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Turakina Maori Girls College marks 100 years

By Heeni Collins

A carved taonga (treasure) in memory of former Maori Synod moderator and past pupil Mona Riini was presented to Turakina Maori Girls College as part of their centenary celebrations in October.

The taonga, incorporating traditional and Christian elements, was presented to the school by Mrs Riini’s sister and other Bay of Plenty family members.

“It will be awarded at prizegiving annually, for ‘presentation’. Mona was always very particular about how she looked - she always looked immaculate,” says Heather Mataamua, chair of the school’s board of trustees.

The school has also composed a special hymn in memory of Mrs Riini.

The school’s centenary reunion began with a powhiri, with over 200 past pupils and staff attending from as far away as London and the Netherlands. A social with cultural entertainment from present pupils was held in the Regent Theatre, Palmerston North.

“The girls performed exceptionally well. I was very pleased,” said Mrs Mataamua.

After receiving the Mona Riini taonga, the school’s original site at Turakina was visited. The land was bought by a group of new immigrant Scottish Presbyterians from Ngati Apa in the 1840s, and the school was established there by local minister the Rev H.J. Fletcher in 1905.

Speakers at the commemorative ceremony included Ross Fletcher, a grandson of the school’s founder and descendants of the school’s first principal and matron, Mr and Mrs Hamilton.

The school retained its original name when it shifted to the current site in Marton in 1928. “Mr Laughton said we must bring the name with us so we didn’t lose our identity,” Mrs Mataamua explains.

Both the Hamilton family and a group called Friends of Turakina School presented centenary quilts to the school as gifts. Both included symbols related to the school’s history and philosophy.

Another important centenary artwork was a series of 26 carved and decorated wooden poupou, which were made by present Turakina pupils under the guidance of resident artist Akenehi McFarland. The poupou stand along the school’s driveway and were unveiled at a dawn ceremony on 21 October.

On Saturday evening, the centenary group enjoyed a dinner at the Whanganui Race Course. “While people were eating their first course, our senior kapa haka group performed. And then each year-group got up in decades, performed and talked about the school when they were there,” says Mrs Mataamua.

Master of ceremonies for the weekend was former deputy principal and head of Maori studies, Trevor Moeke of Ngati Porou. Current principal Dawn Mitai-Pehi, her husband Mike Pehi, Te Aka Puaho moderator Millie Te Kaawa and school chaplain Peka Tautau also contributed significantly to the celebrations, which concluded with a church service on Sunday morning.

General Assembly Moderator the Rt Rev Garry Marquand, National MP Georgina Te Heuheu (a past pupil), and former principals Robin Patchett and Kay Tipene-Stephenson were among those who attended the celebrations.

A two-strand focus has brought new strength to the school in the past seven years – the use of technology and an emphasis on traditional Maori culture (as well as Christianity).

Pupil numbers have grown from 62 in 1998 to the current roll of 148.

A burgeoning seventh form indicates that many pupils now aim towards tertiary education. Technology enables better communication and resource-sharing with other Maori boarding schools, the Ministry of Education and the international community.