Nga Tawa Diocesan School, also known as the Wellington Diocesan School for Girls, is a state-integrated,

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

girls’

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

situated in the heart of the

Rangitikei District The Rangitikei District is a territorial authority district located primarily in the Manawatū-Whanganui region in the North Island of New Zealand, although a small part, the town of Ngamatea (13.63% by land area), lies in the Hawke's Bay Regio ...

. It is located just outside the township of Marton in New Zealand.

History

The school was founded near Shannon in 1891 by Mary Taylor. She named her school Nga Tawa because of the tawa trees that grew nearby. In 1909, the school relocated from Shannon to Calico Line, where it stands today. The original buildings were destroyed by fire in 1924. Originally a private school, Nga Tawa integrated into the state education system in 1980. Today, the school has roughly 200 pupils, most of whom are boarders. The school also accepts a growing number of international students. These students mainly come from but are not limited to, Europe and Asia.

Co-curricular

Nga Tawa students participate in a wide variety of sporting disciplines. The focus of the school is on

equestrian sport Equestrian sports are sports that use horses as a main part of the sport. This usually takes the form of the rider being on the horse's back, or the horses pulling some sort of horse-drawn vehicle. General * 4-H *Equitation *Horse show *Icelandic ...

. There is stabling capacity for 80 horses on school grounds as well as a dressage arena, a full-sized

showjumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ...

arena, 1200m all-weather canter track, and a cross-country course. There are multiple cultural activities offered at the school. Nga Tawa students are represented in a varied array of disciplines and arts, particularly given the significantly smaller student body than most of their local competitors

Academic

The school previously offered the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

exams (up until the end of the 2013 academic year) as well as the New Zealand NCEA exams.

Notable alumnae

Judy Bailey Judy Ann Bailey (born ) is a former news presenter for ONE News, the highest rated evening television news programme in New Zealand. Bailey joined the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (now Television New Zealand) in 1971 and worked as a re ...

– television newsreader * Iris Crooke – nurse and volunteer worker,

Florence Nightingale Medal The Florence Nightingale Medal is an international award presented to those distinguished in nursing and named after British nurse Florence Nightingale. The medal was established in 1912 by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), f ...

recipient * Anne Gambrill – lawyer and jurist *

Jackie Gowler Jackie Gowler (born 7 June 1996) is a New Zealand representative rower. Biography Gowler was born in 1996. She received her secondary schooling at Nga Tawa Diocesan School in Marton. While at school, she took up rowing inspired by her elder ...

– rower *

Kerri Gowler Kerri Leigh Williams (née Gowler; born 18 December 1993) is a New Zealand rower. She is a national champion, an Olympic champion and double medallist, a three-time world champion and a current (2019) world champion in both the coxless pair and ...

– rower * Virginia Grayson – artist,

Dobell Prize The Dobell Drawing Prize is a biennial drawing prize and exhibition, held by the National Art School in association with the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation.The prize is an open call to all artists and aims to explore the enduring importance ...

winner *

Gil Hanly Gillian Mary Hanly ( Taverner; born 1934) is a New Zealand artist. She is best known for documenting protests and social movements in New Zealand's recent history. Early life Hanly was born in 1934 in Levin, New Zealand. She has two younge ...

– photographer *

Paige Hourigan Paige Mary Hourigan (born 3 February 1997) is a professional tennis player from New Zealand. She has won four singles and eleven doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. She reached her best rankings in both singles and doubles after winning ITF tit ...

– tennis player * Georgia Nugent-O'Leary – rower * Alison Quentin-Baxter – constitutional lawyer * Rebecca Sinclair – snowboarder * Susan Skerman – painter * Shirley Smith – lawyer

References

External links

* {{Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia schools, state=autocollapse Boarding schools in New Zealand Educational institutions established in 1891 Girls' schools in New Zealand International Baccalaureate schools in New Zealand Secondary schools in Manawatū-Whanganui Anglican schools in New Zealand 1891 establishments in New Zealand Rangitikei District Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia