Otari School

Otari School/ Te Kura o Otari is a state-funded full-primary school nestled next to the Otari-Wilton’s Bush Native Botanic Garden and Forest Reserve and overlooked by bush-clad hills.
We have a school with a unique structure and a special nature.

The school has seen strong growth since 1992 when it established three strands:
- An Original Strand, teaching all learning areas from The New Zealand Curriculum, using educational methods similar to those in most primary schools throughout New Zealand
- A Māori Immersion strand in which the students’ education is based on Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, the national Māori curriculum, primarily delivered in te reo Māori
- A Montessori strand of classes whose education is based on The New Zealand Curriculum and the Montessori philosophy as represented by the Montessori curriculum and its particular philosophy, training, equipment and strategies.

The school roll has grown by 25% over the past five years and we have 209 students, 39% of whom are Māori.

Each strand has its own philosophy and teaching style and the moderate size of the school allows many opportunities for staff and children to work together and to participate in joint cross-strand activities.

Our community values the ‘country school’ feel, which is experienced at Otari. Families from over twenty suburbs contribute to the makeup of our school and the resulting close-knit culture is particularly cherished. It is best articulated by our overarching value of ‘whanaungatanga’.