Enrolment

Our Principal, Alan McIntyre, extends a personal invitation to you, to enrol at our wonderful school.

To make an appointment, please phone the Principal’s Personal Assistant on (09) 538 0060 ext. 207

We look forward to welcoming you to our ‘Owairoa Family’.

All New Entrant students are welcome to attend our Super Start transition to school programme. These small group sessions support the New Entrant’s transition to Owairoa Primary School. Super Start is held Wednesday afternoons 1.30pm – 2.45pm.

Facilitated by Associate Principal, Kirsty Rice, these sessions provide an opportunity for your child to become familiar with school expectations, the environment, and to meet other New Entrants.

New Entrant students are invited to visit their classroom, prior to the actual starting day. This is most helpful giving new students the opportunity to meet the teacher and the class.  Two visits are recommended. The visiting times available are on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8.45am to 10.30am.

Please contact the school office for more information.

The Owairoa Primary School Board has implemented an enrolment scheme as directed by the Ministry of Education Under section 11H(1) of the Education Act 1989.

Home Zone
All students who live within the home zone, as shown on the map and described below, shall be entitled to enrol at the school.

Starting at the intersection of Aviemore Drive (included) and Highland Park Drive, travel east along Highland Park Drive to Bradbury Road. Travel north east along Bradbury Drive to and north along Botany Road (179, 66 and below included). Travel north east along Ridge Road (204, and below even numbers only included), south east on Picton Street (1-127, 78-128 included), east on Uxbridge Road (odd numbers only included) and south along Beach Road (125 only included). Travel south west along Selwyn Road (all addresses included), south west on Sale Street, south on Cook Street and Minerva Terrace. Continue south on Cook Street, west along Union Road, south on Botany Road (both sides included to and including Andrew Road then odd numbers only to Cascades Road) to and west along Cascades Road (196 and above, even numbers only land Lochend Place included) and north along Aviemore Drive, back to the starting point.

All residential addresses on included sides of boundary roads and no-exit roads off included sides of boundary roads are included in the zone unless otherwise stated.

Proof of residence within the home zone will be required.

Out of Zone Enrolments
Students who do not live within our school zone can apply for a place in our ballot as part of our out of zone enrolment scheme.

Each year the Board will determine the number of places which are likely to be available in the following year for the enrolment of students who live outside the home zone.  A ballot is held in Term Four, for available places within the school for the following year.  Further ballots may be held throughout the year if spaces are available.  The Board will publish this information in the Eastern Times, in our school newsletter and on our school website.  The notice will indicate how applications are to be made and will specify a date by which all applications must be received.

2026 Ballot Dates

Owairoa Primary School will be holding the following out-of-zone ballot for Out of Zone Enrolments for 2026:

• Term Four 2025 Ballot    Close date: Wednesday 8^th October 2025,   Ballot date:  Wednesday 15^th October 2025 (Auckland-wide common ballot date)

Further ballots may be held throughout the year if spaces are available, as follows:

• Term One 2026 Ballot    Close date: Wednesday 11^th February 2026,    Ballot date: Wednesday 18^th February 2026

• Term Two 2026 Ballot    Close date: Wednesday 22^nd April 2026,   Ballot date: Wednesday 29^th April 2026

• Term Three 2026 Ballot    Close date: Wednesday 22^nd July 2026,  Ballot date: Wednesday 29^th July 2026

Priority Order:

Applications for enrolment will be processed in the following order of priority:

• First Priority: This priority category is not applicable at this school because the school does not run a special programme approved by the Secretary.
• Second Priority must be given to applicants who are siblings of current students.
• Third Priority must be given to applicants who are siblings of former students.
• Fourth Priority must be given to any applicant who is a child of a former student of the school.
• Fifth Priority must be given to any applicant who is either a child of an employee of the board of the school or a child of a member of the board of the school.
• Sixth priority must be given to all other applicants.

If there are more applicants in the second, third, fourth, or fifth priority groups than there are places available, selection within the priority group will be by a ballot conducted in accordance with instructions issued by the Secretary under Section 11G(1) of the Education Act 1989.  Parents will be informed of the date of any ballot by notice in a daily or community newspaper circulating in the area served by the school.

Applicants seeking second or third priority status may be required to give proof of a sibling relationship.

Please note that the Board will consider on a case-by-case basis applications for enrolment of out-of-zone siblings who did not participate in the relevant ballot when there is a valid reason for them not participating in that ballot.

Out of Zone Application Procedure:

1. Complete the Ballot Application Form and join the waiting list for consideration in the next advertised Ballot.
2. If the number of out of zone applications exceed the number of places available, a Ballot will take place.
3. The Ballot is drawn under independent supervision.
4. Names are pulled out of the Ballot and a waiting list is created if there are more names in the ballot than spaces available.
5. Successful families are advised by email within 3 days of the ballot being drawn, and must confirm acceptance in writing of the place offered within 14 days.
6. Unsuccessful families are advised by email and placed on a waiting list in the number they are drawn from the ballot.
7. If successful families decline the space, or do not respond within 14 days, the offer is forfeited and offered to the next applicant on the waiting list.

The Secretary of Education’s instructions to schools are that siblings at the same year level should be kept together for the purpose of the ballot, so that if one sibling’s name is drawn, the other sibling is automatically successful also.

For more information regarding enrolments, please email officemanager@owairoa.school.nz