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\nTauranga Primary School pranked students that the school was for sale. Photo \/ Tauranga Primary School<\/p>\n
A primary school in Tauranga with a tradition of April Fool\u2019s pranks knocked this year\u2019s occasion out of the park.<\/p>\n
Tauranga Primary School displayed for sale signs on its fence, auctioning \u201c500+ awesome kids, premium playground facilities, highly skilled teaching team, a strong community and learning environment\u201d.<\/p>\n
Bonus features included a swimming pool with a diving platform, a sports field for future All Blacks in training, and an extensive lost property collection.<\/p>\n
Principal Fiona Hawes collaborated with First National real estate agent Cameron Hooper to pull off the prank.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had the signs made, and I set the scene.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hawes said she emailed parents about the signs going up.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome parents were on to us from the start, but others were well and truly sold. It turns out we\u2019ve got some very convincing storytellers on staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nTauranga Primary School pranked students that the school was for sale. Photo \/ Tauranga Primary School<\/p>\n
She said it got the kids thinking and asking questions \u2013 a really good skill to have.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy lunchtime, we let everyone off the hook.\u201d<\/p>\n
This was not Tauranga Primary School\u2019s first April Fool\u2019s Day rodeo.<\/p>\n
Hawes said five years ago, she told the students Jacinda Ardern was visiting the school, and the grass on the field had to be no higher than two centimetres.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had the whole school out there with rulers and scissors, cutting the grass to two centimetres.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said they trimmed a fair bit of the field.<\/p>\n
Previous pranks also included promising a brownie prize, then cutting e\u2019s out of brown paper, and an iPad competition, where the reward was a picture of an eye on a pad.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose moments of shared humour really help strengthen relationships across the school and the community,\u201d Hawes said.<\/p>\n
Firefighters and councils across the Bay of Plenty also pulled out all the stops for April Fool\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n
Top four April Fool\u2019s Day pranks in the Bay of Plenty<\/p>\n
Freshwater snapper<\/p>\n
Gibbos Fresh Fish in Whakat\u0101ne announced the addition of freshwater snapper to its supply.<\/p>\n
Its Facebook post read: \u201cThanks to a breakthrough and a very advanced breeding programme, snapper have officially adapted to freshwater conditions and the crystal-clear waters in Lake Rotom\u0101\u201d.<\/p>\n
Motorised response<\/p>\n
P\u0101p\u0101moa Volunteer Fire Brigade said it had added two additions to its fleet of response vehicles on Facebook.<\/p>\n
A single-person response unit (SPRU) e-scooter, allowing firefighters to respond quickly and avoid traffic congestion, and a motorcycle for open-road incidents outside of town.<\/p>\n
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\nP\u0101p\u0101moa Volunteer Fire Brigade joked they added e-scooters to its fleet of response vehicles. Photo \/ P\u0101p\u0101moa Volunteer Fire Brigade<\/p>\n
Going green<\/p>\n
Whakat\u0101ne District Council told the community of its new \u201cEco Grazing Team\u201d on Facebook to keep grass levels in check and reduce emissions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going fully goat-powered,\u201d the post said.<\/p>\n
![\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TGZJ4B2XQFAN7PSC7FXUBFO334.jpg\")
\nWhakat\u0101ne District Council added goats to its maintenance crew for April Fool’s Day. Photo \/ Whakat\u0101ne District Council<\/p>\n
A fishy discovery<\/p>\n
An increase in \u201cNemos found conducting unsupervised laps\u201d meant all goldfish needed to be registered with the Rotorua Lakes Council.<\/p>\n
The council\u2019s Facebook post asked goldfish owners to submit a passport-sized photo of their fish; provide the fish\u2019s legal name, date of birth, favourite flake flavour, and swimming style; and pay a small fee of one shiny seashell.<\/p>\n