Key facts
- School number2922
- School typeContributing · Years 1–6
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionSome students taught in te reo Māori or a Pacific language
- Established26 January 1946
About Naenae School
Naenae School (Naenae Primary School) is a primary school with a stated vision of "The Best We Can Be — Our Journey of Excellence / Ngā Tamariki Toa". Its guiding framework is built around four values expressed through the acronym CARE: Care (Manaakitanga), Assist (Awhinatanga), Respect (Whakaute), and Excel (Hiranga).
The school's character is shaped by four Māori concepts that underpin its approach to community and learning:
- Manaakitanga — a focus on caring, warmth, and nurturing relationships with students and whānau
- Kotahitanga — partnership and participation framed around Te Tiriti o Waitangi, with an emphasis on involving whānau and the wider community
- Whanaungatanga — relationships
- Rangatiratanga — developing student skills, knowledge, and independence
The school offers programmes including Kapa Haka, a Total Immersion class, a Samoan class, and Conductive education. Its PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning) programme and Quality Circle Time are among the structured approaches used across the school.
Enrolment
Enrolment scheme on recordNaenae 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 should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
With an Equity Index of 529, Naenae 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 Naenae 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 Naenae School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 81 students (22.7%)
- Asian — 21 students (5.9%)
- Pacific — 135 students (37.8%)
- Māori — 243 students (68.1%)
- MELAA — 12 students (3.4%)
- Other — 2 students (0.6%)
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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Whitby Collegiate Secondary · Years 7–15 · 10.8 km
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Maidstone Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 13.1 km
Location
- Street addressWheatley Street
- SuburbNaenae
- CityLower Hutt
- Local authorityLower Hutt City
Official contact details
- ContactMurray Bootten
- Phone+64 4 567 8117
- Emailoffice@nnps.school.nz
- Websitewww.naenaeprimary.school/
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Naenae School, regardless of year level.
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Tawhai School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 5 km
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Bellevue School (Newlands) Contributing · Years 1–6 · 10.4 km
-
Whitby Collegiate Secondary · Years 7–15 · 10.8 km
-
Maidstone Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 13.1 km
-
Upper Hutt School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 13.2 km
Explore schools in Lower Hutt
Browse Lower Hutt schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Curriculum and Learning Programmes
Naenae School operates three distinct learning units, each covering different year groups and curriculum approaches.
Kōhanga Te Rā
Kōhanga Te Rā is a Level 1 total immersion (Rūmaki Reo) unit for Years 0–8. Te Reo Māori and tikanga Māori are embedded across all daily activities. The unit's named programme areas are:
- Ngā Tai Ahurea
- Hangarau (Technology)
- Tākaro kia Ako (Learning Through Play)
- Te Mōitiiti a Raumanuka (Junior Kapa Haka)
- Te Whakawhiti (Transition)
Incoming students are expected to complete 4–5 visits before starting, structured as two sessions of 9am–11am and two to three sessions of 9am–1pm, held on Mondays and Thursdays.
New Zealand Curriculum (English-medium)
The English-medium programme covers Years 0–6, divided into junior and senior syndicates. The junior syndicate's named programme areas are:
- Learning Through Play (runs several times per week; teacher observations are documented as learning stories for assessment and planning)
- Structured Literacy (explicit and systematic teaching of decoding, spelling, handwriting, letter formation, reading comprehension, written expression, and phonological and phonemic awareness)
- Transition to School
- Junior Kapa Haka
- Collaborative Inquiry Based Maths
Senior classes are named Pōhutukawa, Rimu, and Kowhai.
Te Pā Harakeke — Conductive Education Unit
The Te Pā Harakeke Conductive Education Unit serves students from New Entrant to Year 6, providing one-on-one support for children with high needs within the school setting. Students in this unit participate in whole-school assemblies and school events.
Co-curricular Activities
The following named groups and activities are described on the school's website:
- Te Mōitiiti a Raumanuka — the junior kapa haka group, which learns waiata, haka and moteatea, and covers the history of te Ngaengae and ancestral legends
Student Support and Pastoral Care Services
Naenae Primary School provides the following named student support and pastoral care services:
- SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) — held by the Deputy Principal, this role works to ensure every ākonga has what they need to be successful.
- LSC (Learning Support Coordinator) — two coordinators are in place to provide learning support.
- SWIS (Social Worker in Schools) — a social worker based at the school, employed through Barnardos.
- Public Health Nurse — a registered nurse who makes regular visits to the school, providing free health advice, referrals, and support across areas including skin conditions, vision and hearing concerns, mental health, behavioural and developmental concerns, and child protection.
- PB4L (Positive Behaviours for Learning) — a school-wide approach to supporting student behaviour and wellbeing.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Naenae 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 Naenae 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 |
| Māori-medium immersion data | Māori Schools Directory, Ministry of Education | — | 6 September 2026 |
| Pacific language-medium data | Pacific Schools Directory, Ministry of Education | — | 6 September 2026 |
| School information (AI-curated, human-reviewed) | Naenae School's official website | Current | 18 September 2026 |