On Campus | Te Aratai College
A new dawn for Te Aratai College By Natasha Parrant
Linwood High School, now known as Te Aratai College, was founded in 1954 and was one of the first co-ed schools postWorld War II.
Linwood High School was, fortunately, able to move offsite for the duration of the rebuild. In 2019, it shifted onto the former Avonside Girls High School (GHS) site as Avonside GHS had its rebuild on a new site that was completed at the time. Moving sites meant the students and staff didn’t have to live through the disruption of a rebuild and meant that the rebuild was completed in three years rather than what would have been four. This project saved one million dollars, which the MoE generously left in the project.
It was a time of hope and optimism and the school soon became known for its innovation as it embraced new ideas and looked to the future. The school and community were deeply affected by the government’s reform of the Tomorrow’s Schools system and the socio-economic policies during the 1990s. Tomorrow’s Schools refers to the reforms that shaped the governance, management, and administration of Aotearoa schools over 30 years ago.
Te whare ako (classroom).
The 2010 and 2011 earthquakes hit the east of Christchurch hard and many people left the area.
while Linwood was being repaired. Cashmere High School had the morning shift and Linwood High School had the afternoon. Staff and students came back to the Linwood campus in August 2011.
With both the already considerable existing deferred maintenance and required re-development, the Ministry of Education (MoE) supported the idea of completely rebuilding the school.
As a result of the earthquakes, Linwood College site-shared with Cashmere High School
“It was not a nice time,” Te Aratai College principal Dick Edmundson says.
“The school is part of the successful post-earthquake Christchurch story,” he says.
In term two this year the school returned to its rebuilt campus and its new name Te Aratai College. The name had been gifted by mana whenua, Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga, and was eagerly accepted with its meaning, “pathway to the sea.” This meaning incorporates both the community’s physical location and the concept of empowering student pathways, Dick says.
Whare (building) and hall.
Building the learning hub at Te Aratai College.
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