Kimi ora is Maori for "seeking well-being in health" or "to be made whole".

Kimi Ora Specialist School caters for High and Very high special needs pupils of primary and secondary school age to adulthood, or ages 5 to 21, and draws pupils from the Wellington region, up to the Kapiti Coast and the Hutt Valley.

The school had been located in Thorndon for nearly 60 years before it was decided to leave the area in 2011 allowing it to increase its roll.

The move allowed Kimi Ora to increase its roll from 35 to 40 students (22 at Naenae and 18 at Evans Bay).

In the beginning of 2011 the new Kimi Ora Base School was opened next to the existing intermediate schools in Naenae (Lower Hutt) and a satellite unit in Evans Bay (Kilbirnie).