Tākaka Primary School

TPS Whānau Army

Our Purpose:

The Whānau Army aims to bring together parents, teachers and other members of the school community to strengthen and promote positive community involvement in our school, and support the school through fundraising to enhance the facilities and opportunities provided to our children.

Our Aims and Objectives:

To organise events for our school community where the purpose is to bring the community together.
Encourage new families to become part of our TPS Whānau and support the education of their child/ren.
Support the school through fundraising to enhance our facilities and the opportunities we provide the children of Tākaka Primary School.
Support the school in providing some resources for our learners’ educational, special, cultural and sporting activities at Tākaka Primary School.
Be positive advocates for the school to enable TPS families to be proud by association.

The role of the Board is to GOVERN the school.

The role of the Principal is to MANAGE the school.

The role of the Whānau Army, Parents, Whānau, and Community is to SUPPORT the above by being involved in the school.

Whānau Army Exec Committee:

Chairperson: Emma Patterson

Treasurer: Annelle Reilly

Communication: Stacey Strange

Secretary: Corinne Rowe

Executive Officer: Will Bowden

Principal: Corinne Rowe

Who are we?

We are a friendly group of mums, dads, caregivers and whānau who volunteer our time to run and help out with events and fundraising for the school. The Whānau Army hold fundraising events each year to raise money to put towards the needs of the school, as identified by and agreed with the school. A yearly overview is generated at the end of each year and is available on our school website below.

Why be part of the TPS Whānau Army?

The Whānau Army is a great way to meet other parents and staff and to contribute to the school community. In order for the group to continue to function, we need parents and caregivers to get involved!

The Whānau Army operates through an Executive Committee which is made up of elected officers. These officers are elected each year at the AGM meeting. These positions include: Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, two officers and the School Principal. For further detail about these roles click on the link here. TPS Whānau Army Executive Committee Roles The Executive Committee is responsible for the administration of the Whānau Army’s activities and finances.

Under the Executive Committee, are parents, caregivers, whānau who support the Executive and school in meeting our Objectives and Aims. The Executive Committee and PTA members collectively work together to live our Whānau Army’s aims and objectives.

We welcome all members of our community to be part of our team. Being part of the group is a very rewarding experience and your contribution makes such a difference to your child's school life.

Meetings

Our Next Meeting Date is:

We meet twice a term in the TPS staff room at 7.00pm.

Our Next Meeting:

Monday 13th October 2025, 7.00pm.

Email Contact:

Feel free to contact us on: tpswhanau_army@takakaprimary.school.nz

FaceBook:

TPS Whānau Army Code of Conduct (1).pdf

Current Fundraisers and Events

First Fundraiser for 2026

We have our first Whānau Army fundraising event coming up, the Trail Ride in Upper Tākaka. The Whānau Army support this event by taking registrations at the beginning of the day, selling food throughout the day for the riders and marshalling on the course. If you are able to help in any way, we ask you to complete the google form to let us know how you can help. Trail Ride Helpers

Past Events

TPS Quiz Night

The leading lady behind this fundraiser was Stacey Strange, who was quietly beavering away for weeks to organise this event. None of this would have happened without the hard work, dedication and commitment from Stacey. From planning and organising, to coordinating prizes, creating questions for the quiz, organising the food, set up and all the small details we often don’t even notice. She went above and beyond to bring this night together. It takes a huge amount of time and energy to pull off an event like this, and we are so lucky to have someone so committed to our school. A heartfelt thank you to Stacey for everything you did to make our Quiz Night such a success.

Thank you also to the team of Whānau Army helpers who supported with the running of this event on this night; Jettie, Sarah, Talia and Emma. We really appreciate your support, thank to you all.

Thank you also to Paula Sixtus and the River Inn for the catering, you did a fantastic job and we are grateful for the delicious food you provided us this evening, thank you.

To Talia, our Quiz Master, thank you for taking on this role with your arm twisted up your back. You’ve did a great job and kept us engaged and having fun throughout the evening, thank you.

Thank you also to Aimee and Duncan from Liquorland for supporting the organising of the bar, including the help with the liquor licence, as well as manning the bar. Their service was fantastic. We really appreciated them giving up your Saturday evening to support the school and this fundraiser, so from us all thank you.

A huge thank you also to our local community for supporting us with prizes and auction items:

Koria with Gelly Nail Design vochure, Molina with a Norwex donation, Aimee and Duncan with hamper from Liquorland, Paperplus Tākaka with a kids raffle pack, Georgia Robertson with a Wanderer’s Wagon Staycation voucher, Tiff Prince from Bay Bees with a honey donation, the Stranges, Patterson and Pages donation of the 2 signed Tasman Mako’s shirts, Tasman Rugby Union for the donation of another signed Mako’s shirt, and Quinn Strange for organising the signing of these shirts. What a supportive community we live in, thank you to you all!

And lastly, thank you to all those who purchased a ticket and came along to support this event. Your support means a lot. We will update you early next term with the final amount of funds raised going towards our new playground upgrade below!

Golf Tournament:

Thanks to the Whānau Army for feeding the golfers at our Annual Car Company Golf Tournament!

2025 Trail Ride

Trail Ride

Thanks to the whānau and kids who helped out with the Trail Ride. It was a fantastic day of riding, thank you to everyone who supported this event.

Matariki School Celebration:

The Whānau Army support the set up of shared kai for this event and provide hot chocolate to all on this cold winter's evening. A group of parents also spend time setting up lighting outside the hall making this event that much more special. This is a fantastic school community event where we enjoy a whole school performance and shared kai together to celebrate Matariki. If you would like to get inovlved in this event next year, keep an eye out for more information.

Our Support to the School

Our grounds are such an asset to our community! Enjoy!

Our Latest Playground Upgrade!

A huge thank you to our Whānau Army who raised the funds to upgrade the playground and provide a much wished for slide. Funds raised came from: the Trail Ride, Quiz Night, food sales at school events, the disco and golf fundraiser. Thank you also to the Board of Trustees for your contribution to this project too.

A huge thank you for all the organisation that goes into raising funds that directly benefit our tamariki. A special thank you to Emma, our Whānau Army Chairperson for the huge amount of work that goes in behind the scenes for these events and the smooth running of the Whānau Army. We are incredibly lucky to have you. Thank you from us all!

TPS New Gazebo

A huge thank you to Will Bowden and family for a very generous donation to enable us to purchase a large school gazebo for events! Thank you also to the Whānau Army for all of the organisation for this.

Takaka Primary School 2026

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