Ngā Uara e Whā
Our school values embody qualities and attributes we want tamariki to leave Merivale School with. They were developed as we grew to understand the narrative of our kura and the place in which it stands.
In the image above you can see Mauao and Tauranga Moana, where Tamatea Arikinui landed on the Tākitimu Waka. You can also see depicted, the Waimapu River and Tūtarawānanga (Yatton Park). Tamatea Arikinui chose Tutarawananga as the place where he could dispense his learning and teach the Kura Wananga (the school of Celestial knowledge). It was known as Te Tū-Tara-Wānanga a Tamatea-Ārikinui. It was a wāhi tapu, a sacred place and the first place of learning for the people of Tākitimu waka who settled in Tauranga Moana.