Tai Tapu School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 269
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 1 School Road, Tai Tapu
- Territorial authority
- Selwyn District
- Phone
- 03-3296796
- general@taitapu.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.taitapu.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: 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.
- Term dates
- Term 1, 2026: Monday, 2nd February - Thurs 2nd April
Term 1 Monday, 2nd February - Thurs 2nd April
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 2, 2026: Monday 20th April - Friday 3rd July
Term 2 Monday 20th April - Friday 3rd July
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 3, 2026: Monday 20th July - Friday 25th September
Term 3 Monday 20th July - Friday 25th September
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 4, 2026: Monday 12th October - Wednesday 16th December @ 12 pm
Term 4 Monday 12th October - Wednesday 16th December @ 12 pm
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 1, 2026: Monday, 2nd February - Thurs 2nd April
- Getting there
- Three bus runs: the Otahuna Loop (North Bus), Gebbies Valley (East Bus) and the Greenpark area (South Bus)
There are three bus runs in the community. One is local and heads around the Otahuna Loop (North Bus). The second bus run heads to Gebbies Valley (East Bus) and the third bus run travels around the Greenpark area(South bus)..
- Three bus runs: the Otahuna Loop (North Bus), Gebbies Valley (East Bus) and the Greenpark area (South Bus)
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 252
- Māori
- 39
- Pacific
- 5
- Asian
- 7
- MELAA
- 8
- 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 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 34 |
| Year 02 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 37 |
| Year 03 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 37 |
| Year 04 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 39 |
| Year 05 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 27 |
| Year 06 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 27 |
| Year 07 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 32 |
| Year 08 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 28 |
| Total | 26 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 244 | 0 | 261 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 29 |
| Age 06 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 37 |
| Age 07 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 37 |
| Age 08 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 38 |
| Age 09 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 30 |
| Age 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 27 |
| Age 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 22 |
| Age 12 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 30 |
| Age 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 11 |
| Total | 26 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 244 | 0 | 261 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
78.6%
| Tai Tapu School | 78.6% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 38.3% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 140% |
| Māori | 482.9% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 84% |
| Total | 78.6% |
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%
| Tai Tapu School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 3.7% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| 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%
| Tai Tapu School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 1.7% |
| 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)
- 400
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural settlement
- Date opened
- 25 January 1867
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
- 30 October 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (30 October 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 30 October 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 269 — 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.
May 2017
269
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 30 August 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 October 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 10 months of the Education Review Office and Tai Tapu School 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
Tai Tapu School is a full primary school, located in Canterbury’s Selwyn District. It provides education for learners in years 1 to 8. The school’s vision is ‘making a difference to self, others, and environment’ and its values are manaaki | respect, māia | courage, tipu | growth, and hononga | connection. A new principal has led the school since October 2019.
Tai Tapu School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
a high-quality local curriculum which promotes equity, ownership, and high aspirations for all
that its plan is wrapped with the cloak of hauora | wellbeing for all and mana ōrite | all actions must provide equal value to all learners.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Tai Tapu School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the impact of its refreshed curriculum on ākonga engagement and achievement outcomes.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is the school:
has identified that Mātauranga Māori could be better incorporated across the curriculum
is focused on growing agency so that students can demonstrate ownership, control, and responsibility for themselves and their learning.
The school expects to see:
Mātauranga Māori incorporated across the curriculum relevant to its context, iwi , and whānau
students confidently demonstrating ownership, control, and responsibility for themselves and their learning.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the impact of its refreshed curriculum on ākonga engagement and achievement outcomes:
the school’s curriculum and student achievement plan provide evidence-based approaches which monitor student progress, achievement and inform learning programmes
collaboration between teachers led to the development of an agreed definition of student agency in this school
consultation with students, staff, Board, and community formed the school’s vision and values which underpin learning, culture, community partnerships, and review.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
further consultation with whānau Māori and tangata whenua to inform curriculum relevance and planning
growing agency so students have ownership, control, and take responsibility for themselves and their learning
strengthening internal evaluation to measure the impact of changes across academic learning, school culture, people, tools and resources, teaching, and leadership.
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
30 October 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 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).