Waipu Central School 1857 - 1939

The first school to be opened in the district was Waipu Central School. It was opened in 1857 with a roll of 50 students. Initially, lessons were held in the Waipu Church and houses of some of the early settlers. A small room was attached to the church to serve as a residence for Mr Morrison, the first teacher.
In 1876, settlers built a separate school building on a site behind and to the right of the Monument. Today, this building, now located alongside the Presbyterian Church, is still used for Sunday School. The dividing doors that separated the two classrooms were removed and erected in the Caledonian Hall. The doors separated the dining area from the main hall, and are still in use today.
A new school building was erected in 1924 on St Mary’s Rd. When the school closed in 1939 due to consolidation, it had a roll of 72 students. Headmasters of Waipu Central School prior to consolidation included M.H.V. Hall, W.N. Ingram, J.G. Gasparich, A.E. Reynolds, E.H. Mackay, and H.B. Abercrombie.
In 1939, the Waipu Central School buildings were altered to provide two classrooms and a science laboratory for the secondary department of the newly established Waipu District High School.

North River School 1860 - 1939

The North River School was built in 1860, with Mr G.M. Fraser as its teacher. At that stage about 95% of the students would have spoken Gaelic as their first language. Students had to walk up to 6km along muddy tracks to get to the school, and the ages of these students ranged from 5 to 18 years of age. The roll of this school was around 40 – 50 students for several decades, but from 1910, never exceeded 30 students
A total of 62 young men and 2 women served overseas in the two World Wars. Of these, 15 made the ultimate sacrifice.
On consolidation, a Roll of Honour was presented to the new consolidated school listing the names of 42 old boys and 2 old girls who had served in World War One. The old school building was transported to One Tree Point where it served for many years as a Public Hall.

 

 

The Braigh School 1862 - 1939

The Braigh School opened in 1862 on a site beside the highway near the turn-off to Finlayson’s Brook. Originally named the Upper District School, it later became known as the Braigh School. The first teacher was Mr Hugh McKenzie. He had previously been a teacher in Cape Breton.
The Braigh School opened in 1862 with a roll of 40 students. At its height the roll grew to 80 students, and it was at 20 when the school closed in 1939.
In 1877 the school building was lengthened and a fireplace and chimney installed.
In 1907, the Braigh School celebrated its diamond jubilee with 300 old pupils attending on the day.
The Braigh School was the first school in the Auckland Province to be opened under the new Education Board system. When it closed in 1939, it was the oldest continuously occupied school building in New Zealand. Although additions had been made to it over the years, the original school building was still being used in 1939.

 

Waipu Cove School 1863 - 1939

Waipu Cove School opened in 1863 with a roll of over 30 students. The founding teacher was Mr Aeneas Morrison who had earlier established the Waipu Central School in 1857. The first school building was erected by the early settlers near the Pa on Boakes farm; it closed in 1867 when the Provincial Government withdrew a 50 pound subsidy of the teacher’s salary. A further school was built in 1870 on a low hill near Waipu Cove. It was a temporary structure as the land owner, Mr McGregor was insistent that the land revert to him when a proper school was built. A permanent building was finally opened in 1877 on the original site. When the school closed in1939, this building was transported to St Mary’s Rd behind the secondary block, where it became the cooking room. When the primary school moved to Argyle St, the building was sold and moved to South Rd, and is now the Tile Factory.
An early school roll illustrated how young men and women who were taking the opportunity to gain an education. On the roll was a young man of 22 and a young woman of 24 years of age.

 

Mata School 1898 - 1939
Mata School opened on July 12th 1889 in an old fishing shed at Springfield, before moving to a building nearby. The first teacher was Mr Walters, and there were 18 students. In 1911 the school moved to an old house next to the Mata Hall, before shifting into a new building in 1913. Here the school remained until it closed in 1939.
During the fifty years of its existence, Mata School changed form periods of having a fulltime teacher to periods when it was part-time with either Ruakaka or Springfield. For a time prior to consolidation in 1939, student numbers increased to the point that a second class was taught in the Mata Hall.
The Mata School building can still be seen today from the highway. It sits behind the Mata Hall, and is now used as a hay barn.

