Michael Park School, Ellerslie (Auckland)

Key facts

About Michael Park School

Michael Park School is a state-integrated area school in Auckland offering Rudolf Steiner education from Kindergarten through to High School. It is the only Steiner school in central Auckland.

The school was founded in 1979, opening on its current site with a kindergarten and Classes 1–4. The site, located in Waiatarua, was historically used as a food-gathering area by local Ngāti Whātua iwi. Early development of the campus involved land restoration and regeneration carried out by parents, whānau, and the wider community.

The school currently provides education across three stages: Kindergarten (ages 4–6), Primary School (ages 6–14), and High School (ages 14–18). Its curriculum is shaped by Rudolf Steiner's educational ideas and is described as broad and distinct in character. The school's approach treats each student as an individual and emphasises the development of self-awareness, self-management, and critical thinking.

The founding of the school arose from a community vision for Steiner education in Auckland, and community involvement has remained a feature of the school's character since its establishment.

Curriculum

Michael Park School is a state-integrated school that delivers the New Zealand Curriculum using Steiner pedagogy and philosophy. The school covers kindergarten through to Class 12 (senior high school).

In their final two years, students sit NCEA Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications. The school describes its approach as holistic, drawing on Rudolf Steiner's framework of head, heart and hands — meaning academic, creative, and practical learning are treated as equally important across all year levels.

Named learning areas and activities stated across the school include:

• Ceramics and arts programmes
• Handwork and hard materials (hands-on practical learning)
• Camps, run annually from Class 3 through Class 12
• Plays throughout the primary school, with major productions in Class 8, 10, and 12
• A Class 1–12 Peer Mediation Programme
• Sports, cultural, and music groups
• Environmental initiatives and outdoor classroom learning
• Self-directed play in Kindergarten

The school uses annual NCEA results compared against national statistics as one measure of academic outcomes, with small class sizes cited as a factor in supporting individual students.

Student Support and Pastoral Care

Michael Park School operates several named pastoral and support structures across its primary and secondary years.

• Class Teachers and Kaitiaki: In the Primary School, a class teacher typically remains with the same class throughout primary years. In the High School, this role is carried out by a kaitiaki. The continuity of these relationships is a deliberate feature of the pastoral model. At key transition points — such as from Kindergarten to Class 1 and from Primary to High School — the school runs induction programmes, parent information sessions, and peer support to help students and families prepare.
• Care Group: A weekly meeting body comprising the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO), counsellors, a first aid officer, the Horizon Co-ordinator, a Curative Eurythmist, and deputy principals. The group coordinates communication, updates, and actions relating to individual student needs.
• Peer Mediators: The school operates as a Class 1–12 Peer Mediator school in partnership with the Peace Foundation, training students to resolve lower-level conflicts independently.