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ExhibitExplorer @[email protected] · 2026-08-03 · 14:00 UTC

Orepuki or Aropaki - Town & District Schools, Class Photos from 1920-1942

Orepuki or Aropaki - Town & District Schools, Class Photos from 1920-1942:

IMAGES
Photo 1 - Orepuki School class, taken c1939 to 1941; Sepia Tone Class Photo of 26 children. Known pupils are: Shirley Alison Lee, at left of front row; Elsbeth (Betty) May Macdonald in front row 2nd from right; Neil McAllister is fifth in from left in second row. And if you recognize anyone else from your family or if you have a named copy of this photo, please get in touch or pop the names in a comment

Photo 2 - Orepuki School pupils outside the School "War Memorial Gates", but no year; Sepia Tone Photo of school children with the school behind the gates. Known pupils are: Elsbeth (Betty) May Macdonald in second row from front and 4th from right. If you recognize anyone from your family or if you have a named copy of this photo, please get in touch or pop the names in a comment

Photo 3 - Orepuki School class, taken c1941-42; Black & White Photo of 28 children. Known pupils are: Elsbeth (Betty) May Macdonald later Higgins in the front row 6th from left or 4th from right and she was born March 1931. We have been told that its likely to be Shirley Lee in the second row first on the left, by her daughter (Shirley appears to have been born September 1930, so these names fit the date). If you recognize anyone from your family or if you have a named copy of this photo, please get in touch or comment with names.

Photo 4 - Orepuki School class, taken c1937; B & W Photo of 30 children. The known pupils are: Elsbeth (Betty) May Macdonald later Higgins in the back row first on left. If you recognize anyone else from your family or if you have a named copy of this photo, please get in touch or comment with the names.

Photo 5 - Orepuki School class, taken we think in the late 1930's; B & W Photo of 30 and 1/2 children (should be 31, but sadly 1 is half chopped off on right!)
It is thought that the girl in the striped jacket on the right in the back row may be Myra Hogg (she was born in 1931) & Raymond George Herrick (born 1928) is said to be in the front row third from left by his own daughter, so we will presume this is correct. These dates do fit presumed year for photo. If you recognize anyone else from your family or if you have a named copy of this photo, please do get in touch, or put the names in the comments section.

Photo 6 - Orepuki School Class, taken 1920; B & W Photo of 23 children; The known pupils are: Doris May Finn later Macdonald in the back row second from right. We have also been told that the child in the middle row on the far right is Bessie Butler later Lee. If you recognize anyone else from your family or if you have a named copy of this photo, please get in touch or comment.

The school at Orepuki (or originally Aropaki) has a varied and extremely interesting background, as does the township, more of which can be read in the early history written further below.

Formerly a large gold town, after that had dried up and coal mining was overtaken by the Nightcaps companies, along with the Shale Works closing in 1902, most of Orepuki ended up deserted. It became only the farming community that stayed on to support the township in its fight for survival.

Of course, the school was also affected, as it was downsized considerably. It somehow struggled on over the years though and stayed open. Over the 1-4 of Feburary 1934, is when the Orepuki School had its 50th year Diamond Jubilee. We would love some photos of this event, do you have any that you can contribute to our Community Archives of this event?

The newest Orepuki School was not built until 1968 and it was erected directly behind the old school that was moved there prior, then the old building was then taken down. From this point on, children in the Orepuki township and district could attend their local school only up until the old Standard Four, at which time they had to then bus to the Aparima College in Riverton, which had the old Forms 1-7. For many years the Orepuki School, which somehow managed to carry on, continued to contribute its students to Riverton’s new Aparima College. But in 2003 the school at Orepuki was finally closed.

But this did not end the controversy over getting children from Orepuki to school safely. In 2017 it was reported that plans to move the school bus stop had been withdrawn, after Aparima College, Riverton ...
Central and Western Murihiku Southland Archive via DigitalNZ

http://api.digitalnz.org/records/59454316/source

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