Last updated October 2026
Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Whatatutu is a state, co-educational kura for Years 1 to 8 at 24 Te Hau Road, Whatatutu, Gisborne, where students learn in te reo Māori. It opened in 1904 and had 22 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
It has no home zone, so any whānau can apply. Its website says the kura is grounded in the Haahi Wairua Tapu, Te Aho Matua, and te reo Māori and its tikanga. The website lists classes from the junior years up to a wharekura group for senior students.
At a glance
- Principal
- Parehuia Eparaima
- Address
- 24 Te Hau Road, Whatatutu, Gisborne
- Phone
- 06 862 1875
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.
Who goes here
Share of the 22 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 kura is a Ngā Kitenga Arotake Report from March 2025. ERO described a small rural Te Aho Matua kura near Mangatū marae, guided by the values of Wairua Taputanga, which had applied to become a wharekura and already had some senior students on site.
Whānau are often at the kura, students talk comfortably in te reo Māori with peers, kaiako, visitors and whānau, and they recite Wairua Tapu karakia and himene at kura and community events.
Regular visits to sites important to the iwi build their knowledge of whakapapa and their link to the land, and students build skills in oratory, karakia, waiata, pūtaiao and hauora.
ERO also raised serious concerns. Most students were below kura expectations, literacy and numeracy need work, and progress needs to speed up in all curriculum areas, especially in Years 6 to 8, with better use of assessment information.
Health and safety registers and evacuation drills were not yet well established, the kura was required to put emergency plans in place to meet legal requirements, and appraisal of the tumuaki and kaiako needs to be done more rigorously.
ERO recommended the kura keep working with Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori to strengthen leadership and governance ahead of setting up a wharekura.
Read the ERO reports for Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Whatatutu
Enrolling
The kura has no home zone, so any student can apply. Learning is in te reo Māori. The kura’s enrolment page says whānau should ask the office for an enrolment pack and uniform list.
Schools nearby
In Whatatutu Gisborne
Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Whatatutu is in Whatatutu Gisborne. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Whatatutu Gisborne guide →Questions parents ask
Is Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Whatatutu zoned?
No. It has no home zone, so any student can apply to enrol.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 8.
How many students go there?
22 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?
538. 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). 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).