The Blue Royal Rise of Matakana

Author

Storm Grimwood
July 28, 2025

Good Morning Scoopers!

It’s Monday and the forecast’s lookin’ a bit soggy this week, perfect excuse for a slow and chill week.

In today’s edition, blueberry growers are sweating over rain just as picking season hits, we’ve got the lowdown on what this weather means for one of the Bay’s sweetest crops.

Over in Papamoa, one of NZ’s flagship “no wall” schools is officially ditching open-plan classrooms. We’ll break down why they’re making the change, what the results have been so far, and how other schools are responding.

And sorry we haven’t done many cash drops, but we’ve got a drop coming early this week, clue’s down below 👀

In today’s edition:
✅ Rain threatens Bay's blueberry crop 🍇
✅ Papamoa College tears down the walls 🧱
✅ Cash Drop – Clue below 💰
✅ What’s on in Tauranga 🎡

Let’s get into it 👇

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Call Storm: 0276284840

Classroom Walls Are Back, But Not Everyone’s On Board

Pāpāmoa College, once the poster child for open-plan classrooms, is officially pulling the pin on the no-walls setup. And honestly? The numbers back the move.

Since testing out smaller, more traditional classrooms for senior students, their NCEA results jumped big time:

  • Level 1 went from 63.5% to 82.4%

  • Level 2 from 67.5% to 88.3%

  • Level 3 from 66.4% to 74.2%

Principal Iva Ropati reckons the open spaces were a legit barrier to student success. So now, the school’s reconfiguring its buildings over the next two years, and says student engagement is way up too.

But not every school’s following suit.

Taumata School in Pyes Pa is sticking with its modern design. Principal Gen Fuller says it’s not about walls or sliders, it’s about what actually happens inside the space. She’s focused on quality teaching, strong leadership, and keeping whānau involved.

Tauriko School is somewhere in the middle, they’ve got flexible setups that let them switch between both styles depending on the student.

At the end of the day, Minister Erica Stanford says it’s the teacher that makes the difference, not just the room, but the Government’s still scrapping those “barn-style” builds moving forward.

So yeah… the classroom wall might be making a comeback, but the bigger convo is all about what learning feels like, not just what it looks like.

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The Island Blueberry King

Six years ago, Des Samuels reckons he was the last guy you'd call to look after a garden. He was just spraying weeds and doing odd jobs as the school caretaker on Matakana Island. But then one suggestion turned into a legacy.

Des didn’t know a thing about blueberries. So he did what any good Islander would do, winged it, learned it, Googled it, and just got stuck in. Now he and his whānau manage 11,000 blueberry plants on 2 hectares of family land, growing some of the best jumbo, sweet-as berries in the game, under the “Blue Royal” label, exported all the way to Southeast Asia.

They’ve built more than a farm, it’s a whānau-run operation where backpackers mix with locals, everyone eats together, swims between shifts, and picks up to 1.5 tonnes of blueberries a day in peak season. Even Des' 14-year-old niece jumps on the boat three days a week to pick and save for rugby trips.

And the coolest part? Des is still running school camps, helping kids unplug, dive off the jetty, and connect to the whenua, just like his mum taught him. She was awarded an MBE in the ’90s for her work in Māori education, and now her legacy’s baked right into the soil they grow on.

The Samuels crew ain’t just growing berries, they’re building something bigger. For the next gen. For the Island. For good.

Captured by @jmanyphotography

Check out all the events below! ($$ - Costs or Ticketed Events)

