Key facts
- School number3057
- School typeContributing · Years 1–6
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established26 January 1876
About Waikawa Bay School
Waikawa Bay School is a contributing primary school serving students from New Entrant to Year 6, located in the residential suburb of Waikawa Bay, Picton. The school has a roll of approximately 150 students.
The school's origins date to 1877, when it opened as Waikawa Pa School on a nine-acre reserve known as 'The Oaks'. The original buildings were destroyed by fire in 1928, and the school relocated to its current site, reopening in October 1929.
The school is not faith-based or Māori-medium. Its stated vision — "Live and Learn The Waikawa Way" — is built around four core values: Be Honest (Kia Pono), Be Kind (Kia Atawhai), Be Respectful (Kia Manaaki), and Be The Best You Can Be (Kia Whakamiharo).
The curriculum emphasises reading, writing, and mathematics, alongside activities including Education Outside the Classroom, physical education and sport, and Kapa Haka. E-learning is integrated across the curriculum.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
With an Equity Index of 460, Waikawa Bay 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 Waikawa Bay 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 Waikawa Bay School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 103 students (69.6%)
- Asian — 6 students (4.1%)
- Pacific — 7 students (4.7%)
- Māori — 52 students (35.1%)
Percentages may sum to more than 100% because students can identify with more than one ethnic group.
Location
- Street address282 Waikawa Road
- CityPicton
- Local authorityMarlborough District
Official contact details
- ContactPeter Knowles
- Phone+64 3 573 6636
- Emailoffice@waikawabay.school.nz
- Websitewww.waikawabay.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Waikawa Bay School, regardless of year level.
-
Picton School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 3.9 km
-
Waitaria Bay School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 12.6 km
-
Tua Marina School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 18.7 km
-
Spring Creek School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 21.6 km
-
Rapaura School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 25.1 km
Explore schools in Picton
Browse Picton schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Enrolment
Waikawa Bay School operates an enrolment scheme approved by the Ministry of Education. Students who live within the school's home zone are entitled to enrol. The home zone boundary with Picton School is set at the Waikawa side of Sussex Street, defined as the midway point between the two schools. Specific addresses within the zone include 54, 56 and higher numbers on Hampden Street, 134, 135 and higher numbers on Waikawa Road, and 78, 79 and higher numbers on Milton Terrace.
In-zone students can apply using the school's enrolment form, available from the school. Out-of-zone students use a separate pre-enrolment form. Each year the Board of Trustees determines how many out-of-zone places are available and publishes this in a local newspaper, along with application instructions and deadlines.
Where out-of-zone applications exceed available places, the following priority order applies, with selection by ballot if a priority group is oversubscribed:
- Siblings of current students
- Siblings of former students
- Children of former students
- Children of a board employee or board member
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Waikawa Bay 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 Waikawa Bay 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 | — | 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) | Waikawa Bay School's official website | Current | 27 September 2026 |