Mairehau High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · State
- Year levels
- 9–13
- Total roll
- 410
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Hills Road, Christchurch
- Territorial authority
- Christchurch City
- Phone
- 03-3853145
- admin@mairehau.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Christchurch · schools in Canterbury
Can my child go here?
This school has an enrolment scheme, so a place is not open to every address. How enrolment zones work
Loading zone map…
Zone boundaries shown here are approximate. Ministry of Education data warns these boundaries do not have high spatial precision and can place neighbouring addresses on different sides of a line. This is not a confirmation of enrolment eligibility — always confirm directly with the school. Zone geometry also does not reflect enrolment priority rules (siblings, special character categories, ballots) — it shows the mapped boundary only.
Check if your address is in zone →
Source: Ministry of Education, CC BY 3.0 NZ
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
Student are expected to wear full, correct school uniform to and from school.
- Required
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
- Mairehau High School’s philosophy sees learning and well-being as two fundamental components that need to be in harmony for students to become engaged with learning and to achieve their full potential.
- Our pūtake or purpose as a school is for all students to value themselves and others, to know they can excel, and to reach their full potential.
- International students
- Accepted, as stated
You need to fill out an Enrolment Form and send it to the International Dean, Mrs Robertson.
- 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
- choir
Join in with the choir or start a band!
- orchestra
Take part in the orchestra and travel on music tour once a year to share your talents with others.
- production
Each year the school works towards a production to exhibit the talent of our ākonga.
- basketball
In winter we offer a variety of sports, ranging from basketball, badminton, football or netball.
- badminton
In winter we offer a variety of sports, ranging from basketball, badminton, football or netball.
- football
In winter we offer a variety of sports, ranging from basketball, badminton, football or netball.
- netball
In winter we offer a variety of sports, ranging from basketball, badminton, football or netball.
- volleyball
During the summer months students can participate in volleyball, tennis, touch, indoor football and indoor netball.
- tennis
During the summer months students can participate in volleyball, tennis, touch, indoor football and indoor netball.
- touch
During the summer months students can participate in volleyball, tennis, touch, indoor football and indoor netball.
- indoor football
During the summer months students can participate in volleyball, tennis, touch, indoor football and indoor netball.
- indoor netball
During the summer months students can participate in volleyball, tennis, touch, indoor football and indoor netball.
- choir
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 283
- Māori
- 104
- Pacific
- 35
- Asian
- 73
- MELAA
- 11
- Other
- 1
- International
- 2
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 | 30 | 9 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 70 | 0 | 97 |
| Year 10 | 33 | 13 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 87 | 1 | 127 |
| Year 11 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 51 | 0 | 77 |
| Year 12 | 15 | 6 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 69 |
| Year 13+ | 15 | 9 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 63 |
| Total | 104 | 46 | 83 | 16 | 3 | 273 | 2 | 433 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 13 | 25 | 4 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 57 | 0 | 79 |
| Age 14 | 28 | 14 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 77 | 1 | 109 |
| Age 15 | 19 | 12 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 65 | 0 | 96 |
| Age 16 | 12 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 66 |
| Age 17 | 17 | 7 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 53 |
| Age 18 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 21 |
| Age 19+ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| Total | 104 | 46 | 83 | 16 | 3 | 273 | 2 | 433 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
68.7%
| Mairehau High School | 68.7% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 87.1% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 88% |
| State: Not integrated | 83.6% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 71.8% |
|---|---|
| Male | 65.9% |
| Māori | 65.6% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | 100% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 53.2% |
| Total | 68.7% |
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
54.2%
| Mairehau High School | 54.2% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 79.6% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 81% |
| State: Not integrated | 75.4% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 56.4% |
|---|---|
| Male | 52.3% |
| Māori | 50% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | 92.9% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 40.4% |
| Total | 54.2% |
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
36.1%
| Mairehau High School | 36.1% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 59% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 61.8% |
| State: Not integrated | 55.2% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 41% |
|---|---|
| Male | 31.8% |
| Māori | 37.5% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | 71.4% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 25.5% |
| Total | 36.1% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
9.6%
| Mairehau High School | 9.6% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 13.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 15.2% |
| State: Not integrated | 14.4% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 15.4% |
|---|---|
| Male | 4.5% |
| Māori | 12.5% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | 7.1% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 8.5% |
| Total | 9.6% |
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
66.3%
| Mairehau High School | 66.3% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 83.6% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 83.5% |
| State: Not integrated | 81.4% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 64.1% |
|---|---|
| Male | 68.2% |
| Māori | 62.5% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | 92.9% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 48.9% |
| Total | 66.3% |
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
34%
| Mairehau High School | 34% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 38.3% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 35.8% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 30.7% |
|---|---|
| Male | 36.7% |
| Māori | 56.1% |
| Pacific | 13.9% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 49.7% |
| Total | 34% |
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
1.1%
| Mairehau High School | 1.1% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 3.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 4% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 2% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 1.7% |
| Total | 1.1% |
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
1.3%
| Mairehau High School | 1.3% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 1.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 2.4% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 1.9% |
| Total | 1.3% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 510
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 31 January 1961
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
- 3 October 2024
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (3 October 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 3 October 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 areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
policy is needed on reducing student distress and minimising use of physical restraint that has reference to the 2023 rules and guidelines and to make this available to the school community [Education and Training Act 2020, section 101]
ensuring every children’s worker is police vetted on appointment and every three years [Children’s Act 2014, sections 25,26 and 27]
ensuring that the board does not continue to employ in a teaching position, beyond 20 half days, a person who holds neither a practising certificate nor an authorisation. [Education and Training Act 2020 Section 93]
The board has since taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.
