New ZealandWaikatoWhitiangaMercury Bay Area School

Mercury Bay Area School

StateCompositeCo-Educational
Whitianga, Waikato · Small urban area
mbas@mbas.ac.nz 07-8665916
Total Roll879enrolled students
Māori26.5%of roll
Pacific3.2%of roll
Asian6.7%of roll
Student Body
879
enrolled students
European/Pākehā76.1%
Māori26.5%
Pacific3.2%
Asian6.7%
GenderCo-Educational
Mercury Bay Area School

Ethnicity Breakdown

Mercury Bay Area School's roll is predominantly european/pakeha (76.1%). The next largest group is maori students.

879students
European/Pakeha76.1%
Maori26.5%
Pacific3.2%
Asian6.7%
European/Pakeha76.1%
Maori26.5%
Pacific3.2%
Asian6.7%
Source: Ministry of Education (2026).

Compared to National Averages

The bars below show Mercury Bay Area School's ethnicity breakdown compared to the national average across all New Zealand schools. The white reference line marks the national average for each group.

European/Pakeha
+30.1pp above avg76.1%
National average: 46%
Maori
+1.5pp above avg26.5%
National average: 25%
Pacific
-6.8pp below avg3.2%
National average: 10%
Asian
-5.3pp below avg6.7%
National average: 12%
Source: Ministry of Education (2026). National averages are approximate.

Ethnicity Roll Numbers

Absolute student numbers by ethnicity, as reported by the Ministry of Education. Students can identify with more than one ethnic group, so totals may exceed the total school roll.

Ethnic GroupStudents% of Roll
European/Pakeha66976.1%
Maori23326.5%
Pacific283.2%
Asian596.7%
MELAA11
Other3
International28
Total Roll879100%
Source: Ministry of Education (2026).

Understanding Ethnicity Data

Self-identified ethnicity

Ethnicity in New Zealand school data is self-identified by students and families at enrolment. A student may identify with multiple ethnic groups, which means ethnicity percentages may sum to more than 100%.

Maori students and cultural context

New Zealand schools have a unique responsibility under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The proportion of Maori students can reflect a school's engagement with te reo Maori, tikanga, and culturally responsive practices.

Diversity is not a quality measure

A school's ethnic composition reflects its community, not its quality. Schools with high concentrations of any group serve their students well when they respond to their community's cultural, linguistic, and educational needs.

MELAA and Other categories

MELAA stands for Middle Eastern, Latin American, and African. The 'Other' category includes students who identify with ethnicities not covered by the main groups, as well as those who did not state an ethnicity.