the entrance to Muritai School is officially unveiled, honouring those who served in the First World War. A special school assembly is held to witness the unveiling by the Governor-General, Sir Charles Fergusson. The War Memorial becomes the gathering place for local Anzac Day services. In October, heavy rain causes flooding, forcing the school to close for three days.
1930 Mr Walter Nash, MP for the Hutt electorate, visits the school and invites senior pupils to visit Parliament.
1932 Mr King retires after nearly 11 years as Headmaster; he describes them as ‘the happiest in my whole teaching experience’. The roll is now 350. His replacement, Colonel A B Charters, CMG, DSO, is a former School Inspector. He is (unsurprisingly) a great believer in discipline, order, efficiency, and ‘a fairly rigid programme of assessment’. He is also, it seems, fond of Shakespeare. During his time at Muritai, senior pupils perform scenes from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘As You Like It’ at school concerts andbreak-up ceremonies. Miss Cooke retires from teaching at Muritai to set up the Sunbeam Kindergarten in Eastbourne. During the Depression, the annual school picnic is cancelled because it’s ‘too expensive in these hard times’. Old wet winters cause major flooding, leaking roofs and mounting fuel bills. A school fête is held to raise money to buy coal for the classroom stoves (heaters).1933 An ‘ex-scholars’ association’ is formed to enable former pupils to keep in touch with the school.
1934 The chimneys of the schoolhouse are considered an earthquake risk and are removed. The slate roof is replaced by corrugated iron in an attempt to stop the leaks. 1935 The School Inspector’s report describes the school as functioning ‘very efficiently’; the general level of achievement is ‘good to very good’, and order and discipline are ‘very good indeed’. Many parents approve of Charters’ strict discipline, but others may have different views. Increasing numbers of parents transfer their children to other schools, Thorndon being the most popular. Charters comments a little sourly in the logbook: ‘Six have gone this term…. Thorndon is welcome to most of them.’
1936 San Antonio opens with 35 students. Colonel Charters by Department of Education to Lyall Bay School. Mr D.G.Wilson replaces him.
1936 The school year opens with the roll at 368, after 35 pupils (‘mostly Italians’) transfer to the new San Antonio School.
Colonel Charters leaves in May to become Headmaster of Lyall Bay School. Mr Tom Martin is appointed Acting Headmaster until Mr D G Wilson arrives in September. The school introduces a house system for sporting competitions. The houses are named Sanson, King, Charters and Cook (a misspelling of Miss Cooke’s name). House leaders or prefects are appointed: 4 boys and 4 girls. The roll continues to rise, putting more pressure on space. Lessons are sometimes held in the Masonic Hall, the fire brigade hall (where Rona House is now), the teachers’ common room, or a converted cottage in the school grounds. Another polio epidemic forces all schools to close from December until the following March, and again in April-May 1937. 1937 A ‘picture show’ at the Crown Theatre in Oroua Street kick-starts a fundraising scheme to buy wireless sets for the school. By December, pupils are listening to educational talks on Wellington radio station 2YA. Further fundraising efforts, including bottle-drives, raise money to purchase audio-visual equipment (a ‘lantern-slide’ projector, and later a ‘movie-talkie’ projector) and also a new lawn-mower. Free milk is introduced in New Zealand schools.
1937 Roll around 400, school using Fire brigade hall and a converted cottage as classrooms. Fundraising puts radios in each classroom.
1938 Current room 4,5,6 built. Some surrounding properties purchases and demolished.
1938 The Ministers of Education (the Hon Peter Fraser) and Finance (the Hon Walter Nash) visit the school, and agree to the proposed purchase of additional land and the construction of new buildings. Existing properties along the school’s southern boundary are purchased, and the houses are either removed or demolished. School clubs are introduced as part of the afternoon programme. Options include Literature, Art, Nature Study, Choir, Music Appreciation, Folk Dancing, and Social Studies. By the late 1930s, most of February is devoted to outdoor activities, including ‘rambling’ (bush walks) and sporting events. Swimming takes up most of the afternoons, with lessons held in the sea and at the McKenzie Pool in Petone. End-of-year sports days and break-up ceremonies are major events, with hundreds of parents and special guests attending. At the 1938 break-up ceremony, pupils give displays of ‘drill games, Morris dancing, grand march, cross marching, massed drill, choir, choral speaking and band items’.
