Garin College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · State : Integrated
- Year levels
- 9–13
- Total roll
- 634
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 35 Champion Road, Richmond, Nelson
- Territorial authority
- Nelson City
- Phone
- 03-5439488
- achieve@garincollege.ac.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Nelson
What would the day look like?
The practical things this school states on its own website — the hours, the uniform, the term dates, and how children get there. These are the school’s own words, not the Ministry’s record and not ERO’s.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- School day starts
- 8.40am
| Bell times have school starting for students at 8.40 am and finishing at 3.10. |
- 8.40am
- School day ends
- 3.10pm
| Bell times have school starting for students at 8.40 am and finishing at 3.10. |
- 3.10pm
- Uniform
Not stated on the school’s website.
- Getting there
- "Garin Express" bus departing Clifton Terrace school at 7.55 am via the Wood, City Central Terminal, Waimea Road, Bishopdale and Stoke to Garin College, returning at 3.15 pm
Students from the Nelson City side of Garin board a “Garin Express” bus which departs Clifton Terrace school at 7.55 am and travels via the Wood, City Central Terminal, Waimea Road, Bishopdale, Stoke (Stoke Straight) to Garin. At 3.15 pm the Garin Express delivers students home essentially reversing the morning connections and routes. If students are using the bus they must fill out a bus users form and carry a bus ticket with them at all times. Bus Students using the Garin Express will purchase a Term Bus Pass from the college.
- "Garin Express" bus departing Clifton Terrace school at 7.55 am via the Wood, City Central Terminal, Waimea Road, Bishopdale and Stoke to Garin College, returning at 3.15 pm
- How to enrol
- https://www.garincollege.ac.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GarinEnrolmentForms_2026.pdf
To enrol at Garin College in 2026, please complete our [Enrolment pack.](https://www.garincollege.ac.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GarinEnrolmentForms_2026.pdf)
- https://www.garincollege.ac.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GarinEnrolmentForms_2026.pdf
What does the school say about itself?
Quoted, not summarised. Every school describes itself well, so this is here to be read as the school’s own case rather than as a finding — and a school that states nothing simply has no row.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- International students
- Accepted, as stated
We extend a welcome to students that are non-Catholic and to international students from across the world.
- Accepted, as stated
What is on offer beyond the classroom?
The sports, arts, clubs and groups this school names on its own website. Not a complete list of what any school offers, and not a count — a school that names more here has written more down, which is not the same as doing more.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- On offer
- Shakespeare Festival
Arts: Shakespeare Festival, Show Quest, Mahi Toi, etc
- Show Quest
Arts: Shakespeare Festival, Show Quest, Mahi Toi, etc
- O’Shea Shield
Service: O’Shea Shield, Catholic events, community service, etc
- Kapa Haka
Culture: Cultural Celebration Day, Matariki Hangi, Kapa Haka, Pasifika initiatives, etc
- Shakespeare Festival
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 545
- Māori
- 79
- Pacific
- 16
- Asian
- 91
- MELAA
- 12
- Other
- 4
- International
- 16
Roll by year level and age
Shown as context, not ranked, not compared to any average. As at 30 June 2026, from the same annual return as the roll count above.
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 09 | 18 | 4 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 115 | 1 | 139 |
| Year 10 | 25 | 5 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 132 | 0 | 152 |
| Year 11 | 14 | 3 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 114 | 3 | 126 |
| Year 12 | 16 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 122 | 6 | 139 |
| Year 13+ | 17 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 69 | 10 | 88 |
| Total | 90 | 16 | 67 | 10 | 3 | 552 | 20 | 644 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 13 | 16 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 88 | 1 | 102 |
| Age 14 | 21 | 5 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 131 | 0 | 154 |
| Age 15 | 16 | 4 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 106 | 1 | 120 |
| Age 16 | 16 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 123 | 5 | 136 |
| Age 17 | 20 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 88 | 5 | 104 |
| Age 18 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 24 |
| Age 19+ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Total | 90 | 16 | 67 | 10 | 3 | 552 | 20 | 644 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
89.3%
| Garin College | 89.3% |
|---|---|
| Nelson Region | 86.4% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 88% |
| State: Integrated | 95.8% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 96.3% |
|---|---|
| Male | 82.8% |
| Māori | 89.5% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | 100% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 88% |
| Total | 89.3% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 1 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with NCEA level 2 or above — 2025
80.4%
| Garin College | 80.4% |
|---|---|
| Nelson Region | 80.9% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 81% |
| State: Integrated | 92.1% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 87% |
|---|---|
| Male | 74.1% |
| Māori | 89.5% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | 85.7% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 80% |
| Total | 80.4% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 2 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with NCEA level 3 or above — 2025
52.7%
| Garin College | 52.7% |
|---|---|
| Nelson Region | 55.5% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 61.8% |
| State: Integrated | 77.7% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 70.4% |
|---|---|
| Male | 36.2% |
| Māori | 63.2% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | 57.1% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 53% |
| Total | 52.7% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
8%
| Garin College | 8% |
|---|---|
| Nelson Region | 16.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 15.2% |
| State: Integrated | 13.5% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 16.7% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 5.3% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | 14.3% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 9% |
| Total | 8% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison Vocational Pathway data (2023-2025)
Retention
Percentage staying until at least 17th birthday — 2025
78.6%
| Nelson Region | 80.1% |
|---|---|
| Garin College | 78.6% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 83.5% |
| State: Integrated | 91.1% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 92.6% |
|---|---|
| Male | 65.5% |
| Māori | 89.5% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | 71.4% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 78% |
| Total | 78.6% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison trend data (2023-2025)
— 2024
not reported
| Māori | not reported |
