A call has gone out to establish an "Apanui Army" after the Whakatāne school's senior playground was destroyed by fire earlier this month.
School principal Simon Akroyd said the focus on rebuilding the playground, dubbed Operation Phoenix, was keeping a zero budget so there was "little-to-no financial hardship" for the school.
The plan was to complete Operation Phoenix in 30 days.
"I've been blown away by the way the kids, their whānau, local businesses and the wider community have put their hands up to help put things right again," Akroyd said.