Music & Concerts 🎵

Jazz Jam at Mount Social Club

  • When: Wed 30 Jul 2025, 6:30pm - 9:30pm

  • Where: The Historic Village, The Jam Factory, 17th Ave West

  • More Info: JazzJam

  • Cost: Free

The Upbeats

  • When: Fri 01 Aug 2025, 9:00pm - 11:55pm

  • Where: Totara Street, 11 Totara Street

  • More Info: TheUpbeats

  • Cost: $$

Daytime Clubbing for the 30+ Partygoer

  • When: Sat 02 Aug 2025, 3:30pm - 10:00pm

  • Where: Totara Street, 11 Totara Street

  • More Info: DaytimeClubbing

  • Cost: $$

No Scrubs

  • When: Sat 02 Aug 2025, 8:00pm - 11:55pm

  • Where: Totara Street, 11 Totara Street

  • More Info: NoScrubs

  • Cost: $$

Comedy & Screenings 🎬

Comedy Improvisation Show with The Honest Liars Improv

  • When: Sat 02 Aug 2025, 7:30pm - 9:30pm

  • Where: 16th Avenue Theatre, Black Box - Side Entrance

  • More Info: Improv

  • Cost: $$

Festivals & Special Events 🎉

Ōtūmoetai College – Art Exhibition by Junior Students

  • When: Mon 28 July - Sat 09 Aug, 10am - 3pm

  • Where: The Historic Village, Creative Community Campus, 17th Ave West

  • More Info: ArtExhibition

  • Cost: Free

It's all about the chair - An Exhibition by Tauranga Northern Health School

  • When: Mon 28 July - Sat 09 Aug, 10am - 3pm

  • Where: The Historic Village, The Incubator Gallery & Studios, 17th Ave West

  • More Info: Chair

  • Cost: Free

The Circus

  • When: Mon 28 Jul - 10 Aug 2025, Times Vary

  • Where: Mercury Baypark Arena, 81 Truman Lane

  • More Info: TheCircus

  • Cost: $$

Feet of Clay Ceramic Show Case

  • When: Mon 28 July - Sat 09 Aug, 10am - 3pm

  • Where: The Historic Village, The Pot House, 17th Ave West

  • More Info: Clay

  • Cost: Free

Pocket Sized Play - Decorate your own reusable bag

  • When: Sat 02 Aug 2025, 10:30am - 12:30pm

  • Where: Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga Library, 21 Devonport Rd

  • More Info: PocketSized

  • Cost: Free

Learn to Skate 2025

  • When: Mon 28 Jul 2025, 6pm - 7pm

  • Where: Revolution Skate Centre, 81 Truman Lane

  • More Info: LearntoSkate

  • Cost: $$

ALPHA Pre-Marriage Course

  • When: Tue 29 Jul 2025, 6:30pm - 9pm

  • Where: Holy Trinity Tauranga, Jordan Centre

  • More Info: Alpha

  • Cost: $$

Public Art Walks with Tauranga Art Gallery Director Sonya Korohina

  • When: Thu 31 Jul 2025, 12:00pm - 1:00pm

  • Where: Tauranga Waterfront, The Strand

  • More Info: ArtGallery

  • Cost: Free

Friday Fun Night at Baywave

  • When: Fri 01 Aug 2025, 6:30pm - 8:30pm

  • Where: Baywave, Corner Girven Road & Gloucester Road

  • More Info: FridayFun

  • Cost: $$

High Rollers and Low Morals

  • When: Fri 01 Aug 2025, 7:00pm - 11:00pm

  • Where: The Tauranga Club, 72 Devonport Road

  • More Info: HighRollers

  • Cost: $$

Blind emboss printing

  • When: Sat 02 Aug 2025, 10:00am - 1:00pm

  • Where: The Historic Village, Creative Community Campus, 17th Ave West

  • More Info: BlindEmoss

  • Cost: $$

Crochet for beginners

  • When: Sat 02 Aug 2025, 10:00am - 12:30pm

  • Where: The Historic Village, Creative Community Campus, 17th Ave West

  • More Info: Crochet

  • Cost: $$

Bonsai 101

  • When: Sun 03 Aug 2025, 9:00am - 12:00pm

  • Where: The Historic Village, Creative Community Campus, 17th Ave West

  • More Info: Bonsai101

  • Cost: $$

Bunnings NPC Rugby Bay of Plenty vs Tasman

  • When: Sun 03 Aug 2025, 10:00am - 4:00pm

  • Where: Wharepai Domain, 91 Cameron Road

  • More Info: NPCRugby

  • Cost: $$

Markets 🍔

The Little Big Markets Mount Maunganui

  • When: Sat 02 Aug 2025, 9:00am - 2:00pm

  • Where: Coronation Park, 230 Maunganui Road

  • More Info: LittleBigMarkets

  • Cost: Free

Tauranga Farmers Market

  • When: Saturday 02 August, 7:45am-12pm

  • Where: Tauranga Primary

  • More Info: FarmersMarket

  • Cost: Free

Pāpāmoa Community Market

  • When: Sunday 03 August, 8:30am-1pm

  • Where: Te Manawa ō Pāpāmoa School

  • More Info: Community

  • Cost: Free

Small Batch | Raw Mānuka Honey | Made in New Zealand
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Thanks, Scoopers!

That’s us for today, team.

If we missed something, hit our DMs. Got an event or story happening? We’re always keen to know what’s going down in our backyard.

If you liked this one, flick it to your mate who’s still glued to the PS5, might inspire them to touch grass this week.

Cash Drop Clue?
Still the same: Right in the guts of town.

Keep tabs on our Insta stories, and hit those notifications on so you don’t miss it.

Have an epic week 👊

— Storm
Tauranga Scoop