Richard Fleet’s School 1860 – 1870s
It is difficult to provide accurate information on this school as no written records from it survive today.
Richard Fleet’s school was situated on a tea-tree scrub hill beside a bridle track between Waipu and Ruakaka, close to where SH1 now passes over the Lagoon bridge south of Marsden Point Rd. The school opened around 1860, and closed in the late 1870s. The teacher was Mr Richard Fleet, who had his home near to where the school building was located.
Children from the Prescott, Ruddell and Serjeant families of Ruakaka attended the school. When it closed, most of the students then went to North River School.

Bream Tail School 1898 - 1919
Few records exist about this school. Bream Tail School opened in 1889 to provide an education for the children in the southern area of Bream Bay. Due to the poor state of the road, the children could not access nearby Waipu Cove School. Some of the students had to walk up to 7 km to get to the school along muddy tracks.
Because of the small number of students, Bream Tail School became a half-time school along with Cove School. Between 1899 and 1919, each school was open for 3 days a week, with the same teacher conducting both schools.
When it closed in 1919, the small number of students at the school transferred to nearby Waipu Cove School.

Marsden Point School 1914 - 1928
Marsden Point School opened in 1914 at Marsden Point to provide an education for children living along the harbour shore who could not get to Ruakaka School because of the poor state of the roads. In 1915 the building, about 20 feet by 12 feet and constructed of corrugated iron, was moved to a more elevated position near Blacksmiths Creek. The roll at this point was 15 students.
The first teacher was Mr McGregor, who boarded with the Monro family. A later teacher was Miss Mary Chapman, who was also the local Postmistress. Miss Chapman had a Model T and would pick up children on the way to school – perhaps the first school bus in the district.
Due to a dwindling school roll and improved road access to Ruakaka, Marsden Point School closed in 1928.

Takahiwai School 1899 - 1973

The Native Schools Act 1867 allowed for establishment of primary schools for Maori students. Takahiwai School opened in 1899 as a Native school. As such, the Government provided much of the equipment and funding for the school. While the majority of the students were Maori, some Pakeha children attended as well.
In 1937, the school was relocated from its initial hillside location to a site down on the flats.
In 1963, Takahiwai School was reclassified as a Maori School, and came under the control of the Auckland Education Board.
Takahiwai School closed in 1973, with students transferring to either Bream Bay College or Ruakaka School. The school buildings are now part of the Takahiwai Marae Trust.

Waipu District High School 1939 - 1971


Headmaster:
Mr S.B. Dunn 1940- 1942 (Photo)
Mr C. Adams 1942-1945
Mr R. Inglis 1945-1949
Mr A. McKenzie 1949-1952
Mr A.Baildon 1953-1957
Mr Laird 1958-1959
Mr N Smith 1960
Mr S. McNichol 1961-1964
Mr G. Berquist 1965-1968
Mr L.Baxter 1969-1971


The Waipu District High School badge incorporates the thistle and lion, which represent the Scottish-Nova Scotian origins of the Waipu settlers, and the smallest ship ‘Spray’ represented the migration to Waipu. The motto ‘Saorsa’ is Gaelic for freedom.


The McFarlane tartan was chosen for the school tie. There were several reasons
for the decision. The Rev McFarlane was the minister for the Presbyterian Church in Waipu at that time, and he was a strong supporter of the consolidation of the schools. Also, as none of the Waipu settlers were of McFarlane descent, no claims of favouritism could be made.
The students were divided into four houses for sporting competitions. The names of Sutherland, Argyll, Ross, and Inverness were chosen, representing four shires in the Scottish Highlands from which many of the settlers had originated.