PO Box 447|HAMILTON 3240|PHONE : 0800 327 646|EMAIL: ruralcommunitiestrust@fedfarm.org.nz
© 2007 Rural Communities Trust | Website by Federated Farmers
Principal members
Associate members
The Adams Trust
Rural Communities Trust
c/-
PO Box 447
Hamilton 3240
0800 327 646
For information please contact
The Gifted Kids Programme $1,000
Funding towards scholarships for gifted students from low socio-
Te Horo School, in Northland, is a rural school with 53 students. The school serves
the community of Pipiwai, a primarily Maori population, thirty-
Pipiwai Village itself has a marae, church, school, kohanga and rugby club with fields and clubrooms, fifteen Housing Corporation homes and three Papakaianga homes. Outside the village there are eighteen homes in a 10km radius that send their children to the school. The area provides very few opportunities for work so most adults receive government benefits. Those parents or grandparents that are working have to travel to Dargaville (over an hour drive away) or Whangarei to work.
Money for extras outside the school's bulk grant has to come from fundraising. Though
still a decile one rating, the school now basks in glory from the results of two
years of successful education. As part of the school's commitment to providing the
best possible learning experience for its students, staff realised that they must
address barriers related to isolation, rural living and lower socio-
The reality is that most children at the school lack the experience of urban children and need to be exposed to education outside the classroom. Every two years the school has committed to sending their students further afield.
Fundraising is essential as the school strives to ensure that no child misses out on opportunities because their parents cannot afford it.
Planning a trip to Wellington began last year. This trip will enable all the children at Te Horo school to see first hand Government buildings, Te Papa, Capital E Production, the Carter Observatory and take a trip to the South Island. An application to the Rural Communities Trust to support the hard work and planning Te Horo School had put in to ensuring its students had the opportunity to broaden their horizons, was made and granted.
"We just had to contribute to the school's field trip. The Rural Communities Trust exists so that it can help rural communities overcome barriers like isolation that present in a variety of ways. The hard work and planning Te Horo School has put in to this project was worthy of our support", says Chrissy.