What a location! Akaroa is 84km south-east of Christchurch (1.5 hrs drive) and 25km east of Little River. Canterbury’s oldest town, Akaroa was founded in August 1840 by French settlers. It has been suggested that French interest in New Zealand speeded up Britain’s decision to annex New Zealand. By the time French settlers arrived, the Treaty of Waitangi between the British Crown and Máori Chiefs had been signed. [source: NZ History Govt NZ].
Akaroa Area School is nestled within the stunning Akaroa harbour between French Bay and Glen Bay, a couple of minutes walk from popular Beach Road.
Brief School History
The first school was built in Akaroa during 1857 at a cost of 141 pounds.
Over the first year, the roll grew from 19 to about 30. In 1881,the Akaroa High School Bill was passed which enabled efforts to be directed at opening a high school.
The “Akaroa Boys School” opened with 11 students in 1883 and offered a wide range of subjects. In the following year, girls were admitted.
The school flourished in the 1880’s and academic success was evident, however, in January 1900 an advertisement in the Akaroa Mail stated that unless applications were received from 14 paying pupils, the school would be forced to close. The following month saw the closure of the boys’ school.
When the school reopened in 1901, it was as a free District High School. Akaroa was thus the first locality in the North Canterbury Education district to be granted the advantage of free secondary education. By the middle of 1902 there were 33 pupils in the high school.
The current site was purchased in 1930 and the first school building built here in 1935. Transfer of the junior school onto the same site was first brought up in 1938. This eventually happened in 2007, the year the school celebrated 150 years of existence.
If you are interested in more details on the history of the school, please see the 150th Year Celebration booklet (available from the school office).
