New School at Pamapuria

Northland Age, Volume XII, Issue 9, 26 November 1942, Page 4

New School at Pamapuria

Saturday November 14 was a red Jetter day for the Maoris of Pamapuria when the Native Minister (Mr. Paikea) and his wife were present to officially open the new infant school and the re-modelled crafts room. The Minister and his wife were first greeted at the entrance to the school by the elder Maoris with a handshake and touching of noses after the Maori fashion, and then at the porch of the infant school by a haka performed by the boys followed by songs from the girls. Between the speeches which followed, the children gave further demonstrations of the tuneful singing at which the Maoris excel. Mrs. L. Tahu (chairwoman of the School Committee) was unable to be present owing to the death of her husband, and Vt irimu Karaka, acting chairman, welcomed the visitors on behalf of the Committee. The Minister expressed in Maori his sympathy with Mrs. Tahu and his regret at her unavoidable absence. Speaking in English he then outlined the history of the Pamapuria School since it start in 1884. History of the School In 1883 it was decided to move the Native school and teacher’s residence to Pamapuria and on July 16, 1884, the school opened with 16 pupils under Mr. R. H. Dunn as teacher in charge, the numbers rising later in the year to 36 when his wife was appointed assistant. In 1894 the school was closed on account of poor attendance but was re-opened in March, 1897, with Mr. A. McKenzie as headmaster. In 1917 a new building was erected and in 1925 additional accommodation was built to cope with the increase in the number of pupils, further extensions being made in 1940.

The new infant room is of the openair type and the old room has been converted into an up-to-date crafts room, a milk bar being provided where the children can obtain malted milk. The present staff comprises Mr. Henderson as headmaster, his wife, and Miss H. Brown with a school roll of 62. The Minister expressed his pleasure at being present both on account of his being the local Maori representative in Parliament and as a Maori opening a school for his own people. He conveyed greetings from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education to the children, the staff and the people of Pamapuria, and stated that but for the war the technical training of Maori children would have made more rapid progress, and expressed the opinion that with their natural adaptability thejtfaori boys and girls can fit thepaselves better for later life by undergoing technical rather than commercial training. In his message to the children he stressed the necessity for self-discipline and hand-work while at school, and not wasting opportunities which they might regret later in life. When the visitors had inspected the buildings, they, together with the parents and friends, both Maori and pakeha, sat down to a sumptuous feast which was served by the Maori girls and when they had finished, the children sat down and had their share of the refreshments.