TKKM o Piripono Te Kura Whakahou ki Ōtara
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 95
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 52 Alexander Crescent, Otara, Auckland
- Territorial authority
- Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board Area
- Phone
- 09-2746687
- admin@piripono.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Auckland
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
TKKM O Piripono School Polo
- Required
- Term dates
- Term 1, 2026: Tuesday 27 January - Thursday 2 April
Tuesday 27 January - Thursday 2 April
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 2, 2026: Monday 20 April - Friday 3 July
Monday 20 April - Friday 3 July
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 3, 2026: Monday 20 July - Friday 25 Sep
Monday 20 July - Friday 25 Sep
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 4, 2026: Monday 12 October - Friday 11 Dec
Monday 12 October - Friday 11 Dec
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 1, 2026: Tuesday 27 January - Thursday 2 April
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
- Ki te whakatinana i ngā mātāpono o Te Aho Matua, me te whakakaha i te tuakiri o te tangata, mā te whakarato i tētahi taiao ako e kōkiri ana i te Uaratanga o te kura, o te whānau, me te hapori.
- To embody the principles of Te Aho Matua and nurture the unique identity of every learner by providing an environment that champions our shared values and aspirations.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 4
- Māori
- 88
- Pacific
- 29
- Asian
- 0
- MELAA
- 0
- 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 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| Year 02 | 16 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| Year 03 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 04 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Year 05 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| Year 06 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 07 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Year 08 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Total | 73 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 77 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| Age 06 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| Age 07 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| Age 08 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 09 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 10 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 11 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Age 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 73 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 77 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| TKKM o Piripono Te Kura Whakahou ki Ōtara | 0% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 29.7% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
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%
| TKKM o Piripono Te Kura Whakahou ki Ōtara | 0% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 3% |
| 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 | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| TKKM o Piripono Te Kura Whakahou ki Ōtara | 0% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 1.4% |
| 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 | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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)
- 542
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in te reo Māori
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 16 February 1990
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
- 22 April 2025
- Latest report
- Ngā Kitenga Arotake Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- not reported
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 95 — 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 2024
80
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 22 April 2025
24 July 2018
59
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 19 October 2018
11 April 2016
65
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 17 August 2016
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 22 April 2025 — “Ngā Kitenga Arotake Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
ERO wrote this report in te reo Māori and in English. Both are here as ERO published them, in ERO’s order, untranslated.
1 He Kupu Arataki
Kua mahi ngātahi Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga, ngā whānau, ngā kaiārahi, ngā kaimahi me ngā hapori ki te whakawhanake i ngā tirohanga aromātai e whai wāhi nui ai ki te hāpai i te kawenga takohanga me te whakapaitanga, ki te tautuhi i te ahu whakamua, ā, ki te whakapakari ake hoki i te āheinga ki te aromātai. E hāngai ana tēnei pūrongo ki ā rātou pūnaha, ki ā rātou whakaritenga, me ā rātou mahi whakahaere. Ka whakarato ngā pūrongo a Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga i ngā mōhiohio mātuatua mā ngā whānau, mā ngā hapū, me ngā iwi.
2 Te Horopaki
Ko Tainui te waka Ko Te Wai o Tamaki te awa Ko Te Puke o Tara te maunga Ko te Tara te Irirangi te tangata Ko Ngāi Tai me Ngāti Tamaoho ngā hapū Ko Waikato te iwi
E tū ana Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Piripono Te Kura Whakahou ki Ōtara ki te hapori o Ōtara, ki Tāmaki-makau-rau ki te tonga. E whakarato ana te kura i te mātauranga ki ngā tamariki o ngā tau 1 ki te 8. Ko ngā mātāpono o Te Aho Matua e ārahi ana i ngā tikanga me te waiora i te kura. Kua whakatūngia tētahi tumuaki hou, nō muri i te arotakenga a Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga i te Whiringa-ā-nuku o te tau 2018. Mō te wā roa nei, kua tohua ki ngā pūrongo a Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga ngā tūāhuatanga i te kura kāhore i te pai. E tautoko ana tētahi Mātanga Tautōhito i te tumuaki, kia whakatairanga tonuhia ētahi atu whakaritenga i te kura.
He pēhea rawa te whakaatu mai a ngā ākonga i te manaaki, te whai whakaaro nui, me te mahi tahi ki te taha o ētahi atu?
Ka kitea ki ngā ākonga te manaaki, te tiaki, me te aroha i a rātou e taunekeneke ana ki te taha o ētahi atu.
