In its 49 years of existence, about 1500 children attended New Zealand Friends School. Located on St John's Hill, Whanganui, the boarding school stood out for applying Quaker values to the education of primary school-aged children. Opening in the aftermath of World War I, the school was co-ed (boys and girls were educated together) and did not use corporal punishments. 

The school's history was first written in 1969 by Frances Menefy who was for decades a school staff member. In 2003, Macolm Douglass - whose parents served as the school's head for several decades - expanded the history to include dozens of photographs, its 1937 prospectus, the requirements for reaching 'Rangatira' status, and analysis of why it closed. He also records what happened to the school's buildings and expansive grounds after its sale, including the establishment of the Whanganui Friends Settlement on had been the school's farm.

You can view the History of NZ Friends School here

 

Maintained by
Yearly Meeting