Last updated October 2026
Ngata Memorial College is a state, co-educational composite school for Years 1 to 13 at 1 College Road North, Ruatoria. It opened in 1969 and had 91 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
It has no home zone, so any student can apply. The school celebrates its Ngāti Porou identity, giving students access to te reo me ōna tikanga, whakapapa and local history, and says its small size allows small classes focused on individual needs.
Senior subjects include Te Reo Māori, Tikanga Māori, Dance, Food Technology and a Service Academy, and the school uses online learning to widen the range of senior subjects on offer.
At a glance
- Principal
- Peter Heron
- Address
- 1 College Road North, Ruatoria
- Phone
- 06 864 8164
Home zone
No home zone: any student can apply to enrol. If more students apply than there are places, the school decides how places are offered.
NCEA results
School leavers with NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with all New Zealand school leavers.
This school New Zealand
School leavers are students who left school that year, whatever year level they left from.
Who goes here
Share of the 91 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
MELAA: Middle Eastern, Latin American and African.
What ERO found
The Education Review Office’s latest report on the school is a School Evaluation Report from March 2025. ERO found senior achievement had improved, with a large majority gaining NCEA Levels 2 and 3, but just under half gained Level 1 and few earned endorsements or University Entrance.
Results in Years 1 to 10 need to improve: a small majority in Years 1 to 9 were at the expected level in reading and writing, few were in maths, and very few Year 10 students were at the expected level in any of the three.
Attendance was improving but still below Ministry targets. ERO noted that students feel supported, the curriculum reflects local contexts, leaders are lifting teaching through targeted professional learning, and the board is supportive and focused on learners.
The agreed next steps are to build staff capability in using data and evidence, especially in multi-level classes, strengthen learning partnerships with the community, including on attendance, and improve support for learners with additional needs.
ERO will also discuss Ministry support for lifting reading, writing and maths in Years 9 and 10 and for learning support in Years 1 to 10.
Read the ERO reports for Ngata Memorial College
Enrolling
Ngata Memorial College has no home zone, so any student can apply to enrol.
The school’s Coming to Ngata page has the enrolment form, prospectus, uniform and stationery information, and families can contact the school to talk about enrolling.
Schools nearby
In Ruatoria
Ngata Memorial College is in Ruatoria. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Ruatoria guide →Questions parents ask
Is Ngata Memorial College zoned?
No. It has no home zone, so any student can apply to enrol.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 13.
How many students go there?
91 at 1 Sep 2026.
Does it ask for donations?
No. It is in the donation scheme, so it only asks for donations for school camps.
What is its Equity Index?
560. The Ministry of Education’s Equity Index estimates the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, from 344 (fewest) to 569 (most). It is used to share out funding, not as a measure of quality.
How did its school leavers do in NCEA?
In 2025, 66.7% of its school leavers had NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with 77.8% of all New Zealand school leavers.
School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 22 Oct 2026 (CC BY 4.0). NCEA results, roll history and stand-downs: Education Counts, school leavers 2023 to 2025, stand-downs 2025, rolls 2021 to 2025 (CC BY 4.0). Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.
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