4 Ngā Whakaaturanga
Ka whakawhanake, ka whakapūmau hoki ngā ākonga i ngā hononga papai ki waenga i a rātou anō. He ahurea o te manaakitanga me te whakaute ki te kura. Kei te pakari ngā hononga ki ngā whānau, ā, ka kitea ki tā rātou whai wāhi nui, tā rātou manaaki, tā rātou tiaki hoki i ētahi atu. Nō nā noa nei tētahi haerenga i tū ai ki tāwāhi, ā, i whakatairangatia, i whakapūmautia ngā hononga me te whakawhirinakitanga ki waenga i ngā whānau. I taua haerenga he maha ngā whai wāhitanga i pupū ake mō ngā ākonga me ngā whānau ki te uru atu ki ngā akoranga hou mā ngā huarahi tūturu, ā, i whakapakarihia ngā hononga. Ka ārahi, ka whai wāhi nui ngā ākonga ki ngā tikanga ahurea i te kura, i waenga hoki i ō rātou whānau. He pai te whakatauira a ngā tuākana i ngā kawenga ā-tangata, ā, ka ārahi māhorahora i ō rātou tēina ki te whai wāhi pai ki ngā horopaki ōkawa. He ngākau titikaha ō rātou ki te kawe i ngā mahi ārahi, ā, ka hāpai hoki i ngā mahinga me ngā ritenga o ia rā ki te kura. Ka noho whakaute, ka whai whakaaro nui hoki ngā ākonga mō ētahi atu.
Ka mātau haere ngā ākonga ki te kōrero i te reo Māori, ā, ka whakawhanake i ngā pūkenga ki te whakapuaki kōrero i roto i te tangongitanga o ngā horopaki. Mō te nuinga o ngā ākonga, ko te kura anake te wāhi ka kōrerohia e rātou te reo Māori. Ka tohutohu, ka ārahi, ka hāpai hoki te taiao o te kura me ngā kaimahi mā te reo Māori. Kei te hakune ngā mahi whakaako a ngā kaimahi hei poipoi, hei whakawhānui hoki i ngā pūkenga reo o ngā ākonga. Kei te mātau ngā kaimahi katoa ki te kōrero i te reo Māori, ā, ka tū hei tino tauira mō ngā ākonga. Ka āta whakatauira rātou i te reo ōkawa me te reo ōpaki, ā, ka whakapuaki, ka akiaki hoki i ngā kupu hou me ngā whakataukī. Ka tino tautokona, ka tino whakaritea hoki ngā ākonga ki te tū ki te whaikōrero, te karanga, me te ārahi i ngā karakia me ngā taumahi i te akomanga. Ka whakarato i ngā whai wāhitanga ki te whakapakari ake i ngā pūkenga o te whānau i roto i te reo Māori mā Te Ahu o Te Reo me ngā akomanga e whakahaerehia ana ki te kura. E tino tautokona ana ngā ākonga tuākana kia whanake ai tō rātou mōhiotanga arohaehae ki te reo. E whanake ana ngā ākonga ki te kōrero i te reo Māori.
E pou here ana te whanaungatanga i ngā hononga katoa me ngā akoranga katoa. Mō te nuinga o ngā ākonga, ko rātou te whakatupuranga tuatoru o tō rātou whānau e tupu mai ana i te tāone nui, ā, ka whakanuia tā rātou ako i ō rātou pepeha taketake. Ka whai wāhi atu ngā ākonga ki ngā kaupapa me ngā rōpū whakahaere o te hapori o Ōtara. He pai, he ratarata rātou i roto i ā rātou taunekeneke ki ō rātou hoa, ā, ki ētahi atu hoki. Ka noho maioha te whānau ki te tini o ngā wheako hākinakina, wheako whakahoahoa hoki o ngā ākonga i te hapori, i te taha hoki o ētahi atu kura kaupapa Māori. E whanake ana ngā ākonga i tō rātou mōhiotanga me ō rātou ngākau titikaha ki te whakapuaki i ō rātou tūrangawaewae me ō rātou hononga ā-whakapapa ki ētahi atu.
