Last updated October 2026
Waimea College is a state, co-educational secondary school for Years 9 to 13 at 60 Salisbury Road, Richmond. It opened in 1957 and had 1,534 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes all of Lee Valley, Bronte, Redwood Valley, Appleby, Mahana, Ruby Bay, Hope, Brightwater, Māpua and Richmond, and parts of Aniseed Valley, Tasman and Stoke; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
The college’s site lists te reo Māori and tikanga Māori, Trades Academy and vocational pathway options, Sportspro and advanced music programmes that new students apply for, and a Learning Support Centre with gifted and special education. International students join mainstream classes with ESOL support and live with homestay families.
At a glance
- Principal
- Fraser Hill
- Address
- 60 Salisbury Road, Richmond
- Phone
- 03 544 6099
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Hope near Nelson, Bronte near Nelson, Appleby near Nelson, Richmond near Nelson, Mahana near Nelson, Brightwater near Nelson, Redwood Valley near Nelson, Lee Valley near Nelson, Māpua near Nelson and Ruby Bay near Nelson.
Parts of Aniseed Valley, Tasman near Nelson and Stoke: check your street.
Zone boundaries are set by the school’s enrolment scheme and can change. Confirm your address with the school before you rely on it.
NCEA results
School leavers with NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with all New Zealand school leavers.
This school New Zealand
School leavers are students who left school that year, whatever year level they left from.
Who goes here
Share of the 1,534 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
79 international students
MELAA: Middle Eastern, Latin American and African.
Stand-downs and suspensions
Cases per 1,000 students in 2025, adjusted for the ages of the school’s students, compared with all New Zealand schools.
These measure how a school responds to behaviour, and schools set their own thresholds, so they are not a measure of how students behave.
What ERO found
The Education Review Office’s latest report on the school is a School Evaluation Report from February 2025. ERO found learner progress is positive and outcomes are increasingly equitable.
In the first junior year a large majority achieve at or above expected levels in literacy and maths, while in the second a large majority do so in maths but only a small majority in literacy.
Most senior students, including a large majority of Māori students, gain NCEA at each level. Only a small majority attend regularly and the school is yet to meet the government’s attendance target, so engagement and attendance are a priority.
ERO also noted strategic, collaborative leadership, carefully chosen and monitored improvement goals, tailored help for students who need it, and planning based on strong community consultation.
The agreed next steps are to embed evidence-based review of the school’s strategies for inclusion, engagement, attendance and achievement, refine how wellbeing and learning data are used, keep building consistent and culturally responsive teaching, and use feedback from students, whānau and staff to develop a learner graduate profile.
Read the ERO reports for Waimea College
Enrolling
Students who live in the home zone have the right to enrol, and in-zone applications can be made at any time.
Out-of-zone places are offered under the school’s enrolment scheme, by ballot when there are more applicants than places, with priority for students in an approved special programme, then siblings of current and former students, children of former students and children of board employees. The school publishes its out-of-zone application and ballot dates on its zoning page.
Families enrol online or with a printable form, attaching proof of address and the subject choice and bus forms from the enrolment pack for their child’s year level.
Schools nearby
In Richmond near Nelson
Waimea College is in Richmond near Nelson. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Richmond near Nelson guide →Questions parents ask
Is Waimea College zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Hope near Nelson, Bronte near Nelson, Appleby near Nelson, Richmond near Nelson, Mahana near Nelson, Brightwater near Nelson, Redwood Valley near Nelson, Lee Valley near Nelson, Māpua near Nelson and Ruby Bay near Nelson and parts of Aniseed Valley, Tasman near Nelson and Stoke.
What years does it teach?
Years 9 to 13.
How many students go there?
1,534 at 1 Sep 2026.
Does it ask for donations?
No. It is in the donation scheme, so it only asks for donations for school camps.
What is its Equity Index?
447. The Ministry of Education’s Equity Index estimates the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, from 344 (fewest) to 569 (most). It is used to share out funding, not as a measure of quality.
How did its school leavers do in NCEA?
In 2025, 72.3% of its school leavers had NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with 77.8% of all New Zealand school leavers.
School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 22 Oct 2026 (CC BY 4.0). Home zone: Ministry of Education enrolment zones (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.
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