Key facts
- School number2920
- School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established17 March 1897
About Muritai School
Muritai School is a primary school located in Eastbourne, a coastal suburb situated between the beach and bush. The school's principal is Stu Devenport.
The school describes its focus as developing independent and self-motivated learners, with an stated aim of preparing students for secondary school.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations may be requested".
With an Equity Index of 375, Muritai 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 Muritai 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 Muritai School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 314 students (92.4%)
- Asian — 3 students (0.9%)
- Pacific — 5 students (1.5%)
- Māori — 18 students (5.3%)
- MELAA — 6 students (1.8%)
- Other — 3 students (0.9%)
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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Evans Bay Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 8.8 km
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South Wellington Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 10.2 km
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Tawa Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 15.2 km
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Wainuiomata High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 5.5 km
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New Zealand Performance Academy Aotearoa Secondary · Years 9–15 · 19.9 km
Location
- Street addressMuritai Road
- SuburbEastbourne
- CityLower Hutt
- Local authorityLower Hutt City
Official contact details
- ContactStu Devenport
- Phone+64 4 562 8409
- Emailprincipal@muritai.school.nz
- Websitewww.muritai.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Muritai School, regardless of year level.
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St Claudine Thevenet School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 5.2 km
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Wainuiomata Primary School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 5.2 km
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Wainuiomata High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 5.5 km
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Miramar North School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 6.2 km
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Seatoun School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 6.3 km
Explore schools in Lower Hutt
Browse Lower Hutt schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Enrolment Zone and Process
Muritai School operates a home zone enrolment scheme. Students living within the defined home zone are entitled to enrol. Proof of residence within the home zone is required.
The home zone covers the eastern Wellington Harbour coastline, running south from 105 Seaview Road and addresses south on Marine Drive, with Port Road addresses 97 and above included. It extends through Point Howard (including Howard Road, Church Lane, Nikau Road, Westhill Road, and Ngaumatau Road), then south through Sorrento Bay, Lowry Bay, York Bay, Mahina Bay, Sunshine Bay, Days Bay, the village of Eastbourne, and through to Muritai Road. The western boundary is the sea from opposite 97 Port Road; the eastern boundary is the East Harbour Regional Park. Wainuiomata addresses are not in zone.
Each year the Board assesses how many places, if any, are available for out-of-zone students. If places exist, this is advertised in a local or daily newspaper. Out-of-zone applications are accepted on an official form and, if applications exceed available places, selection is by ballot.
Out-of-zone applications are prioritised in the following order:
- Siblings of current students
- Siblings of former students
- Children of former students
- Children of a board employee or board member
Curriculum
Muritai School uses a Conceptual Curriculum approach, in which learning is organised around broad, cross-disciplinary concepts rather than discrete subject areas. The school's concepts were developed in consultation with students, staff, and the community.
The school has identified nine concepts that underpin its curriculum planning:
- Change
- Thinking
- Impact
- Belonging
- Systems or Patterns
- Significance
- Potential
- Relationships
- Innovation
The curriculum operates within the framework of the New Zealand Curriculum, which the school uses as the basis for its local curriculum design.
Co-curricular Activities
The following named groups and activities are described on the school's website:
- Kapa Haka whole school community rōpū — open to students from Year 1–8 and their whānau; meets every Wednesday from 8:30am–9:00am in the school wharenui
- Kapa Haka Performance rōpū — open to students from Year 1–8; meets every Wednesday from 9:00am–10:20am in the school hall and performs within the school, the community, and the region, including at Hutt Fest
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Muritai 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 Muritai 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) | Muritai School's official website | Current | 7 October 2026 |