Nga Tawa Diocesan School, also known as the Wellington Diocesan School for Girls, is a state-integrated, Anglican girls’ boarding school situated in the heart of the Rangitikei District. It is located just outside the township of Marton in New Zealand.
| Nga Tawa Diocesan School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
Calico Line | |
| Coordinates | 40°04′04″S 175°23′53″E / 40.0678°S 175.3980°E |
| Information | |
| Type | State integrated secondary, day and boarding |
| Motto | Christo et Ecclesiae ("For Christ and Church") |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Established | 1891; 133 years ago |
| Ministry of Education Institution no. | 196 |
| Principal | Lesley Carter |
| Gender | Girls |
| School roll | 196[1] (August 2024) |
| Colour(s) | Navy and gold |
| Socio-economic decile | 9Q 1782[1] (August 2024) |
| Website | www |
History
editThe school was founded near Shannon in 1891 by Mary Taylor. She named her school Nga Tawa because of the tawa trees that grew nearby.[citation needed] William Birch and his wife Ethel helped found the school and William served on the board of trustees; Birch House is named after them.[2][3] In 1909, the school relocated from Shannon to Calico Line, where it stands today. The original buildings were destroyed by fire in 1924. Originally a private school, Nga Tawa integrated into the state education system in 1980.
Today, the school has roughly 200 pupils, most of whom are boarders. The school also accepts a growing number of international students. These students mainly come from but are not limited to, Europe and Asia.
Co-curricular
editNga Tawa students participate in a wide variety of sporting disciplines. The focus of the school is on equestrian sport. There is stabling capacity for 80 horses on school grounds as well as a dressage arena, a full-sized showjumping arena, 1200m all-weather canter track, and a cross-country course.
There are multiple cultural activities offered at the school. Nga Tawa students are represented in a varied array of disciplines and arts, particularly given the significantly smaller student body than most of their local competitors
Academic
editThe school previously offered the International Baccalaureate exams (up until the end of the 2013 academic year) as well as the New Zealand NCEA exams.
Notable alumnae
edit- Judy Bailey – television newsreader
- Iris Crooke – nurse and volunteer worker, Florence Nightingale Medal recipient
- Anne Gambrill – lawyer and jurist
- Jackie Gowler – rower[4]
- Kerri Gowler – rower[4]
- Virginia Grayson – artist, Dobell Prize winner
- Gil Hanly – photographer
- Paige Hourigan – tennis player
- Georgia Nugent-O'Leary – rower[4]
- Alison Quentin-Baxter – constitutional lawyer
- Rebecca Sinclair – snowboarder[4]
- Susan Skerman – painter
- Shirley Smith – lawyer
References
edit- ^ a b "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ "Church workers". Dominion. 7 July 1920. p. 6. Retrieved 13 September 2024 – via Papers Past.
- ^ O'Neil, Bernerd (1998). The Birch Family History: Descendants of Rev. Jonathan Birch, Vicar of Bakewell, Derbyshire, England and His Sons : Rev. John Neville Birch of Leasingham, Lincolnshire : Dr. Charles Birch of St. Kitts, British West Indies : Rev. Thomas Birch of Thoresby, Lincolnshire. Genealogy Pub. Service. p. 375 – via Family Search.
- ^ a b c d "Past and Present Pupils – Nga Tawa Diocesan School on the World Stage" (PDF). The Calico Line. Marton, New Zealand: Nga Tawa Diocesan School. August 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2021.