Key facts
- School number3455
- School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established22 July 1872
About Te Kura o Ōpāwaho – Opawa School
Te Kura o Ōpāwaho – Opawa School is a primary school located on Ford Road, Opawa, Christchurch. The school's stated vision, expressed in both English and te reo Māori, centres on developing lifelong learners — described as having willingness to wonder, determination to succeed, and the courage to take risks and be inclusive.
The school frames its values under the name Te Ara Tika o Ōpāwaho. Its curriculum includes Kapa Haka, PC4L (Positive Culture for Learning), and Digital Citizenship as named learning areas alongside general subjects.
The school marked its 150th Jubilee in 2022, indicating it was established in 1872. It is governed by a School Board and has a parent-led community group, the Opawa Home & School Committee (HAS).
Enrolment
Enrolment scheme on recordTe Kura o Ōpāwaho – Opawa 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 463, Te Kura o Ōpāwaho – Opawa 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 Te Kura o Ōpāwaho – Opawa 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 Te Kura o Ōpāwaho – Opawa School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 301 students (81.1%)
- Asian — 31 students (8.4%)
- Pacific — 35 students (9.4%)
- Māori — 65 students (17.5%)
- MELAA — 10 students (2.7%)
- Other — 1 students (0.3%)
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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Catholic Cathedral College Secondary · Years 7–15 · 2.5 km
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Te Kura Tuarua o Horomaka Hillmorton High School Secondary · Years 7–15 · 5.8 km
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Cashmere High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 3.4 km
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Marian College Secondary · Years 9–15 · 8.8 km
Location
- Street addressFord Road
- SuburbOpawa
- CityChristchurch
- Local authorityChristchurch City
Official contact details
- ContactSally Ormandy
- Phone+64 3 332 6374
- Emailadmin@opawa.school.nz
- Websitewww.opawa.school.nz/
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Te Kura o Ōpāwaho – Opawa School, regardless of year level.
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Hillview Christian School Composite · Years 1–15 · 942 m
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St Martins School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 1.2 km
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Tamariki School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 2.2 km
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Catholic Cathedral College Secondary · Years 7–15 · 2.5 km
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Cashmere High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 3.4 km
Explore schools in Christchurch
Browse Christchurch schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Curriculum and Learning
Te Kura o Ōpāwaho – Opawa School covers learning support across eight year levels, with home-learning guidance provided for each year from one through eight years at school.
Named curriculum areas identified on the school's learning pages include Kapa Haka, PC4L (Positive Culture for Learning), Digital Citizenship, and Music. The school also follows Inquiry Learning themes, which are published separately.
Co-curricular Activities
Te Kura o Ōpāwaho – Opawa School offers the following named co-curricular activities:
- Kapa haka – a cultural performance group that has participated in events including Tūhono and the Cultural Festival
- Instrumental music tuition – offered through the Christchurch School of Music In-School Music programme, with instruments including piano, recorder, ukulele, drums, bass guitar, saxophone, clarinet, flute, trumpet, and trombone
- School bands – students can participate in ensemble performance groups
- Strum, Strike and Blow – a named external music event in which students can perform
- Lions Schools Music Festival – a named external music festival in which students can participate
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Te Kura o Ōpāwaho – Opawa 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 Te Kura o Ōpāwaho – Opawa 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) | Te Kura o Ōpāwaho – Opawa School's official website | Current | 18 September 2026 |