The Thames School of Mines is a nationally significant former school of mining in

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

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 ...

. It is listed as a Category 1 historic building 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 ...

Purpose

As stated in the 1901 Syllabus, the Thames School of Mines taught various subjects. The bulk of which directly related to mining. The subjects included: Mathematics, Mining and Applied mechanics, Practical Assaying and Ventilation and Explosives, along with others. In addition to the teaching of these subjects the school was also used to prepare candidates for the Government certifications of Mine Manager, Battery Superintendent, Engine Driver and Licensed Assayer. The syllabus also states that the exhibition of mineral and geological samples, as well as the assaying and analysis of ore sample as being within the scope of the Thames School of Mines. The school and its students also conducted experimental research on subjects, such as the refining of the gold extraction process.

Buildings

It is on the urupa (resting place/burial ground) of Aparangi. It is of particular importance to Ngati Maru Paraone and Te Huiraukura, who gifted the tapu land solely for religious purposes. Ngāti Maru opposed the idea of a primary school on this site, however there was a transition from religious instruction when the school of mines opened in 1886. In addition to the School of Mines, several buildings were built within the complex and the surrounding area such as a church and

Sunday School A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

in 1869 and a

mineralogical Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proce ...

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

that opened in 1901.

Post-operation

The school closed in 1954. In 1979, the

New Zealand Historic Places Trust 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 ...

acquired the complex for historic preservation. It is listed as a Category 1 historic place. It is one of only two known surviving examples of nineteenth century mining school complexes in New Zealand. Currently, no New Zealand universities offer a mining degree. In 2012, over seven hundred people signed a petition available at the site to save the Kopu Bridge and it was reported that the site had been broken into and damaged.Vandalism threatens care of historic New Zealand properties - Scoop
Retrieved February 2013

Notable alumni

* Charles Arthur Banks, 17th

Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the viceregal representative of the , in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The office of lieutenant governor is an office of the Crown and serves as a representative of the monarchy in ...

(1946-1950) *

Bob Heffron Robert James Heffron (10 September 189027 July 1978), also known as Bob Heffron or R. J. Heffron, was a long-serving New South Wales politician, union organiser and Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch), Labor Party Premier of New So ...

, 30th

Premier of New South Wales The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature. ...

(1959-1964) *

John Alexander Agnew John Alexander Agnew (1872 – 2 August 1939) was a New Zealand mining engineer who worked with future United States president Herbert Hoover and later became chairman of Consolidated Gold Fields, the first chairman of the firm to be from a min ...

, Chairman of

Consolidated Gold Fields Consolidated Gold Fields was a British gold-mining company. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index until it was acquired by Hanson in 1988. History Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa was fou ...

References

External links