Iona College is a state-integrated

girls' school Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in separate buildings or schools. The practice of ...

in the

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

area of New Zealand's

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

. Founded in 1914 by the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, it was intended to provide boarding facilities for girls from rural communities. Today, the college has a capped roll of 250 New Zealand and international students – 150 boarders and 100-day girls. Iona is consistently ranked amongst the top schools in New Zealand for academic results. A large performing arts centre and information centre started being built in March 2013 and were finished halfway through 2014. During the 100 years celebration that took place in March 2014 tours were conducted of the partially finished buildings.

History

Iona College is the oldest Presbyterian School in New Zealand. It was established as a girls' boarding school built on land donated by Hugh Campbell. The Prime Minister, the Right Honourable W F Massey, opened Iona College on 14 February 1914. Iona opened with a roll of 48 pupils who were accommodated in buildings that were habitable but unfinished. Iona's buildings were severely affected by the

1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Si ...

and the College had to be closed for a year while refinancing and rebuilding took place. The opening roll in 1932 was 27 boarders and nine-day pupils. The school chapel is named after Saint Martin. Iona was a private school until December 1998, when it integrated into the state education system. Shannon Warren (formerly of Seymour College, Adelaide) replaced Pauline Duthie as Principal in July 2014.

Notable alumni

Sandra Edge Sandra Helen Edge (born 26 August 1962 in Te Puia Springs) is a New Zealand netball coach and former international netball player. She captained the New Zealand under 21 team in 1982, aged 17. She debuted in the Silver Ferns in Melbourne in 19 ...

(born 1962), Silver Fern * Victoria Kelly, musician

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iona College Educational institutions established in 1914 Schools in Hastings, New Zealand Boarding schools in New Zealand Girls' schools in New Zealand Presbyterian schools in New Zealand Secondary schools in the Hawke's Bay Region 1914 establishments in New Zealand Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia