Tinui School suffered extensive damage after being flooded during Cyclone Gabrielle, and faces a long road to recovery before pupils can return to the school building.
School principal Simon Couling said the old rimu-framed part of the school will probably survive and that the Ministry of Education [MoE] was putting together a plan to restore all the buildings.
MoE infrastructure and digital leader Scott Evans said the immediate focus was on removing silt, along with damaged wall linings, joinery, and flooring.
“There is significant flooding damage throughout all the school buildings,” he said.
“At this stage, there is no timeframe for the school buildings to be available again for teaching and learning; we’ll know more as the works progress.”
Fire brigades and community members spent last weekend cleaning the concrete areas of the school grounds and clearing the pool of silt so the school can use it.
The school has been open and operating since Tuesday out of the undamaged Community Hall and the Playgroup building next door.
A temporary staff office was delivered to the site and connected to power yesterday.
Couling said the makeshift move has been a success so far, but replacing all the resources lost to the flood will be difficult.
“The school has spent years and years building these resources, like reading books, staplers, and laminators. Insurance doesn’t really cover that stuff, and all of ours are just gone now – we need to start from scratch,” he said.
Parents are stressed, with some having lost whole farms, and their kids being able to come back to school is a relief, Couling said.
“Some of those farmers, they don’t put their hand out; they keep things pretty close to their chest, but you know they’re really hurting at the moment.
“Having their kids come to school is something we can do for them, and every one of them is saying they’re so relieved to let their kids go back to somewhere they feel safe,” he said.
Some kids have been sleeping on the couches at school because they are so exhausted.
“They’re still feeling very raw, but generally, they’re happy to be back in a familiar environment, even though it’s a different building.
“And they’re so happy to see their mates,” Couling said.
“There’s been a bit of learning going on, and we’ll up the ante next week and get it properly happening.”
