Te Aute College
Encyclopedia
Te Aute College is a school in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand
. It opened in 1854 with twelve pupils under Samuel Williams, an Anglican
missionary
, and nephew and son-in-law of Bishop William Williams
. It has a strong Māori character.
It was built on land provided by Te Whatuiapiti, a hapu
of the Ngati Kahungunu
iwi
. In 1857, a Deed of Gifts transferred the land from Te Whatuiapiti to the crown, with a request that it be granted to the Bishop of New Zealand and his successors.
In 1859, the school was forced to close its doors due to lack of resources, but was re-opened in 1872. The school gradually expanded.
The Young Māori Party
, established in 1909, which was dedicated to improving the position of Māori, grew out of the Te Aute Students Association, started by former students of the college in 1897.
In 1973, the college was again hit by financial difficulties, but a direct appeal for assistance to the Prime Minister
, Norman Kirk
, secured Te Aute's future. Traditionally a single sex male boarding school, female students from its sister school Hukarere were enrolled at the school in 1992, and in 1993, Te Aute officially became co-educational—but reverted to male-only in 2005.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It opened in 1854 with twelve pupils under Samuel Williams, an Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
, and nephew and son-in-law of Bishop William Williams
William Williams (bishop)
William Williams was the first Anglican Bishop of Waiapu and the father and grandfather of two others. He led the CMS missionaries in the translation of the Bible into Māori and he published an early dictionary and grammar of the Māori language.-Early life:Williams was born in Nottingham to Thomas...
. It has a strong Māori character.
It was built on land provided by Te Whatuiapiti, a hapu
Hapu
A hapū is sometimes described as "the basic political unit within Maori society".A named division of a Māori iwi , membership is determined by genealogical descent; a hapū is made up of a number of whānau groups. Generally hapū range in size from 150-200 although there is no upper limit...
of the Ngati Kahungunu
Ngati Kahungunu
Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke’s Bay and Tararua and Wairārapa regions....
iwi
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
. In 1857, a Deed of Gifts transferred the land from Te Whatuiapiti to the crown, with a request that it be granted to the Bishop of New Zealand and his successors.
In 1859, the school was forced to close its doors due to lack of resources, but was re-opened in 1872. The school gradually expanded.
The Young Māori Party
Young Maori Party
The Young Māori Party was a New Zealand organisation dedicated to improving the position of Māori. It grew out of the Te Aute Students Association, established by former students of Te Aute College in 1897. It was established as the Young Māori Party in 1909....
, established in 1909, which was dedicated to improving the position of Māori, grew out of the Te Aute Students Association, started by former students of the college in 1897.
In 1973, the college was again hit by financial difficulties, but a direct appeal for assistance to the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
, Norman Kirk
Norman Kirk
Norman Eric Kirk was the 29th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1972 until his sudden death in 1974. He led the Parliamentary wing of the New Zealand Labour Party from 1965 to 1974. He was the fourth Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand, but the first to be born in New Zealand...
, secured Te Aute's future. Traditionally a single sex male boarding school, female students from its sister school Hukarere were enrolled at the school in 1992, and in 1993, Te Aute officially became co-educational—but reverted to male-only in 2005.
Notable alumni
- Thomas Rangiwahia EllisonThomas EllisonThomas Rangiwahia Ellison, also known as Tom Ellison was a New Zealand rugby union player and lawyer. He led the first New Zealand representative rugby team organised by the New Zealand Rugby Union on their 1893 tour of Australia.Born in Otakou, Otago, Ellison was the first Māori to practise as a...
- former All Black - Te Rangi Hīroa - anthropologist, politician, doctor
- Taituha Peina Kingi - former All Black
- Howard MorrisonHoward MorrisonSir Howard Leslie Morrison, OBE, was a New Zealand entertainer. From 1964 until his death in 2009 he was one of New Zealand's leading television and concert performers.-Early life:...
- singer and entertainer - Sir Apirana NgataApirana NgataSir Apirana Turupa Ngata was a prominent New Zealand politician and lawyer. He has often been described as the foremost Māori politician to have ever served in Parliament, and is also known for his work in promoting and protecting Māori culture and language.-Early life:One of 15 children, Ngata...
- historian, scholar, politician - George NepiaGeorge NepiaGeorge Nepia was a Māori rugby union and rugby league player. He is remembered as an exceptional full-back and one of the most famous Māori rugby players. He was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. In 2004 he was selected as number 65 by the panel of the New Zealand's Top...
- former All Black - Sir Maui PomareMaui PomareSir Maui Wiremu Pita Naera Pomare, KBE, CMG was a New Zealand doctor and politician, being counted among the more prominent Māori political figures...
- medical pioneer, foreign minister - Pita SharplesPita SharplesPita Russell Sharples, CBE, , a Māori academic and politician, currently co-leads the Māori Party. He currently is the member for Tamaki Makaurau in New Zealand's Parliament.-Early life:...
- Minister of Maori Affairs and Māori PartyMaori PartyThe Māori Party, a political party in New Zealand, was formed on 7 July 2004. The Party is guided by eight constitutional "kaupapa", or Party objectives. Tariana Turia formed the Māori Party after resigning from the Labour Party where she had been a Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour-led...
co-leader - Karl Te NanaKarl Te NanaKarl Te Nana is a rugby player from New Zealand.-Playing career:A professional rugby union player, Te Nana won a gold medal as part of the New Zealand Seven's rugby team at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.. He is 8th highest try scorer in Rugby Sevens history, having scored 113 tries for New Zealand...
- former member of the NZ Maori rugby team - Paraire TomoanaParaire TomoanaParaire Henare Tomoana , known as Friday, was a prominent Māori leader in the Hawke's Bay Region. He was born in Waipatu or Pakowhai, the son of Henare Tomoana...
- leader, journalist and composer - Piri WeepuPiri WeepuPiri Awahou Tihou Weepu is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He plays scrum-half for the All Blacks on international level, Wellington Lions in the National Provincial Championship and the Hurricanes in the Super Rugby. He first won national honours against Wales in 2004...
- All Black - Norm Hewitt - former All Black
Others associated with the school
- Jamie DixonJamie DixonJamie Dixon is an American basketball head coach. He has served as the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team since 2003. In 2009 he was the head coach for the FIBA Under-19 2009 gold-medal winning United States national basketball team for which he was named the 2009 USA...
, currently men's basketball head coach at the University of PittsburghPittsburgh Panthers men's basketballPittsburgh Panthers men's basketball is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt men's basketball team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games in...
, coached the school's basketball team in 1989—his first coaching job at any level.