Waikari School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 35
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 23 Princes Street, Waikari
- Territorial authority
- Hurunui District
- Phone
- 03-3144250
- office@waikari.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Canterbury
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.
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
- At Waikari School, our values— Respect, Empathy, Integrity and Resilience—are the wings that allow our students to soar. Just as the native birds of our hills and valleys have long thrived through seasonal shifts, our values form the core of how we learn, lead, and grow together.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 30
- Māori
- 15
- Pacific
- 2
- Asian
- 1
- 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 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| Year 02 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 03 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 04 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 05 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 06 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 07 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| Year 08 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 0 | 33 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 06 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 07 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 08 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 09 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 0 | 33 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Waikari School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 38.3% |
| 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%
| Waikari School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 3.7% |
| 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%
| Waikari School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 1.7% |
| 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)
- 455
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural settlement
- Date opened
- 25 January 1882
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
- 8 November 2024
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (8 November 2024)
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 8 November 2024 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 35 — 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.
October 2018
31
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 21 January 2019
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 8 November 2024 — “School Evaluation Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
School Evaluation 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.
Context
Waikari School is located in North Canterbury. It provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school’s vision is to build confident, respectful and curious learners, underpinned by the PRIDE values – Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Difference, and Excellence. A new principal began at the school in Term 3 of 2023.
There are two parts to this report.
Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction.
Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
Part A: Current State
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
Learner Success and Wellbeing
Learners are well-engaged with most achieving at or above expected curriculum levels.
Most learners, including Māori , achieve at or above expectations in reading and writing, and almost all in mathematics; achievement is well supported and improved by teachers knowing their learners’ needs very well and closely monitoring and sharing progress.
There is a schoolwide focus to further improve learner outcomes in writing.
Learners’ regular attendance is well above Ministry of Education target.
Conditions to support learner success
School leadership works collaboratively and strategically to effectively improve and sustain learners’ progress and achievement.
Leadership prioritises having a culture of productive relationships for consistency in high-quality teaching and ongoing assessment practices so learners experience success.
The individual strengths of staff are recognised, valued and built upon, creating a positive focus on learner wellbeing and progress.
Improvement goals and actions are evidenced-based and clearly monitored to effectively meet the specific needs of learners.
Learners have access to a broad and relevant curriculum and experience high quality teaching.
Learners benefit from a broad, rich and engaging curriculum embracing the school’s unique location and community.
Teachers create collaborative and learning-focused environments that effectively promote positive learner engagement and achievement.
Teachers use inclusive teaching strategies so students are involved in shaping their own learning to further increase their engagement and progress.
Key conditions that underpin successful schooling are strongly embedded and well-aligned.
The school is focusing on deepening home, community and agency partnerships to strengthen learner progress, including with local early childhood centres for smooth transitions into school.
Ongoing, quality professional learning for staff enables teaching and learning to be evidence-based and relevant to individual learners’ needs.
Leaders and teachers are working to strengthen the partnership with local iwi to continue the development of the local curriculum, embed te ao Māori learning opportunities across the school and promote learner success.
The board and leaders have a clear focus on strategic and annual planning based on strong community consultation and centered on furthering learners’ progress and achievement.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
continue to develop the schoolwide framework for ongoing assessment and reporting to whānau
further develop the use of achievement progressions so learners and their whānau know and understand next steps and can actively contribute to learning
continue the development of the local curriculum in partnership with local iwi and the wider community.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
use a variety of appropriately stepped assessment tasks to develop a progressive mathematics curriculum
extend an existing spelling programme across the school to improve writing, particularly for students identified as working below the expected level
review and embed refreshed assessment practices for consistency of school wide reporting
Every six months:
use the schoolwide attendance and assessment information to report engagement and progress on student learning and achievement to the board and respond effectively to emerging trends
Annually:
continue the focus on literacy and mathematics applying current research and good practice
review the school’s vision and values in partnership with local iwi and the wider community
analyse data and report on attendance, progress and achievement to set improvement targets and inform strategic and annual planning.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
consistent use of high-quality assessment information to identify the next learning steps for each learner
a strongly engaging, localised curriculum extending learner engagement and achievement
increased whānau sense of inclusion, engagement and understanding how to support their child’s learning and sustained high levels of attendance.
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 Evaluation 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
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
8 November 2024
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).