Most of the schools on the Shore operate zoning policies, although it is possible to apply for an out of zone place (usually around July-Sept before the year of entry) and you can apply for as many places as you want.

Use the links that Dolly gave you as a start for your research but have an eye on what intermediate/high school you want your children to feed in to too.

Schools are inspected and reports published on the ERO website ERO - Kia ora - welcome to the Education Review Office - Te Tari Arotaki Matauranga - be advised that these reports are very seldom critical.

You'll need to read between the lines and look for the things that the report isn't praising, for example it may emphasise how well a school is doing with its reading programe but will not say anything about maths. The question you need to be asking is "how good is maths at this school?"

They'll also use faint praise as an alternative to open criticism. Terms such as "excellent" and "high standard" are what you should be looking for rather than "acceptable" or "good".

I'd strongly recommend that you don't make your mind up until you've arrived in NZ and visited all the schools on your list. Also, take some time to visit the fee paying church and private schools in the area and compare them to the state schools.

Ask the principals how they measure pupil attainment, if they have written polices on student safety, welfare, anti-bullying, discipline, pastoral care, etc. how often reports are sent home...all the usual stuff.

Finally, before you settle on a school ask if your children can spend a day there to see how they like it.