He whai wāhitanga mō ngā ākonga ki te toro atu ki te tangongitanga o ngā tūmomo taiao tūturu. Ka whai wāhi atu rātou ki ngā wheako e whakapiki ake ana i tō rātou mōhiotanga me tō rātou māramatanga ki te ao whānui. Ka whakawhanake ngā ākonga i ngā māramatanga o ngā āhuatanga tūturu me ngā āhuatanga o te taiao, tae atu hoki ki ngā atua Māori e whai pānga ana. I te nahanaha, i te whai pūtake hoki ngā kaimahi i a rātou e whakariterite ana i ngā ākonga mō ngā tino rerekētanga ka pupū ake ki waenga i te pōwaiwai o te tāone nunui me tēnā ka whāia e rātou i Rarotonga. E whanake ana ngā ākonga i te māramatanga ki te ao ki tua atu i Ōtara, me te whai pānga anō hoki ki a rātou.
E poipoi ana te taiao o te kura i te whai wāhi nui o ngā ākonga ki ngā mahi mō te roanga tonu o te wā. Kei te tino mōhio ngā kaimahi ki ngā ākonga. Ka aro nui rātou ki ngā matea atawhai, matea whatumanawa hoki o ngā ākonga. Kua āta whakaritea ngā hōtaka, ā, kua whakatakotohia hoki ngā wheako ako e whai pānga nui ana ki ngā ākonga. He pai te whakariterite i ngā mahi ako, ā, ka whakatakoto i ngā taumahi e akiaki ana i te ako takitahi, i te ako takirua, me te ako takirōpū. Ka aroturukitia, ka whakapuakihia ā-mataora tonu mā te pae ipurangi o te kura. Ka whakawhiti kōrero te whānau mō te ahu whakamua a ā rātou tamariki, ā, ka taea hoki e rātou ngā kōrero urupare te whakapuaki. Kua pai haere te taetae atu a ngā ākonga ki te kura whai muri i te Kowheori-19, ā, kei te toharite o te 83%. E tohu ana ngā hōtuku paetae a te kura i te whakatutukitanga pai o te nuinga o ngā ākonga o ngā tau 3 ki te 8 i roto i te reo matatini me te pāngarau. He kaha ngā kaimahi ki te akiaki, ā, ka whakamihi i ngā ākonga i ia te wā. Ko te tiketike o ngā tūmanako me te whai huatanga o ngā ārahitanga a ngā kaimahi, e whakatairanga katoa ana i te tū takitahi o te ākonga. Kei te whai wāhi mātātoa, kei te mauritau hoki ngā ākonga, puta noa i te rā.
Ka mahi ngātahi ngā whānau ki te whakawhanake me te whakatinana i te tirohanga rautaki a te kura e ahu mai ana i Te Aho Matua me ngā wawata o te whānau. Ko te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori te aronga matua. He nui ngā wero i whakatutukihia e te kura, ā, kua whai hua tā rātou ahu whakamua e whakahou ai i tō rātou huarahi. He pai tā rātou mahi ngātahi ki te arotake me te whakahou ake i ngā tukanga i te kura. Ka aro pū ki te hauora me te waiora o ngā ākonga. Kua whakatakotohia te katoa o ngā kaupapa here matua me ngā tukanga matua. Kei te mātātoa ngā whānau, ā, ka tautoko i ngā mahi kohi pūtea me ngā whakataunga. Ka ārahi, ka tautoko hoki rātou i te tangongitanga o ngā taumahi. Ka hāngai te tupu o te whānau ki te whakawhanaketanga o ngā mōhiotanga o te whānau ki Te Aho Matua, ā, ka toro atu hoki ki Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa hei hāpai i ngā mōhiotanga ngaio o ngā kaimahi. E mahi ana te whānau ki te whakatutuki i ō rātou tūmanako ki te tū hoki hei wharekura, kia noho tonu mai ai ngā ākonga ki waenga i te whānau ki te whakatutuki i te mātauranga kura tuarua.
Ngā Whakaritenga Matua ka whai ake
Ko tētahi aronga matua, ko te whakawhanake i te māramatanga me ngā pūkenga o ngā kaimahi hei kaiako whai hua. He hou ngā rēhitatanga o te nuinga o ngā kaiako, kei te whakangungu tonuhia ētahi atu, ka tīmata rānei ngā whakangungu ōkawa hei te tau 2025. He rautaki tā ngā kaiārahi mō te whakapakaritanga ake o ngā pūkenga ngaio o ngā kaimahi. Ka pai ake ngā putanga ki ngā ākonga i te wā e pakari ana ngā mōhiotanga o ngā kaimahi ki te mātauranga me te marau, ā, e mau ana hoki rātou i te tangongitanga o ngā rautaki whakaako e whai hua ana.
Ko te whakawhanake tonu me te whakatō tonu i ngā tukanga o roto tētahi whakaritenga matua ka whai ake hei whakawhanaketanga. Ka whai wāhi ki taua tūāhuatanga, ko te whakatutuki i te huringa taiāwhio o te tupu ngaio mō ngā kaimahi katoa, me te whakapiki ake i te mōhiotanga o te whānau ki ā rātou kawenga mahi e pā ana ki te Children's Act 2014 .
5 Te Whakatau a te Whānau ki ngā Wāhanga Tautukunga
I mua atu i te aromātai i whakatutukihia e te poari me te tumuaki he Tauāki Kupu Tūturu a te Poari mā Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga, me tētahi Rārangi Arowhai Tātari Whaiaro. I roto i aua tuhinga i oati rātou i whāia e rātou ngā huarahi whai take hei whakatutuki i ā rātou herenga ā-ture e pā ana ki:
ngā whakahaere a te poari
te marautanga
ngā whakahaere mō te hauora, te haumaru, me te oranga tinana
ngā whakahaere o ngā kaimahi
ngā whakahaere o te pūtea
ngā whakahaere o ngā rawa.
I te wā o te arotake, i whakamātauhia e Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga ngā āhuatanga i raro iho nei, i te mea he nui te pānga o ēnei ki te haumaru me te waiora o ngā ākonga:
te haumaru aronganui o ngā ākonga (tāpiri atu ki te ārai i ngā mahi whakawetiweti me ngā mahi whakaaito)
te haumaru ā-tinana o ngā ākonga
te rēhitatanga me te tiwhiketetanga o ngā kaiako
ngā tukanga ki te whakatū kaimahi
te whakaunu, te aukati, te pana me te whakarerenga
te tae ā-tinana atu a ngā ākonga ki te kura.
6 Te Taunakitanga
E taunaki ana Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga kia mahi tonu te whānau ki te whakatōpū me te whakapūmau i ngā pūnaha hou me ngā whakaritenga hou e whai wāhi atu ai ki te whakapai tonutanga.
Tiwana Hibbs Toka ā Nuku Te Uepū ā-Motu – Māori Review Services
22 Paengawhāwhā, 2025
7 Ngā kōrero e pā ana ki te kura
Te tūwāhi Kei Ōtara, ki Tāmaki-makau-rau
Te tau a te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga 4205
Te tūmomo kura He kura tuatahi (Tau 1-8)
Te tokomaha o ngā ākonga o te kura 80
Ngā hononga ā-iwi Māori 77, Iwi kē 3
Ngā āhuatanga motuhake Te Aho Matua
Te wā i te kura te rōpū arotake Whiringa-ā-rangi 2024
Te wā o tēnei pūrongo 22 Paengawhāwhā 2025
Ngā pūrongo o mua a Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga Te Pupuketanga, Whiringa-ā-nuku 2018; Te Pupuketanga, Here-turi-kōkā 2016; Te Pupuketanga, Whiringa-ā-nuku 2013
1 Introduction
The Education Review Office (ERO) in collaboration with whānau , leaders, kaimahi and their communities develop evaluation insights that foster accountability and improvement, identify progress and build evaluation capability. This report reflects their systems, operations and management practices. The ERO reports provide important information for whānau, hapū and iwi .
2 Context
Ko Tainui te waka Ko Te Wai o Tamaki te awa Ko Te Puke o Tara te maunga Ko te Tara te Irirangi te tangata Ko Ngai Tai me Ngāti Tamaoho ngaa hapu Ko Waikato te iwi
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Piripono te Kura Whakahou ki Ōtara is situated in Ōtara , South Auckland. The kura provides education to tamariki in Years 1 to 8. Te Aho Matua are the principles that guide kura tikanga and wellbeing. A new tumuaki has been appointed since the ERO October 2018 review. The kura has had a poor reporting history with ERO. A Specialist Advisor is supporting the tumuaki to make further improvements to kura practices.
How well do students demonstrate care, consideration and cooperation with others?
Students demonstrate manaaki, tiaki , and aroha when interacting with others.
4 Findings
Students develop and sustain positive relationships with one another. The culture of the kura is one of care and respect. Whānau relationships are strong and their involvement in the kura demonstrates manaakitanga and tiaki for others. The recent overseas trip enhanced and cemented relationships and trust amongst whānau . The trip provided several opportunities for students and whānau to experience new learning in authentic circumstances, and relationships were strengthened. Students lead and participate in cultural practices at kura , and for their whānau. Tuākana model social responsibilities well and naturally guide their teina to positively engage in formal settings. They conduct leadership roles confidently and support kura daily routines and rituals. Students show respect and consideration for others.
