Omaio was officially opened in 1876 as the Omaio Native School.
In 1900 a great tragedy occurred when 16 children and 2 adults were drowned in the Motu river. The consequence of this saw the establishment of Maraenui School and a bridge constructed to cross the river.
Scholars of this school saw action during both the world wars and other conflicts particularly Asia. Omaio became a bilingual school during the early 1990s with a rumaki unit set up to cater for the Kohanga Reo graduants.
1996 and 1999 saw the planting progammes at both Otuwhare and Omaio. The present status of the school Te Reo Rumaki/ Total Immersion was acknowledged in the year 2002. Tokamaia was redesignated as the ICT - Library suite.
2004 - The schools first website was created in partnership with Torere and Maraenui.
2005 - A sunshade area has been built in front of Hapenui and Kokotaiki. The administration office has been relocated to Tokamaia.
Bus Transport is available for all of those children living outside a 1.6 km radius of the school. Parental permission is required for those children wishing to disembark at a stop other than the designated ones.
Manual Training at Te Kaha-This is a requirement for all Y.7 & 8 students. There is a set fee that covers all costs for the year. Children must be safety conscious at all times while undertaking manual training. They are also under the supervision of the host school personnel while at Manual. Suitable clothing and footwear must be worn. Stationery is also a requirement.
Trips and Camps-These require adult supervision with a specified adult child ratio. O.E.T.C trips and overnight camps also require a specific child adult ratio and must meet stringent safety and risk management requirements. Te Kura o Omaio utilises both the bush and seashore in this manner.
Our children can experience this environment within a different learning context.