I arrived in Matakana in 2010, and I am so privileged to be the Principal of Matakana School. To manage this awesome school I have a very capable management team assisting me. Our Deputy Principal is Maryann Steel and our Assistant Principal is Neil Hatfull. Maryann and Neil have both been part of Matakana School for many years and have seen it grow from a small rural school into a modern semi-rural school of around 350 students. Their experience is invaluable.                         

Matakana School is nestled in the picturesque Matakana Valley and has a rich history that spans over 150 years. For most of those years, it was a small rural school catering for the needs of the local farming community. Since the turn of the century however, it has experienced rapid growth as farming and agriculture diversified, new businesses were established, tourism increased and the village grew. Through all of this, Matakana School has remained the school of choice and still retains its community feel, connection and spirit.

Our Vision: Taking students beyond expectations!

The students at Matakana School are just delightful! They strive to be mature, articulate, goal driven, inquiring and caring. In other words, to be magic students.

Our students enjoy and are engaged in their learning. They have modern facilities and a great team of teachers who work incredibly hard to provide the best possible learning opportunities for them. Our exciting local school curriculum is centred on our Matakana School Inquiry Learning model and is rich, real, relevant and respectful. We are focused on student progress and are proud of our quality literacy and numeracy practices.

Information and communication technologies are fully integrated into every classroom. In addition, outdoor education, sporting pursuits and the arts are given a high profile to ensure a balanced curriculum for our students.

Our school has an all-weather running track and court, additional sealed court space, sports fields, play-grounds, heated swimming pool, large modern hall and an Arts Hub. We have a very close association with our preschool centres, neighbouring primary schools, local colleges, parents, whanau and the wider community as we endeavour to keep Matakana School the high performing school that it is.

Please join one of our school tours to see for yourself what a magic place it is.

Ka kite ano!

Darrel Goosen

Principal