Nga Tawa is an all-girls secondary school founded in 1891 on a principle of empowering girls to achieve extraordinary outcomes in their lives beyond school.
For 131 years, we’ve been giving young women the opportunity to discover, develop and pursue their passions. Our special character school provides opportunities for our girls to not only achieve outstanding results academically, but across an array of co-curricular activities.
Nga Tawa offers a number of options for attendance. We have day students, two-day boarders, weekly boarders and full boarders. Students from across New Zealand and around the world come to Nga Tawa to ride horses. It is home to New Zealand’s largest on-site school equestrian centre, set amongst 90 acres of rolling Rangitikei farmland.
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The 6 months I spent at Nga Tawa Diocesean School were probably the best time of my life so far and I don’t regret coming here at all. Although it was a little bit scary and overwhelming at first, it soon started to be very much enjoyable.
I felt welcomed by every single person I met at school and easily made new friends.
What I liked the most about my time at Nga Tawa was the independence and flexibility I had throughout the days combined with the strict daily routine at boarding and school. This really helped me stay focused and get my work done so that I could have fun in the afternoons. Overall, I loved being an international, full-boarding student at Nga Tawa and I already know that I will miss all of this very much as soon as I get back home to Germany.
Anna Scharnberg
What makes us unique?
We are a small school, with a roll of up to 290 girls, and we’re a tightly knit community in every sense. Our school values – Respect, Integrity and Courage – emerge from our Anglican faith and they serve as the three pillars of our school culture.
Being a small school is one of our strengths. It allows us to know each of our girls well and makes for an intimate school culture that fosters teamwork and friendship, and provides opportunity to learn and experience new things. Small class sizes mean students can develop strong relationships with teachers and teachers can be more responsive to the needs of individuals. The complete education experience we offer has consistently put Nga Tawa in the top tier of NCEA achievement. In 2020 and 2021, our girls achieved a 100% pass rate at Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3.
At Nga Tawa, we encourage girls to exceed their own expectations. We focus on growing and developing character and leadership so our young women leave Nga Tawa eager to succeed in a globally connected world and go on to become women of influence. We are a diverse school attracting students from across New Zealand and around the world.
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Sports, Activities & Trips
Nga Tawa is rich in opportunities and experiences that challenge and grow our students physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. At Nga Tawa sport is compulsory for good health and the building of skills. All Year 10 students are expected to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award.
Nga Tawa is also home to New Zealand’s largest on-site school equestrian centre. Set amongst 90 acres of rolling Rangitikei farmland, Nga Tawa’s Equestrian Academy provides all the facilities young riders need – including three all-weather arenas, 80 covered yards, a 1200m exercise track and a nine bay horse truck. Our Equestrian Centre is just 100 metres from the boarding houses and classroom block. Our Equestrian Academy programme caters to riders of all levels and abilities.
In 2018, Nga Tawa introduced an Outdoor Education programme to our curriculum. We offer this course in Years 12 and 13, in conjunction with our Outdoor Education partner, TOPEC. Our programme runs from Terms 1-3 and girls can choose to take part in modules that interest them, additional to their academic study.
Sports & Activities
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Cricket
- Cross Country
- Equestrian
- Football
- Group Movement Class (GMC)
- Hockey
- Indoor rock climbing
- Karate
- Netball
- Outdoor Education
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Touch Rugby
- Volleyball
Languages we teach
- ESOL
- French
- Mandarin
- Spanish
- Te Reo Maori
Extracurricular Activites
- Chamber music
- Choir
- Debating
- Design & Visual Communication
- Duke of Edinburgh
- Equine Studies
- Equestrian
- Food & Nutrition
- Multimedia Art
- Music
- Outdoor Education
- Performing Arts
- Photography
- Religious Studies
- Textiles
- Visual Arts
Year Planner
The year planner is designed for those who wish to ensure they will get the opportunity to particularly participate in their desired sport or activity.
| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | ||||
| Badminton | ||||
| Cricket | ||||
| Cross Country | ||||
| Equestrian | ||||
| Football | ||||
| Group Movement Class (GMC) | ||||
| Hockey | ||||
| Karate | ||||
| Netball | ||||
| Swimming | ||||
| Tennis | ||||
| Touch Rugby | ||||
| Volleyball |
Susanne Doerner
StudyNZ Co-ordinator
Lesley Carter
Principal
Coralie Harvey
International Dean
Fee Breakdown
Please note that these fees are approximate. Contact StudyNZ or the school for exact fees depending on your choice of activities or subjects.
| Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School Fees | $4,877.00 NZD | $4,877.00 NZD | $4,877.00 NZD | $4,877.00 NZD |
| Homestay Fees | $ NZD | $ NZD | $ NZD | $ NZD |
| Extramural Fees | $ NZD | $ NZD | $ NZD | $ NZD |
| Study NZ Fees* | $3,600.00 NZD | |||
Our Fees include the consultation beforehand, school choice, assistance with all paperwork and visa application, preparation for time abroad. Pick up on arrival. Transfer to family or domestic flight depending on destination and support during entire stay in New Zealand for student and family. Airport drop off or check in support in Auckland for departure to home country depending on departure situation. We also offer orientation and farewell camps for our students on arrival and departure. Health Insurance is compulsory and can be taken out through StudyNZ with Unicare under our Master policy