Tai Wananga
Ruakura AgResearch Centre, Hamilton · Waikato
Composite score
Established
Below median
Rank #1,605 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Tai Wananga's 2021 ERO review found that issues from the previous 2017 report have not been fully addressed, with significant new concerns about governance, leadership, and management. The school's strengths include NCEA results showing students achieve well overall, improved health and safety measures, and generally positive feedback from recent student and staff surveys. The school's composite score is 36.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Hamilton looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is Tai Wananga a good school?
Tai Wananga scores 60/100 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
- NCEA results since 2018 show taiohi overall achieve well
- Board has taken steps to strengthen aspects of health and safety
- Recent surveys of taiohi and kaimahi were generally positive
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 82% · L2 77% · UE 67% · top quartile of band (n=142) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 0% · Te Pūkenga 3% · Industry 2% · near band median (n=123) · why? ▼ hide
82% to Y13 · above band median (n=166) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 0.0/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · top 10% of band (n=539) · why? ▼ hide
+14.2% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · above band median (n=524) · why? ▼ hide
36/100 from ERO review 2021-08 · bottom 10% of band (n=544) · 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): 36/100.
Latest ERO review
2021-08-17 · Darcy Te Hau, ERO
- Issues from the previous 2017 ERO report have not been fully addressed, and significant new issues have arisen
- School governance does not provide necessary stewardship; lacks robust systems and processes for high-quality education provision
- Leadership and management is lacking with deteriorated relationship management and communication between leadership, staff and whānau
- Curriculum leadership requires improvement; lack of internal review and inadequate assessment and reporting impact negatively on teaching and learning quality
- Low levels of taiohi attendance is affecting their engagement in schooling and learning; correlation between attendance and outcomes not sufficiently analysed
"Leadership and management is lacking. Relationship management practices and communication between the leadership team and many staff and whānau have deteriorated since the previous ERO review."
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2017–2021. Click a point to read that review.
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
82.1%
32 of 39 leavers
-2.5pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
76.9%
30 of 39 leavers
+3.8pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
66.7%
26 of 39 leavers
+20.5pt 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.
82.1%
2024 cohort · 39 students
+9.0pt 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
0.0
· 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 4
- Creative Industries 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
$2.66M
Per-student funding · 2022
$18,195
2018
$2.4M
2019
$2.1M
2020
$2.4M
2021
$2.4M
2022
$2.7M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 09 52
- Year 10 28
- Year 11 33
- Year 12 26
- Year 13+ 22
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- Māori 96.6%
- European/Pākehā 27.4%
- Pacific 21.2%
- Asian 2.1%
- Other / MELAA 1.4%
Location
Ruakura AgResearch Centre, Hamilton. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Tai Wananga.
Southwell School
Full Primary · 0.8km · 664 roll
70
+10 vs this
Te Wharekura o Kirikiriroa
Composite · 1km · 315 roll
97
+37 vs this
Peachgrove Intermediate
Intermediate · 1.2km · 550 roll
53
-7 vs this
Patricia Avenue School
Specialist School · 1.3km · 203 roll
71
+11 vs this
Hamilton Boys' High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 1.4km · 2,261 roll
75
+15 vs this
Insoll Avenue School
Contributing · 1.7km · 353 roll
66
+6 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Tai Wananga a good school?
Tai Wananga scores 60/100 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 2021-08 review identified 6 key findings. Issues from the previous 2017 ERO report have not been fully addressed, and significant new issues have arisen
How do I enrol my child at Tai Wananga?
Contact the school directly on 07-853 0035, email info@taiwananga.co.nz, or visit www.taiwananga.co.nz. For state schools, check your home address against the school's enrolment zone — some schools are in-zone-only.
What are the fees?
Tai Wananga is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Tai Wananga has 146 students, with an EQI of 526 (higher socio-economic need).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Tai Wananga in 2021-08, signed by Darcy Te Hau. 2 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
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz