North Shore City offers excellence in education from pre-school to tertiary and enterprise learning. The city has 42 state primary schools, eight intermediates, eight state secondary schools, eight state integrated schools and five registered independent (private) schools. Just under 85% percent of these have a government decile rating of nine or ten - the highest proportion of high-decile rating schools in New Zealand.
Also located in the city are campuses of both Massey University and Auckland University of Technology.
The city is also home to a number of private providers of education and vocational training in a variety of fields, including English language, business and office training, health and medical training and the arts.
As well as achieving high academic standards, schools in the city participate fully in sporting, arts and cultural events and increasing numbers are taking part in enterprise education programmes developed by the Enterprise New Zealand Trust.
Schooling in New Zealand
Education in New Zealand is compulsory for children aged 6 to 16, although most children begin primary school around the time of their fifth birthday and many have already attended pre-school - either a state kindergarten or private facility.
Schools are divided into primary (age 5/6 to around 10), intermediate (around ages 11-12) and secondary (age 12/13 to 16+). In rural areas primary and intermediate schools are sometimes combined and known as composite schools.
All schools must operate under the provisions of the Education Act of 1989 and must follow The New Zealand Curriculum, a statement of student learning policy for schools, setting out the expectations for what all children should learn.
All state and integrated schools in New Zealand are governed by Boards of Trustees, elected from parents and community volunteers. They also include the school principal and a staff representative. Secondary school boards must also have a student representative.
Committees, trustee boards and management boards acting on behalf of the owners govern independent schools.
The maximum number of children per class is set by Ministry of Education guidelines, but within these guidelines, schools have autonomy to decide actual numbers according to their specific needs and resources.
Pre-schools and early learning centres
North Shore City offers a wide choice of pre-schools and early learning centres.
- Playcentres are unique to New Zealand and are run as parent co-operatives with parents, grandparents and caregivers providing supervision, as well as administering the centre itself.
- New Zealand has a system of public kindergartens which children from around three-and-a-half can attend. They are taught by professional staff and managed by regional Kindergarten Associations. Kindergartens do not charge fees, relying instead on parent donations and fundraising.
- North Shore City also has a large number of private pre-schools including several operating on Montessori and Steiner principles.
- Te Kohanga Reo (pre-school language nests) provide Maori children with a pre-school programme in the Maori language and totally based on Maori values.
- In-home childcare options include Barnardos (not for profit) and Porse.
Primary and intermediate schools
North Shore City has 42 state primary schools (including one Te Kura Kaupapa Maori school), four integrated schools offering primary education and five independent schools which also offer primary (and sometimes pre-school) education. There are also several Rudolf Steiner and Montessori schools (both independent and integrated), including a Montessori classroom within Long Bay Primary School (a state school).
Secondary schools
The quality of secondary education in North Shore City has long been recognised as amongst the finest in New Zealand. A total of 14 secondary schools serve the city. There are two single sex schools for girls in the city and two for boys.
NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) is New Zealand's national qualification for senior secondary students. NCEA is part of the National Qualifications Framework. Some schools also offer alternative qualifications, namely the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) , or the International Baccalaureate (IBO).
Schools in North Shore City are generally very well equipped with modern facilities for technology/computer studies, music and drama, art, graphics and design as well as special education units, swimming pools and other sporting facilities. Many schools offer a wide range of sporting activities and the city's secondary students have a proud record of excellence in regional and national sporting competitions.
Tertiary education
Massey University's iconic North Shore campus, situated in a fast-growing commercial and industrial centre, is the largest campus on the North Shore. Two other tertiary institutions also have a presence in the city and the Auckland University of Technology's Akoranga campus.
Massey University
Massey University offers a wide range of programmes from its modern, state of the art campus in the Albany basin. The university has also forged strong links with businesses and the community, which helps students in their postgraduate work and research and also has many benefits for companies and community groups in the city.
As well as its association with Smales Farm Technology Park the university has also established the e-Centre. This enterprise 'incubator' helps nurture and grow entrepreneurial technology companies on the North Shore by providing a creative environment where emerging businesses can find support, advice and access to seed funding and venture capital. Close links between the enterprises and the university community benefit both parties, with companies gaining specialist assistance and the credibility that comes from being associated with the university, while students benefit from employment and research opportunities with the e-centre companies.
Auckland University of Technology
The Akoranga campus of the Auckland University of Technology in North Shore City is home to the schools of Health Sciences including Community Health & Sports Studies, Nursing & Midwifery, Occupational Therapy, Psychotherapy & Applied Psychology and Physiotherapy.
More information
Schooling in New Zealand
Schooling in New Zealand – a Guide (published by the Ministry for Education)
edCentre is an online gateway to information about New Zealand education
Ministry of Education
The Education Review Office is a government department whose purpose is to evaluate and report publicly on the education and care of students in schools and early childhood services.
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority is a Crown entity which quality assures, and is the main body for, administering national qualifications Registers and monitors providers of education and training, and accredits and approves their courses of instruction
The National Council of Home Educators is an incorporated society for those choosing to home school their children in New Zealand. The Kiwi Home Educator also has useful information, as does Home Education New Zealand.
