Crest & Motto

At PNINS, we place great importance on our past, our present, and our future. We believe that our motto and our crest honour where we have come from, celebrate where we are now, and welcome where we are headed.

Our school motto is ‘Haere Ake Ra’, meaning; ‘Always Upwards’. This motto was suggested by historian James Cowan in 1940, and is worn by our school with pride.

Our school crest reflects the special character, culture, and uniqueness of PNINS.

Our crest is made up of the lamp and the wave. The lamp symbolises knowledge, and the lighting up of the path of learning. The wave represents the Manawatu River; a landmark that is very important to both Palmerston North and the Rangitane iwi.

Values

The Five Keys

Confidence   Persistence   Organisation   Resilience   Getting Along

Our five keys are a fundamental part of our identity. They provide a platform from which all other initiatives can grow. In order to further develop these keys in our students, we instil in them additional values, known as' 'The 12 Ways of Thinking'. These values support and nourish the central five keys. 

The ’12 Ways of Thinking’ include:

Accepting Myself; Taking Risks; Being Independent; I Can Do It; Giving Effort; Working Tough; Setting Goals; Planning My Time; Being Tolerant of Others; Thinking First; Playing by the Rules; and Social Responsibility (which includes the values of Caring, Doing Your Best, Freedom, Honesty, Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Understanding, Tolerance, and Inclusion).

PNINS has a strong academic focus. All children are encouraged and challenged to work hard to achieve their best. We aim to assist their progress and achievement at school by focusing on developing the following 'Five Keys to School Success';

Self Acceptance - making a mistake doesn't mean you are a bad person.
Risk Taking - it's good to try something new.
Independence - try new activities, and don't be afraid to speak up.

Optimism - even when things appear hard to do - believe that you can do it.
Giving Effort - the harder you try, the greater your success.
Working Tough - sometimes, to be successful, you have to do things that aren't easy.

Setting Goals - plan the steps you'll need to take in order to achieve your goals.
Planning Time - give yourself enough time to get the task done.

Keeping Perspective - as yourself - on a scale of 10, is it really that bad?
Staying Calm - maintaining your cool in the face of adversity.
Bouncing Back - even when things don't turn out the way you plan - choose to be positive.

Being Tolerant of Others - accept that everyone is different, and everyone makes mistakes.
Playing by the Rules - by following school expectations and playing by the rules, school will be a better and safer place in which to live and learn.
Thinking First - think before reacting - find different ways to resolve setbacks and conflicts.