Last updated November 2026
Mangapapa School is a state, co-educational primary school for Years 1 to 6 at 5 Rua Street, Mangapapa, Gisborne. It opened in 1903 and had 410 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes parts of Mangapapa, Whataupoko, Gisborne City Centre and Te Hāpara; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
The school’s site describes a structured literacy approach, weekly kapa haka for the older classes, a bring-your-own Chromebook option for senior students and a HeadStart transition programme on Thursday mornings, where four-year-olds come with a parent to get to know the school. A school uniform is compulsory.
At a glance
- Principal
- Paul Sadler
- Address
- 5 Rua Street, Mangapapa, Gisborne
- Phone
- 06 867 5722
Home zone
Parts of these suburbs: Mangapapa, Whataupoko Gisborne, Gisborne City Centre and Te Hāpara: check your street.
Zone boundaries are set by the school’s enrolment scheme and can change. Confirm your address with the school before you rely on it.
Who goes here
Share of the 410 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 Report from September 2026. ERO rated the school as excelling for engagement and belonging and for its curriculum, and doing well for student progress, equity, leadership, teaching, assessment, support for students with extra needs, school improvement and governance. Students say they feel valued and connected, and a large majority make expected progress.
Achievement is still working towards expectations, though: a small majority of learners meet expectations in reading, writing and maths, with reading strongest and improving, and gaps remain for Māori learners and boys, with Māori boys facing the largest gap.
Attendance is also working towards the target, with a small majority attending regularly; it is improving, but chronic absence still needs attention.
ERO’s next steps are to keep strengthening progress and achievement in reading, writing and maths, especially for Māori learners and boys, to build consistent teaching through assessment, planning and evaluation, and to tighten attendance monitoring and planning to lift regular attendance and reduce chronic absence.
Read the ERO reports for Mangapapa School
Enrolling
Students who live in the home zone have the right to enrol. Out-of-zone places are offered under the school’s enrolment scheme, by ballot when there are more applicants than places.
The school’s site says enrolment starts with a face-to-face conversation about the child, enrolment packs are available from the office, and the enrolment page shows a map of the current home zone.
Schools nearby
Where students go next
Based on home zones around the school’s own address. Families can apply to any school, and your own address decides which zones you are in.
In Mangapapa
Mangapapa School is in Mangapapa. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Mangapapa guide →Questions parents ask
Is Mangapapa School zoned?
It has a home zone covering parts of Mangapapa, Whataupoko Gisborne, Gisborne City Centre and Te Hāpara.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 6.
How many students go there?
410 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?
478. 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.
Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Sources and data notes 1
- School facts: School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 29 Oct 2026 (CC BY 4.0). Home zone: Ministry of Education enrolment zones (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).