Wellington East Girls' College (WEGC, Maori name: Te Kura Kōhine o te Rāwhiti o Te Upoko o Te Ika) is a state single-sex girls'

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

which sits directly above

Mount Victoria Tunnel The Mount Victoria Tunnel in the New Zealand capital city of Wellington is 623 metres (slightly more than a third of a mile) long and 5 metres (16.4 ft) in height, connecting Hataitai to the centre of Wellington and the suburb of Mount ...

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. Serving Years 9 to 13 (ages 12 to 18), the school currently has students. The College primarily serves families of the eastern and southern suburbs and inner-city Wellington. However, it also has students from all over Wellington, the

Hutt Valley The Hutt Valley (or 'The Hutt') is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Like the river that flows through it, it takes its name from Sir William Hutt, a director of the New Zea ...

and

Porirua City Porirua, () a city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Porirua' is a corruption of 'Pari-rua', meaning "the tide sweeping up both re ...

, out of zone students being accepted in on a ballot. The school has a Special Needs Unit for about 20 students, some of whom are integrated into the school system.

School leadership

The school's long time principal Janice Campbell retired during 2007 and Sally Haughton took up the position. In 2019 Gael Ashworth became principal. Currently, the Senior Leadership Team consists of the principal herself and three deputy principals. There is also a principal's nominee – a staff member nominated by the principal who has responsibility for maintaining quality within the School to ensure the validity and credibility of assessment for qualifications according to the

New Zealand Qualifications Authority The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA; ) is the New Zealand government Crown entity tasked with administering educational assessment and qualifications. It was established by the Education Act 1989. NZQA administers the National Cert ...

(NZQA). The school has a Guidance

team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to in ...

(composed of one international and five year-level deans, careers advisors, counsellors, and a Guidance Leader) as well as a sports director and many department heads.

History

Wellington East Girls' College was built on reserve land bordering

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: New Zealand * Wellington College, Wellington, New Zealand * Wellington College of Education, now the Faculty of Education of Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand * Wellington Girls' College, Wellington, N ...

in 1925, to cope with the demand for

female education Female education is a catch-all term for a complex set of issues and debates surrounding education (primary education, secondary education, tertiary education, and health education in particular) for girls and women. It is frequently called girls ...

in Wellington at the time. By the end of the First World War, there were over 800 pupils at Wellington Girls’ High School (now

Wellington Girls' College Wellington Girls' College was founded in 1883 in Wellington, New Zealand. At that time it was called Wellington Girls' High School. Wellington Girls' College is a year 9 to 13 state secondary school, located in Thorndon in central Wellington. ...

) in Thorndon, and teaching became severely hampered by the overcrowding – so much so that rooms in nearby houses were rented out to use as classrooms. Miss A. M. Batham, who had served on the staff at Wellington Girls' for 22 years and would be the first Headmistress of Wellington East, petitioned the Board of Governors repeatedly until it was agreed that a new school would be founded on the other side of the city. The school was originally named Mt Victoria Girls College but was changed to avoid confusion with

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...

, which was called Victoria University College at the time. The school celebrates Founders Day annually on 15 September and held a 90th reunion on the date in 2015. On 24 September 2024, the school was evacuated after receiving an email threat.

Houses

In 1931, Headmistress Batham divided the school into six houses for sports competitions. These six houses were named Islington, Ranfurly, Onslow, Jellicoe, Fergusson, and Bledisloe, and were named after: * The Lord Islington, the 15th

Governor of New Zealand A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

. * Lieutenant-General The Lord Freyberg, the seventh

Governor-General of New Zealand The governor-general of New Zealand () is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and lives in the United Kingdom, he, on the Advice ...

. *

William Onslow, 4th Earl of Onslow William Hillier Onslow, 4th Earl of Onslow, (7 March 1853 – 23 October 1911), was a British Conservative politician. He held several governmental positions between 1880 and 1905 and was also Governor of New Zealand between 1889 and 1892. B ...

, the 11th Governor. *

John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, (5 December 1859 – 20 November 1935) was a Royal Navy officer. He fought in the Anglo-Egyptian War and the Boxer Rebellion and commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland ...

, the second Governor-General. *

Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet General Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet, (17 January 1865 – 20 February 1951) was a British Army officer and the third Governor-General of New Zealand, in office from 1924 to 1930. Early life and military career Fergusson was the son of ...

, the third Governor-General. *

Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe, (21 September 1867 – 3 July 1958) was a British Conservative politician and colonial governor. He was Governor-General of New Zealand from 1930 to 1935. Early life Bathurst was born in London, the sec ...

, the fourth Governor-General. Sometime before 1950 both the Ranfurly and Freyberg Houses were renamed. They became Cobham and Freyberg, in honour of The Viscount Cobham (the ninth Governor-General) and Lieutenant-General The Lord Freyberg (the seventh Governor-General). In 1941 Freyberg and Cobham were dismantled and students in either became parts of the other four houses. The four current houses at Wellington East Girls' College are: * Sheppard * Edgar * Cooper * Tirikatane

Buildings and grounds

Wellington East Girls' College shares with

the administration of the

Gifford Observatory The Gifford Observatory is an astronomical observation facility located in the suburb of Mount Victoria, Wellington, New Zealand. Operated by the Gifford Observatory Trust with the intent of making it available for use to Wellington school childr ...

