Moanataiari School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 126
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 101 Kuranui Street, Moanataiari, Thames
- Territorial authority
- Thames-Coromandel District
- Phone
- 07-8686504
- office@moana.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.moana.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 students must wear the school uniform.
- Required
- Term dates
- Term 1, 2025: 30/01/2025 – 11/04/2025
1 | 30/01/2025 | 10/03/2025 | 11/04/2025
- Term 2, 2025: 28/4/2025 – 27/06/2025
2 | 28/4/2025 | 26/05/2025 | 27/06/2025
- Term 3, 2025: 14/07/2025 – 19/09/2025
3 | 14/07/2025 | 18/08/2025 | 19/09/2025
- Term 4, 2025: 06/10/2025 – TBC
4 | 06/10/2025 | 10/11/2025 | TBC
- Term 1, 2025: 30/01/2025 – 11/04/2025
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
- cross country
Term 3 is cross country which is held in the school grounds for the juniors and around the perimeter of the school and Moanataiari sea wall for the older students.
- netball
We encourage students to join our school netball and football teams to compete in the inter-school fun day competition.
- football
We encourage students to join our school netball and football teams to compete in the inter-school fun day competition.
- Thames Gymfest
We enter a large team of students into the Thames Gymfest competition.
- athletics
Term 4 has a focus on athletics.
- touch
Also in term 4, we enter touch teams into the local Thursday night youth competition.
- cricket
This term, we also have cricket experts come in to coach us, and we offer students opportunities to join teams.
- Sista Smash
We enter a girls team into the Sista Smash competition.
- Thames Valley Tennis Championships
We also encourage students to enter into the Thames Valley Tennis Championships, which can lead to opportunities to play at the Waikato Championships
- basketball
Other activities are held such as basketball, tennis, court exercises, Jump Jam, cricket, netball and futsal.
- tennis
Other activities are held such as basketball, tennis, court exercises, Jump Jam, cricket, netball and futsal.
- court exercises
Other activities are held such as basketball, tennis, court exercises, Jump Jam, cricket, netball and futsal.
- Jump Jam
Other activities are held such as basketball, tennis, court exercises, Jump Jam, cricket, netball and futsal.
- futsal
Other activities are held such as basketball, tennis, court exercises, Jump Jam, cricket, netball and futsal.
- cross country
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 88
- Māori
- 38
- Pacific
- 12
- Asian
- 25
- MELAA
- 8
- 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 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 24 |
| Year 02 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 15 |
| Year 03 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 15 |
| Year 04 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 19 |
| Year 05 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 18 |
| Year 06 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Year 07 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 22 |
| Year 08 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 19 |
| Total | 48 | 9 | 32 | 8 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 142 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 18 |
| Age 06 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| Age 07 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 18 |
| Age 08 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 18 |
| Age 09 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 18 |
| Age 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Age 11 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 19 |
| Age 12 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 19 |
| Age 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 48 | 9 | 32 | 8 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 142 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
95%
| Moanataiari School | 95% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 53.9% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 212% |
| Māori | 26.9% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 118.4% |
| Other | 142.8% |
| European/Pākehā | 89.7% |
| Total | 95% |
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
12%
| Moanataiari School | 12% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 6.6% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 25.9% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 55% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 12% |
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
12.3%
| Moanataiari School | 12.3% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 2.4% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 26.5% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 58.3% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 12.3% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 465
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Small urban area
- Date opened
- 13 February 1972
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
- 20 August 2024
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (20 August 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 board assurance report of 20 August 2024 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 126 — 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.
August 2019
198
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 24 September 2019
May 2018
212
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 20 July 2018
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 20 August 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
Moanataiari School is located in Thames and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school’s vision and purpose are to provide learners with opportunities to develop their identities, learning competencies and resilience.
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, including any education in Rumaki /bilingual settings.
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
Achievement outcomes are improving for the majority of learners.
The majority of students achieve at the expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics; the school has some disparity to address for Māori students in these learning areas.
More than half of learners who require additional support make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics through individualised learning plans.
The majority of learners attend school regularly; school data correlates underachievement with irregular attendance and a range of strategies are in place to support whānau and students where attendance is a concern.
Conditions to support learner success
Leadership demonstrates a strong commitment to school improvement.
Leaders and teachers continually prioritise the improvement of student learning and outcomes through the school’s strategic planning and resourcing.
Leadership sets and implements a manageable number of clear improvement goals, including accelerating the progress of those learners at risk of underachievement.
Leaders and teachers build positive relationships with other education providers and community groups to increase student opportunities for learning and success.
Learners experience a broad, localised curriculum within positive and inclusive learning environments.
Teachers implement relevant teaching and learning plans that support student progress in literacy and mathematics.
Students have orderly classes where respect between learners and teachers is evident, and clear expectations result in calm learning environments.
Teachers increasingly integrate tikanga Māori, te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori within localised learning contexts and in the wider life of the school.
Key conditions, including board governance, assessment practices and staff collaboration, underpin a positive learning environment for learners.
The board, leaders and teachers analyse and use relevant assessment information well to inform decision making and actions that improve outcomes for learners.
Staff have well-considered professional development opportunities that support the school’s strategic goals and learner progress and wellbeing outcomes.
A school-wide culture of collaboration enables leadership and teachers to reflect on their practice, evaluate the impact on learner outcomes and respond through action.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
integrate a structured literacy approach to improve reading and writing outcomes for all learners, with a particular focus on Māori learners
provide learners with strategies to manage and sustain their wellbeing and monitor and report on the impact on outcomes
continue to work with parents and whānau whose children attend irregularly to understand how this impacts on progress and achievement
strengthen te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori within the school’s curriculum so that staff and students actively give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi .
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
provide professional development for staff in the structured literacy approach and integrate this into existing teaching plans and the local curriculum
continue to implement and review attendance and wellbeing initiatives so that staff respond to learners’ needs in a timely way
with the school community, plan to support the development of te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori , including the further integration of Aotearoa New Zealand histories within the local curriculum
Annually:
review and report to the board on student progress and achievement in reading and writing to refine literacy teaching approaches
evaluate, using a range of evidence, and report on the impact of attendance and wellbeing initiatives on student engagement and progress
evaluate the impact of the school curriculum in promoting mātauranga Māori and confidence in te reo Māori for teachers and learners.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
increasingly excellent and equitable outcomes in reading and writing, particularly for Māori learners
well attending and engaged learners who demonstrate useful strategies to manage their wellbeing and challenges
learners and teachers develop confidence in their use of te reo Māori and knowledge of mātauranga Māori .
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
20 August 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).