Key facts
- School number3064
- School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established1 May 1897
About Waitaria Bay School
Waitaria Bay School is a coeducational full primary school serving Years 1–8, located on the northern side of Kenepuru Sound in the Marlborough Sounds. It was established in 1897, built by the district's early settler families, many of whose descendants remain in the area. The school currently has a roll of 12 students.
The school draws students from a wide area across the Kenepuru and Pelorus Sounds, with children travelling by car, motorbike, bus, and boat. It sits approximately two and a half hours by road from Blenheim, the nearest main town, making it one of New Zealand's most geographically isolated schools.
All students are taught across two classrooms by the principal. The school is non-faith-based and has no selective character. Its four stated values — each paired with a native bird — are Aspiration (Pīwakawaka), Respect (Kererū), Initiative (Weka), and Achievement (Tūī).
The school participates in the Pelorus Schools' cluster, a group of six rural Marlborough primary schools that gather for inter-school events including swimming, gymnastics, athletics, and winter sports. Waitaria Bay hosts the annual Pelorus Technology Challenge. External programmes integrated into the regular curriculum include Enviroschools, the Kids Edible Garden Programme, Trapline, and Sustainable Coastlines – Litter Intelligence.
The school library is housed in the original 1897 schoolroom, which has been modernised and also serves as the Waitaria Bay Community Library, available free to local residents outside school hours.
Enrolment
No enrolment scheme listedNo enrolment scheme is currently listed for Waitaria Bay School 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 449, Waitaria 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 Waitaria 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 Waitaria Bay School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 11 students (91.7%)
- Māori — 2 students (16.7%)
Percentages may sum to more than 100% because students can identify with more than one ethnic group.
Location
- Street address5668 Kenepuru Road
- CityPicton
- Local authorityMarlborough District
Official contact details
- ContactTineke Giddy
- Phone+64 3 573 4377
- Emailoffice@waitariabay.school.nz
- Websitewww.waitariabay.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Waitaria Bay School, regardless of year level.
-
Waikawa Bay School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 12.6 km
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Picton School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 15.5 km
-
Tua Marina School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 30.9 km
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Spring Creek School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 34 km
-
Rapaura School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 37 km
Explore schools in Picton
Browse Picton schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Waitaria 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 Waitaria 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) | Waitaria Bay School's official website | Current | 16 October 2026 |