. The

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

of the original building is ''interwar stripped classical''. The grand main 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; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...

as a Category 1 Historic Place. In 2011, earthquake strengthening work was begun on the building, but was halted when engineers found it to meet just 17% of the national building standard (the minimum for existing buildings is 34%). The building, which was built in 1924, was empty until late 2014, when work restarted with the aim of replacing the building. The redevelopment project was to keep the façade of the old heritage building while a new multi-storey block was built behind it. The old block held nine classrooms (not including the music department) which held 250 pupils, as well as the library, staffroom and offices. After the closure of the Main Block, areas previously housed inside the building were forced to relocate. The Mathematics department, along with the School Office, Student Services Centre, Hauora Centre, and the Senior Management offices were all relocated to "The Village"; a set of pre-fabricated buildings on the old lower netball courts. When the new building opened the prefabs were removed and this area became a car park. The music department was located in a portion of the Main Block still usable until its demolition in 2014; it then moved to pre-fabricated buildings located on the top field. It is soon to be joined by another set of pre-fabricated buildings, which will house the Art Department until completion of renovation on the South Wing (built in 1966). Most buildings on the school site are being redeveloped in some way or another. In 2016, the Sports Centre saw strengthening and repainting. The baths, which since construction in 1958 have already witnessed the removal of the diving pool (replaced by the Special Needs Unit), have undergone total reconstruction. The outdoor swimming pool has been covered over. Seemingly, the only buildings on site left untouched by the redevelopment will be the East Wing (built 1956) and the Science Block (Opened 1985). In April 2019 the new Matairangi block opened, providing open-plan learning spaces, a new library, canteen, art studios, food technology rooms, music facilities and a media suite, along with a Maori learning space or

Wharenui A wharenui (; literally "large house") is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand, generally situated as the focal point of a ''marae''. Wharenui are usually called meeting houses in New Zealand English, or simply called ''wikt:wh ...

. The school, with this new building, is now able to cater to approximately 1250 students.

He Huarahi Tamariki

He Huarahi Tamariki is a teen parent unit under the jurisdiction of Wellington East Girls' College. It serves approximately 50 teenage parents in Years 9–15 (age 12–19) in continuing secondary school education. The unit is largely autonomous and is located in

Porirua Porirua, () a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Poriru ...

, and incorporates the Griffin 2 School, an Early Childhood Centre that caters for the children of its students. It is noted that the Teen Parent Unit roll is returned with the one belonging to Wellington East Girls' College.

Notable alumnae

''Dates denote leaver or graduation year as student''

Arts and humanities

Marie Bell Marie Bell (23 December 1900 – 14 August 1985), born Marie-Jeanne Bellon-Downey, was a French tragedian, comic actor and stage director. She was the director of the Théâtre du Gymnase in Paris from 1962 onwards, and this theatre now bea ...

(1938) – educator *

Marie Clay Dame Marie Mildred Clay ( ; née Irwin; 3 January 1926 – 13 April 2007) was a researcher from New Zealand known for her work in educational literacy. She was committed to the idea that children who struggle to learn to read and write can be ...

(1942) – psychologist and researcher in education * Joy Drayton (1932) – educator *

Avis Higgs Avis Winifred Higgs (21 September 1918 – 14 October 2016) was a New Zealand textile designer and painter. Education Higgs was born in 1918 in Wellington into a family of artists. Both her great grandfather and her grandfather were highly re ...

(1935) – painter and textile designer *

Geraldine McDonald Geraldine McDonald (; 13 May 1926 – 26 November 2018) was a New Zealand academic and teacher. She was a pioneer of research into women's education and early childhood education, and advocated for women and girls throughout her life. After a ...

(1942) – academic and researcher in education *

Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan Tini "Whetu" Marama Tirikatene-Sullivan (9 January 1932 – 20 July 2011) was a New Zealand politician. She was an MP from 1967 to 1996, representing the Labour Party and was New Zealand’s first Māori woman cabinet minister. At the time of ...

(1949) – New Zealand politician and one of 20 holders of the Order of New Zealand * Mary Varnham (1961) – writer and publisher and former Wellington City Councillor

Performing arts

Sunny Amey Sunny Amey (born 1928) is a theatre director and educator born in New Zealand. She worked at the National Theatre of England during its formative years alongside Laurence Olivier, as artistic director of Downstage Theatre in the 1970s and the d ...

(1945) – theatre director and educator *

Aivale Cole Aivale Cole (née Mabel Faletolu) is a soprano singer from New Zealand. Background Cole was born Mabel Faletolu in Wellington, New Zealand. In 2005, Cole graduated from the Australian Opera Studio and was awarded the Dux Prize. She also has ...

