Waikato education
Waikato offers an excellent range of high quality educational opportunities.
Looking for general education information?
Facilities cover every level, from early childhood education to ongoing education for adults. The main city Hamilton is home to the University of Waikato, rated in the top 1.1% of universities in the world according to the QS World University Rankings 2017.
If your children are New Zealand residents, permanent residents or citizens (this includes Tokelauans, Cook Islanders and Niueans), or they hold a student visa based on your temporary work visa, they can attend primary and secondary schools as domestic students. If this is not the case, you should check to see if they need visas.
There are just over 460 options for early childhood education in the Waikato region.
There are many different types of early childhood services. A key difference between these services is how much involvement they expect of the child's parents and family. The main types of early childhood education services are described on the Education Review Office website.
Early childhood education providers are listed on the Education Counts website. For more information about the kindergartens in this region, visit the Waikato Kindergarten Association.
ECE providers in the region | Education Counts
Waikato Kindergarten Association
Types of early childhood education services | Education Review Office
Playgroups
Playgroups are informal sessions where caregivers and children aged 0-5 meet together in a relaxed environment. In a playgroup, parents and caregivers stay to interact with the other adults and to play with the children.
Playgroups are usually set up and run by parents and caregivers, with children choosing from a range of activities. Activities at playgroup are either free or low cost, and may include music and singing, imaginative play, outdoor and free play, or arts and crafts.
Playgroups in the Waikato region | Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB)
Find a school
Visit the Education Counts website for information about schools in the Waikato region. You can search this website for single sex or co-educational schools and boarding schools in the region.
Information is provided on student population and attainment for each school, as well as decile rating, website and street address as well as a link to their Education review office report.
You can find more information on the types of schooling available in New Zealand and what qualifications are offered there on the School System page.
Find schools in the Waikato region | Education Counts
Check school zones
Not all schools have an enrolment zone, but if they do the school will have a Show/ Hide Enrolment zone option. If you click this option a zone will appear on the map.
This website also shows transport options for the school. TKI is a service of the Ministry of Education.
Check school zones in Hamilton City | TKI Mapfinder
Check school zones in the Hauraki District | TKI Mapfinder
Check school zones in the Matamata-Piako District | TKI Mapfinder
Check school zones in the Otorohanga District | TKI Mapfinder
Check school zones in the Rotorua District | TKI MapFinder
Check school zones in the South Waikato District| TKI MapFinder
Check school zones in the Taupo District | TKI MapFinder
Check school zones in the Thames-Coromandel District | TKI MapFinder
Check school zones in the Waikato District| TKI MapFinder
Check school zones in the Waipa District | TKI MapFinder
Check school zones in the Waitomo District | TKI MapFinder
Tertiary education
Tertiary education in the Waikato Region is provided by the University of Waikato.
Wintec - Waikato Institute of Technology - is one of New Zealand’s largest Institutes of Technology/Polytechnics (ITPs) and a leading provider of high-quality vocational and professional education in the Waikato region.
Guided by Māori principles and values, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa offers a comprehensive range of certificate to degree level qualifications to New Zealanders of all ages and backgrounds. Te Wānanga o Aotearoa operates a number of service centres in the Waikato region.
Tertiary courses in the Waikato region | careers.govt.nz
Adult Community Education
There are several options for community education in Hamilton.
A variety of adult education classes are available through Hamilton Central Library, including a weekly English conversation class at the Celebrating Age Centre.
Waikato Pathways College’s Community Education offers access to the resources of the university for non-credit programmes and short courses.
Adult community education | University of Waikato Pathways College
Lifelong learning | Hamilton Library
Adult continuing education in Hamilton | Citizen's Advice Bureau