The Minister of Education decided last week to close Turakina Māori Girls College.
Former teachers, parents and students of Turakina Māori Girls College attended today's farewell. Tears streamed down their cheeks for a school that has been a stalwart in Māori education.
Hariata Haumate says, “The real sadness, is that we wont see anything like this for a very long time”
Students with scholarships will have those transferred to either Hukarere or St Joseph's. Many of the students want to stay in the boarding school construct.
The loss of history is what pains a lot of students including former students who attended the school in the 1950s.
Liz Hunkin says, “My aunty was here is 1919. My mum, I saw her photo from 1924.”
It's not known what will happen to the land itself. Some of the buildings are owned by the Ministry of Education.
It's expected those will be shut, but the rest are owned by the church. They will be meeting in the coming months to organise a way forward.
But those concerns have been put aside for today. The focus is now on the school and the students both past and present.