William Colenso College
21 Arnold Street, Onekawa · Hawke's Bay & Gisborne
Composite score
Concern
Below median
Rank #2,296 of scored NZ schools
Active MoE intervention — limited statutory manager
A limited statutory manager has been appointed to William Colenso College . NZ Gazette notice
In summary
William Colenso College is a Year 7-15 secondary school in Napier, Hawke's Bay. As of the May 2023 Board Assurance Review, the board attested to meeting regulatory and legislative requirements across key areas including board administration and curriculum. The school is currently subject to a limited statutory manager intervention by the Ministry of Education.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Onekawa looking for a state-funded setting.
Is William Colenso College a good school?
William Colenso College 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.
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 61% · L2 46% · UE 21% · bottom quartile of band (n=142) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 1% · Te Pūkenga 14% · Industry 5% · top quartile of band (n=123) · why? ▼ hide
51% to Y13 · bottom quartile of band (n=166) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 96.3/1k · suspensions 25.5/1k · exclusions 15.6/1k · bottom quartile of band (n=539) · why? ▼ hide
-9.2% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · below band median (n=524) · why? ▼ hide
74/100 from ERO review 2023-05 · near band median (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): 74/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-05-15 · Shelley Booysen, ERO
- Board has attested to meeting regulatory and legislative requirements across all key areas as of July 2022
- Board Administration requirements confirmed
- Curriculum requirements confirmed
- Management of Health, Safety and Welfare requirements confirmed
- Personnel Management requirements confirmed
"As of July 2022, the William Colenso College Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements"
Composite score across reviews
3 ERO reviews on file, 2014–2023. Click a point to read that review.
Trajectory across review cycles
Year-over-year change per dimension based on consecutive ERO reviews.
Achievement showed mixed progress between 2014 and 2017. While NCEA results improved overall and for Māori students at Levels 1 and 3, the percentage of students achieving at least NCEA Level 2 remained stagnant. New concerns emerged around Year 7 literacy entry levels, gender disparities in writing, and persistent Māori-non-Māori achievement gaps at Levels 1 and 2.
2014-10 → 2017-12 diff source
The 2017 report highlighted significant improvement in NCEA results for Māori students at Levels 1 and 3, but noted a persistent disparity between Māori and non-Māori at Levels 1 and 2. The 2023 report does not provide specific achievement data for Māori students, instead emphasizing culturally responsive teaching and whanaungatanga as supports for progress, suggesting a shift in focus from reporting specific achievement gaps to highlighting relational and cultural approaches.
2017-12 → 2023-05 diff source
Both reports affirm strong governance with community engagement, but the 2017 report shifts emphasis from trustees' consultative charter development to their stewardship and representation role. The 2014 report highlights 'consultatively developed charter' and trustees' community links for consultation, while the 2017 report emphasizes trustees' stewardship role and the school's 'whole-school commitment to community collaboration.' The governance score declined slightly from 85 to 80.
2014-10 → 2017-12 diff source
Both reports emphasize wellbeing as a strength, but with a subtle shift in framing. The 2017 report highlights 'comprehensive pastoral and wellbeing provision responding holistically to students' diverse needs,' while the 2023 report integrates wellbeing into broader community collaboration and relationship-building ('whanaungatanga'), suggesting a more systemic and collaborative approach to student wellbeing rather than standalone provision.
2017-12 → 2023-05 diff source
Between 2014 and 2017, Māori student achievement improved significantly at Levels 1 and 3, with the 2017 report confirming "significant improvement in National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) results overall and for Māori students, especially at Levels 1 and 3." However, a new concern emerged: a disparity between Māori and non-Māori achievement at NCEA Levels 1 and 2 remained, whereas the 2014 report had noted that "Māori, on average, now achieve at similar levels to other students in the school."
2014-10 → 2017-12 diff source
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
61.4%
43 of 70 leavers
-9.3pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
45.7%
32 of 70 leavers
-8.0pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
21.4%
15 of 70 leavers
-7.9pt 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.
51.4%
2024 cohort · 70 students
+0.2pt 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
96.3
55 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
25.5
17 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
15.6
9 this year · NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Creative Industries 6
- Service Industries 3
- Social and Community Services 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
$5.93M
Per-student funding · 2022
$15,634
2018
$5.1M
2019
$4.3M
2020
$5.0M
2021
$6.1M
2022
$5.9M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 07 43
- Year 08 34
- Year 09 59
- Year 10 56
- Year 11 67
- Year 12 72
- Year 13+ 62
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- Māori 63.6%
- European/Pākehā 33.5%
- Asian 11.1%
- Pacific 6.6%
- International 4.2%
- Other / MELAA 2.1%
Location
21 Arnold Street, Onekawa. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with William Colenso College.
Hawke's Bay School for Teenage Parents
Teen Parent Unit · 0km · roll n/a
47
+11 vs this
Onekawa School
Contributing · 0.2km · 369 roll
55
+19 vs this
St Patrick's School (Napier)
Full Primary · 0.3km · 268 roll
70
+34 vs this
TKKM o Te Ara Hou
Composite · 0.5km · 232 roll
66
+30 vs this
Marewa School
Contributing · 0.8km · 237 roll
69
+33 vs this
Maraenui Bilingual School (Napier)
Full Primary · 1.2km · 139 roll
59
+23 vs this
Frequently asked
Is William Colenso College a good school?
William Colenso College 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 2023-05 review identified 6 key findings. Board has attested to meeting regulatory and legislative requirements across all key areas as of July 2022
How do I enrol my child at William Colenso College?
Contact the school directly on 06-8310180, email postmaster@colenso.school.nz, or visit www.colenso.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?
William Colenso College is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
William Colenso College has 379 students, with an EQI of 548 (higher socio-economic need).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed William Colenso College in 2023-05, signed by Shelley Booysen. 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
- gazette.govt.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz