Turakina Maori Girls' College: Records

Comprises the records of Turakina Māori Girls College namely: minute books, 1928-1970; school registers of attendance, 1905-ca 1972; daily attendance registers, 1905-1963; inspector's reports, 1908-1966 (incomplete); and other administrative and financial records.

Also includes:

- 27 school building plans and alterations dated between 1927 and 1975.

- two pieces of taniko weaving and one cloth badge worked by Mrs Mairatea Tahiwi

- a selection of school photographs (photographic prints, slide transparencies, and negatives) taken between 1905 and 1977.

Title supplied by Library.

Relationship complexity - A 16mm film of the School has been transferred to the New Zealand Film Archive by the School.

Turakina Māori Girls' College was a Presbyterian boarding school for young Māori women. It was established in 1905. The Rev H J Fletcher, missionary to Māori at Taupo, Mrs Gordon of Marton (wife of the Convenor of Māori Missions) and Miss MacKellar were instrumental in starting the College. The first principal was Mr A G Hamilton, who had previously worked with Māori pupils on the East Coast and at Tokaanu. Mrs Hamilton was the schools first Matron and their daughters Maude, Clarice and Coralie assisted with teaching and home duties in the school. The Hamilton's remained at the school for 14 years.

March 1928 saw the move of the College to its present site in Marton where the teaching of domestic skills remained high priority and continued to do so until 1950. During the period 1905-1980, the College was an Independent Private School, but in 1981 was integrated into the State system. The roll of the School is limited by this to 160 pupils, all of whom are boarders. Between 1981 and 1986 much of the school was upgraded. The school continued its strong emphasis on taha Māori and ta Wairua until its closure in 2016.

Quantity: 128 colour original transparency/ies 35mm slides. 71 folder(s). 62 b&w original negative(s). 21 plan(s). 17 b&w original photographic print(s) mounted on card. 16 b&w original photographic print(s). 16 b&w copy photographic print(s). 14 colour original negative(s). 6 volume(s). 3 object(s). 3 C60 cassette(s). 1 colour original photographic print(s).

Physical Description: Mss, typescript and printed matter

Transfers: A sound recording from the same provenance and accession deposit is held at Library reference OHColl-2212 (OHT5-1134)..

Processing information: Reference number changed from MS-Group-0116 to ATL-Group-00941 on 21 February when all materials of same provenance were reunited in this collection description.