Wellington Girls College
Encyclopedia
Wellington Girls' College was founded in 1883 in Wellington
New Zealand
. At that time it was called Wellington Girls' High School. It is located in Thorndon
in central Wellington
, near the Parliament buildings
of New Zealand
, and with views of the famous Wellington harbour
.
As an academic school, the school is primarily focused on training girls for careers as experts in the Scientific and Technological areas. Wellington Girls' is also pre-eminent in many other spheres of learning, sport and cultural pursuits. Sixteen percent of all students at the school are Asian
. The November 2005 Education Review Office
(ERO) report states that there are 35 international students.
leased a building in Abel Smith Street in 1882 and appointed Miss Martha Hamilton as the Lady Principal of the school. It opened on 2 February 1883 with 40 students.
However, by the end of its first year the roll increased to almost 100 girls, and when the Premier, the Rt. Hon. Robert Stout
visited the school in 1884 the building was overcrowded with 130 students. As a result of his visit the school was moved to Pipitea St.
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
New Zealand
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...
. At that time it was called Wellington Girls' High School. It is located in Thorndon
Thorndon
Thorndon is an inner suburb of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. It combines residential accommodation and the home of government, and is located at the northern end of the Central Business District...
in central Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, near the Parliament buildings
New Zealand Parliament Buildings
The New Zealand Parliament Buildings house the New Zealand Parliament and are on a 45,000 square metre site at the northern end of Lambton Quay, Wellington...
of New Zealand
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...
, and with views of the famous Wellington harbour
Wellington Harbour
Wellington Harbour is the large natural harbour at the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island. New Zealand's capital, Wellington, is on the western side of Wellington Harbour. The harbour was officially named Port Nicholson until it assumed its current name in the 1980s.In Māori the harbour is...
.
As an academic school, the school is primarily focused on training girls for careers as experts in the Scientific and Technological areas. Wellington Girls' is also pre-eminent in many other spheres of learning, sport and cultural pursuits. Sixteen percent of all students at the school are Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
. The November 2005 Education Review Office
New Zealand Education Review Office
The Education Review Office or ERO is a relatively small state sector organisation of New Zealand tasked with reviewing and reporting publicly on the quality of education in all New Zealand schools...
(ERO) report states that there are 35 international students.
History
Seeing a need for higher education for girls the founding fathers of Wellington CollegeWellington College (New Zealand)
Wellington College is a state secondary school for boys in Mount Victoria in Wellington, New Zealand.-History:Wellington College opened in 1867 as Wellington Grammar School in Woodward Street, though Sir George Grey gave the school a deed of endowment in 1853. In 1874 it opened at its present...
leased a building in Abel Smith Street in 1882 and appointed Miss Martha Hamilton as the Lady Principal of the school. It opened on 2 February 1883 with 40 students.
However, by the end of its first year the roll increased to almost 100 girls, and when the Premier, the Rt. Hon. Robert Stout
Robert Stout
Sir Robert Stout, KCMG was the 13th Premier of New Zealand on two occasions in the late 19th century, and later Chief Justice of New Zealand. He was the only person to hold both these offices...
visited the school in 1884 the building was overcrowded with 130 students. As a result of his visit the school was moved to Pipitea St.
Notable alumni
- Fleur AdcockFleur AdcockKareen Fleur Adcock , CNZM, OBE is a poet and an editor of English and Northern Irish ancestry, who has lived much of her life in England.-Life and career:...
- poet - Robin HydeRobin HydeRobin Hyde is one of New Zealand's major poets. She was born Iris Guiver Wilkinson in Cape Town, South Africa and taken to Wellington, New Zealand before her first birthday. She had her secondary education at Wellington Girls' College where she wrote poetry and short stories for the school...
- South African born poet, novelist, biographer and journalist - Katherine MansfieldKatherine MansfieldKathleen Mansfield Beauchamp Murry was a prominent modernist writer of short fiction who was born and brought up in colonial New Zealand and wrote under the pen name of Katherine Mansfield. Mansfield left for Great Britain in 1908 where she encountered Modernist writers such as D.H. Lawrence and...
- writer - Anna PaquinAnna PaquinAnna Helene Paquin is a Canadian-born New Zealand actress. Paquin's first critically successful film was The Piano, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1994 at the age of 11 – the second youngest winner in history...
- youngest Best Supporting Actor Oscar for The PianoThe PianoThe Piano is a 1993 New Zealand drama film about a mute pianist and her daughter, set during the mid-19th century in a rainy, muddy frontier backwater on the west coast of New Zealand. The film was written and directed by Jane Campion, and stars Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, and Anna Paquin...
and actress on HBO Series True BloodTrue BloodTrue Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana... - Fran WalshFran WalshFrances "Fran" Walsh, Lady Jackson, MNZM is a screenwriter, film producer and occasional musician. She is the spouse of filmmaker Peter Jackson. They have two children: Billy and Katie....
- Academy Award-winning screenwriter and film producer - Ella WilksElla WilksElla Wilks is a New Zealander actress who is best known from her role as Danni in the sci-fi TV series The Tribe, in addition to that she appeared on an episode of The Strip and was in many documentaries and theatre productions.-Acting roles:Short films* Bathtime as Bella Television* The Strip as...
- actress