The Whenua

​Rangitāne are mana whenua of the land our kura sits on. Long before the suburb of Cloverlea existed, up until the late 1800s, the whenua was swamp land within a naturally occurring clearing called Papaioea, in the middle of dense forest. The area was made up of lagoons and interconnected swamps, and was often boggy due to seasonal overflows from the Manawatū River waterways like the Mangaone Stream. This swamp land connection is represented on our tomokanga by a pūkeko. 

In 1881 this area was surveyed and sold off in land blocks as part of the Kairanga County. For a long time, this area stayed larger blocks of farming land.

​Cloverlea started as a small settlement and grew from there. It was one of the later areas of Palmerston North to start developing as part of as the population grew in the 1970s.

Planning maps for Cloverlea. Can you spot where kura is? We are 55 Herbert Avenue.

A Desperately Needed School!

As early as 1928, a request was made for a school to be established in the growing settlement of Cloverlea. The need arose as more families moved into the area and it became increasingly difficult for local children to travel the long distance required to attend Central School. In response to the concerns of the community, a meeting was held by the Wanganui Education Board, following a formal request made by the Cloverlea settlers. The matter was taken seriously and was referred to the chief inspector, who was asked to investigate whether a more suitable solution could be found. However, despite these early efforts, progress was slow. For several years, the issue remained unresolved and families continued to face challenges in accessing education for their children.

Newspaper articles from as late as 1936 reported that students from Cloverlea were still being transported to Central School, showing the ongoing difficulties and frustration within the community. Throughout this time, the residents of Cloverlea remained persistent in their efforts, repeatedly voicing the need for a local school that could serve their children more conveniently and safely. Their dedication laid the groundwork for what would eventually become the opening of Cloverlea School.

The opening of Cloverlea School

Cloverlea School finally opened in 1975 to meet the needs of the growing suburb of Cloverlea. Tom Kelliher was appointed as the school’s first principal. On opening day, the school welcomed a roll of 136 students, including 46 infants, 35 in Standard 1, 24 in Standard 2, 21 in Standard 3 and 10 in Standard 4. Among the first day enrolments were 10 brand new five-year-olds, beginning their school journey at Cloverlea. The photo at the top of the page is of the first day pupils and staff.

Property Improvements

Over the 50 years since Te Kura o Cloverlea opened, there have been a huge number of improvements to the grounds and the buildings to get it to the LEGENDary kura it is today.

In 1981 construction of the school pool began, opening for use in 1983. The mural along the front walkway fence was created in 1989 and still remains today. The adveture playground was added in 1992 and then further extended in 1998, and has continued to evolve and extend to this day. There have also been numerous building changes to accommodate the growing community and evolving educational needs.

​Other additions include more stunning murals, the bike track, a vege garden, a junior playground and most recently a new turf, full basketball court and Te Mara o Rongo (our sensory garden) and of course our incredible tomokanga.

The school grounds in the early 1990s

There are no photos from this time as it was in the very early days of photography, but this image helps us understand how it would have looked in the 1800s.

Before it was Cloverlea, this area was part of the Kairanga land blocks sold off in the 1880s.

Manawatū Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6767, 22 November 1928, Page 6

1975 Staff Photo, principal Tom Kelliher in the centre front.

The Adventure Playground added in 1992.

The playground extension in 1992, some of which is still part of our playground today.