Whenuakura School
Contributing · State
- Year levels
- 1–6
- Total roll
- 30
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 52 Kaharoa Road, Patea
- Territorial authority
- South Taranaki District
- Phone
- 06-2738029
- admin@whenuakura.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Taranaki
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 22
- Māori
- 9
- Pacific
- 4
- Asian
- 5
- 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 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 03 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| Year 04 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Year 05 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Year 06 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 12 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 39 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 06 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 11 |
| Age 07 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 08 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| Age 09 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 12 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 39 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Whenuakura School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Taranaki Region | 41.7% |
| Contributing | 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%
| Whenuakura School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Taranaki Region | 4.1% |
| Contributing | 3.5% |
| 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%
| Whenuakura School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Taranaki Region | 1.6% |
| Contributing | 1.5% |
| 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 other
- Date opened
- 25 January 1878
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
- 4
- Last reviewed
- 19 March 2024
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (19 March 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 19 March 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 30 — 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.
August 2018
43
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 12 October 2018
July 2015
27
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 8 September 2015
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 19 March 2024 — “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 8 months of the Education Review Office and Whenuakura 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
Whenuakura School is a rural coeducational contributing primary school that provides education for children from year 1 to year 6. It is located in rural South Taranaki 5km south of Pātea . The school appointed a new principal at the beginning of 2024.
Whenuakura School ’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
achievement for all
safe and caring environment.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Whenuakura School ’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the school’s localised curriculum supports improved confidence, progress, and achievement in writing for all students.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
to further support improved student confidence, progress, and achievement in writing
to strengthen the degree of student agency in writing
to further strengthen teaching and learning practices in writing
the impact this focus will have on meeting the school’s strategic goal of achievement for all.
The school expects to see:
improved and sustained progress and achievement in writing, over time
a cohesive school-wide approach to writing
students well-supported to achieve success in the teaching and learning of writing
increased student confidence and agency in writing.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths in its goal to develop a localised curriculum that supports improved student progress and achievement in writing:
a positive learning culture characterised by respect, inclusion, empathy, collaboration and safety and underpinned by relational and culturally responsive teaching practices
teachers positively engage with professional development that strengthens teaching capability with an equity focus
foundational teaching and learning practices that support student’s learning and achievement in writing.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
identifying and engaging with evidence-based teaching and learning practices that support improved student confidence, progress and achievement in writing
embedding evidence-based teaching and learning practices to grow and sustain student achievement in writing through a localised writing curriculum
evaluating initiatives to ensure that teaching and learning practices are positively impacting students’ confidence, progress and achievement in writing.
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.
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
19 March 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 4 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).