1939 The modern two-classroom ‘Sunshine Block’, with its big windows and distinctive verandah, is completed on the south-east corner of the school grounds, at a cost of £2,433. Muritai is included in the ‘Petone Zone’ for interschool sports, featuring cricket and tennis in summer, and rugby and basketball in winter. Mr Tom Martin sets up a school choir, a harmonica band, and later a recorder band. Miss Florence Rose, who joined the teaching staff in 1918, retires.
1939-45 The Second World War causes few disruptions to school life, apart from staff shortages due to military training. Pupils make wooden identity tags to wear around their necks, and ‘do their bit’ by making papier-mâché splints for wounded soldiers. Air-raid shelters are dug in the school grounds. In preparation for a possible Japanese invasion, emergency evacuation drills are held, with teachers and pupils taking cover in the bush on the nearby hillside. At a weekly ceremony, pupils salute the flag and sing the National Anthem (‘God Save the King’).
1940 Dental clinic built. Several staff away for military training.
1942 Mr Wilson left for military duties and returned in 1943.
1944 School fundraising purchases a movie projector.
1944 The School Library Service is established, and starts sending books out to schools. Mr Tom Martin leaves to become Headmaster of Gracefield School.
1945 Mr Wilson resigns and is replaced by Mr Christensen.
1945 Miss Kibblewhite arrives as the new Infant Mistress. The Infant School soon gains a reputation for its ‘exciting, up-to-date and extremely thorough teaching programme’. On 21 May, as the end of the war approaches, the school holds a Service of Thanksgiving to mark VE (Victory in Europe) Day. A Road Safety Officer from the Automobile Association starts making annual school visits. (In 1972 the Department of Transport takes over this role.) On 15 November, a memorable school concert is held in the Days Bay Pavilion. ‘Practically all the children’ take part, in front of an estimated audience of 1,000. Over £60 is raised.
1947 Mr Christensen leaves with no children in attendance.
1947 School patrols start operating at the pedestrian crossing on Muritai Road, outside the school gates. The school choir visits Wellington radio station 2YA and sings a selection of songs during Children’s Hour. Another polio epidemic forces all North Island schools to close early for the year, and not reopen until the following March.
1948 A fire on board the Cobar, the last of the harbour ferries, leads to the axing of the municipal ferry service. Mr Tom Martin returns to Muritai as Headmaster, a position he holds for 11 years. Still problems with accommodation. 80% of parents attend the first school open day.
1949 Parent meeting of 300 parents forms the Home and School committee.
1949 In June, a meeting attended by some 300 parents approves the formation of a Home & School Association. The first committee organises a Queen Carnival to raise money for a school hall. The carnival, which is held over three months, makes a net profit of £3,200. The coronation of ‘Queen’ Paddy Watson is followed by a bonfire and fireworks display on the beach. A bottle-drive organised by Form II pupils collects 20,000 bottles and raises about £70 for school funds. As well as fundraising, the ‘Home & School’ organises social and educational events, and annual ‘Meet the Teacher’ evenings.
1950 Bill Renwick, a future Director-General of Education, teaches at Muritai from 1950 to 1954.
In October, some Muritai families billet students from Rangiwahia District High School near Taihape. During their week-long stay, the guests and their hosts visit places of interest, including Parliament, the Zoo, the Ford factory and the Dominion Museum. The visit is reciprocated the following year. Other school visits include a trip to Christchurch via the Lyttelton ferry in 1958. A post-war building boom gets under way, and plans are drawn up for the school hall.
1951 The population of the Borough is now 2,749.
1952 Eastbourne’s first public swimming pool is completed north of the wharf, with the local swimming club providing the labour. The school’s swimming programme makes good use of the new pool.
1953 New prefab buildings are installed in the Infant School grounds.
1955 The school hall is officially opened in November. In addition to school activities, it becomes a popular venue for public meetings, dances and concerts. It also serves as the local. Civil Defence headquarters and a polling-booth on election days. ‘The Turret House’, a local landmark on Oroua Street, is moved further south to make room for a proposed classroom block.
