The History of Waverley Primary School

 

Waverley is a rural, farming town situated between Whanganui and Hawera, with a population of around 800. Waverley was originally known as Wairoa, but in 1876 its name was changed to avoid confusion with other towns called Wairoa.

We are a town with a proud history. The Waipipi Iron Sands were operating just out of the township between 1971-1988, shipping sands to Japan. The 1983 Melbourne Cup winning racehorse, Kiwi, was owned and trained in Waverley by a well known local, E. S (Snowy) Lupton.

Waverley is a town with a great deal of community spirit. We have a variety of different sporting and cultural clubs, such as pony club, golf and Border rugby and hockey. Many of our children are actively involved in these organisations.

We have strong ties with the Waverley Playcentre and our local Kohanga Reo. Our local iwi is Nga Rauru, and fostering connections and learning from them is an important part of our curriculum.

Waverley Primary School recently celebrated its 150th Jubilee in the year 2023.  This was an exciting event for the school and community.