Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Taumarunui Project

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Taumarunui is a small, rural, full Māori immersion school located in the heart of the King Country, Taumarunui. We have a roll of 67 students aged from 2 years old through to 17 years old. There are 4 classrooms with 4 teachers employed. Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Taumarunui is 11 years old and is the only Māori medium school within Taumarunui and the surrounding district. Our school is decile 1 and is located in one of the lowest socio-economic areas of Taumarunui.

The current building that we would love new flooring for has existed since the original school was built over 50 years ago. This building houses our 2-6 year olds (years 1 and 2). We would love to carpet the two classroom floors so that the children have a nice warm space to sit and work on, especially for the under 5s. We would love lino flooring in the bag room and toilets so that the children can have a clean space to come in and leave their shoes and so that the toilets can
be cleaned easily for hygiene.

Ana Tamehana, Principal

The team at Carpet Court Te Kuiti went above and beyond to ensure we got the best deal with our carpet and lino for both classrooms and the toilet/bag area between both learning spaces. Kenzie kept the line of communication open all the time and gave us many amazing options for which carpet and lino would match with our kura colors of orange and black which would suit the aesthetic of our kura. Since installation, the tamariki and kaiako have noticed a clear difference in the warmth of the classrooms and the comfort while sitting on the floor during whariki time and play.

With the Taumarunui winter period upon us, this flooring could not have come at a better time. A key area of difference has been the continuation of lino from the classrooms into the toilet/bag area where the tamariki are able to have messy play in an area that is easy to clean up. Clean up in the toilet area has also been made easier with lino allowing for a more hygienic environment.

Without the support of Carpet Court, we would not have been able to purchase new flooring due to budget constraints. Our junior school classrooms are now warm, clean and inviting environments where we can allow our tamariki to explore their space beyond sitting on a seat.

Ana Tamehana, Principal

When we first read the application from the Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Taumarunui, we were overwhelmed with what the school and children were used to, regarding the condition of the floors. We could see the school needed to do a far larger area than what the funding allowed so, we got to work calling in help.

We were humbled that everyone wanted to pitch in.  Our installers reduced their charge out rates. Then our major suppliers got stuck in too. Jacobsens in the way of heavily reduced pricing and our Carpet Court Central Warehouse, who donated the vinyl flooring at no charge. With all this assistance we managed to make the budget stretch to complete the entire preschool area – two classrooms and the connecting cloakroom.

We felt privileged to help this deserving school and feel proud with the outcome we made happen. It was an awesome experience.

Kenzi Larsen, Franchise Owner Carpet Court Te Kuiti

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