Golden Bay High School
12 Waitapu Road, Takaka · Nelson, Marlborough & West Coast
Composite score
Established
Below median
Rank #1,501 of scored NZ schools
Active MoE intervention — limited statutory manager
A limited statutory manager has been appointed to Golden Bay High School as of 2017-03-23. NZ Gazette notice
In summary
Golden Bay High School's February 2025 board assurance review found the board had attested to meeting regulatory requirements across all six key areas as of November 2024. Two areas of non-compliance were identified relating to policy review for safe environments and child protection policy; the board has since addressed both. The school is currently subject to limited statutory manager intervention from the Ministry of Education.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Takaka looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is Golden Bay High School a good school?
Golden Bay High School is currently under MoE intervention — a limited statutory manager has been appointed. The school's day-to-day teaching continues; the intervention addresses governance or operational concerns identified by the Ministry. Read the NZ Gazette notice for details.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- Board attestation across all six regulatory compliance areas as of November 2024
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 98% · L2 87% · UE 59% · top 10% of band (n=84) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 9% · Te Pūkenga 4% · Industry 6% · below band median (n=81) · why? ▼ hide
80% to Y13 · near band median (n=86) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 28.1/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · near band median (n=404) · why? ▼ hide
-7.0% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · below band median (n=403) · why? ▼ hide
73/100 from ERO review 2025-02 · below band median (n=406) · 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): 73/100.
Latest ERO review
2025-02-17 · Sharon Kelly, ERO
- Board has attested to meeting regulatory and legislative requirements across all key areas: Board Administration, Curriculum, Health/Safety/Welfare, Personnel, Finance, and Assets
- Two areas of non-compliance identified: responsive policy review for safe physical and emotional environment, and compliant child protection policy
- Board has since addressed both areas of non-compliance identified during the assurance process
"As of November 2024, the Golden Bay High School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements"
Composite score across reviews
3 ERO reviews on file, 2017–2025. Click a point to read that review.
Trajectory across review cycles
Year-over-year change per dimension based on consecutive ERO reviews.
Golden Bay High School's governance transformed dramatically from serious concerns about relationships, communication and reporting deficiencies in 2017 to significant progress by 2019, with the board developing self-governance capability and establishing transparent communication. The LSM-supported board moved from being identified as a constraint on school improvement to being considered capable of independent self-governance by October 2018.
2017-06 → 2019-07 diff source
Golden Bay High School's leadership dimension underwent a dramatic transformation between 2017 and 2019. In 2017, the school had 'serious concerns identified at governance and professional leadership levels including relationships, communication and reporting deficiencies,' with relationships being 'a serious barrier to the effective strategic management and direction of the school.' By 2019, 'significant progress made in building relational trust within the school and with the wider community' and the principal, board and senior management had 'focused collaboratively on building relational trust,' resulting in an overall rating improvement from 'not well placed' (35) to 'well placed' (82).
2017-06 → 2019-07 diff source
Golden Bay High School demonstrated significant improvement in wellbeing between 2017 and 2019. While the 2017 report noted that 'Student wellbeing and support for learning are prioritised,' it also flagged serious governance and leadership concerns. By 2019, the school achieved 'significantly improved systems to support learning and wellbeing' alongside marked gains in staff morale, with staff reporting a 'significant improvement in staff morale and wellbeing' through regular consultation in decision-making.
2017-06 → 2019-07 diff source
The focus on wellbeing shifted from emphasizing staff morale and relational trust (2019) to emphasizing learner sense of community and belonging (2025). While the 2019 report highlighted that "staff morale and wellbeing" improved significantly, the 2025 report centers on learners reporting they "value the sense of community and belonging" and that "their teachers know them well," suggesting a reorientation toward student-centered wellbeing metrics.
2019-07 → 2025-02 diff source
Golden Bay High School's governance has evolved from building foundational capability and relational trust (2019) to demonstrating strong, strategic collaborative leadership focused on learner outcomes (2025). The board transitioned from developing self-governance capacity with external support to actively representing the school with clear emphasis on learner wellbeing, progress and achievement.
2019-07 → 2025-02 diff source
Audited financials
Year ended 2023 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$5.66M
Surplus / (deficit)
+$305k
Net assets / equity
$2.04M
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
97.8%
45 of 46 leavers
-2.2pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
87.0%
40 of 46 leavers
-3.0pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
58.7%
27 of 46 leavers
+11.2pt 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.
80.4%
2024 cohort · 46 students
-2.1pt 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
28.1
14 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
0.0
· NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
0.0
· NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Service Industries 6
- Creative Industries 1
- Manufacturing and Technology 1
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
$9.82M
Per-student funding · 2022
$31,984
2018
$3.8M
2019
$3.5M
2020
$4.4M
2021
$5.7M
2022
$9.8M
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 91.9%
- Māori 9.8%
- Asian 3.9%
- Other / MELAA 2.3%
- Pacific 1.6%
- International 1.0%
Location
12 Waitapu Road, Takaka. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Golden Bay High School.
Frequently asked
Is Golden Bay High School a good school?
Golden Bay High School is currently under MoE intervention — a limited statutory manager has been appointed. The school's day-to-day teaching continues; the intervention addresses governance or operational concerns identified by the Ministry. Read the NZ Gazette notice for details.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2025-02 review identified 3 key findings. Board has attested to meeting regulatory and legislative requirements across all key areas: Board Administration, Curriculum, Health/Safety/Welfare, Personnel, Finance, and Assets
How do I enrol my child at Golden Bay High School?
Contact the school directly on 03-5259914, email postie@gbh.school.nz, or visit www.gbh.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?
Golden Bay High School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Golden Bay High School has 307 students, with an EQI of 450 (mid-range socio-economic context).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Golden Bay High School in 2025-02, signed by Sharon Kelly. 5 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
- gbh.school.nz
- gazette.govt.nz
- sieba.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz