Staff and leadership teams at Apanui School will be working hard to keep a sense of normality for its students, following a major fire at the school this long weekend.

The fire happened in the early hours of Saturday morning and devastated the nearly-completed administration block renovation and eight classrooms.

The cause of the fire is not yet known and as a result everyone has been locked out of the school for three weeks to allow for the investigation to be completed. Work will also be done to reinstall services and further clean up the site.

In the meantime Apanui School will be based at the War Memorial Hall for the next three weeks.

The school is closed to students today, returning to the Hall tomorrow morning instead.

Principal Simon Akroyd says he and the entire school community has been shocked and saddened by the fire, but he has utmost praise for the local volunteer Fire and Emergency crew who put in a significant effort to contain the fire and make the area safe.
He's also thanked everyone in the wider community who have reached out to offer their awhi and assistance. Mr Akroyd says the Eastern Bay is a resilient community and knows well how to come together through these situations.
He says that sense of whanaungatanga will be needed in the coming months.

The school will work with the Ministry of Education and other agencies moving forward, to ensure all students get the school opportunities they deserve.

Source: Radio 1xx News