Papakowhai School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 469
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Spey Place, Papakowhai, Porirua
- Territorial authority
- Porirua City
- Phone
- 04-2338321
- office@papakowhai.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Wellington Region
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
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 339
- Māori
- 54
- Pacific
- 46
- Asian
- 121
- MELAA
- 23
- 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 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 48 |
| Year 02 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 59 |
| Year 03 | 8 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 63 |
| Year 04 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 48 |
| Year 05 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 48 | 0 | 66 |
| Year 06 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 59 | 0 | 73 |
| Year 07 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 48 | 0 | 62 |
| Year 08 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 70 |
| Total | 51 | 47 | 121 | 30 | 1 | 353 | 0 | 489 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 45 |
| Age 06 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 57 |
| Age 07 | 10 | 11 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 46 | 0 | 66 |
| Age 08 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 49 |
| Age 09 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 48 | 0 | 67 |
| Age 10 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 59 | 0 | 73 |
| Age 11 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 47 |
| Age 12 | 7 | 3 | 19 | 10 | 0 | 50 | 0 | 74 |
| Age 13 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 11 |
| Total | 51 | 47 | 121 | 30 | 1 | 353 | 0 | 489 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
14.9%
| Papakowhai School | 14.9% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 24.7% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 28.8% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 19.4% |
| Total | 14.9% |
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
4.3%
| Papakowhai School | 4.3% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 2.6% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 8.4% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 5.6% |
| Total | 4.3% |
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%
| Papakowhai School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 0.9% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| 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)
- 387
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Large urban area
- Date opened
- 1 February 1976
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
- 3
- Last reviewed
- 30 September 2024
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (30 September 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 30 September 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 469 — 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 2017
425
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 7 June 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 30 September 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.
It is intended that this report is a collaborative effort between the Evaluation Partner and the school evaluation team. It is important to remember that this is ERO’s report. ERO makes the final decision about the contents of this report.
Context
Papakowhai School is in Porirua , Wellington and provides education for students from Years 1 to 8. The school vision, Growing Together – Igniting Potential , is underpinned by the school values of excellence, fairness, whakawhanaunatanga and manaakitanga .
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
Learners are successfully engaged and achievement is increasingly equitable and excellent.
Almost all students are achieving at or above curriculum expectations.
Pacific students are achieving at a higher level than their peers in reading; Māori and Pacific students are achieving as well as their peers in mathematics.
Ongoing improvements in teaching practice is reducing disparity in reading and writing outcomes for Māori students; leaders continue to prioritise responsive strategies to accelerate learning.
Most students attend school regularly; the school is meeting Ministry of Education target.
Conditions to support learner success
Collaborative leadership effectively use a range of evidence to monitor the impact of strategic goals.
Leaders have high expectations, they promote effective teaching and learning opportunities that enable students to progress and improve achievement.
Leadership effectively evaluates the impact of strategies to improve learning, engagement and wellbeing, targeting learners at risk of underachieving and implementing initiatives to respond.
Leadership regularly gathers and analyses student, parent and whānau voice to inform strategic actions.
Effective teaching and learning reflect learners’ strengths, needs and interests, building on existing knowledge and skills to promote progress.
Teachers collaboratively develop learning programmes that have clear expectations and outcomes for learners.
Almost all students make progress through challenging and relevant learning experiences in a well-planned local curriculum.
English Second Language Learners (ESOL) and students with additional needs are well supported to access learning and make progress; students’ progress and achievement is consistently tracked and monitored.
Embedded systems, structures and practices promote effective conditions for teaching and learning.
Information about students is used in a coherent and strategic manner to progress and monitor actions for improvement.
Leaders and teachers use an appropriate range of learning and wellbeing strategies to support students’ progress and achievement in learning.
Teachers and students increasingly use te reo Māori , tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori ; leaders have identified this as a priority in strategic planning.
Inclusive environments effectively promote engagement and support students participation in learning.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
Continue to strengthen schoolwide evidenced-based strategies to guide responsive teaching practice to meet the needs for learner’s progress, achievement and wellbeing
continue to strengthen the use of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori across the school.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
implement schoolwide professional development to strengthen a range of effective learning and wellbeing strategies
evaluate the effectiveness of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori learning across the school to identify areas for improvement
Every six months:
gather, review and respond to student, parents and whānau voice to strengthen partnerships in learning and wellbeing to know the impact of professional development
evaluate te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori teaching and learning practices using observations, teacher and student reflections.
Annually:
analyse and report student progress, achievement and wellbeing information to the board and school community and use this to plan further improvement actions
identify successful strategies that accelerate learner progress and promote learner well-being to embed consistent school-wide practices
review the use of te reo, tikanga and mātauranga Māori learning across the school to plan strategic actions.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
sustained high levels of attendance and achievement
continued effective schoolwide use of a variety of evidenced-based strategies so that the needs of all students are met; disparity is reduced
strengthened capability of staff and students in te reo, tikanga and 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
30 September 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 3 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).