Taita College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · State
- Year levels
- 9–13
- Total roll
- 348
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 188 Eastern Hutt Road, Taita, Lower Hutt
- Territorial authority
- Lower Hutt City
- Phone
- 04-5678728
- secretary@taita.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.taita.school.nz/
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Wellington Region
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
We try to keep uniform requirements to a minimum but in all cases the uniform is non-negotiable.
- 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
- To develop the resilience and skills needed to become productive and upstanding citizens
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
- music
The college offers a wide range of cultural activities including music, drama, dance and debating.
- drama
The college offers a wide range of cultural activities including music, drama, dance and debating.
- dance
The college offers a wide range of cultural activities including music, drama, dance and debating.
- debating
The college offers a wide range of cultural activities including music, drama, dance and debating.
- rugby
rugby,
- soccer
soccer,
- badminton
badminton,
- basketball
basketball,
- volleyball
volleyball,
- tennis
tennis,
- squash
squash,
- hockey
hockey,
- dragonboating
dragonboating and etc
- Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award
Taita College is a proud supporter of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award and encourages our year 10 students to begin this journey by participating in the Bronze section of the award.
- Senior A Netball
Senior A Netball,
- Senior Hockey
Senior Hockey,
- Boys Softball
Boys Softball,
- Senior Touch
Senior Touch,
- 1st XI Cricket
- 1st XI Football
- music
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 145
- Māori
- 146
- Pacific
- 155
- Asian
- 36
- MELAA
- 9
- Other
- 7
- 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 09 | 37 | 41 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 0 | 78 |
| Year 10 | 35 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 81 |
| Year 11 | 38 | 39 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 39 | 0 | 97 |
| Year 12 | 34 | 29 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 76 |
| Year 13+ | 18 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 51 |
| Total | 162 | 162 | 38 | 8 | 4 | 160 | 0 | 383 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 13 | 31 | 35 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 66 |
| Age 14 | 38 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 82 |
| Age 15 | 32 | 36 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 0 | 87 |
| Age 16 | 37 | 34 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 78 |
| Age 17 | 20 | 16 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 26 | 0 | 55 |
| Age 18 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| Age 19+ | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 162 | 162 | 38 | 8 | 4 | 160 | 0 | 383 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
71.8%
| Taita College | 71.8% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 90.8% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 88% |
| State: Not integrated | 83.6% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 77.8% |
|---|---|
| Male | 67.3% |
| Māori | 54.3% |
| Pacific | 86.2% |
| Asian | 85.7% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 74.2% |
| Total | 71.8% |
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
58.8%
| Taita College | 58.8% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 85.3% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 81% |
| State: Not integrated | 75.4% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 69.4% |
|---|---|
| Male | 51% |
| Māori | 45.7% |
| Pacific | 65.5% |
| Asian | 71.4% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 67.7% |
| Total | 58.8% |
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
49.4%
| Taita College | 49.4% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 68.6% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 61.8% |
| State: Not integrated | 55.2% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 61.1% |
|---|---|
| Male | 40.8% |
| Māori | 34.3% |
| Pacific | 55.2% |
| Asian | 71.4% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 58.1% |
| Total | 49.4% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
8.2%
| Taita College | 8.2% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 12.5% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 15.2% |
| State: Not integrated | 14.4% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 11.1% |
|---|---|
| Male | 6.1% |
| Māori | 8.6% |
| Pacific | 10.3% |
| Asian | 0% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 9.7% |
| Total | 8.2% |
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
62.4%
| Taita College | 62.4% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 88.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 83.5% |
| State: Not integrated | 81.4% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 66.7% |
|---|---|
| Male | 59.2% |
| Māori | 51.4% |
| Pacific | 65.5% |
| Asian | 85.7% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 64.5% |
| Total | 62.4% |
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
102.6%
| Taita College | 102.6% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 24.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 35.8% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 101.7% |
|---|---|
| Male | 103.4% |
| Māori | 126.6% |
| Pacific | 103.2% |
| Asian | 20% |
| Other | 83.9% |
| European/Pākehā | 95.3% |
| Total | 102.6% |
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
7.9%
| Taita College | 7.9% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 2.6% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 4% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 2.8% |
|---|---|
| Male | 12.4% |
| Māori | 8.8% |
| Pacific | 15.7% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 3.1% |
| Total | 7.9% |
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
3.2%
| Taita College | 3.2% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 0.9% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 6.1% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 7.6% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 3.2% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 520
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 25 January 1957
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
- 5
- Last reviewed
- 26 October 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (26 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 same report — the board assurance report of 26 October 2023 — 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 area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
the school needs to check a primary identity document and a secondary identity document, required for safety checking of workforce [Children’s Act 2014].
The board has since taken steps to address the area of non-compliance identified.
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 348 — 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.
November 2019
391
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 18 March 2020
August 2017
460
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 27 September 2017
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 26 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 11 months of the Education Review Office and Taita College 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
Taita College is coeducational secondary school, located in Lower Hutt. It provides learning for students from years 9 to 13. The college’s mission is to develop the resilience and skills students need to become productive and up-standing citizens and its vision is ‘ Tītiro whakarunga ki ngā puke | look upwards to the hills, aim high. At this time of this report, the college was undergoing change in its leadership team.
Taita College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
develop a progressive curriculum that offers diverse opportunities, including a Te Ao Māori lens through building on relationships, with a link to mana whenua and local iwi
focus on numeracy and literacy skills and achievement.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Taita College’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well implementation of the explicit teaching of literacy is achieving equitable outcomes for learners.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
the school has identified that many year 9 and 10 students need acceleration in literacy
to embed consistent, evidence-based practices for teaching literacy across the year 9 and 10 curriculum in order to support and accelerate student progress and achievement.
The school expects to see:
teachers deliberately selecting practices and strategies for the explicit teaching of literacy in their subject areas to improve student outcomes
systematic use of year 9 and 10 assessment data to inform planning and to evaluate the impact of this initiative
improved proficiency in literacy of year 9 and 10 students and equity in outcomes.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how well implementation of the explicit teaching of literacy is achieving equitable outcomes for learners:
strengthening links with other Kāhui Ako schools are leading to more consistent transition data to inform planning
embedded support systems monitor student progress and wellbeing, and identify those students’ needing acceleration in their learning
relevant pathways are strategically developed for individual students in collaboration with students and their whānau
sustained, equitable outcomes in NCEA for senior students.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
working with the Taita /Stokes Valley Kāhui Ako to strategically select appropriate assessment tools to monitor student progress in literacy across contributing schools and into year 9 and 10
targeted professional learning in literacy strategies to strengthen teachers’ capabilities and enable consistency across learning areas
continued data analysis to evaluate the impact of this initiative on student achievement and equity of outcomes.
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
26 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 5 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).