Waianiwa School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 57
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 244 Argyle Otahuti Road, Waianiwa
- Territorial authority
- Southland District
- Phone
- 03-2352858
- office@waianiwa.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Southland
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
At Waianiwa School, students wear a school uniform.
- Required
- Getting there
- One school bus run, taking around 45 minutes; bus questions to the school office or the bus controller, Mrs Levett
Waianiwa School has one school bus run which takes around 45 minutes. All bus questions can be directed to the school office, or the bus controller, Mrs Levett.
- One school bus run, taking around 45 minutes; bus questions to the school office or the bus controller, Mrs Levett
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 20
- Māori
- 5
- Pacific
- 2
- Asian
- 34
- 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 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 02 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| Year 03 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| Year 04 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| Year 05 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Year 06 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 07 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Year 08 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 4 | 2 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 58 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 06 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 07 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 08 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 09 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 10 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 11 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 13 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 4 | 2 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 58 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Waianiwa School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 61.8% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| Waianiwa School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 6.3% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| Waianiwa School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 2.8% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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)
- 438
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural other
- Date opened
- 30 April 1863
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
- 2
- Last reviewed
- 17 April 2025
- Latest report
- School Report
- Report type
- Review report
- Board assurance
- not reported
What this report states about the school
As stated in ERO’s report of 17 April 2025 — not necessarily the position now. Each line quotes the sentence it came from.
- Year levels
- Years 1 to 8
provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8
- Years 1 to 8
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 17 April 2025 — “School Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
School Report
Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.
We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.
About the School
Waianiwa school is located on the boundary of Invercargill and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school’s roll is 68. Many learners have English as a Second Language. Waianiwa ’s school mission statement: O ur students will be confident, actively involved learners with the necessary skills to succeed in a global environment.
How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?
How well are learners succeeding? Success and progress for all learners is increasing.
What is the quality of teaching and learning? Learners benefit from good quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.
How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs? Learners have sufficient opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in literacy and mathematics. Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals.
How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement? School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established.
How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing? The school successfully promotes learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.
How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners? The school reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress. The school is improving its collection and use of information gathered through community consultation to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.
Student Health and Safety The school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety.
Achievement in Years 0 to 8
This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.
Foundation Skills
Reading A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.
Writing A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.
Mathematics Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.
Attendance
The school is approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.
The school has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.
Regular attendance is improving towards the target.
Chronic absence is reducing overtime.
Assessment
The school uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to find out about achievement against the curriculum.
Assessment information is used well to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.
Progress
The school has good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.
The school has significantly improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.
The school has to some extent extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.
The school is making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.
Part B: Findings for the school
This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.
Areas of Strength
Leaders and staff have strengthened relationships with the school community, creating an inclusive environment where whānau , staff, and student voices contribute to the school's strategic vision.
Learners have many opportunities for leadership roles within the school community. Through these valued experiences, students develop skills such as teamwork, resilience and problem solving, empowering them to contribute meaningfully to school life.
Learning support for students who need this, and professional development for staff to identify relevant teaching approaches, increases learner achievement in literacy and mathematics.
Teachers collaborate to ensure consistent teaching approaches. They provide a clear and structured framework so that students identify their next steps in learning and increase their understanding of what they learn and why (student agency) across all year levels.
Key priorities and actions for improvement
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
build teacher content knowledge of the new literacy and mathematics curriculum to enhance learner achievement; embed structured literacy and structured teaching approaches to mathematics , building consistency of teacher practice to support improved learner outcomes
seek professional development for teachers to improve boys’ engagement and achievement in writing
increase teacher knowledge about practices that support learners with English as second language
improve regular attendance through more deliberate actions within strategic and annual planning.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within three months:
teachers seek professional development to be familiar with changes to the English and mathematics curriculum
leaders participate in professional development to build knowledge of effective practice to support second language learners
Within six months:
teachers identify practices and approaches to improve boys’ achievement in writing
develop a second language learning programme with strategic approaches, to support engagement and participation of learners and increase their outcomes
Every six months:
evaluate the impact of structured teaching approaches to literacy and mathematics, to identify effective practices that increase student achievement and future professional learning
evaluate and report on students’ progress and achievement, include specific commentary on improvements for boys in writing
evaluate the second language learning programme to identify further professional development needs and the impact on learners
review the school attendance plan to identify the effectiveness of increasing regular attendance
Annually:
leaders analyse achievement data, include specific commentary in reports to the board on improvements for second language learners, and boys in writing
evaluate the effectiveness of structured teaching approaches and the impact on improved learner outcomes
evaluate the effectiveness of the second language learning programme to identify further professional development needs and the impact on learners
report to the board and school community the effectiveness of the school attendance plan, to identify what initiatives were successful and what further approaches are needed to sustain regular attendance.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
increased achievement for all learners in literacy and mathematics
improved and equitable outcomes for boys in writing
improved achievement outcomes for second language learners
consistent teaching practice and approaches in structured literacy and mathematics
all students attending school regularly.
Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements
All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:
Board Administration
Yes
Curriculum
Yes
Management of Health, Safety and Welfare
Yes
Personnel Management
Yes
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Report and is due within three years.
Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children
Sharon Kelly Director of Schools (Acting)
17 April 2025
Education Counts
This 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 2 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).