Hurunui College is situated in a picturesque site nestled in the foothills of Hawarden township in North Canterbury, 80km north of Christchurch. Both junior and senior schools are located on the one site enabling the school to operate as a cohesive unit.
Hurunui College is proud of its reputation in the sporting, cultural and academic fields. Our students compete strongly in sports such as swimming, athletics, tennis, netball, rugby and hockey. Students participate in regional cultural and academic events including music festivals, speech, maths and reading contests, science fairs and the Hawarden A&P Show. Our students have established a fine record of performance in external examinations over many years.
A comprehensive profile of each child is developed during his/her schooling at Hurunui College so that individual needs, interests and special abilities are fully understood.
At Hurunui College we have a family atmosphere, which promotes security and a strong feeling of well-being within our students. Courtesy, consideration, cooperation and cultural appreciation are highly rated at Hurunui College. Parents are highly supportive of school activities and the facilities are widely used by community groups and individuals. Our students develop a strong sense of belonging to a community and confidence in dealing with people of all ages.
A high value is placed on participation, self-discipline and trust. All students have the chance to take part in the whole range of school activities.
We have highly qualified specialist staff in subjects such as art, music and physical education. Students at NCEA Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 enjoy the services of well-qualified teachers in relatively small classes.
Facilities
The school has recently gone through significant property upgrade. A new three classroom block for the upper primary and a new technology block were completed in 2010. A new science and computing block were completed at the start of 2011, along with refurbished music suite and art rooms.
Our well-stocked library serves as the community library as well as the school library. In partnership with the Hurunui District Library both students and the local community have access to books/resources throughout the Hurunui district. It has its own broadband internet access.
The Discovery Community has the use of class Ipads and the Exploring Community of class chromebooks, in addition to desktop computers. All student in the Aspiring (Y11-13) Learning Community are provided with individual chromebooks for in school use and the Investigating (Y8-10) Learning Community have access to Chromebooks during the school day. The eLearning policy actively encourages aspiring students to bring their own devices to aid their learning.
Staff and students have their own e-mail addresses with access to the wireless network during school hours.
The latest in video conferencing technology is used to facilitate distance learning through NetNZ. Networking with other schools allows students at Hurunui College an expanded and enhanced curriculum.
Two modern science laboratories are available to students at Year 7-13 levels. The laboratories are equipped to the latest standards.
The school has its own music room with practice rooms.
The art department has its own darkroom for photography.
The technology block features the latest in industry-standard facilities for food and materials technology.
Sporting facilities include a gymnasium, tennis courts, netball courts, rugby grounds, junior school playgrounds and pool. Directly across the road we have full access to squash courts, a 9 hole golf course, Hurunui Rugby Clubrooms and grounds which are used for athletics and cross country and the Hawarden Indoor Bowling Club.
Other community shared facilities include the Hawarden Domain and the Hawarden War Memorial Hall
We have a strong special education department which caters for the needs of students with learning difficulties through adapted programmes, targeted support and learning support assistance.
A wide range of co-curricular activities are available with an emphasis on opportunity and encouragement for all to participate such as the Hurunui College Nina Valley Restoration Group established in 2008. This is a conservation group made up of students from Hurunui College looking after the Nina Valley in the Lewis Pass. We have many mustelid and rodent traps on the tracks there, and monitor juvenile kiwi that we released there. Pupils can explore their interests in all types of conservation and research in the Nina Valley.
Recently Hurunui College has joined a Community of Learning (COL). This is a collection of 13 local and Area schools from Akaroa to Cheviot. This COL will enable Hurunui College to share in collaborative learning opportunities across this school network.
The community is very supportive of our school and we boast a high parental involvement. Our library is a combined school-community facility, part of the Hurunui District Library network, another example of community support and involvement in the school. The school publishes a community newsletter each week. We have an active P.T.A. (Parent Teacher Association), which supports the school with a range of fund-raising activities, and facilitates meetings on educational issues.
We enjoy support from a school dental nurse, a health nurse, and local service clubs, as well as many sporting and interest clubs within the district.
Hurunui College is boarded on the east by the sea and the Hurunui River to the north; outlying districts to the south and west encompass Amberley, Waipara, McDonald Downs, Virginia Road, the Peaks and Medbury. Primary schools at Waikari, Omihi, Greta Valley and Waipara mostly contribute students at Year 9 level, while students from other districts attend from age five. Five bus routes ensure convenient travel for pupils.
The current decile rating is 7 and the roll sits around 250 pupils.
We believe that our school is very fortunate. It is well resourced and enjoys the generous support of its community. Hurunui College is a very special place.
Further Afield: Hawarden sits in the centre of the Hurunui District and is ideally located for a blend of rural and metropolitan living. Christchurch is an easy one-hour drive away. The alpine and thermal resort of Hanmer Springs is 40 minutes by car. Excellent skiing can be found at Mount Lyford about 75 minutes drive away. Numerous beaches exist within easy travelling distance, the most popular being Gore Bay and Motunau Beach. Excellent opportunities exist for outdoor recreation such as tramping, hunting, fishing, rafting and canoeing on the Hurunui river and in the lakes (Lake Sumner, Lake Taylor, Lake Mason, Lake Sheppard, Loch Katrine) and mountains at its headwaters.
