Key facts
- School number3235
- School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established26 January 1942
About Westport North School
Westport North School is a state-funded, Year 1–8 school classified as U4, located in Westport. The school sits adjacent to Buller High School and within walking distance of two early childhood providers and the Pulse Energy Centre.
The school operates a locally developed curriculum shaped in consultation with its community, described through three frameworks: the Curriculum Compass, which outlines the curriculum itself; the North Star, which describes the outcomes sought for students by the time they leave at Year 8; and the North Navigator, which represents the school's conception of its learner. The school has a parent and community group called Friends of North School.
Westport North School has an open enrolment zone, accepting students from any part of Westport or surrounding areas. It is not subject to the enrolment scheme that applies to Westport South School.
Enrolment
No enrolment scheme listedNo enrolment scheme is currently listed for Westport North 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 497, Westport North 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 Westport North 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 Westport North School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 151 students (76.6%)
- Asian — 5 students (2.5%)
- Pacific — 6 students (3%)
- Māori — 50 students (25.4%)
- MELAA — 6 students (3%)
- Other — 6 students (3%)
Percentages may sum to more than 100% because students can identify with more than one ethnic group.
Location
- Street addressCobden Street
- CityWestport
- Local authorityBuller District
Official contact details
- ContactRebecca Hughes
- Phone+64 3 789 7172
- Emailoffice@westportnorth.school.nz
- Websitewww.westportnorth.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Westport North School, regardless of year level.
-
Brightwater School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 131.7 km
-
Appleby School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 135 km
-
Salisbury School (Nelson) Specialist School · 139.7 km
-
Amuri Area School Composite · Years 1–15 · 152.8 km
-
Darfield High School Secondary · Years 7–15 · 197.9 km
Explore schools in Westport
Browse Westport schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Curriculum
Westport North School operates a bilingual class delivering 30–50% of instruction in Te Reo Māori, with the remainder in English. The class is described as bicultural in approach, with the aim of enabling students to engage with both Te Ao Māori and Pākehā New Zealand society. The school first opened a bilingual classroom in 2011 — the first in the Buller region — and reopened the programme in 2018 after a period of closure.
The school offers the William Pike Challenge Award to 12 Year 7–8 students annually. The programme involves monthly outdoor and adventure activities — including kayaking, rock climbing, tramping, and mountain biking — alongside community service and the development of a new personal skill or hobby. Students document each challenge through reports uploaded to the WPC portal.
The school also participates in the Garden To Table programme. A school curriculum framework described as a "Compass" is available as a downloadable document from the school's website.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Westport North 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 Westport North 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) | Westport North School's official website | Current | 17 September 2026 |