Last updated October 2026
Pakowhai School is a state, co-educational primary school for Years 1 to 6 at 25 Chesterhope Road, Pakowhai, Napier. It had 39 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes all of Pakowhai, and parts of Tōmoana, Waipatu, Whakatu, Frimley, Clive and Fernhill; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
The school’s site describes a two-classroom country school between Napier and Hastings, with one class for Years 0 to 2 and one for Years 3 to 6, an inquiry-based curriculum, te reo Māori and tikanga taught daily, a swimming pool and vegetable gardens.
Students take part in events against other schools, and the school runs a van service to bring children to and from school.
At a glance
- Principal
- Carmen Edgecombe
- Address
- 25 Chesterhope Road, Pakowhai, Napier
- Phone
- 06 878 2915
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Pakowhai.
Parts of Tōmoana, Waipatu, Whakatu, Frimley, Clive and Fernhill: check your street.
Zone boundaries are set by the school’s enrolment scheme and can change. Confirm your address with the school before you rely on it.
Who goes here
Share of the 39 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
MELAA: Middle Eastern, Latin American and African.
What ERO found
The Education Review Office’s latest report on the school is a Te Ara Huarau School Profile Report from February 2024. This kind of report sets out what ERO and the school will evaluate together, here how well the school’s assessment processes and practices support fair and strong outcomes for every learner.
ERO described a small semi-rural school whose community was hit hard by Cyclone Gabrielle, and pointed to positive working relationships with parents and whānau that help the school respond to each child’s needs, and teachers who work closely together and are open to learning new approaches.
Next, the school plans to make sure its assessment tasks are fit for purpose and guide targeted teaching, take part in literacy professional learning so teachers share an understanding of how to teach and assess literacy well, and run strong, structured literacy programmes in classrooms that are shaped by assessment.
Read the ERO reports for Pakowhai School
Enrolling
Students who live in the home zone have the right to enrol. Out-of-zone places are offered under the school’s enrolment scheme depending on the places available, by ballot when there are more applicants than places.
Families can enrol through the online form linked from the school’s enrolment page or by contacting the school office. New entrants need a birth certificate and an immunisation record, and the junior teachers arrange school visits for newly enrolled children.
Schools nearby
Where students go next
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 Pakowhai
Pakowhai School is in Pakowhai. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Pakowhai guide →Questions parents ask
Is Pakowhai School zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Pakowhai and parts of Tōmoana, Waipatu, Whakatu, Frimley, Clive and Fernhill.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 6.
How many students go there?
39 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?
452. 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.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Sources and data notes 1
- School facts: School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 23 Oct 2026 (CC BY 4.0). Home zone: Ministry of Education enrolment zones (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).