Westmere is a lake and rural community in the

Whanganui District Whanganui District is one of the districts of New Zealand. It includes the city of Whanganui and surrounding areas. Geography Formerly spelled "Wanganui", the Whanganui District Council resulted from the amalgamation of Wanganui and Waitotara co ...

and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

. The settlement was established in the late 19th century, with a school being opened near the lake in 1894. Seven generations of the Laird family have been involved in the school, including school co-founder Alex Laird and founding teacher Emma Laird. The buildings were built by local families, and the soil for the grounds was transported with horses and drays from local farms. Former residents include Wellington paediatrician Dr Brierley Emmett and concert pianist Liam Wooding.

Education

Westmere School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of . Between 1994 and 2006, under principal Bill Greening, the school was rebuilt with two new adventure playgrounds. The school board of trustees and parent trustee association raised an average of $30,000 per annum to fund the improvements.

References

Whanganui District Populated places in Manawatū-Whanganui Lakes of Manawatū-Whanganui {{ManawatuWanganui-geo-stub