Whakamaru School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 75
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 36 Kaahu Road, Whakamaru, Mangakino
- Territorial authority
- Taupo District
- Phone
- 07-8828872
- office@whakamaru.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Waikato
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 is on offer beyond the classroom?
The sports, arts, clubs and groups this school names on its own website. Not a complete list of what any school offers, and not a count — a school that names more here has written more down, which is not the same as doing more.
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.
- On offer
- mass choir
Every two years the schools in the South Waikato area join together to perform as a mass choir.
- school shows
Staff, children and parents all enjoy being involved in school shows.
- whole school Kapahaka group
Students at Whakamaru School become part of our whole school Kapahaka group.
- Cross Country
Including Cross Country, Swimming, Athletics and Winter Sports.
- Swimming
Including Cross Country, Swimming, Athletics and Winter Sports.
- Athletics
Including Cross Country, Swimming, Athletics and Winter Sports.
- Netball
Whakamaru School offers weekend Netball and Basketball to students.
- Basketball
Whakamaru School offers weekend Netball and Basketball to students.
- mass choir
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 36
- Māori
- 36
- Pacific
- 6
- Asian
- 16
- 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 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| Year 02 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Year 03 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Year 04 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 15 |
| Year 05 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 06 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Year 07 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| Year 08 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 16 |
| Total | 51 | 12 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 91 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 06 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 18 |
| Age 07 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 08 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 15 |
| Age 09 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 11 |
| Age 10 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Age 11 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| Age 12 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Age 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 51 | 12 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 91 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
105.6%
| Whakamaru School | 105.6% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 53.9% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 173.2% |
|---|---|
| Male | 31.6% |
| Māori | 155.4% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 80.4% |
| Total | 105.6% |
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%
| Whakamaru School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 6.6% |
| 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 | 0% |
| 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%
| Whakamaru School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 2.4% |
| 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 | 0% |
| 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)
- 494
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- Some students taught in te reo Māori
- Urban / rural
- Rural other
- Date opened
- 24 May 1959
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
- 27 October 2022
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (27 October 2022)
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 same report — the board assurance report of 27 October 2022 — also sets out actions for compliance: the non-compliance ERO identified during that process. This is that section of the report in full, in ERO’s words.
ERO and the board have identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
the school is required to adopt a statement on the delivery of the health curriculum, at least every two years, after consultation with the school community.
[Section 91 Education and training Act 2020]
The board has not yet addressed the areas of non-compliance identified.
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 75 — 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.
February 2018
84
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 18 April 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 27 October 2022 — “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 14 months of the Education Review Office and Whakamaru 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
Whakamaru School is a rural school located northwest of Taupō , providing education for students from Years 1 to 8.
Whakamaru School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
have a learning environment that motivates, inspires, and creates high quality outcomes for students while growing creative thinkers for life
have a community that feels engaged, included, well-informed, and understand the importance of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga (relationships) between all stakeholders
provide a safe, comfortable, and spacious environment that invokes community pride while strengthening student outcomes.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Whakamaru School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the school provides students with a responsive curriculum through effective teaching pedagogy in play-based learning, that improves their engagement, learning opportunities and equitable literacy and mathematics outcomes.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
recognition that disengagement has affected learning progress and outcomes for students
that play-based learning is viewed by the school as a natural way that students learn; learning through Play is a developmental and culturally centred approach to a child’s learning.
The school expects to see:
effective assessment for learning - developing student’s learning-to-learn capabilities; students receiving timely, specific, descriptive feedback and questions from teachers to challenge their thinking
explicit instruction in learning strategies (such as goal setting, self-monitoring, and deliberate practice) to strengthen learners’ ability to take control of their learning
students participating and learning in caring, collaborative, inclusive learning communities; respectful and productive relationships that value difference and diversity.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the responsiveness of the curriculum through effective teaching pedagogy in play-based learning:
well used internal evaluation process that include teaching capability building through the Professional Growth Cycle; wellbeing surveys to gather student voice; and involving parents in evaluation of the effectiveness of the curriculum
ongoing review of the curriculum document to ensure it is responsive to learner needs
use of reading, writing and mathematics data to gauge curriculum effectiveness.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
developing Iwi connections with the support of local whanau , hapū , the Māori Achievement Collaborative (MAC), and trusts Raukawa , Tūwharetoa and Wairarapa Moana ki Pouākani to improve Māori learner outcomes
more closely tracking play-based learning to inform curriculum coverage and learner progress and achievement.
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.
Phil Cowie Director Review and Improvement Services (Central) Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
27 October 2022
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).