Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery
5 Mollett St, Christchurch · Canterbury
See all schools in Christchurch →
Composite score
Developing
Below median
Rank #1,785 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery's 2023 ERO review identified attendance concerns and the need to improve systems and teaching strategies for Māori student outcomes. The school's strengths include its special character providing clear vision, innovative leadership from the board and staff, and strong relational practices with Learning Advisors who build partnerships with students and whānau over time.
Best suited for
Students all year levels (Year 1-13) in Christchurch looking for a state-funded setting.
Is Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery a good school?
Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery scores 55/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Below median nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- The school's special character provides a foundation and vision for this work
- Innovative leadership across the school including the board of trustees that utilises internal expertise and the strengths of the staff
- Strong relational practices where each student can build a partnership over time with a Learning Advisor who knows the student and their whānau well
Summary derived from ERO reports + audited financials + MoE records. Every claim links to its source — see data transparency at the bottom of this page.
Score breakdown
6 axes, each scored 0–100 on a national absolute scale. As at 2025.
L1 80% · L2 66% · UE 39% · bottom 10% of band (n=81) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 19% · Te Pūkenga 9% · Industry 6% · bottom quartile of band (n=77) · why? ▼ hide
70% to Y13 · bottom 10% of band (n=84) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 45.4/1k · suspensions 4.4/1k · exclusions 1.3/1k · bottom quartile of band (n=518) · why? ▼ hide
+10.2% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · above band median (n=515) · why? ▼ hide
70/100 from ERO review 2023-04 · bottom quartile of band (n=520) · why? ▼ hide
⚠ Insufficient EQI-band peers (n<10) to compute per-axis percentile context. The score above is absolute; treat it as a single-school read rather than a peer comparison.
Real ERO composite (from the latest review): 70/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-04-13 · Kathy Lye, Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
- School has identified attendance as a concern, with low attendance meaning students aren't engaging in learning opportunities
- Need to improve school systems, processes and teaching strategies to drive improving outcomes for Māori students
- Learning Advisors need to enhance how they see and evaluate evidence of learning and student progress toward learning goals
- Staff and community feedback indicates need for frameworks, scaffolds and common language across the kura to support self-directed learning
- School has strategic educationally powerful connections with whānau and businesses to enhance and broaden learning experiences
"Innovative leadership across the school including the board of trustees that utilises internal expertise and the strengths of the staff."
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2018–2023. Click a point to read that review.
Audited financials
Year ended 2021 · Audit opinion: n/a
Total revenue
$7.55M
Surplus / (deficit)
$122k
Net assets / equity
$0.62M
3 years of audited data on file · View full history (Pro)
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
79.7%
59 of 74 leavers
+2.1pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
66.2%
49 of 74 leavers
-0.9pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
39.2%
29 of 74 leavers
-2.9pt vs prior year
Data: Ministry of Education / Education Counts, CC-BY-4.0
Stay-on rate
Percentage of students who stay at school until at least their 17th birthday — the standard NZ proxy for Year-9-to-Year-13 retention.
70.3%
2024 cohort · 74 students
-10.0pt vs 2023
Discipline (age-standardised, per 1,000 students)
Stand-down = sent home temporarily. Suspension = formal investigation. Exclusion = removed from school. National averages shown for comparison.
Stand-downs · 2024
45.4
38 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
4.4
4 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
1.3
1 this year · NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Service Industries 2
Government funding
Crown funding only (school operations + teacher salaries + property). Excludes locally-raised funds, international fees and trading income — those are in the audited financial report above.
Total Crown funding · 2022
$6.36M
Per-student funding · 2022
$9,667
2018
$19.2M
2019
$11.9M
2020
$5.8M
2021
$5.7M
2022
$6.4M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 14
- Year 02 19
- Year 03 25
- Year 04 27
- Year 05 32
- Year 06 31
- Year 07 52
- Year 08 69
- Year 09 63
- Year 10 90
- Year 11 97
- Year 12 86
- Year 13+ 44
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 89.7%
- Māori 15.3%
- Asian 7.9%
- Other / MELAA 4.1%
- Pacific 3.0%
Location
5 Mollett St, Christchurch. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery.
St Michael's Church School
Full Primary · 0.3km · 149 roll
94
+39 vs this
Catholic Cathedral College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 0.9km · 578 roll
71
+16 vs this
Christ's College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 1km · 729 roll
85
+30 vs this
Te Puna Wai o Waipapa - Hagley College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 1.1km · 1,939 roll
60
+5 vs this
The Cathedral Grammar School
Full Primary · 1.1km · 262 roll
71
+16 vs this
Christchurch East School
Full Primary · 1.2km · 325 roll
39
-16 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery a good school?
Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery scores 55/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Below median nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2023-04 review identified 5 key findings. School has identified attendance as a concern, with low attendance meaning students aren't engaging in learning opportunities
How do I enrol my child at Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery?
Contact the school directly on 03-3777773, email office@aotawhiti.school.nz, or visit aotawhiti.school.nz. For state schools, check your home address against the school's enrolment zone — some schools are in-zone-only.
What are the fees?
Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery has 658 students, with an EQI of 442 (mid-range socio-economic context).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery in 2023-04, signed by Kathy Lye. 3 ERO reports are on file in our archive.
Data transparency
Every fact on this page links to its source. We never publish a claim without provenance — read our methodology for the full rules.
Sourced from
- ero.govt.nz
- aotawhiti.school.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz