, type = Contributing Primary , established = 1878; years ago , address = 70 Nile Street, Nelson , coordinates = , principal = Pip Wells , roll = () , decile = 7 , MOE = 3209 , homepage
nelsoncentral.school.nz
Nelson Central School is a state primary contributing school located in the inner city of

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

at the top of the South Island of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

teaching children of both genders aged 5 to 11 years.

Location

Nelson Central School is situated in the city of Nelson, New Zealand, on Nile Street, three blocks east of Christ Church Cathedral, Nelson.

Enrolment

As a primary contributing school, Nelson Central School sends pupils to

Nelson Intermediate School Nelson South is an inner suburb of Nelson, New Zealand. It lies to the southwest of Nelson city centre, between it and Bishopdale, close to the foot of The Grampians. The main inland route to Stoke, New Zealand, Waimea Road, is Nelson South' ...

, 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 House (named after Dr Thomas Renwick) are of architectural interest. The site of the present school was purchased by the Nelson Education Board in 1893 for £1600. The official opening ceremony of the main school building was held on Monday 23 June 1930. The school building is registered by

Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust) ( mi, Pouhere Taonga) is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocate ...

as a Category II historic structure. The building was added to the register on 25 November 1982, with register number 1596. (The first school in the new

Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non- Māori New Z ...

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.)

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. All students take part in the school's ''Mana Maori'' programme as required under the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the History of New Zealand, history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in ...

and all students have the opportunity to acquire some knowledge of Maori language and culture.

References

External links