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Okaihau College

Secondary · Years 7–15 · Co-Educational · Okaihau

A state secondary school in the Northland region of New Zealand, it opened in 1971 on its current site, with roots in local schooling dating back to 1873.

Last checked 23 October 2026 · Roll data from September 2026

Jump to: About · Enrolment · Curriculum · Student support

At a glance

TypeSecondary · Years 7–15
LocationOkaihau
RegionNorthland Region
School number7
261
Students
as at September 2026
516
Equity Index
No
Enrolment scheme
Open
School status

Key facts

  • School number7
  • School typeSecondary · Years 7–15
  • AuthorityState
  • GenderCo-Educational
  • BoardingNo
  • Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
  • Established1 February 1972
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About Okaihau College

Okaihau College is a secondary school located at 58 Settlers Way, RD 1, Okaihau, in the Northland region of New Zealand. The school can be contacted by phone on 09 401 9030, and its main office operates Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 3:30pm.

The school frames its educational approach around a set of values it calls Whakarongorua, which centre on three principles: Whanaungatanga (relationships), Rangatiratanga (self-determination), and Taha Wairua (spiritual wellbeing). These values are described as central to supporting student wellbeing and success.

The school's vision draws on the narrative of Nukutawhiti, the ancestor who voyaged from Hawaiiki to the Hokianga Harbour, and specifically on the three sacred waves associated with that journey — Ngarunui, Ngaruroa, and Ngarupaewhenua — which represent beginning a task, persisting through it, and completing it. This whakapapa connection to Ngāpuhi and the Hokianga reflects the school's grounding in the local iwi context of Taitokerau.

School donations

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

With an Equity Index of 516, Okaihau College 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 Okaihau College actually sits, not just the number on its own.

OFFICIAL DATA
516
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
Okaihau College 516

Student ethnicity

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

  • European — 85 students (32.6%)
  • Asian — 7 students (2.7%)
  • Pacific — 32 students (12.3%)
  • Māori — 202 students (77.4%)
  • MELAA — 1 students (0.4%)
  • Other — 2 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 address58 Settlers Way
  • CityOkaihau
  • Local authorityFar North District

Official contact details

Nearby schools

Schools physically closest to Okaihau College, regardless of year level.

Explore schools in Okaihau

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

Secondary schools (1) All schools in Okaihau →

Enrolment

Enrolment at Okaihau College follows a three-step process. To begin, families contact the school to obtain a Pre-Enrolment Form, available by phoning (09) 401 9030 ext 200 or emailing tarar@okaihau-college.school.nz. The completed form is returned to Tara Rawiri at the Main Office, along with the following documents:

  • Copy of the student's birth certificate
  • Copy of the student's latest school report
  • Copy of evidence of residency (required if the student is not a New Zealand citizen)
  • Evidence of guardianship, if applicable

Once all documentation has been received, the school contacts the family to arrange an interview, which a parent or legal guardian must also attend. Missing documentation may delay the process.

No enrolment zone boundaries or priority criteria are described in the school's enrolment information.

Curriculum

In Years 7 and 8, the teaching programme is divided into three sections.

The first section, core skills, covers five strands:

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Digital Literacy
  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Te Ao Māori

The second section, cross-curricular learning, has students choose three courses per semester. Each course is designed to span multiple subject areas — examples given include building rockets (covering Science, Technology, and Mathematics), creating and hosting a community performance (English, Arts, and Technology), and creating a cookbook (Health, Technology, and English).

The third section is project-based learning, in which students work on real-world problems individually and in groups. This section focuses on six competencies: character, critical thinking, communication skills, creativity, citizenship, and collaboration.

Student Support

Okaihau College provides several named pastoral and support services for students.

  • Guidance Counsellor (Mrs Kim Sainsbury) — students can submit a confidential support request directly to her inbox, not visible to other staff.
  • Whānau Teachers — a pastoral support role within the school.
  • Student Leaders — includes Head Students Bear Hindrup and Georgia Rogers.
  • Nga Pou Herenga — staffed by Mr Jake Kerr, Mrs Ann Marie Moon, and Ms Diane Pivac.
  • Public Health Nurse — a health service available to students.

Frequently asked

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

Okaihau College is classified as a Secondary (Year 7-15) school serving Years 7–15.

It's a state school in the Northland 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.

261 students, according to the September 2026 roll data.

It reflects the estimated socio-economic barriers Okaihau College'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 Okaihau College's own published information, reviewed before publication. Nothing here is inferred or estimated beyond what its source actually states.

DataSourceData periodLast 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) Okaihau College's official website Current 23 October 2026