Key facts
- School number2868
- School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established26 January 1898
About Kahutara School
Kahutara School is a state, co-educational full primary school located in a rural setting in the Wairarapa. It was established in 1898, when the Roydhouse family moved into the area and required schooling for their children. The founding roll comprised between 15 and 18 pupils.
The school describes some current students as descendants of those original pupils. It operates from grounds that include mature oak trees. Electricity was not connected to the school until the mid-1920s.
The school is led by Principal Ariana Te Whetu, who joined in 2024. Teaching is organised across named classroom groupings: Hub 1, Hub 2, and Room 3. The school has an Office Manager and a Classroom Release Teacher in addition to its classroom staff.
A parent and community group, the Kahutara Parents and Community (KPC), supports the school through volunteering, organising activities, and fundraising.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
With an Equity Index of 456, Kahutara School is in the range eligible to opt into the Ministry's donations scheme — receiving additional government funding per student in exchange for not seeking donations (except for overnight camps).
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 Kahutara School 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 Kahutara School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 75 students (83.3%)
- Asian — 3 students (3.3%)
- Pacific — 7 students (7.8%)
- Māori — 23 students (25.6%)
- MELAA — 2 students (2.2%)
Percentages may sum to more than 100% because students can identify with more than one ethnic group.
Location
- Street address990 Kahutara Road
- CityFeatherston
- Local authoritySouth Wairarapa District
Official contact details
- ContactAriana Te Whetu
- Phone+64 6 308 8427
- Emailoffice@kahutara.school.nz
- Websitekahutara.school.nz/
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Kahutara School, regardless of year level.
-
Martinborough School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 9.4 km
-
Featherston School Te Kura o Paetūmokai Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 12.1 km
-
Pirinoa School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 18 km
-
Mangaroa School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 22.1 km
-
Birchville School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 25.1 km
Explore schools in Featherston
Browse Featherston schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Enrolment
Kahutara School handles enrolment differently depending on whether a child is a new entrant or transferring from another school.
Families enrolling a new entrant are directed to the school's published new entrant information, which covers transition visits and skills for starting school.
Families transferring a child from another school should contact the school office to obtain an enrolment pack and arrange a meeting with the Principal.
When returning completed enrolment paperwork, the following documents are required:
- Birth certificate
- Medical information, any medication, allergy details, and immunisation certificate
- Custody documentation (if applicable)
- Completed enrolment form
The school's enrolment page links to a downloadable information sheet for new entrant families. No enrolment zone boundaries or priority criteria are stated in the available information.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Kahutara School'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 Kahutara School'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) | Kahutara School's official website | Current | 15 October 2026 |