Last updated October 2026
Waihopai School is a state, co-educational primary school for Years 1 to 6 at 121 Herbert Street, Gladstone, Invercargill. It opened in 1879 and had 354 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes all of Gladstone, and parts of Avenal; the zone map below shows the full boundary. The school runs the Park Syndicate, a specialist unit for children with physical disabilities from Invercargill and wider Southland, offering individual teaching programmes, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and life skills, with children joining regular classes where possible.
The school runs a short before-school care session, sKids provides after-school care on site, and international students are welcomed with ESOL support and homestay options.
At a glance
- Principal
- Andrew Smith
- Address
- 121 Herbert Street, Gladstone, Invercargill
- Phone
- 03 218 4228
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Gladstone.
Parts of Avenal: 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 354 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.
Stand-downs and suspensions
Cases per 1,000 students in 2025, adjusted for the ages of the school’s students, compared with all New Zealand schools.
Suspensions: fewer than 5 cases in 2025, so no rate is shown.
These measure how a school responds to behaviour, and schools set their own thresholds, so they are not a measure of how students behave.
What ERO found
The Education Review Office’s latest report on the school is a School Report from July 2026. ERO rated the school Excelling in eight of its 14 areas, including teaching, curriculum, leadership, assessment, governance, engagement and belonging, and support for students with additional needs, with the Park Syndicate singled out for well-coordinated provision. Reading results are consistently strong, and writing and maths are improving, with a large majority meeting expectations.
The other six areas were rated Doing well. ERO noted some disparity for Māori students in writing and maths, and attendance still just short of the 80% target. Its next steps are to embed structured maths across the school, keep lifting regular attendance, bed in the changes to assessment so practice is consistent, and speed up progress for Māori learners who are behind in maths and writing.
Read the ERO reports for Waihopai School
Enrolling
Waihopai School has an enrolment scheme, so children living in the home zone are entitled to enrol. The board decides each year how many out-of-zone places it can offer, with priority for siblings of current and former students, and a ballot is held when there are more applicants than places.
The Park Syndicate has its own home zone covering the Southland region, and families should ask the school office about it. New entrants start in cohort groups at set points each term after their fifth birthday, and families enrol online through the link on the enrolment page.
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 Gladstone
Waihopai School is in Gladstone. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Gladstone guide →Questions parents ask
Is Waihopai School zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Gladstone and parts of Avenal.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 6.
How many students go there?
354 at 1 Sep 2026.
Does it ask for donations?
It may. It is not in the donation scheme, so it can ask families for donations.
What is its Equity Index?
428. 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, 22 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).