Key facts
- School number522
- School typeSpecialist School
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingYes
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established1 January 1984
About Te Whānau o Ōtūmatua
Te Whānau o Ōtūmatua is a time-limited intervention school located in Christchurch. It serves rangatahi who have complex behaviours and neurodiverse challenges, including ASD, intellectual impairments, specific learning disabilities, ADHD, and trauma, as well as similar presentations that may not have been formally diagnosed.
The school operates as a transitional setting. Its stated purpose is to support ākonga in developing emotional, social, and self-regulation skills so they are ready to return to mainstream schooling or vocational training. Ākonga, their whānau, and the referring party are treated as part of a collaborative team around each student.
The school describes its environment as deliberately therapeutic, with kaiako receiving regular professional development in trauma-informed practice and neurodiverse support. Clinical supervision of kaiako is conducted on a regular basis. Ākonga also have access to volunteer student advocates — people independent of the school to whom students can raise concerns.
The school's guiding principle, expressed in both te reo Māori and English, is Whakarangatirahia — Be the best you can be.
Enrolment
No enrolment scheme listedNo enrolment scheme is currently listed for Te Whānau o Ōtūmatua 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 should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
With an Equity Index of 540, Te Whānau o Ōtūmatua 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 Whānau o Ōtūmatua 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 Whānau o Ōtūmatua's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 9 students (90%)
- Māori — 1 students (10%)
Percentages may sum to more than 100% because students can identify with more than one ethnic group.
Location
- Street address15 Nash Road
- SuburbHalswell
- CityChristchurch
- Local authorityChristchurch City
Official contact details
- ContactStephen Evans
- Phone+64 3 338 5089
- Emailannamccoy@halswellcollege.com
- Websitewww.otumatua.school.nz/
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Te Whānau o Ōtūmatua, regardless of year level.
-
Te Kura Tuarua o Horomaka Hillmorton High School Secondary · Years 7–15 · 2 km
-
Knights Stream School- Mingimingi Hautoa Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 2.7 km
-
Riccarton High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 2.9 km
-
Middleton Grange School Composite · Years 1–15 · 2.9 km
-
Our Lady of Victories Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 3 km
Explore schools in Christchurch
Browse Christchurch schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Te Whānau o Ōtūmatua'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 Whānau o Ōtūmatua'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) | Te Whānau o Ōtūmatua's official website | Current | 16 October 2026 |