1956 A serious slip behind the Infant Block causes flooding, and the Infant School is closed temporarily.
1957 Two storey building constructed. Original buildings demolished.
1958 The old schoolhouse (built 1903) is demolished in August. Properties in Oroua Street are purchased and the houses either demolished or removed. Several school prefabs are also removed. The new two-storey classroom block is completed next to the Sunshine Block and is officially opened in December.
1959 Mr Martin farewelled after 22 years service at Muritai School. Mr Tom Martin retires in April, after 22 years of service. He describes his time at Muritai as ‘a strenuous but memorable and happy experience’. Library established in current room 10.
1959 and 1966, Muritai has 9 changes of Headmaster; some are ‘Acting’, but the high turnover causes some concern.
1963 In February, the school is closed for a day so that pupils can go to Fraser Park in Taita to see the Queen.
1964-66 During Mr Jack Cox’s term as Headmaster, several changes take place: scholastic and sporting awards are discontinued, the end-of-year function is replaced by a social evening for Form II (Year 8) pupils, and the prefect system is replaced by a school council.
1965 Residents of the northern bays (Pt Howard to Days Bay) vote to join Eastbourne Borough. In the 1966 Census, the population of the expanded Borough is 4,545. The Governor-General, Sir Bernard Fergusson, visits the school.
1966 School Committee resolves to discontinue academic awards and Dux prize. School leaders abandoned and school council introduced with reps from each class – gradually faded out.
1966 The new Headmaster, Mr Stuart Hatch, ushers in an era of settled leadership, serving for 12 years. The school roll is now 489.
The school is closed for a day to allow pupils to see visiting US President Lyndon Johnson.
Gymnastics becomes a popular activity, and pupils are tested for their various badges. They also take part in regular gymnastics displays for parents. More emphasis is now placed on cultural events. Pupils regularly attend performances at the Little Theatre in Lower Hutt, including the New Zealand Ballet Company’s production of ‘Petroushka’ in 1969. Visiting groups also give performances in the school hall.
The school choirs (senior and junior) flourish in this period, performing in the Hutt Valley Music Festivals, fundraising concerts and the Wellington Competitions.
1968 On 10 April a huge storm causes the interislander ferry Wahine to founder at the entrance to Wellington Harbour. Many of the passengers are washed ashore along the Pencarrow Coast. Muritai School plays an important role in the rescue efforts, serving as a reception centre for survivors, a supply depot, and a cafeteria for police and volunteers. The school hall was used as reception centre for survivors and cafeteria for police and searchers. It was a civil defence centre for the next fortnight.
1969 School Association completes an adventure playground. It is completed in the Infant School grounds. An earlier, more ambitious design (‘a paradise for children’) was considered too expensive and was scrapped. The school organises a Historical Display, turning the school hall into a museum of vintage items - furniture, ornaments, household equipment, clothing etc – all lent by the local community.
1970 Whole school goes to Wellington to see US president Lyndon Johnson.
1970 In addition to regular flooding on the site, the Infant Block is declared an earthquake risk. Lengthy discussions take place on where a replacement building should be located.
1972 With the Infant Block out of action, junior classes are held in prefabs, and also in the fire brigade hall, the rugby club rooms, and the new Community Centre in Tuatoru Street. In March, senior pupils attend a function at the Hutt Recreation Ground to see members of the Royal Family. The school’s 75th Jubilee is celebrated over Anzac weekend. About 700 people attend, including 9 former pupils from the school’s first decade. The programme includes a dance, a formal dinner, a church service, a rugby match, and a ball, followed by an Anzac Day service. Fundraising events continue to be popular, with the Home & School Association organising galas and market days. The annual school fair is the most profitable event, and also a major social occasion for the whole community.
1973 The new two-classroom Infant Block is completed in the main school grounds. Additional classrooms are added to the Sunshine Block and the two-storey block, connecting the two buildings.
1974 The old Infant Block is demolished. Several possible uses for the site are suggested, including as the location for a new public swimming pool. However, the land remains vacant for over 20 years. The Eastbourne Borough Council Chambers and Public Library are officially opened on the corner of Rimu Street and Marine Parade.
1976 Two houses removed from north of school to allow bigger field space. Year 7-8 children attend first school camp at Otaki Forks.
