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Māori Catholic boys’ school, Hato Pāora College, celebrated its 75th jubilee over Labour Weekend.
Generations of former students gathered to reminisce about their time at the celebrated school.
As one past pupil said: “We are unique. We are the only Māori Catholic Boys College in the world! So let’s remember; let’s celebrate; let’s build a sustainable future”.
Beginning with a pōwhiri welcoming 350 manuhiri – visitors and old boys – the weekend’s celebrations include a banquet dinner, an archive exhibition and a special Mass with Cardinal John Dew.
Hāto Pāora opened in 1947, led by the founding rector, Pā Ihaka Gupwell.
In those days all the teachers were priests. The last of them left the school in 1994.
The school’s vision was to create an environment for boys to grow into young men with strong te reo and tikanga Māori and to promote Catholic and Māori values, provide a solid education and encourage achievement and success.
Two early boarders at the school who returned for the weekend are Hoani Heremaia and Vivian Broughton.
They recall their time as boarders vividly.
Broughton says he risked punishment by raiding the orchard of apples and nuts, burying them and eating them later.
Even though some of the priests used the cane on miscreants, Broughton doesn’t bear them any malice.
“It wasn’t too bad. They were all pretty good when you got to know them as long as you behaved yourself,” he recalled.
Heremaia said the school hadn’t been open for long when they started and there were 60 to 70 boys there in those days.
Tiwana Tibble’s last year at Hato Pāora was in 1975 and since he and his five brothers attended, two more generations of his family had gone through the school.
His two sons and three grandsons went to Hato Pāora, with his last grandson finishing last year.
“We had a strong relationship with the school over the time.”
Tibble remembered being taught by the priests, including one father who was his maths teacher, as he went on to become an accountant.
But things had changed at the school since his day.
“It’s probably a bit better now.”
That number of students has fluctuated over time. The aim is to build numbers again, says current Principal, Nathan Mathews.
“The present roll is 100 with an aim to build to 130. This in part to recover from Covid times. Pupils come from various parts of New Zealand and now from local areas such as Feilding and Palmerston as well,” Mathews says.
At present, he and Tata Lawton (current College Trust Board Chair) are co-authoring ‘A History of the Song of Pāorangi’, an account of the life of the College down the generations.
The Catholic Māori boys boarding school is one of only three Māori boarding schools left in New Zealand, but the school works hard to keep its special character alive through whānau links.
Source
- Stuff
- Supplied
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