Key facts
- School number2859
- School typeContributing · Years 1–6
- AuthorityState : Integrated
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established2 February 1960
About Holy Family School (Porirua)
Holy Family School is a state-integrated Catholic primary school located at 169 Mungavin Avenue, Porirua East, adjacent to the Holy Family Parish Church. It was founded by the Brigidine Sisters to serve the Catholic community of the Parish of Holy Family, and belongs to the Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington. The school opened in February 1960.
The school's maximum roll is 305 students, as set by its Integration Agreement of 8 September 1981. Students are drawn from across the Porirua East area, from Ascot Park in the north to Ranui Heights in the south. The school community is culturally diverse: 72% Pasifika, 15% Māori, 9% South East Asian, and 4% other ethnicities.
As a Catholic school, Holy Family School operates within a faith-based framework. Its stated values are respect, excellence, love, and integrity. The school acknowledges Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of New Zealand. Most families attending the school are also parishioners of the Holy Family Parish.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
Check directly with the school for current charges, contributions or other costs. Learn more on the donations scheme or fees and charges at school, both on education.govt.nz.
Equity Index
The Ministry publishes this figure as a bare number — KuraData shows it against the directory-wide average, so you can see where Holy Family School (Porirua) actually sits, not just the number on its own.
The Equity Index estimates the socio-economic barriers students face, on average, and is used to inform government funding and support. It is not a measure of school quality or academic performance.
Higher values indicate a higher level of estimated socio-economic barriers; lower values indicate fewer. Learn how the Equity Index is calculated →
Student ethnicity
The Ministry publishes this as a raw table — here it's visualised directly against Holy Family School (Porirua)'s own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 18 students (11.1%)
- Asian — 15 students (9.3%)
- Pacific — 128 students (79%)
- Māori — 38 students (23.5%)
- MELAA — 6 students (3.7%)
Percentages may sum to more than 100% because students can identify with more than one ethnic group.
Education pathway
Nearby schools serving the next or previous year levels are shown as potential pathway options. They do not indicate formal enrolment pathways or actual student transfers.
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Tawa Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 3.5 km
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Whitby Collegiate Secondary · Years 7–15 · 4 km
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Hutt International Boys' School Secondary · Years 7–15 · 14.9 km
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Wainuiomata High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 14 km
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New Zealand Performance Academy Aotearoa Secondary · Years 9–15 · 14.2 km
Location
- Street address169 Mungavin Avenue
- SuburbCannons Creek
- CityPorirua
- Local authorityPorirua City
Official contact details
- ContactSue Goodin
- Phone+64 4 237 7664
- Emailoffice@holyfamily.school.nz
- Websitewww.holyfamily.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Holy Family School (Porirua), regardless of year level.
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Cannons Creek School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 530 m
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Glenview School (Porirua East) Contributing · Years 1–6 · 1 km
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Maraeroa School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 1.1 km
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Wellington S D A School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 2.5 km
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Tairangi School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 2.7 km
Explore schools in Porirua
Browse Porirua schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Enrolment
Holy Family School is a State Integrated Catholic school, and enrolment is managed through a preference system administered in accordance with the school's special character. The bishop's agent for determining preference is the Parish Priest.
Preference eligibility
A child may be considered a preference student on any of the following grounds:
- The child has been baptised, or is being prepared for baptism, in the Catholic Church.
- One or more of the child's siblings have already been baptised in the Catholic faith.
- At least one parent is Catholic and, although the child has not yet been baptised, attendance at the school could lead to baptism.
- A significant familial adult (such as a grandparent, aunt, or uncle) who is actively involved in the child's upbringing undertakes to support the child's formation in the Catholic faith, with parental agreement.
- One or both of the child's parents are non-Catholic.
Priority order for preference applicants
Preference applications are processed in the following order:
- Siblings of current students
- Children of parishioners of Holy Family Church
- Children closely related to current students (defined at the discretion of the Principal and the Board of Trustees Chair)
- Children of current Holy Family staff and current Board of Trustees members
- Children and family of former Holy Family students
Non-preference students
Non-preference students are enrolled only if places remain after all preference applicants have been accepted. The school has a maximum of 15 non-preference places. Within that allocation, non-preference places are prioritised as follows:
- Siblings of non-preference students already enrolled
- Siblings of former non-preference students
- Children of staff or Board members applying on a non-preference basis
- Non-preference students transferring from another integrated school with the same special character
- Other non-preference students
Process and deadlines
Families contact the school to obtain an enrolment pack; those wishing to claim preference are also informed how to obtain a preference certificate. The closing date for enrolments is the end of October in the year prior for the first half of the following year, and the end of May for the second half of the year. After the closing date, applications are prioritised by preference status and then by category. Where demand within a category exceeds available places, positions are allocated by random ballot.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Holy Family School (Porirua)'s own official Ministry of Education data already shown on this page, so what you read here always matches the figures above.
Sources & methodology
Every fact on this page traces back to one of the rows below — official Ministry of Education data, or Holy Family School (Porirua)'s own published information, reviewed before publication. Nothing here is inferred or estimated beyond what its source actually states.
| Data | Source | Data period | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| School characteristics | Ministry of Education | — | 15 October 2026 |
| Student roll | Ministry of Education / Education Counts | September 2026 | 15 October 2026 |
| Equity Index | Education Counts | — | 15 October 2026 |
| Address & coordinates | Ministry of Education | — | 15 October 2026 |
| Contact details | NZ Schools Directory | Current | 15 October 2026 |
| School information (AI-curated, human-reviewed) | Holy Family School (Porirua)'s official website | Current | 7 October 2026 |