Last updated October 2026
Wairakei School is a state, co-educational primary school for Years 1 to 6 at 2 Kauri Drive, Wairakei, Taupo. It opened in 1959 and had 341 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes all of Wairakei, and parts of Kinloch, Oruanui, Rotokawa, Nukuhau, Acacia Bay and Ohakuri; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
The school’s site lists kapa haka open to all students, with some performing at the Taiopenga festival hosted by Ngāti Tūwharetoa, school athletics, cross country and sports teams, Riding for Development for selected students, and weekly online Kōtui Ako lessons for senior students. Children due to start can join a transition programme called Steaming into School before their first day.
At a glance
- Principal
- Paula Farquhar
- Address
- 2 Kauri Drive, Wairakei, Taupo
- Phone
- 07 374 8035
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Wairakei.
Parts of Kinloch, Oruanui, Rotokawa, Nukuhau, Acacia Bay and Ohakuri: check your street.
Zone boundaries are set by the school’s enrolment scheme and can change. Confirm your address with the school before you rely on it.
Who goes here
Share of the 341 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
MELAA: Middle Eastern, Latin American and African.
Stand-downs and suspensions
Cases per 1,000 students in 2025, adjusted for the ages of the school’s students, compared with all New Zealand schools.
Suspensions: fewer than 5 cases in 2025, so no rate is shown.
These measure how a school responds to behaviour, and schools set their own thresholds, so they are not a measure of how students behave.
What ERO found
The Education Review Office’s latest report on the school is a School Report from May 2026. Since its previous review the school has retrained staff in assessment and moderation, improved writing through professional learning and structured literacy, and rebuilt its links with the wider community after COVID.
ERO found teaching of good quality, students with complex needs well supported, and students who feel they belong, show pride in their school and take part in a wide range of activities.
A small majority of students reach the expected level in reading and maths, with writing lower, and reading and maths results are even across groups. ERO noted a new leadership team that uses data to guide change, and a strong partnership between the board, staff and the local marae.
ERO’s priorities for the school are to keep lifting regular attendance, which is behind the government target, strengthen assessment so teachers can see the effect of their teaching on progress, use that information to improve teaching and report accurately on each child, embed structured literacy and maths, and evaluate the effect of recent curriculum changes.
Read the ERO reports for Wairakei School
Enrolling
Children who live in the home zone are entitled to a place. Out-of-zone places are offered under the enrolment scheme, by ballot when there are more applicants than places, and applicants who miss out go on a waiting list that stays current until the next ballot. The school publishes its out-of-zone places and ballot dates on its enrolment page each year.
Schools nearby
Where students go next
Based on home zones around the school’s own address. Families can apply to any school, and your own address decides which zones you are in.
In Wairakei
Wairakei School is in Wairakei. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Wairakei guide →Questions parents ask
Is Wairakei School zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Wairakei and parts of Kinloch, Oruanui, Rotokawa, Nukuhau, Acacia Bay and Ohakuri.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 6.
How many students go there?
341 at 1 Sep 2026.
Does it ask for donations?
No. It is in the donation scheme, so it only asks for donations for school camps.
What is its Equity Index?
440. The Ministry of Education’s Equity Index estimates the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, from 344 (fewest) to 569 (most). It is used to share out funding, not as a measure of quality.
Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Sources and data notes 1
- School facts: School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 22 Oct 2026 (CC BY 4.0). Home zone: Ministry of Education enrolment zones (CC BY 4.0). NCEA results, roll history and stand-downs: Education Counts, school leavers 2023 to 2025, stand-downs 2025, rolls 2021 to 2025 (CC BY 4.0).