Last updated October 2026
Hōhepa School is a private, co-educational composite school for Years 1 to 13 at 21 Fryer Road, Poraiti, Napier. It opened in 1957 and had 29 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
It has no home zone, so any student can apply. The school is run by Hōhepa Hawke’s Bay, and its site describes a private Steiner school for children and young adults with intellectual learning support needs, drawn from around New Zealand, that adapts elements of the Waldorf curriculum and focuses on each student’s physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.
Teachers work with specialist therapists, the Hōhepa home team and whānau, and the school sits on a biodynamic farm in the Poraiti hills.
At a glance
- Principal
- Ruth Lively-Masters
- Address
- 21 Fryer Road, Poraiti, Napier
- Phone
- 06 844 2740
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 29 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 school is a report from September 2023 on whether it meets the criteria for registration as a private school. These reviews are narrower than those for state schools and check premises, staffing, equipment, curriculum, teaching standards, management and student safety.
ERO found the school met every criterion, with regularly reviewed policies that keep students physically and emotionally safe. ERO also looked at the residential houses where almost all students live, finding warm, home-like care, good daily communication between house and school staff, contact with whānau encouraged, and sound systems for students’ health, safety and wellbeing.
Read the ERO reports for Hōhepa School
Enrolling
Hōhepa School serves students with intellectual learning support needs, and most live in Hōhepa’s residential homes during term. The school’s site does not set out an enrolment or referral process, and families are asked to contact Hōhepa Hawke’s Bay directly to discuss a place.
Schools nearby
In Poraiti
Hōhepa School is in Poraiti. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Poraiti guide →Questions parents ask
Is Hōhepa School zoned?
No. It has no home zone, so any student can apply to enrol.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 13.
How many students go there?
29 at 1 Sep 2026.
School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 26 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). Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.