1976 The Borough’s population is now 4,779 and will remain at around this level, limited by the lack of land for further development.The annual School Camp is introduced, with Form II pupils going to Otaki Forks. The following year, Form I and II pupils (Year 7 & 8) spend a week at Forest Lakes, near Otaki. Activities range from ‘kayaking to breadmaking’. The school grounds are extended by the removal of more houses from the Muritai Road and Oroua Street boundaries.
1978 Eastbourne parents vote against the sending Muritai year 7-8 students to the proposed new Intermediate school in Petone, which was never built. At a public meeting, attended by Education Board officials, parents express strong opposition to the move. The Minister of Education relents, and Muritai retains its senior classes. In December, Mr & Mrs Hatch are farewelled by the school.
1979 Mr Hatch resigns and is replaced by Mr Alan Scott.
1979 The roll is now 451.To mark the United Nations Year of the Child, an Eastbourne Junior Council is formed with representatives from the 3 local schools. Supported by the Borough Council, theJunior Council meets monthly to discuss matters of interest, and organises school holiday programmes for local children.The first Grandparents Day is held, with displays and events. Class picnics to places such as Butterfly Creek and Gollans Valley are a popular summer feature. The end-of-year social evening for Form II pupils becomes more formal, with speeches, toasts, and a dinner; in 1988, ballroom dancing is introduced.
1980 The new Eastbourne Swimming Pool is opened at the south end of Bishop Park. Like the new library, the pool becomes an important resource for the school. The Home & School Association organises the first annual ‘Round the Bays’ Run, from Port Road in Seaview to the school. The fundraiser proves a great success, with up to 1,000 people of all ages and abilities taking part.
Early 1980s Major school productions become annual events, and include musicals, concerts, operettas and pageants. Notable examples are ‘Starblaze’, ‘The Emperor and the Nightingale’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, and ‘Little Red Rocking Hood’. Folk dancing becomes very popular. Parents are invited to performances organised by each syndicate (group of classes). The whole school takes part in the annual ‘Jump Rope for Heart’ campaign. Pupils find sponsors for a skipping marathon, where they skip in teams for up to 3 hours. In 1989 their efforts raise $2,000 for the Heart Foundation.
1982 Muritai School wins the Longuet Shield for life-saving, the first primary school to do so.
1983 The first School Science Fair is held, with pupils working on projects individually or in pairs. Over the years, a number of Muritai pupils qualify for the Wellington regional fairs, and several win prizes.
1985 Mr Alan Scott replaced by Mr Terry Barrett.
1985 A new technology wave begins with the purchase of video recording equipment, followed by the first Apple computers.
The remaining prefab classrooms are removed.
1985 Orienteering becomes part of the sports programme.
1987 Mr Barret replaced by Mrs Vilma Riley. Tomorrow’s Schools introduced. Board of Trustees elected.
1989 New Zealand’s education system undergoes major structural changes with the introduction of ‘Tomorrow’s Schools’. Education boards and school committees are replaced by boards of trustees elected by the community. The reforms give parents a much greater say in the running of the school. As part of sweeping local government reforms, and in spite of strong opposition from residents, Eastbourne Borough is amalgamated with Lower Hutt. As one of its final acts, the Borough Council divides the proceeds from the sale of the Royal Theatre in Rimu Street among four community projects, one of which is a major extension to the Muritai School hall.
1991 A new framework for the National Curriculum is introduced as the ‘second leg’ of the education reforms.
1993 Mrs Riley retires and Mr Peter Pointon appointed.
1994 Hall extensions and renovations to administration buildings completed.
1994 Construction begins on upgrading the school hall and administration block. Staff move into cramped temporary offices, with the Principal’s office relocated to a container in the school grounds. During the reconstruction, school buildings are repainted, the grounds are upgraded, and the Education Review Office (which has replaced School Inspectors) conducts a review of the school. The completed hall extension is officially opened in September. The stage has been greatly enlarged, and new changing rooms, meeting rooms, toilets and showers have been added, as well as extensive storage. The administration block has also been upgraded, with an attractive new entrance foyer.
1996 Art room built. School donation introduced to fund additional teachers. Year 8 students start the Abel Tasman experience.
