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ExhibitExplorer @[email protected] · 2026-07-14 · 10:00 UTC

Orepuki or Aropaki (Garfield, Hirstfield) - Town & District Schools History, 1910-1930

Orepuki or Aropaki (Garfield, Hirstfield) - Town & District Schools History:

The school at Orepuki (or originally Aropaki) has an interesting background, as does the township. In 1872 the first school in the area was established, and ended up being run under the name of Garfield-Orepuki School, in the newly moved township of Garfield. The Otago Education Board who were the oversight for the new school at Orepuki, used its “difficult and remote location” to justify not visiting the school to do the usual reports on the building and teaching.

The roll in the beginning was just 16 children, but by the time the first year was out, the roll stood at over 30 students, and kept growing steadily from its opening date. This made the school itself too overcrowded and unsuitable and it was to be rebuilt twice – the first time four years after it opened, when the original building was turned into the schoolhouse for accommodation of teaching staff. As it was one of the first of many buildings eventually erected in the township, many district events were held on the site and in the building, which doubled as a public hall, dance hall, and even a church.

The second school also proved inadequate, and it was replaced again by a much larger three roomed affair, but this was not to remain where it was either, even though it was the last building to be moved from the Garfield site. Fascinatingly, miners ended up digging a rich vein which led them right to the School Reserve in the Gully. The school land plus that of the whole township was mined, after a resolution was reached with the Education Board for the miners to pay to move the school!

By 1874 a School Committee was formed, in line with the requirements of the Education Act. This was made up of the following men: Chairman, D Hunter; Secretary, JL Currie; plus - J Callaghan, H Creasey, R Cupples, TH Devonshire, AJ Jolly, FH McLean, and R Riddle.

An interesting news report from 1882 tells us the school was closed (again!) and that this was a regular occurrence over the last three years. More details emerge about the rain “driving in through the windows like a shower bath”, leading to all the children having to be moved away from the back. It was also noted that there was a current contract let for repairs to the schoolhouse at this time.

After Garfield was demolished by gold mining, the school was forced to relocate to the third and final resting place of the ever moving local township, which came about from its closeness to the local coalmining works and the 1885 railway connecting the two. After the railway opening, the newly erected town of Orepuki was to grow and prosper beyond all belief over the next 20 years with around 3,000 people living there at the height of its existence. By 1900 there was a huge township, which necessitated the continual enlarging of the local public school. The photo shown here is of the old school after it had got its 3 room extensions built.

But after the gold dried up and coal mining being overtaken by the Nightcaps companies, along with the Shale Works closing in 1902, most of Orepuki became deserted again. 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.

The newest Orepuki School was not built until 1968 and it was erected directly behind the old prior moved school. 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 Primary School and Waiau Area School had agreed to leave the current stop where it was.

But then in 2018 there was continued angst from the residents about plans to move the school bus stop yet again. W...
Central and Western Murihiku Southland Archive via DigitalNZ

http://api.digitalnz.org/records/50737132/source

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