Last updated October 2026
Mana College is a state, co-educational secondary school for Years 9 to 13 at 22 Awarua Street, Takapuwahia, Porirua. It opened in 1957 and had 507 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes all of Colonial Knob, Takapūwāhia, Elsdon, Kenepuru and Porirua City Centre; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
The school’s site describes E Tipu E Rea, a pathway from Year 9 to Year 13 for students committed to te reo Māori and their Māori identity, starting with a marae-based junior class; Te Whare Ako, a unit for ORS-funded students who can learn in mainstream classes, in the unit or both; a Services Academy run with the New Zealand Defence Force for older students; and a Construction School in which senior classes build a house while working towards building qualifications. Kapa haka, Pacific cultural groups and music sit alongside a hauora team of counsellors, nurses and youth workers.
At a glance
- Principal
- Jeff Chapman
- Address
- 22 Awarua Street, Takapuwahia, Porirua
- Phone
- 04 237 5424
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Elsdon near Wellington, Takapūwāhia near Wellington, Colonial Knob near Wellington, Kenepuru and Porirua City Centre near Wellington.
Zone boundaries are set by the school’s enrolment scheme and can change. Confirm your address with the school before you rely on it.
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 507 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 Evaluation Report from August 2025. ERO found that improvement is needed so students attend regularly, stay engaged, make enough progress and achieve well.
Less than half of students reach the expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and maths by the end of Year 10, a majority gain NCEA at Levels 1, 2 and 3, and few gain University Entrance. Boys do not yet achieve as well as girls in reading, writing and NCEA, and less than half of students attend school regularly.
On the positive side, ERO said a new leadership team has a clear vision and an evidence-based plan, Ngā Kawa o te Kāreti o Mana, that students have a good range of pathways into further study or work, that te reo Māori, tikanga and te ao Māori are woven through learning and pastoral care, that students are proud of their school and feel their cultures and languages are valued, and that a lasting partnership with Ngāti Toa Rangatira supports their learning.
ERO’s priorities for the school are to make teaching, learning and assessment consistent across classes, to lift reading, writing and maths in Years 9 and 10, to put the Ngā Kawa o te Kāreti o Mana strategies into practice to improve attendance, engagement, wellbeing and achievement for Māori and all students, and to use evidence to plan and check that work.
The school is to share a plan to improve regular attendance with its community and report back on the results.
Read the ERO reports for Mana College
Enrolling
Mana College has an enrolment scheme, so students who live in the home zone have the right to enrol. Out-of-zone places are offered under the scheme, by ballot when there are more applicants than places, with first priority for students accepted into its special programmes, Te Whare Ako (for ORS-verified students) and the Services Academy, then siblings of current and former students, children of former students, and children of staff or board members. The school publishes its out-of-zone places and ballot dates on its enrolment page each year.
Enrolment is online, with a birth certificate (or passport and visa for students born overseas) and a bill to confirm the family’s address. New Year 9 students and their whānau are invited to an interview before they start, to share information about orientation.
Schools nearby
In Takapūwāhia near Wellington
Mana College is in Takapūwāhia near Wellington. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Takapūwāhia near Wellington guide →Questions parents ask
Is Mana College zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Elsdon near Wellington, Takapūwāhia near Wellington, Colonial Knob near Wellington, Kenepuru and Porirua City Centre near Wellington.
What years does it teach?
Years 9 to 13.
How many students go there?
507 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?
509. 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, 66.3% of its school leavers had NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with 77.8% of all New Zealand school leavers.
Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.
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Sources and data notes 1
- School facts: School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 28 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).