The school was founded near Shannon in 1891 by Mary Taylor. She named her school Nga Tawa because of the tawa trees that grew nearby.[citation needed]William Birch and his wife Ethel helped found the school and William served on the board of trustees; Birch House is named after them.[2][3] In 1909, the school relocated from Shannon to Calico Line, where it stands today. The original buildings were destroyed by fire in 1924. Originally a private school, Nga Tawa integrated into the state education system in 1980.
Today, the school has roughly 200 pupils, most of whom are boarders. The school also accepts a growing number of international students. These students mainly come from but are not limited to, Europe and Asia.
Co-curricular
Nga Tawa students participate in a wide variety of sporting disciplines. The focus of the school is on equestrian sport. There is stabling capacity for 80 horses on school grounds as well as a dressage arena, a full-sized showjumping arena, 1200m all-weather canter track, and a cross-country course.
There are multiple cultural activities offered at the school. Nga Tawa students are represented in a varied array of disciplines and arts, particularly given the significantly smaller student body than most of their local competitors
Academic
The school previously offered the International Baccalaureate exams (up until the end of the 2013 academic year) as well as the New Zealand NCEA exams.
