Our Story & Our Values

OUR STORY

In 1900 a small hall was brought from the ‘Towers’ and sited on the corner of Broadway and Burwood Road. In this building Miss Jane opened the first school in Matamata with a roll of 17 pupils. In 1906 the first school in Matamata was burnt down, but Mr Weitmeyer, who lived in a house near where the present public library stands, made available a room for the school which was in the charge of Miss Edmondson.

OUR IDENTITY


Sun	Kaimai	Wairere Falls
THE RISING SUN – PUTANGA O TE RA From Matamata Primary School the sun rises in the East over the Kaimai. The use of the sun in the logo is representing new life, a new day, and new learning opportunities. The sun rises over the Kaimai barrier, breaking the barriers to learning. As the sun is rising our learning is also rising and continuing to develop. The use of yellow and gold reflects the warmth and wisdom of our schooling environment and the happiness of our students.	THE KAIMAI RANGES As the ranges rise in three peaks it represents our school motto “endeavour, achieve, excel”. Each step in the range represents the progression of learning among our students. The ranges reflect mountaineers, the ups and downs of our journeys, and the perseverance to keep going – one step at a time. The dark blue range symbolises peace, knowledge, growth and confidence.	THE WAIHOU RIVER AND KORU The use of the river in the logo reflects how the learning journey can be rapid at times. It’s not always smooth, but with perseverance and commitment, we can all succeed. The Koru encompasses the many cultures making up our school community and the uniqueness of our Maori culture. The light blue represents the youth of our community, inspiration among our students, and communication across our team.

After the fire in 1905, a new school was built, consisting of one room and a porch, on the current Matamata Primary School site. It was opened as a sole charge school with Mr Moore-Jones as the first headmaster, who established a fine tradition of service in guiding and inspiring the youth of the district.

A great number of pupils rode considerable distances to school, leaving their horses in the paddock where Rooms 1-5 block now stands.

The provision of a horse paddock and a saddle shed was necessary, though some children had no more than a bridle and a sack to put into the shed. At Matamata the horse paddock where Rooms 1-5 stand was later shifted to where the Scout Hall stands in Centennial Drive.

Today Matamata Primary School consists of 19 classrooms with a roll of 460 children and 35 staff members.

We love to hear from past pupils and staff members especially when we get close to planning for milestone reunion years.

Our next celebration will be in 2025 when we celebrate our 125th Centennial.

Please contact us now at the School Office to share your stories with us so we can add to the Matamata Primary School history books.