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Tainui School, Dunedin

Contributing · Years 1–6 · Co-Educational · Tainui, Dunedin

A state primary school located in the Tainui suburb of Dunedin, New Zealand, it has served the local community since 1929. The school caters to students in Years 1 to 6.

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Roll data from September 2026

Jump to: About · Extracurricular · Student support

At a glance

TypeContributing · Years 1–6
LocationDunedin
RegionOtago Region
School number3841
262
Students
as at September 2026
441
Equity Index
Yes
Enrolment scheme
Open
School status

Key facts

  • School number3841
  • School typeContributing · Years 1–6
  • AuthorityState
  • GenderCo-Educational
  • BoardingNo
  • Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
  • Established26 January 1929
See NZ school term dates & holidays →

About Tainui School

Tainui School is a state primary school in the Tainui suburb of Dunedin, situated near the beaches of St Kilda, St Clair, and Tomahawk and close to the Otago Peninsula. It has operated as a Year 1 to Year 6 school since 1929.

The school has a strong bicultural character. It maintains a connection to Ōtākou Papatipu Rūnaka as the local mana whenua, and actively incorporates te reo Māori, tikanga, and local Māori history into school life. The school's haka, composed by Komene Cassidy, draws on the pre-European use of the Tainui area as a travel and food-gathering route by tākata whenua. Whānau groups within the school take their names from features of the local landscape and harbour significant to mana whenua.

The school uses the PLAY IS THE WAY® philosophy to develop children's social and emotional skills, with an emphasis on guided play, focused activities, and self-regulation rather than behaviour management. Positive Education practices are also embedded across the school community.

The Education Review Office has identified the school's collective staff responsibility for learner progress, its inclusive community relationships, and its fostering of te ao Māori as particular strengths.

Enrolment

Enrolment scheme on record

Tainui 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 should not be requested, unless for a school camp".

With an Equity Index of 441, Tainui School 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 Tainui School actually sits, not just the number on its own.

OFFICIAL DATA
441
Scale: 344–569
Band: Below Average (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
Tainui School 441

Student ethnicity

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

  • European — 225 students (85.9%)
  • Asian — 17 students (6.5%)
  • Pacific — 26 students (9.9%)
  • Māori — 40 students (15.3%)
  • MELAA — 7 students (2.7%)
  • 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.

Current stage — Tainui School
Contributing · Years 1–6
Potential next stage
Secondary options (further away or later entry)

Location

View larger map on OpenStreetMap
  • Street address41 Tahuna Road
  • SuburbTainui
  • CityDunedin
  • Local authorityDunedin City

Official contact details

Nearby schools

Schools physically closest to Tainui School, regardless of year level.

Explore schools in Dunedin

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

Contributing schools (14) Secondary schools (10) Full Primary schools (2) Intermediate schools (2) Composite schools (1) All schools in Dunedin →

Co-curricular Activities

Summer Team Sports

  • Futsal – after school at the Edgar Centre, Terms 1 and 4
  • Flippa Ball – at Moana Pool on Sunday afternoons, Terms 1 and 4
  • Touch – after school on Thursdays at the Oval, Terms 1 and 4
  • Cricket – after school at Logan Park, Terms 1 and 4
  • Rippa – after school on Mondays at the Edgar Centre, Terms 1 and 4

Winter Team Sports

  • Kiwihoops – after school on Thursdays at the Edgar Centre, Terms 2 and 3
  • Netball – after school at the Edgar Centre, Terms 2 and 3
  • Hockey – after school on Wednesdays at the McMillan Turf, Terms 2 and 3

Athletics

  • Ariki Cup Cross Country – inter-school cross country championship
  • Tainui School Cross Country – held at Tahuna Park Showgrounds
  • South Zone Athletics and Otago Athletics Championships – held each November for students who meet qualifying standards

Triathlons

Student Support and Pastoral Care

Tainui School provides the following named student support services:

  • Be Heard! counselling — free, one-to-one counselling delivered on-site by a named counsellor, Jerrica Donner, on a weekly basis. Sessions are confidential and require parental permission. Referrals can be made by parents, caregivers, or teachers. Be Heard! is a not-for-profit Dunedin organisation operating across selected primary and intermediate schools.
  • Whānau Roopu — a parent and whānau group that parents can join as part of the school community.

Frequently asked

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

Tainui School is classified as a Contributing school serving Years 1–6.

It's a state school in the Otago 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. Tainui 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.

262 students, according to the September 2026 roll data.

It reflects the estimated socio-economic barriers Tainui School'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 Tainui School'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) Tainui School's official website Current 1 October 2026