Windsor North School principal Debbie Dickson, with the help of teacher Maurita Ronald, former teacher aid Merilyn Dockerty and students Jack Sutherland and Laya Muangsri, uplifted a time capsule that had been buried in the school grounds since 1999.
School principal Debbie Dickson said it was a privilege to share that passage of time.
"There’s not that many times that you get to lift time capsules. . .so to get to be a guardian of history is a real honour," Ms Dickson said.
A buzzy bee soft toy and letters written by former principal Roger Stevenson and past student Morgan Robbie were some of the items retrieved from the plastic box.
Former class of 1999 student and current teacher Maurita Ronald (nee Dobbie) said the excitement when the time capsule was buried was huge.
The school’s 333 students shared a "moment of history and nostalgia" by attending the ceremony and then taking part in the burying of the next time capsule.
All 14 classes created mini time capsules made of PVC pipes in which the tamariki inserted letters and pictures of themselves.
Some of the students used AI technology to create pictures of their "future selves in 25 years".
The 2025 time capsule would be lifted in 2052 when the school celebrated its 175th anniversary.
Ms Dickson said there were lessons to be learnt from how the school did things in 1999 and that. . . as the current tumuaki (principal) she was humbled to be able to support the development of the tamariki.
"Back in 1999, it was about friendships, about being together and having each other’s back . . . [and] that was the most important thing — it was all about community," she said.
"We want to bring the community together, share the stories . . .show how valuable the stories are then transfer the stories on."
