Kōwhai School, Akina (Hastings) — School Profile

Key facts

School number2588
School typeSpecialist School
AuthorityState
GenderCo-Educational
BoardingNo
Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
Established14 November 1975

About Kōwhai School

Kōwhai Specialist School is a state special school located at 407 Hastings St South, Akina, Hastings. It serves students who receive ORS (Ongoing Resourcing Scheme) funding, meaning its roll is made up of students with high or very high needs.

The school operates across multiple sites. Its base schools offer junior and senior programmes, while a network of satellite classes places students within mainstream school campuses. These satellite sites include Kimi Ora, Central School, Raureka, Kowhai Tec, Flaxmere, and Heretaunga Intermediate. This structure is intended to provide an educational pathway spanning primary, intermediate, secondary, and tertiary levels.

Classes are small and staffed with teachers and teacher aides. A team of therapists works across the school to support curriculum access and student wellbeing. The school states three core values: Partnership, Respect, and Participation, with whānau engagement described as a central part of its approach.

School donations

The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".

With an Equity Index of 517, Kōwhai 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 Kōwhai School actually sits, not just the number on its own.

OFFICIAL DATA

517

Scale: 344–569

Band: Many (2026)

WHAT IT MEANS

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 →

EQI scale (344–569)

Directory avg 445

Kōwhai School 517

Student ethnicity

The Ministry publishes this as a raw table — here it's visualised directly against Kōwhai School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.

European — 56 students (42.7%)
Asian — 11 students (8.4%)
Pacific — 21 students (16%)
Māori — 73 students (55.7%)
MELAA — 1 students (0.8%)

Percentages may sum to more than 100% because students can identify with more than one ethnic group.

Location

View larger map on OpenStreetMap

Street address407 Hastings St South
SuburbAkina
CityHastings
Local authorityHastings District

Official contact details

ContactAngie Dent (Acting)
Phone+64 6 878 3506
Emailaccounts@ksp.school.nz
Websitewww.kowhaispecial.school.nz

Nearby schools

Schools physically closest to Kōwhai School, regardless of year level.

Hastings Central School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 98 m
St Joseph's School (Hastings) Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 412 m
Hastings Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 416 m
Ebbett Park School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 1.3 km
Hastings Christian School Composite · Years 1–15 · 1.4 km

Explore schools in Hastings

Browse Hastings schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.

Full Primary schools (7) Contributing schools (6) Intermediate schools (2) Composite schools (1) Other (1) All schools in Hastings →

Enrolment

All students enrolling at Kōwhai Specialist School must hold Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding. Students are also required to have a Special Education Agreement, which is applied for through the Ministry of Education as part of the enrolment process.

Some students may be eligible for Ministry of Education-funded transport to and from school. Beyond these requirements, the school describes its enrolment process only in general terms, noting that it includes information sharing and class visits prior to a student starting.

Enquiries about enrolling at Kōwhai Specialist School are directed to the school directly.

Frequently asked

These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Kōwhai School's own official Ministry of Education data already shown on this page, so what you read here always matches the figures above.

Its Ministry of Education classification is "Specialist School".

It's a state school in the Hawke's Bay region. New Zealand domestic students are generally entitled to free enrolment and education at state schools.

Yes. It's a co-educational school, enrolling both boys and girls.

131 students, according to the September 2026 roll data.

It reflects the estimated socio-economic barriers Kōwhai School's students face, on average. The Ministry uses the Equity Index to help target funding and support. It is not a measure of school quality or academic performance.

Sources & methodology

Every fact on this page traces back to one of the rows below — official Ministry of Education data, or Kōwhai 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)	Kōwhai School's official website	Current	21 October 2026