1997 After 20 years the senior school ‘The centennial wing’ completed.
1998 The end-of-year Abel Tasman Experience is introduced for Year 8 students.
2000 The annual school fair is replaced by the biennial Eastbourne Carnival.
2001 Mr Pointon resigns, and Mr Andrew Bird is appointed Principal.
2001 In May, Students set up a Pou, [a Maori pole that was held to be a pillar of light, used to keep the sky and earth separated. This would then allow the natural world to flourish and, in turn, people to prosper]. The Pou was planted in July.
2001 A new classroom is added to the Junior Block; the Junior Playground is built; and the Senior Staffroom is completed in the Senior School grounds, on the site of the old Drop-In Centre.
2003 A new Resource Room is completed in the two-storey block, and the Computer Lab replaces the old Resource Room.
2002 The school website is established. The Artsplash choir and Dancesplash group are established under Mrs Ruth Hooke.
2003 First Eastbourne Village Carnival as main school fundraiser. Raises $25,000 for ICT classroom.
2004 Muritai School wins New Zealand Literacy prize.
2004 The ‘big playground’ is built along the western side of the school grounds.
2005 A shade-sail is installed over the Junior playground. Year 5 & 6 students start going to school camp at Forest Lakes instead of the Year 7 & 8s.
2005 New playground on main school built with funds from 2004 Carnival that raised $40,000. School becomes ICT lead school.
2006 Administration block renovated.
2008 The Computer Lab is disestablished and becomes a classroom again.
2009 Twelve solar panels are installed on the roof of Room 24; the school achieves Green Gold Enviroschool status. The Year 7 students paint a mural on the Muritai Road side of the school.
2010 Mosaics are unveiled at the entrance-way to the Senior School.
2010 The Eastbourne Carnival raises $50,000.
2011 The school opens up to Christchurch families affected by the Canterbury earthquakes.
2011 Peer Mediation starts as part of the Cool Schools Programme. Peer Mediators are Year 6 students who move around at lunchtime in the playground helping children with issues deal with other children.
2011 Special events include Grandparents Day; ‘Ready Steady Cook’ (for senior students, working with local caterers Blue Carrot); The Battle of the Bands; and a Wearable Arts show.
2012 New programmes and activities include Mathletics, an online Maths programme, where you can race against your peers to solve maths equations; Kapa Haka; a ukelele group for Year 7 & 8 students; a butterfly garden set up by Year 1 & 2 students; and the ‘Hooked on Books’ Programme (where people from the community come and read with the students).
2012 The positions of Head Boy and Head Girl are introduced, as is the School Council.
2012 The school joins Facebook and Twitter. The school band wins the national Bandquest title. Thirty-two iPads are donated by the Home and School Association.
2013 The school is closed on 21 st June due to a big storm closing the road and there being no heating.
2013 A Muritai School Zone is set up to manage the growing school roll.
2013 The school receives funding from the Ministry of Education to develop non-classroom areas.
2013 A Spell-a-thon raises $16,000.
2014 The new school library is built on the site of the big playground, which is replaced by two smaller playgrounds: one north of the new library, and the other beside the Art Room.
2014 Student leaders visit Government House. Following this, Year 8 leaders are invited to Government House to meet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
2014 The Kapa Haka group takes part in Polyfest, a Hutt Valley Kapa Haka competition.
2014 A Year 3 Camp; 4 Dune Group starts looking after the local beach and planting the dunes to prevent erosion.
2014 A butterfly mural is created in the Junior courtyard. The big gum tree next to the new library is removed.
2015 A butterfly garden is set up in the Junior courtyard.
2015 Personal Passion Projects (PPPs) are introduced. Students choose to research something they are passionate about and complete a formal presentation to their class.
2015 An orchard is started near the Dental Clinic, with 18 fruit trees donated by Hutt City Council. Big trees are planted alongside the new decks in front of the two-storey block.
2015 The EPRO8 technology challenge is introduced, this is an inter-school science and engineering challenge.
2015 Mrs Ryan and Room 1 win an Air New Zealand competition, the prize being a scenic flight over the top of the South Island and the bottom of the North Island.
