New Zealand's largest private education provider has just celebrated 20 years – and has pinpointed Tauranga as an area for investment in the future.

Academic Colleges Group (ACG) has been something of an international success story – and ACG Tauranga, which opened last month, is the first place in New Zealand outside Auckland to open a comprehensive new pre-school to senior school.

ACG Tauranga principal Chris Cottell-Mayhew with some of the students. Photo: Supplied.

ACG Development Manager, Barbara Burns, says Tauranga was the obvious choice as they looked to expand their New Zealand school division beyond Auckland.

'The Tauranga area did not previously offer an independent secular school in which students could experience seamless education from pre-school to Year 13,” says Barbara.

'ACG Tauranga is also the only school in Tauranga totally based on the Cambridge Curriculum, starting from primary school.

'Combine those factors with the fact that Tauranga is one of the fastest growing areas in New Zealand, and it was a clear choice.

'New businesses such as Brother establishing offices in Tauranga, and the growth of the Port of Tauranga, are all bringing more families to the area, and ACG Tauranga offers another choice for their schooling.

'Additionally, parents who previously opted to send their children to independent schools outside the area now have the option to keep them at home.”

With enrolments from as far away as Rotorua and Waihi, ACG Tauranga appears to be meeting a need in the wider Bay of Plenty region. The school, which is co-educational and secular, opened with Years 1-9 and will increase incrementally to reach Year 13 in 2019.

Principal, Mrs Chris Cottell-Mayhew says student achievement is a key to ACG's success.

'Students across the ACG schools achieved a 100 per cent pass rate in the 2014 Cambridge A-Level examinations,” says Chris. 'This is a tremendous result and reflects our quality of teaching and learning.

'ACG Tauranga focuses on superior education practice: small classes, one-on-one education, and three-way communication between students, staff and parents.

'Constant reviewing and monitoring of progress is a key component of ACG schools. All students are challenged to set goals for themselves, and teachers work with each student to achieve success.”

With the addition of the Tauranga site, ACG now own and operate 12 schools, preschools and tertiary colleges in New Zealand, plus one in Vietnam and one in Indonesia.