Mangaroa School, Upper Hutt — School Profile

Key facts

School number2899
School typeContributing · Years 1–6
AuthorityState
GenderCo-Educational
BoardingNo
Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
Established26 January 1914

About Mangaroa School

Mangaroa School is a small, state primary school located in the Mangaroa area of Upper Hutt, Wellington. It has operated continuously as an independent school in its own right, despite low pupil numbers, and is distinct from Te Marua School, which was historically recorded under similar spellings.

The school's guiding whakataukī — Poipoia te kākano, ka puawai ("Nurture the seed and it will blossom") — reflects its stated approach to learning, which emphasises that children develop at different rates and in different ways. The school states a commitment to recognising New Zealand's cultural diversity, with specific provision for tikanga Māori and Te Reo Māori as part of its learning programme.

Mangaroa School participates in the Upper Hutt Education Network Engagement Project, a collaborative initiative through which schools in the Upper Hutt area share professional development opportunities for teachers.

Historical records relating to the school are held at Upper Hutt Library.

Enrolment

Enrolment scheme on record

Mangaroa School has an enrolment scheme (a home zone) on record. Living inside it guarantees a place; living outside it does not, though out-of-zone applications may still be considered.

School donations

The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations may be requested".

With an Equity Index of 416, Mangaroa School is below the 432 threshold newly required to opt into the donations scheme, though a school already receiving this funding from an earlier year may continue to do so. Outside the scheme, a school can still ask families for donations, but cannot compel or enforce payment.

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 Mangaroa School actually sits, not just the number on its own.

OFFICIAL DATA

416

Scale: 344–569

Band: Few (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 447.1

Mangaroa School 416

Student ethnicity

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

European — 91 students (95.8%)
Pacific — 3 students (3.2%)
Māori — 16 students (16.8%)
MELAA — 2 students (2.1%)

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.

Current stage — Mangaroa School

Contributing · Years 1–6

Potential next stage

Maidstone Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 4.7 km

Location

View larger map on OpenStreetMap

Street address93 Flux Road
CityUpper Hutt
Local authorityUpper Hutt City

Official contact details

ContactJohn Steere
Phone+64 4 526 7948
Emailoffice@mangaroa.school.nz
Websitewww.mangaroa.school.nz

Nearby schools

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

Upper Hutt School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 4.3 km
Maidstone Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 4.7 km
Tawhai School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 12 km
Bellevue School (Newlands) Contributing · Years 1–6 · 26.9 km
Thorndon School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 32.7 km

Explore schools in Upper Hutt

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

Contributing schools (2) Intermediate schools (1) All schools in Upper Hutt →

Curriculum

Mangaroa School uses a play-based learning approach, particularly for younger students. Under this model, children engage in self-directed, internally motivated play, with teachers providing an enabling environment and extending learning through discussion and interaction.

The school frames this approach within The New Zealand Curriculum, which it references as a basis for developing values and key competencies across learning areas.

The school's GROW Values underpin a school-wide approach to behaviour and learning, with an emphasis on belonging, diversity, and learning as a partnership between students, school, and home.

Co-curricular and Sporting Activities

Mangaroa School students participate in the following named sports and activities, both within school and through external events and organisations:

Basketball — offered as a team sport and through external skills clinics
Floorball — offered as a team sport and in Upper Hutt Sports Calendar events
Touch Rugby — offered as a team sport
Badminton — taught by visiting sports organisations
Swimming — through external clinics and Upper Hutt Sports Calendar events; lessons delivered via Fulton Hogan
Lawn Bowls — taught by visiting sports organisations
Rugby — taught by visiting sports organisations
Athletics — Upper Hutt Sports Calendar
Hockey — Upper Hutt Sports Calendar
Ki o Rahi — Upper Hutt Sports Calendar
Danish Rounders — Upper Hutt Sports Calendar
Netball — Upper Hutt Sports Calendar and after-school events
Traditional Māori Games (Ngā Taonga Tākaro) — Upper Hutt Sports Calendar and after-school events
Football — Upper Hutt Sports Calendar and external clinics
Cross Country — Upper Hutt Sports Calendar and after-school events
Dance — after-school and regional events
Gymnastics — external specialist clinics
Cricket — external specialist clinics
Movin' March — nationwide participation initiative
Tough Guy & Gal Challenge — regional event, entered independently by students
Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon — regional event, entered independently by students

Frequently asked

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

Mangaroa School is classified as a Contributing school serving Years 1–6.

It's a state school in the Wellington 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.

Yes. Mangaroa School has an enrolment scheme (a home zone) on record. Living inside it guarantees a place; living outside it does not, though out-of-zone applications may still be considered.

95 students, according to the August 2026 roll data.

It reflects the estimated socio-economic barriers Mangaroa 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 Mangaroa 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	—	7 September 2026
Student roll	Ministry of Education / Education Counts	August 2026	7 September 2026
Equity Index	Education Counts	—	7 September 2026
Address & coordinates	Ministry of Education	—	7 September 2026
Contact details	NZ Schools Directory	Current	7 September 2026
School information (AI-curated, human-reviewed)	Mangaroa School's official website	Current	18 September 2026