Tucked away within the city limits, nestling on 16 acres on the outer edges of semi-rural Welcome Bay is an ever-expanding school and kindergarten operation turning out to be yet another of the Bay’s best kept secrets.
From small beginnings in community halls, to rented accommodation, then the development of a small private kindergarten in Judea known as Rose Ring, to the purchase of the land in 1986 when a group of founders mortgaged their own homes to realise the dream of a Steiner school in Welcome Bay, to the setting up of a school in a decommissioned cowshed in 1992, and subsequently adding further relocatable heritage building son site until up to 2011, the growth of the increasingly successful Tauranga Waldorf School, Kindergarten and Nursery is a truly heart-warming local story. (Watch out for article on the Waldorf rescued heritage buildings in next issue of Bay Waka – Editor)
Our Community altruism at its best
“It is the sort of thing that can only happen when groups of people come together with a dream, and keep at it, even when there is no benefit for them personally”, says Julian Ketel, Chair of the Waldorf Schools Bay of Plenty Trust. “Over my years living in Tauranga, I have come across so many tradies, professional and community people who have donated freely to the development of this organisation through the years. As a trustee, that is quite a mantle to carry, while at the same time it gives a spirit and wairua (soul) to our operation that is very tangible.”
Protecting and maximising the magic of childhood
Catering for children from birth to Year 8, the Tauranga Waldorf School operates within the state system as an integrated school while offering an alternative curriculum.
“The early founders, and pioneers had a vision of a school where children would learn through hand heart and head, where the magic of childhood would be protected and maximised. The purchase and ongoing development of this land and operation is a realisation of that dream”, said current principal Mary Tait-Jamieson.
