Te Waka Unua School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 494
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 476 Ferry Road, Woolston, Christchurch
- Territorial authority
- Christchurch City
- Phone
- 03-3899305
- office@tewaka.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.tewaka.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Christchurch · 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
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 192
- Māori
- 222
- Pacific
- 105
- Asian
- 81
- MELAA
- 16
- Other
- 3
- 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 | 33 | 15 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 80 |
| Year 02 | 24 | 12 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 58 |
| Year 03 | 23 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 55 |
| Year 04 | 30 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 58 |
| Year 05 | 25 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 61 |
| Year 06 | 23 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 56 |
| Year 07 | 40 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 69 |
| Year 08 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 44 |
| Total | 219 | 85 | 75 | 18 | 2 | 169 | 0 | 481 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 29 | 11 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 71 |
| Age 06 | 26 | 13 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 57 |
| Age 07 | 23 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 54 |
| Age 08 | 27 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 62 |
| Age 09 | 29 | 16 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 63 |
| Age 10 | 23 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 57 |
| Age 11 | 34 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 63 |
| Age 12 | 27 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 48 |
| Age 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Total | 219 | 85 | 75 | 18 | 2 | 169 | 0 | 481 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
55.3%
| Te Waka Unua School | 55.3% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 38.3% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 13.4% |
|---|---|
| Male | 100.4% |
| Māori | 88.9% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 43.4% |
| Total | 55.3% |
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
15.5%
| Te Waka Unua School | 15.5% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 3.7% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 32% |
| Māori | 22.1% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 16.1% |
| Total | 15.5% |
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
5.2%
| Te Waka Unua School | 5.2% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 1.7% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 10.7% |
| Māori | 11.2% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 5.2% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 509
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- Some students taught in te reo Māori or a Pacific language
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 31 December 2014
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
- 10 October 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (10 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 10 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 494 — 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 2017
491
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 2 July 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 10 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 19 months of the Education Review Office and Te Waka Unua 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
Te Waka Unua School is situated in Christchurch east and caters for children from Years 0-8. The school’s values of Excellence, Integrity and Respect underpin the day-to-day curriculum implementation supported by the core skills of Communication, Problem Solving, Courage, Teamwork and Self-Management. Te Waka Unua School provides bilingual education in Te Reo Māori with six bilingual classes and a Samoan Enrichment Programme is integrated throughout the school. They are a part of the Tamai Kāhui Ako .
Te Waka Unua School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
teaching pedagogy will be relevant, informed and responsive to our vision in order to meet the diverse needs of all individual ākonga learning needs
ākonga staff and whānau learn in an inclusive, safe and supportive environment
to engage with the school community to form strong learning partnerships.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Te Waka Unua School's website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which the school’s assessment for learning practices ensure ākonga are able to identify their next learning steps and are more actively involved in their learning process.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
the need to use authentic real time assessment to inform teaching and learning programmes
to provide teachers with tools to identify ākonga next learning steps and meet individual needs
to continually strengthen partnerships with whānau in supporting learning at home.
The school expects to see:
a consistent and cohesive schoolwide approach to the use of authentic, real time formative assessment that informs teaching and learning programmes, catering to student’s individual needs
Ākonga as partners in learning with their kaiako and whānau . Students will take ownership of their learning through feedback from teachers and support in achieving learning goals.
Progress has been made on:
development of schoolwide consistency when gathering, analysing and reporting real time assessment data
the kaiako are developing strategies to scaffold and sustain a global approach for ākonga learning progress and achievement
implementation of purposeful and authentic assessment tasks
collaborative learning focused conversations between ākonga, kaiako and whānau where realistic individual next steps drive the teaching and learning.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths in their goal to develop assessment for learning practice:
a reflective staff who critique their own practice and the role that plays in ākonga success
a leadership team and staff dedicated to the success of all ākonga by meeting their individual needs
the board of trustees prioritises resourcing to provide equity of access to learning, and its strategic areas for improvement.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
embedding across the school the use of authentic and real time assessment to identify learning needs and inform teaching and learning programmes
building on teaching strategies that ensure ākonga are motivated to take ownership of their learning and are able to articulate their next learning steps
partnering with ākonga by providing feedback on learning goals and sharing this with whānau through the school’s student management system
strengthening engagement with whānau in the best ways to be supporting their child’s learning at home.
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
10 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 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).