St Mary's School (Hokitika)
Full Primary · State : Integrated
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 137
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 87 Sewell Street, Hokitika
- Territorial authority
- Westland District
- Phone
- 03-7556133
- office@stmaryshok.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in West Coast
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
Students are expected to have clean well pressed uniforms.
- 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.
- Special character
- Christian values permeate the whole life of the school, including daily prayer and regular opportunities to attend School Mass. As part of the partnership between parish and school communities we have regular visits from our Parish Priest to support our Religious Education teaching.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 83
- Māori
- 34
- Pacific
- 9
- Asian
- 24
- MELAA
- 3
- Other
- 0
- 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 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 25 |
| Year 02 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 17 |
| Year 03 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 15 |
| Year 04 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| Year 05 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 15 |
| Year 06 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 07 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 18 |
| Year 08 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 11 |
| Total | 23 | 4 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 76 | 0 | 125 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 22 |
| Age 06 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 18 |
| Age 07 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 11 |
| Age 08 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 19 |
| Age 09 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 15 |
| Age 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 11 |
| Age 11 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 15 |
| Age 12 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 11 |
| Age 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 23 | 4 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 76 | 0 | 125 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
43.3%
| St Mary's School (Hokitika) | 43.3% |
|---|---|
| West Coast Region | 76.2% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State : Integrated | 16.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 56.9% |
|---|---|
| Male | 25.2% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 60.6% |
| Total | 43.3% |
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%
| St Mary's School (Hokitika) | 0% |
|---|---|
| West Coast Region | 4.5% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| 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%
| St Mary's School (Hokitika) | 0% |
|---|---|
| West Coast Region | 2% |
| Full Primary | 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)
- 442
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Small urban area
- Date opened
- 25 January 1866
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
- 20 June 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (20 June 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 June 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 137 — 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.
December 2017
167
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 19 February 2018
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 June 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 12 months of the Education Review Office and St Mary’s School ( Hokitika ) 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
St Mary’s School ( Hokitika ) is a Year 1 to 8 integrated Catholic school located in Hokitika . The school vision states that students will be “leading, loving and learning in the heart of the community.” The school’s virtues are Integrity, Service, Faith, and Aroha .
St Mary’s School ( Hokitika )’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
revisit the local school curriculum to ensure it is still relevant and fit for purpose for all learners
investigate the school’s inclusivity and connectedness to te Tiriti of Waitangi
ensure that formative assessment tools are effective in meeting the needs of the teachers and the learning need of learners
provide students with a faith-based learning environment so all students feel valued and engage positively in all learning and sporting opportunities.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on St Mary’s School ( Hokitika )’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s localised curriculum with a specific focus on the integration of science, social sciences, te reo and tikanga Māori and technology.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that whilst student achievement is generally positive, there are some groups of learners who have been identified as needing further support. Senior leaders want to ensure the curriculum is still up to date, meaningful, relevant and is meeting the needs of all learners.
The school expects to see learners achieving strong outcomes across the curriculum and teachers capability improved through the use of ‘spiral learning inquires’ focused on learner progress and achievement.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to ensure the curriculum is relevant and meaningful to all learners:
the school’s Catholic character is the foundation for all decision making and guides teaching and learning well
experienced staff collaborate well to extend relevant and meaningful learning opportunities and experiences for all students
whānau and wider community support, with leadership from the board that enables broader learning opportunities for all learners.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
strengthening knowledge and use of evaluation schoolwide to inform improvement
designing and undertaking a review of the curriculum to know the impact changes are having on the progress and achievement of all students.
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
20 June 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 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).