Last updated October 2026
Taikura Rudolf Steiner School is a state-integrated, co-educational composite school for Years 1 to 13 at 505 Nelson Street, Hastings Central, Hastings. It opened in 1950 and had 286 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes 38 suburbs, among them Crownthorpe, Waimārama, Pūkahu, Karamū, Pukehamoamoa and Kahurānaki; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
Taikura follows Rudolf Steiner’s approach to education, with the first two hours of each morning given to a main lesson block in one subject, and handwork, woodwork, eurythmy and seasonal and Christian festivals, including Matariki, part of school life.
Senior students take a broad compulsory programme that includes art, drama, philosophy and music and work towards the New Zealand Certificate of Steiner Education, with a Class 12 project, Gateway work placements and class camps. The school also runs two kindergartens and takes international students who already attend a Steiner or Waldorf school, including through a Class 10 exchange.
At a glance
- Principal
- Pippa Caccioppoli
- Address
- 505 Nelson Street, Hastings Central, Hastings
- Phone
- 06 878 7363
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Maraekākaho, Bridge Pa, Raukawa, Poukawa, St Leonards, Tōmoana, Raureka, Mahora, Roys Hill, Tuki Tuki, Fernhill, Havelock North Hastings, Waipatu, Frimley, Camberley, Pūkahu, Karamū, Flaxmere, Pakipaki, Whakatu, Mayfair Hastings, Ākina, Omahu, Pakowhai, Woolwich, Longlands, Crownthorpe, Clive, Twyford, Mangateretere, Kahurānaki, Parkvale, Hastings City Centre, Haumoana, Te Awanga, Waimārama, Clifton and Pukehamoamoa.
Zone boundaries are set by the school’s enrolment scheme and can change. Confirm your address with the school before you rely on it.
NCEA results
School leavers with NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with all New Zealand school leavers.
This school New Zealand
School leavers are students who left school that year, whatever year level they left from.
Who goes here
Share of the 286 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
3 international students
MELAA: Middle Eastern, Latin American and African.
What ERO found
The Education Review Office’s latest report on the school is a School Evaluation Report from December 2024. ERO found that most students in Years 1 to 10 achieve at the expected curriculum level in reading, writing and mathematics, though results for Māori learners are not yet equitable.
Senior students do well in the New Zealand Certificate of Steiner Education, and students who need extra learning support are well included and make good progress. Teachers know students well and keep classrooms orderly and positive, and parents and whānau are closely involved in the school. The school had not yet met the Ministry of Education’s targets for regular attendance.
ERO and the school agreed next steps to keep building a local curriculum that fits with the Steiner curriculum, strengthen adaptive teaching and assessment so support can be targeted where it is needed, build all staff’s capability with te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori so Māori students see themselves in their learning, and work with parents to lift attendance.
Read the ERO reports for Taikura Rudolf Steiner School
Enrolling
Taikura is a state-integrated school with a Steiner special character and an enrolment scheme that sets how places are filled. Families show their connection to the special character at a Special Character Interview, after which they can join the school waiting list, which is free.
The Ministry of Education lists a home zone for the school, but its enrolment page does not explain how the zone is applied, so families should check with the office.
Families request an interview with a form sent to the enrolments registrar, and are welcome at school tours, class plays, assemblies and festivals beforehand. The school lists the classes with spaces available on its enrolment page.
Schools nearby
In Hastings City Centre
Taikura Rudolf Steiner School is in Hastings City Centre. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Hastings City Centre guide →Questions parents ask
Is Taikura Rudolf Steiner School zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Maraekākaho, Bridge Pa, Raukawa, Poukawa, St Leonards, Tōmoana, Raureka, Mahora, Roys Hill, Tuki Tuki, Fernhill, Havelock North Hastings, Waipatu, Frimley, Camberley, Pūkahu, Karamū, Flaxmere, Pakipaki, Whakatu, Mayfair Hastings, Ākina, Omahu, Pakowhai, Woolwich, Longlands, Crownthorpe, Clive, Twyford, Mangateretere, Kahurānaki, Parkvale, Hastings City Centre, Haumoana, Te Awanga, Waimārama, Clifton and Pukehamoamoa.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 13.
How many students go there?
286 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?
437. 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.
How did its school leavers do in NCEA?
In 2025, 83.3% of its school leavers had NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with 77.8% of all New Zealand school leavers.
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). Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.
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