Key facts
- School number3534
- School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established1 February 1956
About St Martins School
St Martins School | Hato Mātene Kura is a state primary and intermediate school located on the edge of Christchurch, at the foot of the Port Hills. It caters to students from New Entrant to Year 8.
The school is not faith-based or Māori-medium. It operates with a dual English and te reo Māori identity, reflected in its name and motto — Ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa ("The child — the heart of the matter").
The school's four stated values are:
- Caring | Aroha
- Respect | Manaaki
- Responsibility | Haepapa
- Personal Best | E Ranga!
The school identifies the Performing Arts and sport as areas of particular emphasis. A School Board oversees governance, with a stated focus on the learning environment and community involvement in strategic direction.
St Martins began implementing Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L), a Ministry of Education initiative, in 2023. The programme addresses behaviour through clear expectations, positive incentives, and restorative consequences.
Enrolment
Enrolment scheme on recordSt Martins 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 may be requested".
With an Equity Index of 402, St Martins 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 St Martins 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 St Martins School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 459 students (93.3%)
- Asian — 39 students (7.9%)
- Pacific — 10 students (2%)
- Māori — 43 students (8.7%)
- MELAA — 7 students (1.4%)
- Other — 3 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.
-
Catholic Cathedral College Secondary · Years 7–15 · 3.2 km
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Te Kura Tuarua o Horomaka Hillmorton High School Secondary · Years 7–15 · 5.3 km
-
Cashmere High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 2.7 km
-
Marian College Secondary · Years 9–15 · 9.6 km
Location
- Street addressAlbert Terrace
- SuburbSt Martins
- CityChristchurch
- Local authorityChristchurch City
Official contact details
- ContactLeanne Parnham (Acting)
- Phone+64 3 332 6121
- Emailoffice@stmartins.school.nz
- Websitewww.stmartins.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to St Martins School, regardless of year level.
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Hillview Christian School Composite · Years 1–15 · 1.1 km
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Cashmere High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 2.7 km
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Catholic Cathedral College Secondary · Years 7–15 · 3.2 km
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Tamariki School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 3.3 km
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The Cathedral Grammar School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 4.8 km
Explore schools in Christchurch
Browse Christchurch schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Co-curricular Activities
The following named music groups and programmes are available to students at St Martins School.
- Rock Band — performs at school events including assemblies
- Itinerant Music Programme (OOHM) — Ministry of Education-subsidised lessons in violin, trumpet, cello, clarinet, saxophone, and flute
- Monster Music — private lessons in drums, guitar, ukulele, and singing, held at school
- Piano with Yvonne Tikao — private piano lessons held at school
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from St Martins 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 St Martins 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 |
| School information (AI-curated, human-reviewed) | St Martins School's official website | Current | 18 September 2026 |