Primary Schools

Waimarama School: Zone, Roll & School Facts

A state, co-ed contributing primary for Years 1 to 6 on Taupunga Road at Waimārama Beach, with no home zone.

Last updated November 2026

Waimarama School is a state, co-educational primary school for Years 1 to 6 at 27 Taupunga Road, Waimarama Beach, Havelock North. It opened in 1906 and had 17 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.

It has no home zone, so any student can apply. The school’s site describes learning in the school gardens, at the local beach and through Waimārama Marae, with close links to local hapū, the marae, kōhanga reo and the wider community. Its curriculum page lists te reo and tikanga Māori, a STEM programme covering electronics, science, coding and robotics, and hands-on technology in hard materials, food and fabric, along with visual arts.

At a glance

TypePrimaryYears 1 to 6
Roll171 Sep 2026
AuthorityStateNot integrated
StudentsCo-edBoys and girls
Home zoneNoAny student can apply
Equity Index504Scale 344 to 569
Opened1906Boarding: no
TeachingEnglishAll classes
DonationsIn the donation scheme: the school does not ask families for donations, except for school camps.
Principal
Charlotte von Pein
Address
27 Taupunga Road, Waimarama Beach, Havelock North
Visit the school website

Home zone

No home zone: any student can apply to enrol. If more students apply than there are places, the school decides how places are offered.

What ERO found

The Education Review Office’s latest report on the school is a School Report from September 2025. It records that a limited statutory manager was appointed in late 2023 to support a new board, later replaced by specialist help, and that a new principal started in 2025.

ERO found that improvement is needed so all students are engaged, progressing and achieving well, and that reliable achievement data in reading, writing and maths was not available.

Less than a third of students attend regularly, well behind the government’s 80% target, and the school did not yet have a suitable attendance plan. ERO also said the board needs to make sure the learning environment is physically and emotionally safe and that reporting to whānau needs to improve.

On the positive side, the new principal is driving focused change, teachers know their students well, students learn in an affirming setting that celebrates their cultural identity, and a close relationship with the local marae supports the tikanga and kawa of the local hapū.

The priorities are to lift attendance, use reliable assessment to track achievement, speed up progress for students who need it, share accurate progress information with whānau and the board, and build teachers’ skill in structured literacy and maths.

ERO found several compliance gaps, including staff safety checks, reporting to parents, the board’s monitoring of its own plans and records of discipline processes, which the board has since taken steps to address. ERO recommended that the Ministry of Education continue its specialist help for the board and the principal.

Read the ERO reports for Waimarama School

Enrolling

The school has no home zone, so any student can apply. Families collect an enrolment pack from the school office. There is no funded school bus, and the school’s enrolment page links to the Ministry of Education conveyance allowance for families who live far enough away to qualify.

Schools nearby

Woodford HouseSecondary · Years 7 to 13 · roll 378 · zoned · 16 km
Iona CollegeSecondary · Years 7 to 13 · roll 340 · zoned · 17 km
Havelock North High SchoolSecondary · Years 9 to 13 · roll 1,147 · zoned · 17 km
Hereworth SchoolPrimary · Years 1 to 8 · roll 336 · 17 km
All Hastings schools on the map

Where students go next

Local college for girlsWoodford HouseSecondary · Years 7 to 13 · roll 378 · zoned · 16 kmIts home zone covers this school’s address
Local collegeHavelock North High SchoolSecondary · Years 9 to 13 · roll 1,147 · zoned · 17 kmIts home zone covers this school’s address

Based on home zones around the school’s own address. Families can apply to any school, and your own address decides which zones you are in.

In Waimārama

Waimarama School is in Waimārama. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.

Read our Waimārama guide →

Questions parents ask

Is Waimarama School zoned?

No. It has no home zone, so any student can apply to enrol.

What years does it teach?

Years 1 to 6.

How many students go there?

17 at 1 Sep 2026.

Does it ask for donations?

No. It is in the donation scheme, so it only asks for donations for school camps.

What is its Equity Index?

504. The Ministry of Education’s Equity Index estimates the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, from 344 (fewest) to 569 (most). It is used to share out funding, not as a measure of quality.

Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.

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Sources and data notes 1
  • School facts: School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 23 Oct 2026 (CC BY 4.0). NCEA results, roll history and stand-downs: Education Counts, school leavers 2023 to 2025, stand-downs 2025, rolls 2021 to 2025 (CC BY 4.0).