Our Mission
Pukehou School aims to provide an environment that inspires curiosity, creativity, and wonder in our lifelong learners.
To help students reach their full potential, Pukehou School will:
- Provide an excellent education in a happy and stimulating learning environment.
- Encourage kindness, integrity and respect of individual and community values.
- Develop active, healthy children and give them freedom to explore.
- Care for our environment.
Who We Are
Pukehou School is a tranquil rural school situated on State Highway 2, fifteen minutes south of Hastings and fifteen minutes north of Waipukurau. With approximately 90 pupils ranging in age from 5 to 13 years and with such good accessible routes, it makes Pukehou an attractive place for your child’s education in Central Hawke’s Bay.
Pukehou School is proud to be an Enviroschool.
The school is headed up by School Principal Rob Pratt with Deputy Principal Rachael Strong, accompanied by three other full time teachers, one full time office administrator along with one almost full time teacher aide.
GARDEN TOUR - THANK YOU 🙏
Hot on the heels of the Holly Hospice Trail, Pukehou School gave Hawke’s Bay residents the chance to stroll through some spectacular local gardens on Sunday 24 November.
The eight venues on the tour included the historic Mt Vernon Villa, a treasure tucked away in a sprawling 35 acre woodland. The grounds of this 1882 Grade A Heritage Building have recently been restored and include parkland, orchards and a kitchen garden. Not open to the public, the Pukehou School Garden Tour offered an opportunity to explore one of CHB’s premier properties.
Volunteers were proud to welcome tour guests into Pukehou School before carrying on to other venues including Millstream Gardens, Abbotslee and Christ Church, Pukehou, the oldest church on the East Coast. Jacqui Howard of Bella Rosa Flowers generously decorated the Church with fabulous festive greens, silver and fairy lights for the Pukehou School Garden Tour. Stalls including White House Interiors, Totara Gardens, Lucy’s Cards, Biddy Jefferd Ceramics and crafts were well placed under the oaks for a bit of pre-Christmas shopping.
Elsewhere on the tour guests discovered hidden gems – beautifully curated gardens to inspire and provide for a delightful day amongst the blooms. Stalls including plants, crafts and homewares were also in the grounds of a selection of properties.
The Pukehou School Whānau and Friends fundraising team were thrilled to welcome more than 200 guests from CHB and further afield with team member Rachel Astill commenting that the feedback about the standard of the gardens, the packed lunches and the organisation of the day was hugely positive “and luckily the weather was on our side – just!”
“We are so grateful to all our garden hosts for generously allowing more than 200 people to enjoy their patches of paradise. Huge thanks to our amazing team of volunteers including past Pukehou pupils who prepared lovely lunches and helped keep things running smoothly. We also thank key sponsors including Paper Plus Waipukurau, Mitchell Design, Maison Therese, Whittakers and Mr Apple who helped make this a successful fundraiser for Pukehou School.”
The team are already thinking ahead to the Pukehou Garden Tour 2025!
It was a pleasure to help put together and help make this a fantastic fundraiser for our school,thanks to all who participated and helped before and on the day happy holidays to everyone have a wonderful Xmas and New Year,keep an eye out in the New year for next year’s fundraiser……
Past Events
Pukehou Whanau and Friends (PWF)
Pukehou Whanau and Friends (PWF) encompass all school families, teachers & staff of Pukehou School and people of the Pukehou community that want to contribute to the welfare of Pukehou School.
