A redwood in the Rangiora Borough School’s playground has won the inaugural Waimakariri Tree of the Year award.

Principal Shane Buckner says the school community was excited to learn its beautiful tree had won the award.

The tree, which is believed to have been planted about 1860, when the school land was owned by William Sanson ‘‘means so much to our school, both past and present’’, Buckner said.

‘‘It has featured in many designs over the 150 years our school has been part of the community.

‘‘Our updated uniform has a stylish representation of our tree in the side panels of the shirt, and our children wear this with pride.’’

The tree is the focal point of the school.

It has a stage built around its trunk for the tamariki/children of Rangiora Borough School, to sing, dance and play on for many generations to come.

It was dedicated to the memory of the late Alan Sutton who was principal at the school from 2001 to 2021.

‘‘The stage area provides a number of opportunities for our children to gather and use in a variety of ways, from performance or just to relaxing,’’ Buckner said (Shelly Topp, 2025).

Reference
Star News, Monday, 14 April 2025. 'School's redwood named tree of the year'.