St Margaret's College is an independent girls' school in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand founded on Anglican Christian values. It offers the dual academic pathway of NCEA and

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 ...

History

The school was established in 1910 on the initiative of Bishop Julius of the

Anglican Diocese of Christchurch The Diocese of Christchurch is one of the thirteen dioceses and hui amorangi of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The Diocese covers the area between the Conway River and the Waitaki River in the South Island of New Ze ...

, who invited the Kilburn, England-based Sisters of the Church Order to set up the school. The school was initially located in the

Christchurch Central City Christchurch Central City or Christchurch City Centre is the geographical centre and the heart of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is defined as the area within the Four Avenues (Bealey Avenue, Fitzgerald Avenue, Moorhouse Avenue and Deans Avenue ...

south of Armagh Street, where it opened on 8 February 1910. In 1914, the school moved slightly north to Chester Street West off

Cranmer Square Cranmer Square is an urban park in central Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located northwest of the city's centre, Cathedral Square. The major arterial route of Montreal Street skirts the edge of the square. The square (actually a rectangle) is ...

, and that building is now part of the

Cathedral Grammar School ("Always Faithful") , established = 1881 , head = Scott Thelning , chaplain = Teresa Kundycki-Carrell , head_label = Headmaster , address = 2 Chester Street West, ...

. St Margaret's opened a prep school on Papanui Road in the early 1920s, just north of the current school grounds. In the 1940s, the current grounds were occupied. On that site, the school had been using an 1880 homestead as a boarding house since 1922. In 1941, this building was renamed Kilburn House. In the

2011 Christchurch earthquake A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. local time (23:51 UTC, 21 February). The () earthquake struck the entire of the Canterbury region in the South Island, centred south-east ...

, Kilburn House was damaged. After NZ$2 million repairs, Kilburn House opened again in August 2012. The school received a commendation from the Christchurch Civic Trust for the renovation of this heritage building. This renovation was part of a significant rebuild project following the earthquakes when the school lost close to 90% of its buildings.

St Margaret's College today

St Margaret's College is the only girls' school in the South Island of New Zealand to offer the

Diploma in addition to NCEA. It is divided into three schools: * Junior School ''(Years 1–6)'' * Middle School ''(Years 7–10)'' * Senior School ''(Years 11–13)'' Boarding ''(Years 7–13)'' St Margaret's College has over 90 years of boarding history. Currently 150 girls are in three boarding houses, arranged in year groups and structured to the specific needs of each developmental stage.

Notable alumnae

Arihia Bennett Arihia Bennett is a New Zealand Māori leader. She was the chief executive officer of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu in New Zealand's South Island for almost 12 years, resigning the position in 2024. She is a member of Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou and ...

, first female CEO of Te Rūnanga o

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Poi ...

* Marjorie Chambers (1906–1989), senior nurse * Peri Drysdale (born 1954), founder of the Snowy Peak and Untouched World brands * Ella Greenslade (born 1997), rower *

Anna Harrison Anna Tuthill Harrison ( ''née'' Symmes; July 25, 1775 – February 25, 1864) was the first Lady of the United States in 1841 as the wife of President William Henry Harrison. She served in the role for only one month, as her husband was afflicted ...

(born 1983),

Silver Ferns The New Zealand national netball team, commonly known as the Silver Ferns, represent New Zealand in international netball. The team take their nickname from the Silver Tree Fern (''Cyathea dealbata''), which is National symbols of New Zealand, ...

netballer *

Olivia Loe Olivia Loe (born 15 January 1992) is a New Zealand representative rower. She is a two-time world champion in the double scull and is the incumbent world champion winning gold at the 2019 World Rowing Championships with Brooke Donoghue. She has ...

(born 1992), rower *

Ngaio Marsh Dame Edith Ngaio Marsh (; 23 April 1895 – 18 February 1982) was a New Zealand mystery writer and theatre director. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1966. As a crime writer during the "Golden Age of Det ...

(1895–1982), writer *

Mary Ruddock Mary Ruddock (2 April 1895 – 27 June 1969) was a New Zealand businesswoman who ran a dressmaking business in Wellington from the 1930s to the 1960s. Early life Ruddock was born in Hastings, England, on 2 April 1895, one of eight children ...

(1895–1969), fashion designer and businesswoman *

Amy Satterthwaite Amy Ella Satterthwaite (born 7 October 1986) is a New Zealand former cricketer who played as an all-rounder, batting left-handed and bowling either right-arm medium or off break. She appeared in 145 One Day Internationals and 111 Twenty20 Inter ...

(born 1986),

White Ferns The New Zealand women's national cricket team, nicknamed the White Ferns, represents New Zealand in international women's cricket. One of eight teams competing in the ICC Women's Championship (the highest level of international women's cricket ...

cricketer *

Julie Seymour Julie Seymour (née Dawson; born 29 March 1971) is a New Zealand netball coach, former international netball player and former representative middle distance runner. Seymour played for the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns, in ...

(born 1971),

captain *

Nicky Wagner Nicola Joanne Wagner (born 23 July 1953) is a New Zealand teacher, businesswoman and politician. She represented the Christchurch Central electorate for the New Zealand National Party in the New Zealand Parliament. Early life and career Born ...

(born 1953), former MP

References

External links

St Margaret's School Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Margaret's College Educational institutions established in 1910 International Baccalaureate schools in New Zealand Boarding schools in New Zealand Girls' schools in New Zealand Secondary schools in Christchurch Anglican schools in New Zealand 1910 establishments in New Zealand Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia

History

St Margaret's College today

Notable alumnae

See also

References

External links