Rangi Ruru Girls' School

Rangi Ruru Girls' School is a New Zealand private girls' day and boarding secondary school located in Merivale, an inner suburb of Christchurch. The school is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and serves approximately 703 girls from Years 7 to 13 (ages 10 to 18).

Rangi Ruru Girls' School
Te Koraha, the administration building of Rangi Ruru
Address
59 Hewitts Road, Merivale, Christchurch,
Coordinates	43.5192°S 172.6175°E / -43.5192; 172.6175
Information
Type	Independent Single sex girls Intermediate and Secondary (Year 7–13) school with boarding facilities (Boarding from Year 7)
Motto	Māori: Whaia to te rangi (Seek the heavenly things)
Established	1889
Ministry of Education Institution no.	325
Chairperson	Nicki Carter
Principal	Tracy Herft
School roll	703[1] (August 2024)
Socio-economic decile	10
Website	RangiRuru.school.nz (requires plugin)

History

St Andrew's Church at Rangi Ruru

The school was founded in 1889 when Frederick Gibson bought a school run in Papanui by friends of his, Ada, Kate and Jessie Gresham, who were moving to Australia.^[2] The school had 18 students, aged 5 to 16 years old.^[3] Initially Gibson's daughters Alice and Helen and their mother Mary ran the school, calling it "Miss Gibson's Private School for Girls". In 1891, the school moved to a building in Webb Street and was renamed Rangi Ruru, meaning "wide sky-shelter". This name had been suggested by a Māori chief of Rapaki Pa, Pāora Taki, a friend of Frederick Gibson.^[4] Helen Gibson continued as Principal and her sisters Alice, Ethel, Ruth and Winifred joined as teachers. Under Helen Gibson's leadership the school roll grew, reaching over 200 students at the time of her death in 1938.^[4] From 1938 until the sale of the school in 1946, Ethel Gibson was principal; her sisters continued to assist and support her.^[3]

The school moved to its present site in 1923, as the Webb Street building was becoming too small. Te Koraha, the original house on the site, had been the home of the Rhodes family;^[2] it was made available to the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York for their June 1901 royal visit to Christchurch.^[5][6]

The Rangi Ruru Board of Governors was established in 1946 when Presbyterian Church members purchased the school from the Gibson family. While the Christchurch Presbytery approves appointments, the board is autonomous.^{[citation needed]}

In the early 1980s, the school wanted an on-site chapel, while simultaneously the congregation of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church at Hospital Corner was declining. It was decided to relocate the church to the school site, and in 1986, the building was moved to land adjacent to the school on Merivale Lane.^[7] The church became known as "St Andrew's at Rangi Ruru".

Academic achievement

Rangi Ruru is consistently one of New Zealand's highest-achieving schools in academic achievement.^[8]

In 2013, all girls who left Rangi Ruru held at least NCEA Level 1, while 98.2% held at least NCEA Level 2, and 92.0% held at least University Entrance. This was in contrast to the national percentages of 86.8%, 77.2%, and 55.4%, respectively, for girls.^[9]

Notable alumnae

Main category: People educated at Rangi Ruru Girls' School

• Sophie Devine (born 1989), cricket and hockey player
• Elizabeth Edgar (born 1929), botanist^[10]
• Sophia Fenwick (born 1992), netball player^[11]
• Kenneth Gresson (1891–1974), soldier, lawyer, university lecturer and judge (attended before Rangi Ruru became a girls' school)^[12]
• Polly 'PJ' Harding (born 1990), radio host
• Eve MacFarlane (born 1992), rower^[13]
• Margaret Munro (born 1914), architect
• Elizabeth Manu (born 1986), netball player
• Annabel Ritchie (born 1978), lawyer and rower^[14]
• Francie Turner (born 1992), rowing cox^[15]

Notable staff

• Helen Gibson (born 1868), educator and principal^[16]

References

1. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
2. "St Andrew's Presbyterian Church – St Andrew's Church History". standrewsrangiruru.org.nz. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
3. "Alabaster Chronicle No 18, Spring 2002". www.alabaster.org.uk. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
4. Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Gibson, Helena Fannie and Gibson, Mary Victoria". www.teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
5. "The Christchurch Residence". The Press. Vol. LVIII, no. 10950. 27 April 1901. p. 8. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
6. "Te Koraha". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
7. "St Andrew's Church (Presbyterian)". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
8. "High Pass Marks in City Schools". The Press. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2008.
9. "School Qualifications – Rangi Ruru Girls' School". Ministry of Education. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
10. "Tribute to Dr Elizabeth Edgar, leading plant taxonomist and flora-writer" (PDF). New Zealand Botanical Society Newsletter (60). Christchurch, New Zealand: New Zealand Botanical Society: 29–30. June 2000. ISSN 2230-3502. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
11. Egan, Brendon (3 July 2013). "Consistency key as Fenwick seeks improvement". The Press. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
12. Finn, Jeremy. "Kenneth Macfarlane Gresson". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
13. Tutty, Kevin (3 March 2012). "Olympic rower Macfarlane made right choice". Stuff. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
14. "129th Annual General Meeting Agenda". Rowing New Zealand. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016.
15. "Southbridge cox steers for Rio". The Press. 27 July 2016. p. B16. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
16. Wilkie, Ruth (1993). "Gibson, Helena Fannie". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 21 November 2023.

External links

• 1968 photo of St Andrew's Church, i.e. prior to its relocation