Te Whata Tau o Putauaki
39-57 Galway Street, Kawerau · Bay of Plenty
Composite score
Strong
Top 5% in NZ
Rank #118 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Te Whata Tau o Putauaki is a composite school in Kawerau serving 80 students. ERO's 2015 review found students understand the importance of ūkaipōtanga and whakapapa to iwi knowledge, appreciate learning te reo Māori with kaumātua, and experience academic success through differentiated literacy and numeracy programmes. The school's strengths include inclusive leadership, a clear vision centred on Pūtauakitanga and te reo Māori, and structured language acquisition strategies. The school has a composite score of 85.
Best suited for
Students all year levels (Year 1-13) in Kawerau looking for a state-funded setting with a strong recent ERO trajectory.
Is Te Whata Tau o Putauaki a good school?
Te Whata Tau o Putauaki scores 87/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 5% in NZ nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- Tumuaki has inclusive and facilitative leadership approach that grows capability throughout the community
- Clear vision based on Pūtauakitanga and commitment to education through te reo Māori and academic achievement
- Range of language acquisition strategies to develop te reo Māori use across settings
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.
no NCEA data · why? ▼ hide
no destinations data · why? ▼ hide
80% 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
+27.1% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · top quartile of band (n=524) · why? ▼ hide
85/100 from ERO review 2015-12 · top 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): 85/100.
Latest ERO review
2015-12-03 · Lynda Pura-Watson, ERO
- Uri understand the importance of ūkaipōtanga and whakapapa as integral to understanding place and iwi knowledge
- Uri display appreciation for learning te reo Māori with kaumātua and kura leaders focused on strengthening te reo Māori and iwi dialect
- Uri understand learning is a priority and are experiencing academic success through differentiated support programmes in literacy and numeracy
- Uri are culturally confident with kaumātua participation integral to teaching and learning
- Uri are developing as leaders with community aspiration for them to be culturally confident and competent
"The tumuaki has an inclusive and facilitative leadership approach that she uses to benefit others and grow capability and capacity throughout the community."
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2014–2015. Click a point to read that review.
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
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.
80.0%
2023 cohort · 5 students
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
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
$1.25M
Per-student funding · 2022
$15,603
2018
$1.2M
2019
$1.3M
2020
$1.3M
2021
$1.3M
2022
$1.2M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 10
- Year 02 3
- Year 03 11
- Year 04 4
- Year 05 4
- Year 06 8
- Year 07 2
- Year 08 10
- Year 09 6
- Year 10 8
- Year 11 3
- Year 12 5
- Year 13+ 1
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- Māori 98.8%
- Pacific 1.3%
- Other / MELAA 1.3%
Location
39-57 Galway Street, Kawerau. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Te Whata Tau o Putauaki.
Tarawera High School
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 0.5km · 427 roll
41
-46 vs this
Te Tari Ako Matua Taiohi Education Centre
Teen Parent Unit · 1.4km · roll n/a
95
+8 vs this
Kawerau South School
Contributing · 1.5km · 365 roll
76
-11 vs this
Kawerau Putauaki School
Contributing · 2km · 143 roll
63
-24 vs this
Te Kura O Te Teko
Full Primary · 9.7km · 155 roll
68
-19 vs this
Te Mahoe School
Full Primary · 10km · 31 roll
70
-17 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Te Whata Tau o Putauaki a good school?
Te Whata Tau o Putauaki scores 87/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 5% in NZ nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2015-12 review identified 6 key findings. Uri understand the importance of ūkaipōtanga and whakapapa as integral to understanding place and iwi knowledge
How do I enrol my child at Te Whata Tau o Putauaki?
Contact the school directly on 07-3238486, email tari@twtop.school.nz, or visit www.twtop.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?
Te Whata Tau o Putauaki is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Te Whata Tau o Putauaki has 80 students, with an EQI of 541 (higher socio-economic need).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Te Whata Tau o Putauaki in 2015-12, signed by Lynda Pura-Watson. 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