Waatea School
Full Primary · State : Integrated
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 69
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 31 Calthorp Close, Favona, Auckland
- Territorial authority
- Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board Area
- Phone
- 0800-922832
- admin@waatea.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.waatea.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
Not stated on the school’s website.
- Where to buy the uniform
- https://www.lenco.co.nz/collections/waatea-school
To Purchase Waatea School uniforms: Please click on the link to access: https://www.lenco.co.nz/collections/waatea-school
- https://www.lenco.co.nz/collections/waatea-school
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
- Our Vision
- Culturally proud creators of the future.
- Mission
- Our mission is to develop well-rounded, socially adept, and culturally aware graduates capable of operating across two worlds – te ao Māori me te ao Pākeha.
- Values
- Our Kura values are:
- - Whānaungatanga
- - Manaakitanga
- - Rangatiratanga
- - Kotahitanga
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 5
- Māori
- 51
- Pacific
- 37
- Asian
- 0
- MELAA
- 2
- 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 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 02 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Year 03 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Year 04 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| Year 05 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 06 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Year 07 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 08 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Total | 55 | 32 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 72 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 06 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 07 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 08 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| Age 09 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 10 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Age 11 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Age 12 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| Age 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 55 | 32 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 72 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Waatea School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 29.7% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State : Integrated | 16.2% |
| 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%
| Waatea School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 3% |
| 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 | 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%
| Waatea School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 1.4% |
| 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 | 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)
- 564
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 31 December 2018
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
- 1
- Last reviewed
- 21 May 2024
- Latest report
- Waatea School May 2024
- Report type
- Review 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 69 — 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 2023
90
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 21 May 2024
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 21 May 2024 — “Waatea School May 2024” — 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, ngā hapū, me ngā iwi.
2 Te Horopaki
“Ka rere taku manu ki ngā tōpito o te takiwā, kei runga noa atu tana rerenga hei Manutaki mō te hapori”
E tū ana Te Kura o Waatea ki te marae o Ngā Whare Wātea ki Māngere, ki Tāmaki-makau-rau ki te tonga. He marae o te taone a Wātea, e me ana, ka waatea mō te katoa, ahakoa ko wai, ahakoa nō hea. Pūmau kaha ana te hono a te kura ki te mana whenua, Te Akitai, Te Waiōhua, me Tainui Waka hoki. E whakahaerehia ana aua ratonga e te kaiwhakahaere, e te Manukau Urban Māori Authority (MUMA) . Ka noho tahi hoki te kura me te whare kōhungahunga o Waatea ki te wāhi kotahi. Ko ngā tamariki o te kura, he uri nō te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, he uri Māori hoki.
He pēhea rawa te whai wāhi atu a ngā tamariki ki ā rātou akoranga, me tā rātou ahu whakamua?
E rongo ana ngā tamariki i te tangongitanga o ngā hononga papai e poipoi ana i a rātou, e whai pūtake ana hoki. Engari, kāhore te nuinga o rātou e ahu whakamua ana, e whakatutuki ana rānei i ngā tūmanako o te kura mō te reo matatini me te pāngarau.
4 Ngā Whakaaturanga
E whai wāhi atu ana, e ako ana hoki ngā tamariki ki tētahi taiao manaaki e whakatōpū ana, e whakakotahi ana hoki i a rātou. Ko ngā taunekeneke ki waenga i ngā kaiako me ngā tamariki, kua pou herea ki te whanaungatanga, te manaakitanga, me te aroha. Ka whai wāhi atu ngā tamariki ki te whakapūmau i ngā tikanga o te marae, ā, ka uru atu ki ngā haka pōwhiri. Ko ngā hui ā-kura he whai wāhitanga mō ngā tuākana ki te whakapakari i ō rātou ngākau titikaha ki te karakia, te mihimihi, te taki pepeha, te whaikōrero, me te karanga. He tika te aro atu a ngā tēina, mā te whai i ngā tauira i whakatakotohia ai e ngā tuākana. E poipoi ana ngā kaiako i te haumaru me te mauritau o te taiao ako. Ka kitea ngā tauārai e pā tōraro ai ki te ako a ngā tamariki, ā, ka arotahi ngā rautaki ki te whakatutuki i ngā matea ā-whatumanawa, ā-tinana hoki o ngā tamariki i mua i te whakaako me te ako. Kei te mauritau ngā tamariki, ā, e manaakitia ana rātou ki tētahi hōtaka akoranga e aro nui ana ki ō rātou matea.
He pai te tū me te whakapau werawera o te poari kaitiaki hei painga mō te hapori o te kura. Nō nā noa nei te poari i whakatūngia ai, ā, kua whakakanohitia ngā kaiwhakahaere me te whānau. Ka mahi ngātahi ngā kaiārahi o te kura me te hapori, ki te whakatinana i ngā uara, ngā whāinga, me te tirohanga o te kura, kia whai ahurea, kia haumaru te taiao ako, ā, kia hāngai pū hoki ki te whānau. E whakatairanga ana ngā kaupapa here me ngā tukanga i tētahi taiao e haumaru ā-tinana ana, ā-whatumanawa ana hoki mō ngā tamariki. Ka arotahi ngā whakataunga kāwana ki te whakatairanga ake i te whakawhanaketanga torowhānui o ngā tamariki, me te waiora o ō rātou whānau. He tūāhuatanga tēnei e hāpai anōtia ana e ngā ratonga tautāwhi e tū ana ki te wāhi nei.
Ko ngā hononga ki waenga i te poari me te tumuaki, ka ahu mai i te whakawhirinakitanga me te whakaute. Koia nei te wā tuatahi kua tū te tumuaki ki tōna tūranga, ā, ka toro mātātoa atu ia ki ngā tirohanga me ngā wawata o ngā tamariki, ngā kaiako, me te whānau, hei ārahi i ngā hōtaka akoranga. He whakaute ngā hononga ki waenga i ngā kaiārahi, ngā kaiako, me ngā whānau. Ko ngā matea me ngā ngākau nuitanga o ngā tamariki tētahi aronga.
He pai te tautoko a te poari i te tumuaki. E hāngai ana ngā whāinga whakawhanaketanga o te tumuaki ki ngā kaupapa matua i te kura. Kei te mārama, kei te riterite hoki ngā tūmanako e whakapuakihia ana, e whakatauirahia ana hoki e te tumuaki, hei whakatairanga i te whakapaitanga ake o te whakaako me te ako. Kua whakamaheretia ngā whai wāhitanga ako ngaio me ngā whakawhanaketanga ngaio e tika ana. Kua whakatakotohia tētahi huringa tupu ngaio, ā, e arotahi ana ki te whakapai ake i ngā whakaritenga a ngā kaiako. Ko ngā tamariki kei te pūtake o ngā whakataunga.
Ngā Whakaritenga Matua ka whai ake
Me kōkiri wawe i te ahu whakamua me ngā whakatutukitanga o ngā tamariki i roto i te reo matatini me te pāngarau. Ko te whakatairanga ake i ngā whakatutukitanga o ngā tamariki tētahi aronga matua tonu ki te kura. Ko te tangongitanga o ngā huarahi ako, me te taumaha o ngā matea whanonga ētahi tūāhuatanga e wero tonu ana. Me whai tautoko ngā kaiārahi me ngā kaiako ki te whakawhanake i ngā wawaotanga ka whai hua, ka hāngai pū hoki ki te whakatutuki me te kōkiri ake i ngā paetae a ngā tamariki i roto i te reo matatini me te pāngarau. Me matua arotahi ngā mahi i whakamaheretia ai ki ngā matea ake o ia tamaiti me ia rōpū tamariki i tautuhia ai. Kāhore anō kia āta whakatinanahia ngā pūmanawa o ngā tamariki ki te ako.
I Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga i te kura, i kōrero ngā kaiako i ā rātou āwangawanga e pā ana ki te noho haumaru o ngā tamariki. E tū pā tata ana te kura ki tētahi ara waka matua, ā, he maha ngā wāhanga e noho tuwhera ana ki te marea. Kāhore i te rawaka ngā taiapa i te kura, hei āta whakatūturu i te haumaru o ngā tamariki. Kei te whakamōrearea tēnei tūāhuatanga i te haumaru o ngā tamariki.
5 Te Whakatau ki ngā Wāhanga Tautukunga
I te wā o te aromātai, i tirohia e Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga ngā pūnaha mō te whakahaeretanga o ngā wāhanga e whai ake nei:
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 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
ngā kaupapa here o te kura, me te whakatutukitanga o ērā i ngā tikanga e pā ana ki te Children’s Act 2014 .
6 Ngā Taunakitanga
I whakawhanakehia e Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga me te tumuaki ngā taunakitanga e whai ake nei, arā, kia:
mahi te kura me ngā kaiwhakahaere ki te taha o te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga ki te whakatika wawe i ngā tūāhuatanga e pā tōraro ana ki te haumaru o ngā tamariki nā te āhua o ngā taiapa, ā, kia
whakawhanake, kia whakatinana hoki ngā kaiārahi i ngā wawaotanga e whai hua ana, e hāngai pū ana hoki ki te kōkiri i te ahu whakamua a ngā tamariki me ngā paetae i roto i te reo matatini me te pāngarau.
Darcy Te Hau Toka ā Nuku Te Uepū-a-Motu – Māori Services
21 Haratua, 2024
7 Ngā kōrero e pā ana ki te kura
Te tūwāhi Kei Māngere, ki Tāmaki-makau-rau ki te tonga
Te tau a te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga 880
Te tūmomo kura He kura tuatahi (Tau 1 – 8)
Te tokomaha o ngā ākonga o te kura 90
Ngā hononga ā-iwi Māori 78, Kuki Airani Māori 5, Iwi kē 7
Ngā āhuatanga motuhake Kura Motuhake
Te wā i te kura te rōpū arotake Whiringa-ā-rangi 2023
Te wā o tēnei pūrongo 21 Haratua 2024
Ngā pūrongo o mua a Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga Koia nei te pūrongo Arotake Mātauranga tuatahi mō tēnei kura.
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. ERO’s reports provide important information for whānau, hapū and iwi .
2 Context
“ Ka rere taku manu ki ngā tōpito o te takiwā, kei runga noa atu tana rerenga hei Manutaki mō te hāpori ” “My manu flies to the extremes of our region. It soars high, watching over our community”
Waatea School is located at Ngā Whare Wātea Marae in Māngere , South Auckland. It is an urban marae as it looks after everyone, ka waatea mō te katoa, ahakoa ko wai, ahakoa nō hea. Waatea School have a strong relationship with Mana Whenua, Te Akitai, Te Waiōhua and Tainui Waka . The kura is governed by the proprietor, Manukau urban Māori authority (MUMA). The kura also shares the site with the Waatea Early Childhood Centre. Tamariki enrolled at the kura are of Māori and Pacific ethnicity.
How well do tamariki engage and progress in their learning?
Tamariki experience a range of positive, nurturing, and meaningful relationships. However, most are not progressing or achieving in literacy and numeracy at kura expectations.
4 Findings
Tamariki participate and learn in a caring, collaborative and inclusive environment. Whanaungatanga , manaakitanga and aroha underpin interactions between kaiako and tamariki. Tamariki play a role in upholding tikanga of the marae , by participating in haka pōwhiri. Hui-ā-Kura provide opportunities for tuakana to build their confidence in karakia, mihimihi, pepehā, whaikōrero and karanga. Teina respond in an appropriate fashion by following the examples set by tuakana. Kaiako foster a safe and settled learning environment. Barriers that impact on tamariki learning are recognised and strategies focus on meeting the emotional and physical needs of tamariki prior to teaching and learning. Tamariki are secure and cared for in a learning programme where their needs are the focus.
The board of trustees represent and serve the kura community well in their stewardship role . The recently established board consists of representation from the proprietors and whānau. Kura leaders and the community work collaboratively to implement the kura values, goals and vision to provide a culturally enriched, safe and whānau -focused learning environment. Policies and procedures promote a physically and emotionally safe environment for tamariki . Governance decision making focuses on improving tamariki holistic development and the wellbeing of their whānau . This is further supported by the wrap around services onsite.
Relationships between the board and the tumuaki are based on trust and respect. The first time tumuaki actively seeks the perspectives and aspirations of tamariki, kaiako and whānau to guide learning programmes. Relationships between leadership, kaiako and whānau are mutually respectful. Tamariki needs and interests are a focus.
The board supports the tumuaki well. Tumuaki development goals align with kura priorities. The tumuaki communicates and models clear and consistent expectations to promote improved teaching and learning. Appropriate professional learning and development opportunities are planned. A professional growth cycle is in place and focus on improving kaiako practices. Tamariki are at the forefront of decision making.
Key Next Steps
Tamariki progress and achievement in literacy and numeracy requires immediate acceleration. Improving tamariki achievement remains a priority within the kura . Diverse learning and extreme behavioural needs is an ongoing challenge. Leaders and kaiako require support to develop effective targeted interventions that address and accelerate tamariki achievement in literacy and numeracy. It is critical that planned actions focus on the specific needs of identified tamariki and groups of tamariki . The academic potential of tamariki is yet to be realised.
While onsite, kaiako expressed their concerns about the safety of tamariki . The kura is situated next to a busy motorway with numerous access points from the public. There is inadequate fencing around the kura to be assured of tamariki safety. Tamariki safety is at risk.
5 Board Assurance on Legal Requirement
During the evaluation, ERO checked at the following areas:
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
school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014.
6 Recommendations
ERO and the tumuaki developed the following recommendations:
that the kura and the proprietors work alongside the Ministry of Education to urgently address the safety risks posed by the inadequate fencing, and
leaders develop and implement effective targeted interventions to accelerate tamariki progress and achievement in literacy and numeracy.
Darcy Te Hau Toka-ā-Nuku – Director Te Uepū ā-Motu – Māori Review Services
21 May 2024
7 Information about the kura
Location Mangere , South Auckland
Ministry of Education profile number 880
Kura type Full Primary (Years 1-8)
Kura roll 90
Ethnic composition Māori 78, Cook Island Māori 5, Other 7
Special features Motuhake
Review team on site November 2023
Date of this report 21 May 2024
Most recent ERO reports This is the first Education Review Report for this kura .
Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →
All 1 report 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).