About us

Te One is a three-teacher school, of approximately 45 pupils. Te One is the largest of the three schools on the Chatham Islands. Upon reaching Year 9, most pupils travel to New Zealand to complete their secondary education. The few that remain undertake secondary correspondence education which comes under the umbrella of Te One School. Te One School is served by the Ministry of Education, Christchurch division.

The Chatham Islands lie approximately 800 kilometres east of New Zealand. We have a regular air service (passengers and freight) and sea service (freight only) to the islands. The Chatham Islands are approximately 45 minutes ahead of New Zealand time. The sea is across the sand dunes from the school.

Most of our pupils are of Maori, Moriori, or European descent. Our parent workforce is predominantly linked to fishing, farming or service industries. A large percentage of families have both parents in the workforce.

Te One School is a well-resourced school with four classrooms, a separate library, an administration block, and several storage and caretaking out buildings. The school also has a large playing field, netball court, 15 metre community swimming pool, adventure playground, and a vast field for sports. A purpose-built home-craft and wood-work room allow senior pupils to undertake classes in these areas. Te One School also has a dental clinic with a dental therapist and dentist visiting twice a year to treat the school pupils and community members.

Most pupils entering Te One School have attended the local Kohanga Reo (Te Kohanga Reo ō Te Wharekauri) which is located adjacent to the school. There is a parent fundraising group called ‘Parents For Kids’.

Te One pupils take part in several annual events with the other two schools on the Chatham’s. Athletics, cross-country, swimming sports and speech competitions are held annually. ‘Weka Walk’ is a special feature of the school programme. This is held every second year for the senior pupils who travel to New Zealand to experience life prior to heading off for their secondary education, with each school taking a lead role in planning the event.