At the time of the board assurance process ERO found that the board policy and procedure framework needed further development and had not been regularly reviewed. The school has since taken steps to strengthen its framework and review processes.
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 410 — 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.
October 2019
338
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 5 June 2020
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 3 October 2024 — “School Evaluation Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
School Evaluation Report
Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.
We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.
Context
Mairehau High School , a small co-educational state secondary school for students in Years 9 to 13, is located in Christchurch. The school’s vision for learners is that they will value themselves and others and know they can excel and reach their potential. The school has a specialist classroom for students with ongoing resourcing funding and offers technology education for a number of contributing primary schools. It has undergone significant property development in recent years.
There are two parts to this report.
Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction.
Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
Part A: Current State
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
Learner Success and Wellbeing
Learning and engagement outcomes are variable and not well sustained over time.
Over recent years a majority of students have achieved National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Levels 1 and 2 with a smaller, more variable proportion achieving NCEA Level 3 and University Entrance (UE); in 2023, there was a significant drop in achievement at all three levels; there is disparity in the achievement of national qualifications for Māori learners; particularly in Levels 1 and 2.
Many students needing to make accelerated progress and achievement in literacy and numeracy are effectively supported to do so.
Disabled learners make good progress in their learning and other goals relevant to them and their families; they have high levels of participation across the school.
A significant proportion of learners are not attending school regularly and this is negatively impacting their achievement.
Conditions to support learner success
Leaders are developing school conditions to better support a relentless focus on school improvement goals.
Leaders foster an inclusive school culture that values diversity, is strengths-based and underpinned by equitable aspirations for the achievement, progress and wellbeing of all learners.
Some school systems, processes and practices for supporting attendance, engagement and achievement are not yet effectively or consistently implemented.
Leaders identify relevant school improvement goals; strengthening communication, planning and monitoring to ensure there is a relentless, school-wide focus on improvement is a priority.
Curriculum and teaching are increasingly responsive to the many different needs, aspirations and pathways of students.
Teachers know students well as individuals and learners; they adapt teaching practices to meet the needs of students and provide opportunities for collaborative learning, encouraging questioning and problem-solving.
Leaders and teachers are working toward establishing and sustaining shared understandings of effective, responsive and inclusive teaching to enhance engagement in learning.
Professional learning is increasingly supporting staff to deliver evidence-based interventions for students and to maintain learning-focussed environments where learning time is maximised.
Some school conditions need to be further developed to better support achievement of the school’s vision for learners and strategic goals.
The board, leaders and teachers recognise, affirm and value the many different abilities, identities, languages and cultures of their learners, they resource and deliver a range of programmes, and initiatives to reduce barriers to education and support access to learning.
Professional learning for teachers is aligned with school improvement goals and student needs; further work is needed to ensure it has the intended impact on curriculum and teaching practice and is well sustained.
Board, leaders and teachers use a range of evaluative evidence to plan and implement actions for improvement; more regular monitoring and reporting on progress against targets and indicators would better support strategic decision-making.
The board represents, serves and works with the school community to develop the school’s vision and strategic priorities; it is strengthening its framework of policies and procedures, along with processes for regular review, to better meet its legal and statutory requirements.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
strengthen planning for the implementation of school improvement strategies
identify appropriate measures and indicators to monitor the school’s progress towards its strategic goals to improve attendance, engagement and lift achievement
regularly review and evaluate the effectiveness of systems, processes and practices for monitoring, reporting on and responding to attendance, engagement and achievement
evaluate how well expectations and practices fostering positive behaviour for learning and behaviour management are supporting a learning-focussed environment.
ensure teachers have shared expectations for high quality, inclusive and responsive teaching practice and are well-supported to implement these across the school.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows:
Within six months:
establish implementation planning with appropriate measures and indicators and reporting timeframes to improve attendance, engagement and achievement
establish termly review to ensure that systems, processes and practices for monitoring, reporting on and responding to attendance, engagement and achievement are effective and providing useful information for the board and leaders to base decisions on
drawing on student, family and whānau and staff perspectives, review the school’s expectations for positive behaviour for learning and behaviour management and how well these are supporting a learning-focussed environment
identify key expectations for effective, inclusive and responsive teaching practice and begin to embed these in professional learning and growth processes.
Every six months:
report to the board on student attendance, engagement and achievement to identify trends and emerging needs and know about the effectiveness of strategies and interventions
ensure teachers have appropriate opportunities to share and reflect on the development of effective, inclusive and responsive teaching practice.
Annually:
evaluate areas of strength and the quality of teaching practice to inform planning for future professional learning for teachers
board and leaders to scrutinise student attendance, engagement and achievement information to know about the effective delivery of strategic goals and identify improvement priorities.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
improved student attendance, engagement and achievement at all levels
more cohesive action and performance against strategic goals
improved quality and consistency of teaching practices that are evidence-based, inclusive and responsive.
Recommendation to the Ministry of Education
ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education provide tailored support for the board to establish and implement agreed policies and processes which build a positive and safe culture for learning for students and staff.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
3 October 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).