oolie

Hi

I am new to this site but having read a few of the threads thought it seemed like a good way to make some contacts before the big move in October.

My husband is a Kiwi but has been living in the London for last 10 years. We are going to be moving to Tauranga in October. We have two children, a 4 year old girl and a 1 year old boy.

Can anyone tell me how you apply to schools over there? Is it the same as here and all done on catchment area? Can anyone recommend a primary school?

Any advise greatly appreciated!!

phil01

Hi,
not in the Tauranga area we are in Northland, but as for schools I just went in filled out a form you know, name, address, emergency contact etc, gave copy of my daughters passport and visa and that was it signed up, took about 5 minutes, no waiting list she started the next day! Some schools have catchment areas others don't you will find that out when you get over and choose a place to settle in. Good luck.
Debbie

SavBlancGal

The schools that I have heard referred to positively in the Tauranga area (chat amongst friends/in local newspaper) are:
Matua Primary
Pillans Point Primary
Otumoetai Primary
Greenpark Primary (Greerton)
Selwyn Ridge (Welcome Bay)
Tahatai Coast (Papamoa)
Omokoroa Point Primary

You could look them up on www.tki.org.nz/e/schools - click on the Bay of Plenty, then Tauranga District and it will list them giving their own websites and ERO reports.

Sorry, don't have any personal experience with any of them. I know of people with children at Matua and they speak very highly of it.

I think that they do have zoning restrictions but it would pay to check directly with them.

orca05

Hi
All primary schools in the Tauranga areas are zoned.The only ones not zoned are the Catholic ones or the very expsensive private ones.You have to be living in the area for your kids to be able to attend, but schools will send you out infomation if you ring them or e-mail them.Where abouts in Tauranga are you thinking of moving to?

oolie

Thanks for all your replies. We are thinking of moving to Matua. I would like to sort the school out first and find a house second! Really worried that my 4 year old should settle quickly. She will be 5 on October 18th - if she was in NZ what date would she start? Would it be the term after her 5th birthday? Starting to dawn on me we dont have very much time left in the UK. Does anyone know if there are many brits in Tauranga?

Burt Badger

Kids start school on a rolling admission throughout the school year. So you 5 year old would start the day after their 5th birthday.

Tauranga Primary is a good little school. If you have the money go for Bethlehem College Primary.

Burt

Ash1

Hi,

Matua is very nice, especially around Ferguson Park area.Stunning water views and of the Mount. Are you renting or buying? I would recommend renting at first just to get a feel for areas all though Matua is pretty much all good. It has a good primary school and they are really easy to get into as long as you have proof of address. We live in Papamoa and turned up at our local school in the morning, they had the school uniform on within 10 minutes and were sitting in on assembly!!That easy. They are at Tahatai.
As for Brits. Papamoa should be renamed Pommemoa as they are everywhere. We go into Tauranga regularly and are always meeting new people, Pomme`s and Kiwi`s. The Kiwi`s are a very friendly bunch and are very welcoming.
We have been here for 5 months now and are loving it. We don`t look back and strangely don`t miss too much about England.
If you need any help or advice please feel free to ask. My wife knows everything about the schools and I`m fairly good on the rest!!
If you take an average of everything that is said on this site you will get a good picture of what NZ is like. Don`t be afraid to ask.

Cheers
Ashley

maysie

we moved to matua when we emigrated in Jan 2006. Our son is 9 years old. We turned up at matua the week before term started took his passport and a proof of address, filled in a form and the head teacher took us for a walk around. he started the following week. We have been very very pleased with his progress and he has made so many friends. There is a huge emphasis on all the kids having a good time at school and there is a huge anount of parental help. I think i'm right in saying that it is the only decile 10 school in tauranga.

Matua is a great place to live. We live close to fergusson park and very much enjoy the water, park, cycling, kayaking and sport that is available here. The houseds are quite expensive in matua and it can be quite difficult to find rental property.

Let me know if you need any info

kato33

Hiya Ashley

How old are you children?

We are bringing 4 with us so need some info on the area and the schools.

Would be great to keep in touch with you and your better half.

Nici

Ash1

Hi,

my daughter is 12 nearly 13 and my son is 8. THey have settled really well. Fire away with your questions and I`ll probably get the wife(Paula) to respond.

ASH

kato33

Our daughters are 17, almost 13 and twins who have just turned 10 so if the little ones want to chat then feel free to PM me and I will get the kids to reply.

Nici

kato33

Well if there aren't many now there will be once us lot turn up. LOL

Nici

kato33

Great news.

The kids settling in is the most important thing for us, so if its that easy then less stress for us all.

JimandLucy

HI Oolie,

My Kiwi wife and I moved to Tauranga 2 months ago and are renting in Matua. It is a fantastic suburb with friendly locals.
We have a 4 year old and a 2year old as well and te kids love the area. We spent some time in Auckland previously and are loving the move down here.

Feel free to email me on <<snip>> for any info or a friendly face when you arrive

Jima and Lucy

maysie

where abouts are you in matua???