|---|---|
| Female | not reported |
| Male | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 1: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education one year after leaving school (2022-2024 leaver cohorts)
— 2023
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education two years after leaving school (2021-2023 leaver cohorts)
— 2024
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 1: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education one year after leaving school (2022-2024 leaver cohorts)
— 2023
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education two years after leaving school (2021-2023 leaver cohorts)
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
17.5%
| Garin College | 17.5% |
|---|---|
| Nelson Region | 49.5% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 35.8% |
| State : Integrated | 16.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 15.5% |
|---|---|
| Male | 19.4% |
| Māori | 12.9% |
| Pacific | 42.7% |
| Asian | 10% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 18.2% |
| Total | 17.5% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison stand-down rates data (2024)
Age-standardised suspension rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Garin College | 0% |
|---|---|
| Nelson Region | 4.9% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 4% |
| State : Integrated | 1.6% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison suspension rates data (2024)
Age-standardised exclusion rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Garin College | 0% |
|---|---|
| Nelson Region | 2.4% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 1.7% |
| State : Integrated | 0.5% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 429
- Boarding
- Yes
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Medium urban area
- Date opened
- 27 January 2002
The Equity Index is used by the Ministry to allocate equity funding. It describes the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, not how good the school is. How the Equity Index works
What did ERO find?
The Education Review Office reviews every school and publishes what it finds in full. We quote ERO’s report here, section by section, in ERO’s own words and order, and link to it. We do not summarise a report, pick a line out of one, or turn one into a score. How ERO reviews schools
- Reports ERO holds
- 5
- Last reviewed
- 7 February 2024
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (20 April 2023)
A board assurance statement is the board’s own account of whether it took all reasonable steps to meet its legal obligations, on the date shown. It is not ERO’s finding. ERO reports separately, in the same report, on any non-compliance it identified during that process.
The board assurance report of 20 April 2023 carries no actions-for-compliance section — the section ERO uses when it names non-compliance it identified. That is what this report contains; it is not ERO saying it found none. Other reports ERO holds for this school may say something different.
The roll ERO recorded, and when
ERO writes a roll into each report it publishes: a count taken for that report, on the day shown, by the review team that was there. The Ministry of Education’s current roll for this school is 634 — the figure at the top of this page, and the one to use for how big the school is now. These are a different measurement by a different body, so they will rarely agree, and a difference between them is not a change in the school.
September 2017
515
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 1 December 2017
This is one count taken for one report. It says what the roll was on that day, and nothing about how the roll has moved.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 20 April 2023 — “Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
Background
This Profile Report was written within 14 months of the Education Review Office and Garin College working in Te Ara Huarau , an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz
Context
Garin College is located in Nelson, Whakatū Te Tau Ihu , and provides education for learners in years 9 to 13. Opened in 2002, Garin College is a co-educational, state-integrated Catholic college. The college vision is that graduate students will be Christ-centred people of faith who action this through love and wisdom within their community. A stand-alone hostel is operated by the Garin College Hostel Trust.
Garin College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are promoting:
excellence in education, faith development, and high educational achievement outcomes for every learner
learner agency and wellbeing within a rich responsive curriculum to meet the needs of all learners.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Garin College’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the alignment of schoolwide processes to promote wellbeing and learner agency on enhancing year 9 learner outcomes over time.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
Garin College has identified year 9 as an important, formative time of education and life
The College believes their Catholic special character enables learners to develop agency, become contributors to the Wairua of Garin , attain their aspirations, and enjoy success within the context of their graduate profile for learners.
The school expects to see:
learners developing agency and efficacy for enhanced independence in learning
continued evaluation of inclusive practices, including a specific focus on Māori and Pacific, learners confidently expressing their sense of belonging, connection to Garin, their identities, languages, and cultures
the development of responsive support strategies within a localised curriculum to improve attendance and engagement
through professional growth, teachers using strategies and practices which work best for equity and excellence.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate the alignment of school-wide processes to promote wellbeing and learner agency on enhancing year 9 learner outcomes over time:
High expectations are the foundation of the graduate profile which is aspirational for learners.
Embedded values and programmes for wellbeing and pastoral care nurtures learners within an inclusive environment.
Established practices of gathering rich data, tracking achievement, monitoring and reporting on student achievement into, through and beyond the College.
Trust and confidence schoolwide to gather feedback and learn from each other for ongoing improvement.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
reviewing and exploring current learning initiatives through more effective use of data schoolwide to track improvement and highlight future priorities
seeking and developing further opportunities to connect with parents, caregivers, whanau, hapū and iwi to promote agency, inclusion and educational partnerships.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Kathy Lye Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern) Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
20 April 2023
About the School
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →
All 5 reports ERO holds for this school
ERO reviews a school every few years — around four years between reviews is the usual cycle — so an older date here reflects where a school sits in that cycle, not how it is doing.
Source: Education Review Office, CC BY 4.0.
Roll date: 30 June 2026 (2026).