Goldfields School (Paeroa)
Specialist School · State
- Year levels
- not reported
- Total roll
- 92
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 55 Norwood Road, Paeroa
- Territorial authority
- Hauraki District
- Phone
- 07-8627172
- accounts@gfs.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.gfs.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Waikato
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.
- Uniform
- Required
All Shorts and Skorts need to be navy
- Required
- Getting there
- School transport is provided by bus companies selected by Ministry of Education Transport. Students travelling on the buses and vans attend a range of schools around the district.
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.
- In their words
- Moemoeā/Vision Statement
- I te puāwaitanga o te harakeke, he rito whakakī whāruarua
- When the flax blossoms, its many offspring begin their journey
- (courtesy of Joe Nicholl)
- This whakataukī/proverb speaks of the passion and commitment of our kura/school to nurture and prepare our ākonga/students to achieve tino-rangatiratanga/live self-determined lives.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 57
- Māori
- 37
- Pacific
- 11
- Asian
- 11
- MELAA
- 0
- Other
- 1
- International
- 0
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 01 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
| Year 02 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 03 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 04 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 05 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 06 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 07 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 08 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| Year 09 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Year 12 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| Year 13+ | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 19 |
| Total | 41 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 52 | 0 | 93 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Age 06 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 07 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Age 08 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 09 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Age 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Age 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| Age 13 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 15 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 16 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 17 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 19+ | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| Total | 41 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 52 | 0 | 93 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
Too few to report
| Goldfields School (Paeroa) | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 84.2% |
| Specialist School | 12.7% |
| State: Not integrated | 83.6% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Not applicable |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | Too few to report |
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
Too few to report
| Waikato Region | 75.7% |
|---|---|
| Specialist School | 8% |
| Goldfields School (Paeroa) | Too few to report |
| State: Not integrated | 75.4% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Not applicable |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | Too few to report |
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
Too few to report
| Goldfields School (Paeroa) | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 51.3% |
| Specialist School | 1.8% |
| State: Not integrated | 55.2% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Not applicable |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | Too few to report |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
Too few to report
| Goldfields School (Paeroa) | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 15.1% |
| Specialist School | 0.7% |
| State: Not integrated | 14.4% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Not applicable |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | Too few to report |
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
Too few to report
| Goldfields School (Paeroa) | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 77.4% |
| Specialist School | 79.1% |
| State: Not integrated | 81.4% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Not applicable |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | Too few to report |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison trend data (2023-2025)
— 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)
— 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
46.6%
| Goldfields School (Paeroa) | 46.6% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 53.9% |
| Specialist School | 24.1% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 66.6% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 116.8% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 77.7% |
| Total | 46.6% |
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%
| Goldfields School (Paeroa) | 0% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 6.6% |
| Specialist School | 3.4% |
| State | 4.5% |
| 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%
| Goldfields School (Paeroa) | 0% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 2.4% |
| Specialist School | 1.8% |
| State | 1.9% |
| 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)
- 518
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Small urban area
- Date opened
- 2 February 1965
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
- 4
- Last reviewed
- 2 April 2024
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (2 April 2024)
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 same report — the board assurance report of 2 April 2024 — also sets out actions for compliance: the non-compliance ERO identified during that process. This is that section of the report in full, in ERO’s words.
ERO has identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
completion of a risk assessment as part of workforce safety checking [Children’s Act 2014 - Safety Checking of Workforce].
The board has since addressed the area of non-compliance identified.
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 92 — 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.
March 2018
64
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 14 May 2018
October 2013
59
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 11 December 2013
We draw no line between these. Each was counted for its own report, years apart, by a different review team, and a roll moves between reviews for reasons none of these figures record — so the difference between any two of them measures nothing.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 2 April 2024 — “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 6 months of the Education Review Office and Goldfields School ( Paeroa ) 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
This report is part of a nationally coordinated evaluation of 27-day specialist schools during the second half of 2023. This included the development of day specialist school evaluation indicators by ERO with significant input from principals, staff and the Special Education Principals’ Association of New Zealand (SEPAnz).
Context
Goldfields School in Paeroa is a specialist school dedicated to meeting the unique learning needs of students aged from 5 to 21 years. All students have Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding. Students learn across a range of settings, including four classes at the base school, a transition unit for older students at the base school, and five satellite classes in four host schools.
Specialist therapy services such as speech language therapists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, support students’ wellbeing and access to learning through a transdisciplinary approach.
The school continues to navigate and manage roll growth pressures along with the employment and property demands associated with this.
The whakatauki ‘ He mahitahi ’ - working together, guides staff to work collaboratively to strengthen the school through partnerships. The school’s vision is ‘ i te puāwaitanga o te harakeke , he ritowhakaki whāruarua ’ - when the flax blossoms, its many offspring begin their journey.
The school’s values that underpin and guide the holistic wrap around care and nurturing for tamariki , rangatahi and their whānau , are:
kotahitanga – unity in everything we do
kaitiakitanga – protect and uphold the rights, needs and aspirations of ākonga (learners)
whanaungatanga – develop and nurture relationships within the school and community
manaakitanga – support and enhance the hauora (wellbeing) of ākonga
Goldfields School ( Paeroa ) ’s strategic priority for improving outcomes for learners is:
for students to be nurtured and prepared to achieve tino rangatiratanga and live self-determined lives through:
he pito mata nō te ākonga ake – personalised learning
hapori – community
Te Tiriti o Waitangi – the Treaty of Waitangi
hauora – wellbeing.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Goldfields School ( Paeroa ) website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate to what extent school systems, processes and practices are reflecting Te Tiriti o Waitangi and respond to growth to sustain positive learning and wellbeing outcomes for their unique ākonga .
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:
ensure the school has a well-planned and strategic approach to growth and ongoing improvement by:
continuing to build and grow leadership and staff capability
responding to whānau and kaimahi voice.
The school expects to see:
shared understanding of what effective leadership looks like across the school
a collaborative leadership team responsive to ongoing changes in a complex environment
cohesion and consistency of practices across the school
systems and processes to support productive engagement with whānau Māori .
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate to what extent school systems, processes and practices are reflecting te Tiriti o Waitangi , and responding to growth, to sustain positive learning and wellbeing outcomes for their unique ākonga .
Systems and processes that effectively identify and respond to the holistic needs of learners and their whānau .
Well-established systems and process set strategic priorities and aligning key conditions within a culture for school improvement.
Leadership that fosters innovative solutions to sustain improved outcomes for learners.
Staff consistently demonstrate and enact high expectations for learners and their success.
Transdisciplinary knowledge of learners that is consistently evident in planning for learning.
Staff consistently demonstrate and enact high expectations for learners and their success.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
schoolwide professional learning and development focused on leading by learning
evaluating how well the school vision and values are evident in practice and contribute to a positive school culture through developing an evidence base from a survey and other tools
developing a shared understanding of what a positive school culture looks like.
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.
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
2 April 2024
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 4 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).