Totara Park School, Upper Hutt — School Profile

Key facts

School number3048
School typeContributing · Years 1–6
AuthorityState
GenderCo-Educational
BoardingNo
Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
Established26 January 1977

About Totara Park School

Tōtara Park School is a state primary school located in Upper Hutt, in the Hutt Valley region of New Zealand. It caters to students from New Entrant through to Year 6.

The school is organised into two teaching pods: Pihinga, covering New Entrant to Year 3, and Māhuri, covering Year 4 to Year 6. This structure is intended to support transitions and relationships as students move through the school.

The school is governed by a Board of Trustees and has a Home and School Committee that contributes fundraising income. Teacher Aides operate across all classes during the week. Stationery is provided to all students at no cost to families, covered through the Ministry of Education donation scheme.

Tōtara Park School completed an Education Review Office review in 2025. ERO reviews New Zealand schools on average once every three years.

Enrolment

Enrolment scheme on record

Totara Park 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, Totara Park 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 Totara Park 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 442.5

Totara Park School 441

Student ethnicity

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

European — 188 students (82.5%)
Asian — 18 students (7.9%)
Pacific — 16 students (7%)
Māori — 48 students (21.1%)
MELAA — 13 students (5.7%)

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 — Totara Park School

Contributing · Years 1–6

Potential next stage

Maidstone Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 2.3 km
Fergusson Intermediate (Trentham) Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 4.2 km
Hutt International Boys' School Secondary · Years 7–15 · 5.1 km

Secondary options (further away or later entry)

Wainuiomata High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 19.9 km

Location

View larger map on OpenStreetMap

Street address16 California Drive
SuburbTotara Park
CityUpper Hutt
Local authorityUpper Hutt City

Official contact details

Nearby schools

Schools physically closest to Totara Park School, regardless of year level.

Oxford Crescent School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 1.1 km
Upper Hutt School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 2.3 km
Maidstone Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 2.3 km
Birchville School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 2.5 km
Mangaroa School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 3.1 km

Explore schools in Upper Hutt

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

Contributing schools (5) Intermediate schools (2) Secondary schools (1) All schools in Upper Hutt →

Curriculum

Totara Park School follows the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), with a stated focus on literacy and numeracy foundations, wellbeing and identity, and critical thinking.

Junior classrooms use the Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA), a structured literacy programme that teaches phonics and decoding skills through systematic phonics instruction, small group learning, oral language development, and early identification and intervention.

The school's curriculum learning areas include:

English (reading, writing, oral language, and digital literacy)
Mathematics & Statistics
Science & Technology
Social Sciences
Health & Physical Education
The Arts (visual arts, music, dance, and drama)
Te Ao Māori (te reo Māori, tikanga, and cultural identity)

Music is also taught across the school by a specialist teacher, with all classes receiving lessons. A school choir meets weekly.

Co-curricular Activities

The following named sports, cultural, and arts activities are offered at Totara Park School.

Kapa Haka — taught by specialist teacher Raima Kingi; covers waiata, haka, and pōwhiri, with the rōpū performing at events including the Upper Hutt Cultural Festival
Netball
Touch rugby
Floorball
Basketball
Athletics and cross country

Frequently asked

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

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

It's a state school in the Wellington 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. Totara Park 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.

228 students, according to the August 2026 roll data.

It reflects the estimated socio-economic barriers Totara Park 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 Totara Park 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)	Totara Park School's official website	Current	21 September 2026