(formerly Mabel Faletolu) – opera singer *

Jennifer Compton Jennifer Compton (born 1949) is a New Zealand-born Australian poet and playwright. Biography She was born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1949 and attended Wellington East Girls' College. In the 1970s, she emigrated to Sydney, Australia with he ...

(1966) – poet and playwright * Rae de Lisle (1965) – pianist and educator *

Barbara Ewing Barbara Ewing (born 14 January 1939) is a New Zealand actress, playwright and novelist based in the UK. In the 1980s Ewing played the character Agnes Fairchild in British comedy series ''Brass (TV series), Brass.'' Ewing's novel ''The Petticoat ...

(1955) – actor *

Chelsie Preston Crayford Chelsie Florence Preston Crayford (born 1987), sometimes credited as Chelsie Florence, is a New Zealand actress. Early life Preston Crayford was born in Wellington to film maker Gaylene Preston and musician Jonathan Crayford. Apart from appeari ...

(2003) – actor *

Dawn Sanders Dawn Jane Sanders is a New Zealand theatre scholar, and the founder and current CEO of the Shakespeare's Globe Centre New Zealand. She received the 2006 Sam Wanamaker Award for her foundation of this centre. In the 1992 New Year Honours (New ...

(1968) – theatre scholar and founder of the Shakespeare's Globe Centre New Zealand *

Jennifer Ward-Lealand Jennifer Cecily Ward-Lealand (born 8 November 1962) is a New Zealand theatre and film actor, director, teacher and intimacy coordinator. She has worked for 40 years, appearing in over 120 theatre performances: Greek, Shakespeare, drama, comedy ...

(1975) – screen and theatre actor

Science

* Brenda Shore (nee Slade) (1938) – botanist

Sport

Swimming

* Natasha Hind – Silver and Bronze medallist at the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...

Meda McKenzie Meda-Therese McKenzie (born 1963), generally known as Meda McKenzie, is a former New Zealand long-distance swimmer, who was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. At fifteen she swam Cook Strait, and later (in 1978) swam it ...

(1978) – first woman to complete a double crossing of the

Cook Strait Cook Strait () is a strait that separates the North Island, North and South Islands of New Zealand. The strait connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast. It is wide at its narrowest point,McLintock, ...

and the first to complete a circumnavigation of

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 10,898 of a total population of 15,040. The Parliament of the Cook Islands, Coo ...

* Emma Robinson (New Zealand swimmer) –

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

swimmer

Association football

* Cinnamon Chaney (1988) – New Zealand international player * Maria George – New Zealand international player *

Wendi Henderson Wendi Judith Henderson (born 16 July 1971) is an association football player who represented New Zealand at international level. Henderson made her full Football Ferns debut as a substitute in a 3–0 win over Hawaii on 12 December 1987. She w ...

(1987) –

international player * Renee Leota (2007) – New Zealand international player

Cricket

* Linda Henshilwood (1967) – New Zealand Women's cricket team

Hockey

Niniwa Roberts Niniwa Kiri Rata Roberts (born 1 June 1976) is a New Zealand field hockey player. She competed for the New Zealand women's national field hockey team (the ''Black Sticks Women'') between 2001 and 2008, including for the team at the Field hockey ...

(1994) – Black Sticks team member and Olympic athlete in 2004 and 2008

Netball

Tiana Metuarau Tiana Metuarau (born 15 January 2001) is a New Zealand netball international. Between 2017 and 2020, she was a prominent member of the Central Pulse team that won the 2018 Super Club title and the 2019 and 2020 ANZ Premiership titles. In 202 ...

(2018) –

Silver Fern ''Alsophila tricolor'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Cyathea dealbata'', commonly known as the silver fern or silver tree-fern, or as ponga or punga (from Māori language, Māori or ),The Māori word , pronounced , has been borrowed into Ne ...

* Jean Mitchell (1930) –

Other fields

Cathy Penney Catherine Penney is a New Zealand pilot and aviation instructor. She was the first woman in New Zealand to gain her helicopter pilot's licence. Penney (née Matheson) learned to fly in 1960 at Wellington Aero Club in Piper Cubs, and in 1964 gaine ...

– Pilot *

Janet Hesketh Janet May Hesketh (nee Janet May Mackenzie, 23 Dec 1934 – 29 Aug 2018) was a New Zealand women's leader. In 1988 she was awarded the Queen's Service Medal, and in 1996 she was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for servi ...

– women's rights activist

Notable staff

Saradha Koirala Saradha Koirala (born 19 July 1980) is a New Zealand poet and writer based in Melbourne, Australia. She is the author of three poetry collections and two young adult novels. Koirala also writes literature reviews and has interviewed international ...

– poet and writer

Notes

External links

{{Schools in Wellington Educational institutions established in 1925 Girls' schools in New Zealand Secondary schools in the Wellington Region Schools in Wellington City Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic places in the Wellington Region 1925 establishments in New Zealand 1920s architecture in New Zealand