Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini.
“My strength is not that of an individual, but that of the collective.”
Kia ora,
As we begin planning for Puni School’s 150th Jubilee, this whakataukī perfectly reflects the spirit of what we hope to achieve. This celebration belongs to everyone who has been part of the Puni School story, and it will only be be possible through the memories, stories, ideas and support of our wider community.
In 2028, Puni School will celebrate an incredible milestone—150 years of education, community, and history.
Our first official planning meeting has now been held, with a steering committee established and the date confirmed. As the first official day of Puni School was 28 October 1878, our 150th Jubilee will be celebrated over the weekend of Friday 27 October and Saturday 28 October 2028.
At this stage, our vision is to keep the celebration simple, welcoming, and centred around what has always made Puni School special—its people.
Our current plans include:
- Friday evening – A relaxed “Mix and Mingle” reunion, likely to be held in the Puni School Hall.
- Saturday – A family-friendly day celebrating our past, present and future, including opportunities to reconnect with old friends, acknowledge our rich history, recognise our cultural partners, celebrate the generations of whānau who have been part of Puni School, and formally unveil a commemorative project that will be developed in the lead-up to the Jubilee.
Our focus is not on creating a large formal event, but rather on bringing people together, sharing stories, celebrating our journey, and ensuring the history of Puni School is preserved for future generations.Why complete this form?
This form is not an official registration for the Jubilee event. Instead, it helps us to:
- Build an initial contact database for future Jubilee updates.
- Gauge interest in attending.
- Grow our network by encouraging others to share this form with former students, staff, families and members of the wider Puni community.
- Collect stories, memories, photographs and historical information that can become part of our school’s living history.
There is space within the form to tell us about your connection with Puni School and to share any special memories, funny stories, photographs or historical information. These contributions will help us create a lasting collection of stories that can continue to be shared with our students, whānau and community well beyond the Jubilee itself.
As planning progresses and the programme is confirmed, we will invite everyone to complete a formal event registration.
The Puni School website will become the central hub for Jubilee updates, news and information:
https://puni.school.nz/
Once you viist the website click on the 150th Jubilee (Blue heading) on the front page.
Our next Jubilee planning meeting will be held:
Monday 31 August
6.00–7.00pm
Puni School Staffroom
Everyone is welcome. Whether you attended Puni School for one year or many, taught here, worked here, supported the school, or simply have a connection to our community, we’d love to have you involved.
For now, your homework is simple:
Complete this form. Share it with former students, staff, families and friends. Then take a few moments to share your stories and memories. Every contribution helps us preserve the history of Puni School and ensures that, together, we can celebrate 150 years while inspiring the generations still to come.
One per person please
https://forms.gle/w9ubvCSsea9oJ9BN9
Ngā mihi nui,
Haydon Brill PGDip (Ed Leadership) BEd Dip T
PRINCIPAL
Puni School
357 Waiuku Road
RD3
Pukekohe
Email: principal@puni.school.nz
Puni School NZ 