2015 A Scarecrow Competition is held, and the scarecrows are put to work in the orchard.
2016 The School Dental Clinic closes.
2016 Andrew Bird resigns, and Maureen Buckley is Acting Principal for Terms 3 and 4.
2016 The Carnival raises $20,000 for STEM resources.
2017 Bec Power is appointed Principal.
2017 The school takes part in the new National Butterfly Monitoring Programme. The TV programme ‘What Now’ visits the school.
2017 Muritai School wins 8 awards at the Movie and Digital Excellence (MADE) awards.
2017 Syndicates are established, and named Kororā (Years 0-2), Tūī (Years 3-4), Kererū (Years 5-6) and Kāhu (Years 7-8).
2018 Maureen Buckley receives an Eastbourne Order of Excellence award for long service to Muritai School.
2018 The old Dental Clinic is converted to a meeting and teaching space. The staffroom is extended.
2018 The 50th anniversary of the Wahine disaster is commemorated, with a function in the school hall and a display in the school library. The display was a mix of items lent by the Wellington City and Sea Museum and work from the students.
2019 The school introduces PB4L (Positive Behaviour for School-wide Learning), Tier One. PB4L promotes constant and clear values on the way we learn and behave around the school.
2019 Cohort Entry to School is introduced, with two Cohort Entries per term. Instead of starting school on their 5th birthday, children start on one of the Cohort Entry dates after their birthday.
2019 Some Muritai students are involved in the nation-wide ‘Strike for Climate Action’.
2019 Polyfest becomes ‘Huttfest’, a Kapa Haka festival held at the Walter Nash Stadium in Lower Hutt.
2019 Students set up worm farms to recycle food waste.
2019 New school Learning and Living Values are created. EXPLORER, CONNECTOR AND CONTRIBUTOR and Be the BEST you can be
2019 GOTCHAs are introduced: small orange good-behaviour rewards, to encourage children to be the best they can be.
2020 COVID-19 reaches New Zealand, and has a major impact on school life and learning. The first lockdown starts on 25th March, with students learning at home. In May the school opens again, but under strict Level 2 conditions: parents are not allowed in classrooms or even on school grounds; no playing in the school grounds after school; no school trips, assemblies, or manual training in Wainuiomata.
Under Level 3 the restrictions ease, but school activities are still limited.
2021 In Week 3 the school is back at Level 2.
2021 A new playground is built next to the library based on our local turangawaewae, special places.
2021 The school production, ‘Alice Returns to Wonderland’, is performed without a live audience; instead, it is videoed and shared remotely with the school community.
2021 The school band, Metabolic Overdrive, is placed second in the Wellington Region Bandquest.
2021 Due to COVID concerns there is no Abel Tasman Experience for Year 8 students, but they do have a few days away at Kaitoke.
2022 The school’s 125th anniversary celebration is postponed until 2023 because of COVID.
2022 In Term 1, under the new ‘Red’ traffic light system, students can return to school but there are restrictions: masks must be worn by staff and students in Years 4-8 and CO2 monitors and air purifiers are set up in all interior spaces.
2022 The Structured Literacy Programme is undertaken by the whole school.
2022 The Home and School Association produces a Muritai School Recipe Book as a fundraiser, using recipes submitted and illustrated by the students.
2022 In Term 2 the country moves to the ‘Orange’ traffic light setting: masks are no longer required at school, and there are no limits to group size. Assemblies resume, and parents are welcomed back into the classrooms and school grounds.
2022 Bec Power resigns and takes a position with the Ministry of Education. Mr Stu Devenport is appointed Principal, and starts in Term 4.
2022 Maureen Buckley celebrates 20 years of service at Muritai School.
2022 The sandpit acquires a new mud kitchen. At Bandquest, Muritai’s Lords of Confusion win the Rockstar Styles Award.
To finish the year, a Muritai Market Day features stalls run by all age groups. There is no Abel Tasman Experience for Year 8 students.
2023 On 10th February the whole school walks to Days Bay to enjoy a day of beach activities, bush walks, field activities and picnic food.
2023 In March, a House Pride Day raises money for the Cyclone Gabrielle Relief Fund.
2023 The ‘Moving March’ programme encourages students to walk, scoot, or bike to school.
2024 Hall refreshments are completed and Kahu site have weatherproofing repairs.
2024 New school logo created. Reflects the lighthouse at Pencarrow.