Key facts
- School number2648
- School typeContributing · Years 1–6
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established30 November 1866
About Port Ahuriri School
Port Ahuriri School is a state contributing school in the suburb of Ahuriri, Napier, catering for students in Years 1 to 6. It is a zoned school; students living within the zone are automatically enrolled, while those outside the zone may apply through a ballot process.
The school is organised into three learning hubs. Poipoi is the junior hub, Piki the middle hub, and Aoraki the senior hub. All three operate as flexible learning spaces. The school describes its approach as focusing on how children learn — including collaboration and communication — rather than on content recall alone.
The school holds a nautical theme, which it attributes to its location near the estuary, Inner Harbour, and yachting facilities of Ahuriri. It is situated at the base of Napier Hill, approximately five minutes by road from central Napier.
Port Ahuriri School is a signatory to the International Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students and accepts international enrolments. The school states it does not request parent donations, and provides stationery, local trips, and outings at no charge to families.
The school's stated vision is "Empowered Learners in an Inclusive, Stimulating Environment", with school values of being kind, respectful, and a learner. The principal is Glenn France.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
With an Equity Index of 425, Port Ahuriri 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 Port Ahuriri 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 Port Ahuriri School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 189 students (75.6%)
- Asian — 32 students (12.8%)
- Pacific — 10 students (4%)
- Māori — 63 students (25.2%)
- MELAA — 8 students (3.2%)
- Other — 1 students (0.4%)
- International — 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.
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Taradale Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 7.1 km
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Heretaunga Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 17.2 km
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Hastings Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 18.9 km
Location
- Street address15 Lever Street
- SuburbAhuriri
- CityNapier
- Local authorityNapier City
Official contact details
- ContactGlenn France
- Phone+64 6 835 7988
- Emailadmin@portahuriri.school.nz
- Websitewww.portahuriri.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Port Ahuriri School, regardless of year level.
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Napier Central School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 922 m
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Westshore School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 1.6 km
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Onekawa School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 2.3 km
-
TKKM o Te Ara Hou Composite · Years 1–15 · 2.7 km
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Maraenui Bilingual School (Napier) Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 3.2 km
Explore schools in Napier
Browse Napier schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Enrolment
Port Ahuriri School operates under an enrolment scheme, directed by the Ministry of Education and in place since September 2009, to prevent overcrowding. Children living within the school's home zone can enrol at any time. Out-of-zone applicants must enter a ballot; the Board of Trustees holds two ballots per year, with available places varying depending on class numbers. Ballot dates are available from the school office on (06) 835 7988.
To enrol, families can download an enrolment form or collect an enrolment package from the school office. A copy of the child's birth certificate is required to verify date of birth. No specific zone boundaries or priority criteria beyond in-zone/out-of-zone status are described in the enrolment scheme information.
New entrant children are offered a transition programme consisting of one or more morning visits before their start date, allowing them to experience the school day, including break and lunch times, ahead of formally beginning.
International students
Port Ahuriri School is a signatory to the Code of Practice for International Students and accepts students in Years 1 to 6. International students must live with their parents during their enrolment; the school does not arrange accommodation. The enrolment process involves an application assessed by the principal, followed by an Offer of Place and invoice for tuition fees, which parents use to obtain a student visa.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Port Ahuriri 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 Port Ahuriri 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) | Port Ahuriri School's official website | Current | 6 October 2026 |