Nelson Central School
Encyclopedia
Nelson Central School is a state primary contributing school located in the inner city of Nelson
at the top of the South Island
of New Zealand
teaching children of both genders aged 5 to 11 years.
At the end of 2006 the board of trustees consisted of five elected parent representatives, the Principal and the staff representative. Currently the chairman is Geoff Clark.
For the school year ended in December 2006, the school roll opened with 389 students and closed with 419. During the school year, staffing entitlement ranged from 24.64 in February to 24.73 by December.
are of architectural interest (photo needed). The site of the present school was purchased by the Nelson Education Board in 1893 for £1600.
(The first school in the new Pākehā
settlement of Nelson had opened in March 1842, "in a house built of toi toi", just a few months after the New Zealand Company's
first settlers landed.)
The current Principal is also Māori.
All students take part in the school's Mana Maori programme as required under the Treaty of Waitangi
and all students have the opportunity to acquire some knowledge of Maori language and culture.
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
at the top of the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
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...
teaching children of both genders aged 5 to 11 years.
At the end of 2006 the board of trustees consisted of five elected parent representatives, the Principal and the staff representative. Currently the chairman is Geoff Clark.
For the school year ended in December 2006, the school roll opened with 389 students and closed with 419. During the school year, staffing entitlement ranged from 24.64 in February to 24.73 by December.
Location
Nelson Central School is situated three blocks east of Nelson Cathedral.Enrolment
As a primary contributing school, Nelson Central School sends pupils to Nelson Intermediate School Nelson College for Girls Preparatory School and Nelson College Preparatory School. Nelson Central School enrols children between 5 and 11 years of age. Typically, about 50-60 five year old children start each year.History
Nelson Central School is now the oldest school in New Zealand still functioning on its original unitary site. Consequently its main building and Renwick HouseRenwick House
The Renwick House is located in the central part of Davenport, Iowa, United States. The Colonial Revival style residence has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983. The home is not to be confused with the mansion built by William Renwick, which is listed on the NRHP as...
are of architectural interest (photo needed). The site of the present school was purchased by the Nelson Education Board in 1893 for £1600.
(The first school in the new Pākehā
Pakeha
Pākehā is a Māori language word for New Zealanders who are "of European descent". They are mostly descended from British and to a lesser extent Irish settlers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, although some Pākehā have Dutch, Scandinavian, German, Yugoslav or other ancestry...
settlement of Nelson had opened in March 1842, "in a house built of toi toi", just a few months after the New Zealand Company's
New Zealand Company
The New Zealand Company originated in London in 1837 as the New Zealand Association with the aim of promoting the "systematic" colonisation of New Zealand. The association, and later the company, intended to follow the colonising principles of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who envisaged the creation of...
first settlers landed.)
Māori
The number of Māori children enrolled at the school is proportionately greater than would be expected given the total Māori population in the City of Nelson. This may be due to the presence of four Māori language immersion classes with a full-time Kaiarahi reo within Nelson Central School.The current Principal is also Māori.
All students take part in the school's Mana Maori programme as required under the Treaty of Waitangi
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi is a treaty first signed on 6 February 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and various Māori chiefs from the North Island of New Zealand....
and all students have the opportunity to acquire some knowledge of Maori language and culture.