Students develop competence as speakers of te reo Māori and develop skills to speak in a variety of contexts. For the majority of students, the kura is the only place where they interact in te reo Māori . The kura environment and kaimahi provide instruction, guidance and support in te reo. Kaimahi use deliberate acts of teaching to foster and extend the language ability of students. All kaimahi are competent speakers and role models of te reo Māori . They exemplify formal and informal reo , and model and encourage kupu hou and whakatauki . Students are well supported and prepared to do whaikōrero, karanga and lead in karakia and classroom activities. Opportunities are provided to build whānau capability in te reo Māori through Te Ahu o Te Reo and classes held on the kura premises. Older students are well supported to develop critical language awareness. Students are developing as speakers of te reo Māori .
Whanaungatanga underpins all relationships and learning. Most students are third generation urban raised, so learning the pepeha of their origins is valued. Students participate in and contribute to Ōtara community events and organisations. They are positive and friendly with their peers and with others they interact with. Whānau are appreciative of the numerous sporting and social experiences that students have within the local and kura Kaupapa Māori communities. Students are developing knowledge and confidence to articulate where they come from and to whom they connect.
Students have opportunities to encounter a range of different physical environments. They participate in experiences that increase their knowledge and understanding of the wider world. Students develop understandings of the physical and natural phenomena, and the associated atua Māori. Kaimahi were deliberate and purposeful in preparing the students for the vast differences in a fast-paced city lifestyle and the vast contrast of what they experienced in Rarotonga . Students are developing understanding of the world outside of Ōtara and their place in it.
The kura environment is conducive to engaging students for sustained periods of time. Kaiako know the students well. They are highly responsive to student pastoral and emotional needs. Programmes are well-planned and incorporate learning experiences that the students can relate to. Well prepared learning tasks provide activities that encourage independent, pair and group learning. Student progress is monitored and shared live through the kura online platform. Whānau discuss the progress their tamariki are making and can provide regular feedback. Student attendance has continued to improve since COVID-19 and averages at 83%. The kura achievement data shows that most students form Years 3-8 achieve well in Te reo Matatini and Pāngarau. Kaimahi are encouraging and often praise students. High expectations and useful kaimahi guideance promote student independence. Students are actively engaged and are settled throughout the day.
Whānau work collaboratively to develop and implement the kura strategic vision, which is based on Te Aho Matua and whānau aspirations. Te Reo and tikanga Māori are a key focus. The kura has overcome many challenges and have successfully moved through a phase of redirection. They are working well together to revise and renew kura processes. Student safety and wellbeing is prioritised. All key policies and procedures are in place. Whānau are active and support with fundraising and decision making. They take the lead and support with various activities. Whānau growth includes developing whānau knowledge of Te Aho Matua and utilising Te Rūnanga Nui to support the professional knowledge of kaimahi . The whānau are working toward fulfilling their hopes of becoming a wharekura and retaining students to complete their secondary education within the whānau .
Key Next Steps
Developing kaimahi understanding and capability as effective kaiako is a priority. Most kaiako are newly registered, others are in training or will begin formal training in 2025. Leaders have a strategy in place to build the professional capability of kaimahi . Student outcomes will improve when kaimahi have sound mātauranga and curriculum knowledge and an array of effective teaching strategies to draw from.
Continuing to develop and embed internal processes is a key next step for development. This includes completing the professional growth cycle for all staff. And increasing whānau knowledge of their responsibilities to the Children’s Act 2014.
5 Whānau Assurance on Legal Requirement
Before the review, the board of trustees and principal completed the ERO Whānau Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklists. In these documents they attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legislative obligations related to:
board administration
curriculum
management of health, safety and welfare
personnel management
financial management
asset management.
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
physical safety of students
teacher registration
processes for appointing staff
stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
attendance.
6 Recommendation
ERO recommend whānau continue to consolidate and embed new systems and practices that contribute to ongoing improvement.
Tiwana Hibbs Toka ā Nuku - Director Te Uepū ā-Motu – Māori Review Services
22 April 2025
7 Information about the kura
Location Ōtara , Auckland
Ministry of Education profile number 4205
Kura type Full Primary (Years 1-8)
Special features Te Aho Matua
Kura roll 80
Ethnic composition Māori 77, Other 3
Review team on site November 2024
Date of this report 22 April 2025
Most recent ERO report(s) Te Pupuketanga Review, October 2018; Te Pupuketanga Review, August 2016; Te Pupuketanga Review October 2013
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).