Our Environment
Waiau Area School is a Year 1 to 13 co-educational, composite Area School located in Western Southland; 81km west of Invercargill. It is the only Area School in the Southland Region.
Andrew Pardoe-Burnett is the Principal.
Location: 47 Orawia Road, Tuatapere, SOUTHLAND 9620
Telephone: +64 3 226 6285
Email: admin@was.school.nz
School Hours: M-F: 8:50am – 3pm
Learn By Doing
At Waiau Area School we work hard to ensure that learning happens for all students, that learning is accurately measured, that evidence is gathered, and most importantly that students and their parents know where they are going next in their learning. Students relish the chance to experience success. It helps establish a desire to learn and builds important learning skills like persistence.
The staff of Waiau Area School have developed curriculum schemes from Year 1-13 that reflect the diverse needs of our students.
Calendar
Term 2, 2022
Term 2 Dates: 2 May 2022 – 8 July 2022
2
May
First Day of Term 2
13
May
Teacher Only Day
NCEA Accord Day.
School closed for instruction.
18
May
Area Schools Tournament – Twizel
18 – 20 May
23
May
BOT Meeting. 6:30pm
Staffroom. All welcome!
25
May
Primary Schools Cross Country
Hosted by Thornbury. For HVP, WAS and Thornbury.
3
June
NZ Playhouse
Yr1-8.
Hall 2-3pm
6
June
NO SCHOOL – Queen’s Birthday
School closed for instruction.
21
June
Parent-Student-Teacher-Interviews
3:15-5:15pm
(Tuesday 28 – backup day)
23
June
Parent-Student-Teacher-Interviews
3:15-5:15pm
(Thursday 30 – backup day)
24
June
NO SCHOOL – Matariki
School closed for instruction.
5
July
Elgregoe Magical Show
Years 1-8
Hall. 1:30pm
8
July
Last day of Term 2
Term 3 will begin 25 July
The Latest …
WAS Red Traffic Light Plan 2022
Dear WAS Community
This plan is aimed to summarise how WAS is operating under the new Red ‘Traffic Light System/framework’.
This table highlights the strategies that we will be implementing to keep everyone safe. We will need your cooperation. This plan will be updated and amended from time to time as requirements from MoH/MoE dictate and our understanding of the new Traffic Light System unfolds. In the meantime, all schools are open for instruction.
Thank you.
Please click the button below to access the plan.
Welcome 2022
Happy New Year and best wishes for an enjoyable 2022. We’ve had a few new students and staff join our WAS team. Please look out for our school newsletters and Facebook posts for information, celebrations and pics.
We currently have a roll of 135 students (Juniors – 85 & Seniors – 50). We wish all our senior students the very best in their 2022 endeavours.
Teaching Staff:
Mr Andrew Pardoe-Burnett – Principal and Hard Materials Teacher.
Mr Richard Bennett – Senior Leadership Year 11-13, Health & PE, Gateway, Net NZ, PB4L coach.
Miss Jasmine Quinn – Senior Leadership Year 9 & 10, English, Home Economics, Food Tech, Te Reo Maori and Languages.
Miss Clare Robinson – Senior Leadership Year 1-8, Year 7&8 Teacher, Bus Controller.
Miss Brooke Anderson – Primary Teacher and on maternity leave from T2 onwards.
Miss Skye Walton – Year 4-6 Teacher.
Mr Chris Wedderburn – Year 2-3 Teacher.
Mrs Donnah Cleaver and Mrs Gemma Bennett – New Entrant -Year 1 Teachers.
Mrs Lisa Redhead – Music, Senior English, Languages and Kapa Haka Teacher.
Mrs Mary Ann McNab – Senior English, Careers, Geography, History & Life Skills Teacher.
Mrs Hannah Wilson – Art, Horticulture and Agriculture Teacher.
Mr Paul Maloney – Maths Teacher, NCEA and Principal’s Nominee.
Mrs Florence Chatelier – Science, Biology & Physics Teacher.
Mrs Chrissy Lampitt – Library and STEAM Teacher.
Mrs Roberta Gover – Home Economics, Senior English and Free Lunches in Schools (FLIS) leader.
Support Staff:
Mrs Charmaine Wedderburn – Office Manager.
Mrs Nina Smith – Office Support and BoT Secretary.
Mr John McNab – Hard Materials.
Mr Warwick Hawley – Property Manager.
Mrs Robyn Stanning, Mrs Mel Templeton, Mrs Rachel Pardoe-Burnett and Mrs Kiwia Howley – Teacher Aides.
Mr Richard Hazle – Lab Technician.
Mrs Jo Flynn and Mrs Paula McLennan – FLIS and Student Support.
Mrs Karen Reid, Mrs Cheryl Baldwin and Mrs Lynley Sheehan – School Cleaners.
Board Of Trustees (BOT):
Honorlea Mangion – BOT Chairperson, Policies and Procedures.
Rachael Poole – Finance and Self-Review.
Keri Potter – Communication / Health & Safety.
Grant Harding– Property.
Dwayne Unahi – supporting until we find a replacement.
Malakai Mangion – Student Rep.
To be nominated – Staff Rep.
School Principal – Andrew PB
Our property upgrades are nearly complete. The gym wall and floor needs to be finished off. Then we’ll be into our next projects – spray painting fences and roof tops, double glazed windows in the primary block and French doors, decking off the primary block and a few other minor improvements.
We’re very excited about what WAS is able to offer our students. We are able to provide a wide range of subject choices in the senior school with Net NZ (online teacher) as an additional option. Our small class sizes, positive NCEA results, student achievement and behaviour progress, teachers knowing their learners and a strong sense of belonging are all proving to be a continual success.
Our Strategic Goals:
Sustaining systems and practices, Free Lunches in Schools – we are managing this ourselves, mental health and well being (Sir John Kirwan’s Mitey) three year approach starting in Term Three, Culturally Responsive approaches and continuing to broaden our students horizons.
our Mission
Live to LEARN, LEARN to Live
Inclusion
We celebrate the inclusion of all key stakeholders: students, staff, community, local iwi, board of trustees, to create the new and exciting future for Waiau Area School. We acknowledge benefits of forming a positive working relationship with local iwi and the commitment we need to make to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Students
Staff

Get In Touch
Location: 47 Orawia Road, Tuatapere, Southland
Telephone: (03) 2266285
Email: admin@was.school.nz
School Office: M-F: 8:30am – 3:30pm
School Day: M-F: 8:50am – 3pm
