Visit Kimi Ora Community School in the heart of Flaxmere and what you will see is something very different to just two years ago, when principal Matt O’Dowda started. The school was on the brink of closure. The roll had fallen from 300 to just 70 pupils and a Limited Statutory Manager was in place. The children were not making healthy food choices, were showing up late to class and getting into fights at lunch and break times. Now 140 children are enrolled and turn up to school eager to learn both in and out of the classroom, eat healthy food, tend to their school vege garden and most importantly, are active. Photo: A focus on Hauora has transformed the life of Kimi Ora Community School. Photo/Peter Tihema. For more on this and other great Hawke’s Bay stories go to hawkesbaytoday.co.nz Posted: 16 August 2018