St Mary's College is a year 7 - 13 integrated Catholic girls' high school situated at 11 New Street, Ponsonby,

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

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 was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1850 and is the oldest existing school in central Auckland.

History

St Mary's College is the oldest existing secondary school for girls in Auckland and one of the oldest existing schools in New Zealand. It was established in 1850 on the site of the present St Patrick's Cathedral, in Wyndham Street by the

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...

, who were founded in Ireland by Catherine McAuley in 1831. The Sisters of Mercy were the first religious sisters to come to New Zealand, arriving in Auckland from Ireland on 9 April 1850. A large new convent was built in Ponsonby, overlooking the Waitemata Harbour and the central business district of Auckland City and the school was shifted there in 1861. Its musical tradition goes back to the 1860s. During the 20th Century, under the direction of the late Dame

Sister Mary Leo Dame Sister Mary Leo Niccol (3 April 18955 May 1989) was a New Zealand religious sister who is best known for training some of the world's finest sopranos, including Dames Malvina Major, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Heather Begg. She was born as Kathl ...

, the school produced many singers of international fame, notably Dame

Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa , (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a retired New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". Te ...

and Mina Foley. The school is known for its music with a compulsory music programme running from year 7-9. They have a number of bands which play at festivals all around the world. In 2005 the Sinfonia was invited to play at the Beijing Arts Festival in China. In 2006 the school's band went to Palm Springs, CA for a music festival. The Mercy character continues to be a dominant focus of the school's ethos. The college is still owned by the Sisters of Mercy who have established a Board of Directors which works in conjunction with the Board of Trustees to ensure that the Catholic character of the school is not only maintained but enhanced and promoted.

Notable alumni

Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe Halaevalu Mata'aho ʻAhomeʻe (29 May 1926 – 19 February 2017) was Queen of Tonga from 1965 to 2006, as the wife of King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV. She was the mother of George Tupou V, King George Tupou V and the current King of Tonga, Tupou VI ...

(1926 – 2017) - the Queen Consort of Tonga from 1965 to 2006 * Benee (born 2000) - popular singer * Mina Foley (1930 - 2007) –

coloratura soprano A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs, leaps and trills. The term '' coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component o ...

Donna Awatere Huata Donna Lynn Awatere Huata (sometimes written Awatere-Huata, previously known as Donna Awatere; born 1949) is a former member of the New Zealand Parliament for the ACT New Zealand Party and activist for Māori causes. Early life Donna Awatere wa ...

(born 1949) - activist, politician, opera singer *

Claudia Orange Dame Claudia Josepha Orange (née Bell, born 17 April 1938) is a New Zealand historian best known for her 1987 book ''The Treaty of Waitangi'', which won 'Book of the Year' at the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Award in 1988. Since 2013 she has ...

(born 1938) - historian (especially of the Treaty of Waitangi)Dale Husband, "Claudia Orange and the Treaty, ''E Tangata'', 7 February 2021
(retrieved 18 July 2022) *

Cheryll Sotheran Dame Cheryll Beatrice Sotheran (11 October 1945 – 30 December 2017) was a New Zealand museum professional. She was the founding chief executive of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and was credited with the successful completion of ...

(1945 - 2017) - founding Chief Executive of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa *

Leilani Tamu Leilani Leafaitulagi Grace Tamu ( Burgoyne) is a New Zealand poet and politician. Background Tamu was born Leilani Leafaitulagi Grace Burgoyne in Auckland and is of Samoan, Tongan, Scottish and German descent. She is the daughter of rugby lea ...

- poet and politician *

(born 1944) - internationally acclaimed opera singer

Notes

References/Sources

* A.G Butchers, ''Young New Zealand'', Coulls Somerville Wilkie Ltd, Dunedin, 1929. * E.R. Simmons, ''In Cruce Salus, A History of the Diocese of Auckland 1848 - 1980'', Catholic Publication Centre, Auckland 1982. * Margaret Lovell-Smith, ''The Enigma of Sister Mary Leo:'', Reed, Auckland, 1998. * Nicholas Reid, ''James Michael Liston: A Life'', Victoria University Press, Wellington, 2006. * Jenny Carlyon & Diana Morrow, ''Urban Village: The Story of Ponsonby, Freemans Bay and St Mary's Bay'', Random House, Auckland, 2008.

External links

Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Marys College, Auckland Girls' schools in New Zealand Sisters of Mercy schools Educational institutions established in 1850 Catholic secondary schools in Auckland 1850 establishments in New Zealand

History

Notable alumni

See also

Notes

References/Sources

External links