Key facts
- School number2942
- School typeContributing · Years 1–6
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established17 November 1858
About Owhiro Bay School
Owhiro Bay School is a state primary school established in 1930 on Wellington's South Coast, situated alongside the Ōwhiro Stream and within walking distance of the bay. The school caters for students from new entrants through to Year 6 and has four full-time teachers and two part-time teachers.
The school's learning spaces are organised into four groups reflecting the local environment through te reo Māori names:
- Harakeke 1 — New Entrants / Year 1
- Harakeke 2 — Year 2
- Whanake — Years 3–4
- Māhuri — Years 5–6
The school's AWA values were developed through consultation with students, staff, whānau, and mana whenua, and are grounded in the history and environment of the Ōwhiro Bay area, including the significance of Te Awa o Ōwhiro — described as the only daylighted stream on the southern coast. The school draws on the histories of iwi and hapū connected to the coastline as part of its identity.
In 2014, a One Learning Community was established on site in partnership with Ōwhiro Bay Kindergarten. The school's outdoor grounds include grass fields, hard courts for basketball and netball, a tennis court, and two playgrounds.
Although the local Kāhui Ako, Te Kāhui Tonga o Te Upoko o Te Ika, is no longer formally constituted, the school continues collaborative professional relationships with neighbouring schools and maintains a partnership with mana whenua, Te Āti Awa.
Enrolment
No enrolment scheme listedNo enrolment scheme is currently listed for Owhiro Bay School in the available Ministry of Education data. Check the current Ministry of Education information or contact the school for the latest enrolment arrangements.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations may be requested".
With an Equity Index of 398, Owhiro Bay 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 Owhiro Bay 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 Owhiro Bay School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 63 students (70.8%)
- Asian — 10 students (11.2%)
- Pacific — 12 students (13.5%)
- Māori — 22 students (24.7%)
- MELAA — 3 students (3.4%)
- Other — 1 students (1.1%)
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.
-
South Wellington Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 2.8 km
-
Evans Bay Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 4 km
-
Wainuiomata High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 17.6 km
Location
- Street addressHappy Valley Road
- SuburbOwhiro Bay
- CityWellington
- Local authorityWellington City
Official contact details
- ContactVikki Martin (Acting)
- Phone+64 4 383 7189
- Emailoffice@owhiro.school.nz
- Websitewww.owhiro.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Owhiro Bay School, regardless of year level.
-
St Francis De Sales School (Is Bay) Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 1.3 km
-
Island Bay School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 1.3 km
-
Berhampore School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 2.2 km
-
Houghton Valley School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 2.4 km
-
Te Kura o Tawatawa - Ridgway School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 2.5 km
Explore schools in Wellington
Browse Wellington schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Owhiro Bay 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 Owhiro Bay 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) | Owhiro Bay School's official website | Current | 4 October 2026 |