Oropi School

The name Oropi has an interesting derivation, taken from the days when a garrison of Imperial Forces had been based at Oropi, during the Battle of Gate Pa.

They withdrew in 1867 but the Armed Constabulary remained to clear a strip of bush, from Tauranga to Rotorua for the new road.

Oropi was the equivalent of Europe to the Maori of that time.

During this time there was a hotel on the site of the school’s present tennis court, which burnt down in 1883.

Oropi School was opened in 1899 in a house that was then owned by Mr F B Kensington. This was a small cottage that was demolished in 1973. The school was closed in 1902 when the house was reoccupied. In July 1905, a small school was opened at Tururu, or Gluepot, as it is now known. At that time the bulk of the Oropi population lived there. Later in 1905 a hall was built over the gorge at Oropi and school was held there for 3 days a week and at Tururu for 2 days.

It was at this stage that the Gamman Mill started to be built and the population gradually began to move to the Oropi side of the gorge. Not long after, Tururu school became too small and was closed. School was now held full-time in the Oropi Hall. School continued to be held in the Hall until 1934, when a two-roomed school building was built on the present site.

Since this time, the school has continued to grow, and has undergone remodelling to accommodate the needs of an increasing need for space.

Currently we have seven full-time teachers, a number of part-time teachers (Learning Support, Reading Recovery, Gifted and Talented and Teacher Release), one Teacher Aide, two Office Administrators and a Caretaker.

The character of the area has changed over the years from being a predominantly milling, dairying area, to a horticultural district with people from, in many cases, a non-rural background settling in the area. Many families have small life style blocks with one or both parents working in Tauranga City.