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Opihi College, Temuka

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

A state secondary school located near Temuka in rural South Canterbury, it serves students from Years 7 through 13 with a curriculum spanning junior and senior levels.

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Roll data from September 2026

Jump to: About · Curriculum · Extracurricular · Student support

At a glance

TypeSecondary · Years 7–15
LocationTemuka
RegionCanterbury Region
School number354
274
Students
as at September 2026
504
Equity Index
Yes
Enrolment scheme
Open
School status

Key facts

  • School number354
  • School typeSecondary · Years 7–15
  • AuthorityState
  • GenderCo-Educational
  • BoardingNo
  • Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
  • Established26 January 1968
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About Opihi College

Opihi College is a state secondary school situated in a rural setting. It operates as a Years 7–13 school, offering both junior and senior secondary education.

The school's stated values are Community, Acceptance, Respect and Excellence, collectively referred to as C.A.R.E. Students who demonstrate these values receive C.A.R.E. badges as formal recognition.

The curriculum is structured differently across year levels. In Years 7 and 8, several learning areas — including Health, Careers, Technologies, Languages, and Visual and Performing Arts — are delivered in a modular format. In Years 9 and 10, students spend the majority of their time in core subjects and select options from Art, Technologies, and Languages. At senior level, the school offers a broad range of subjects; where a subject is not available on-site, students can access it through the Video Conference network or through Te Kura.

Co-curricular activity includes sport and a cultural competition that forms a regular part of the school calendar, organised around the school's house system.

Enrolment

Enrolment scheme on record

Opihi College 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 504, Opihi 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 Opihi College actually sits, not just the number on its own.

OFFICIAL DATA
504
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
Opihi College 504

Student ethnicity

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

  • European — 226 students (82.5%)
  • Asian — 20 students (7.3%)
  • Pacific — 15 students (5.5%)
  • Māori — 64 students (23.4%)
  • MELAA — 2 students (0.7%)
  • Other — 1 students (0.4%)

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.

Previous stage
Current stage — Opihi College
Secondary · Years 7–15

Location

View larger map on OpenStreetMap
  • Street addressRichard Pearse Drive
  • CityTemuka
  • Local authorityTimaru District

Official contact details

Nearby schools

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

Explore schools in Temuka

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

Full Primary schools (1) Secondary schools (1) All schools in Temuka →

Curriculum

Opihi College delivers the revised New Zealand Curriculum (2010) across Year 7 to Year 13. The school uses a homeroom model for Year 7 and 8 students, based in the Kāhu block, where classes cover English (Reading and Writing), Social Sciences, Health, and Mathematics for 15 hours per week. An integrated approach is used where possible, particularly across English and Social Sciences.

Senior students can participate in the Gateway programme, a Tertiary Education Commission funded initiative that combines unit standard credits with real work placements, typically with local employers, during the school year.

Students in Years 12 and 13 with an interest in business may also join the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme. The following named subjects are offered across the school's year levels:

  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Science (including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth/Space Science at senior level)
  • Social Sciences
  • Health
  • Technology — Food and Hospitality
  • Hard Materials (woodworking and construction)
  • Design and Visual Communication (DVC)
  • Agriculture

Co-curricular Activities

Sports

Opihi College offers the following sports, with connections to local clubs and participation in inter-school exchanges:

  • Archery
  • Athletics
  • Badminton
  • Basketball
  • Bowls
  • Chess
  • Cricket
  • Cross Country
  • Equestrian
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Gymnastics
  • Hockey
  • Jump Jam
  • Ki-o-Rahi
  • Mountain Biking
  • Multi-sport/Adventure Racing
  • Netball
  • Orienteering/Rogaine
  • Pool
  • Rugby
  • Shooting Clay/Smallbore
  • Skiing/Snowboarding
  • Softball
  • Special Olympics
  • Squash
  • Swimming
  • Table Tennis
  • Tennis
  • Touch
  • Volleyball

Performing Arts

Named performing arts groups and events include:

  • Te Umu Kaha — the school's kapa haka group, which performs at pōwhiri and public events
  • Starlight Spectacular — a cabaret-style production held in alternate years to the major production
  • Opihi LIVE — a talent quest open to students and the community

Academic Competitions

Students participate in the following named academic events:

  • Konichiwa competition, held in Christchurch
  • ICAS competitions in Science, Maths, and English
  • Cantamaths — regional mathematics competition
  • Regional Spelling and Social Studies quizzes
  • Central South Island Science Fair
  • Formal debates

Cultural and Exchange Programmes

Named cultural activities and exchange opportunities include:

  • Japanese Language Study Trip — a biennial three-week trip for senior Japanese students, involving a two-week homestay in Eniwa, Hokkaido (Opihi College's sister city) and one week of independent travel in Japan
  • AFS exchange programme, open to senior students

Outdoor Education

The Outdoor Education programme is timetabled as a class in the senior school. Activities offered include:

  • Camping
  • Tramping
  • Mountain biking
  • Kayaking
  • Orienteering
  • Skiing
  • Rock climbing
  • Abseiling

Student Support Services

Opihi College provides the following named student support services:

  • Learning Support Centre (Kōwhai House): A purpose-built facility supporting students with ORS funding and others requiring additional learning assistance. The centre includes a full kitchen, accessible bathroom, a separate fenced outdoor area, and breakout spaces. A team of teacher aides works both within the centre and in mainstream classes. Senior students can earn NCEA credits through the supported learning programme. Extracurricular activities offered include riding for the disabled, swimming, and life skills.

Frequently asked

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

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

It's a state school in the Canterbury 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. Opihi College 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.

274 students, according to the September 2026 roll data.

It reflects the estimated socio-economic barriers Opihi 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 Opihi 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) Opihi College's official website Current 27 September 2026