TĀHUHU KŌRERO - OUR HISTORY
MUAŪPOKO - OTAGO PENINSULA
Te Rūnaka o Ōtakau have compiled wealth of a historical information that is available for the Dunedin area and its schools and centres.
Early evidence of activity on the Otago Peninsula has been supported by reliable archaeological evidence centred on the 13th and 14th centuries. These were samples of charcoal, bone and shell unearthing many moa butchery sites, some large and some small, including a variety of moa. Muaūpoko (The Otago Peninsula) provided an ideal and bountiful area for mahika kai (food gathering) and was an important area for kaimoana (seafood). There was a significant trading route from the area to the wider rohe (district) and the area was an important part of the Kai Tahu economy. Waves of people migrated in different phases from the North Island and occupied Muaūpoko including Kāti Mamoe, descendants of an ancestor known as Tahupōtiki, and Kāi Tahu, who take their name from the eponymous ancestor, Tahupōtiki.
The first Europeans to land on the Otago Peninsula were predominantly whalers and sealers who arrived in the late 18th and early 19th century. By 1840 trade in food and flax grew as more ships utilised the harbour and the coastline.
MUAŪPOKO - OTAGO PENINSULA TODAY
BROAD BAY IN THE LATE 1860S
WHAKAOHO RAHI BROAD BAY
This information on Broad Bay following the arrival of Pākeha has been sourced from historical newspaper archives.
Whakaoho Rahi is the name of Broad Bay, however, the whakapapa of the name is not clear. Whaka Oho Rahi broadly translates to "a place of plenty" or "large resource" and may have been given this name due to the wealth of kaimoana/seafood to be found along the Peninsula.
About 1864 Broad Bay saw early European Settlers arrive from Scotland, and hundreds of people had balloted for land along Broad Bay. The settlers commented, "The whole harbour side was clothed in native bush to the water's edge". There were no crops grown in the neighbourhood and provisions had to be bought from one or the other stores or from the ships.
It is reported that the European settlers of Broad Bay lived in calico tents for a short time. Pit sawing became one of the principal industries of the district and houses were soon built. Broad Bay was eventually given its Pākeha name by the early boating men of the harbour to distinguish it from the numerous other bays in the area, which were usually named after the first settler in their locality.
TE KURA O WHAKAOHORAHI
By the 1870s, Whakaohorahi/Broad Bay was a thriving little settlement that continued to grow with increasing numbers of children and no school. Schools had been opened in neighbouring districts - North-East Harbour (now MacAndrew Bay), and Portobello, however, travel to get there was difficult. The community advocated strongly for a school to be established, and eventually, the persistence of the Broad Bay residents was rewarded, but not before they had agreed to fund a portion of the expense. The site of the first school in Broad Bay was to be on a plot of undesired land in a wet and cold gully of the newly developed township of Dunoon. On September 3rd 1877 the first Broad Bay School was opened. 35 pupils were enrolled and were each gifted a picture of a robin taking shelter in a snowstorm as a souvenir of the event. The first teacher was William Drysdale, and the school day was opened with prayers and bible readings.
In 1926 a new school was opened where it stands today on Roebuck Rise. This time the site saw all day sun and had a beautiful view of the harbour. The school itself was built to accommodate 32 students and had lighting, and heating via a stove. The grounds were spacious with a large field and asphalt area. Various structures were added to the site including the old Broad Bay Post Office, which had been a post office, then the town library, and finally the school sports shed.
BROAD BAY POST OFFICE
NOW THE SCHOOL SPORTS SHED
MODERN HISTORY
BROAD BAY SCHOOL 2007
Over the years, Broad Bay School, or what has become known as Te Kura o Whakaohorahi, has undergone periods of growth and conservative times. Major expansion of the current school took place in the early 2000s under the guidance of then-principal, Bernadette Reedy. The dental clinic, which was a separate building, was joined to the main block and turned into an administration area and staff room. A library, which also stood on its own, was joined to the back of the school, and the outdoor deck closed in to create a hallway and cloak bay. A second standalone classroom was also added to accommodate growing numbers, which now is used as a multi-purpose space with full cooking facilities. This was the pride and joy of Greg Macleod who was principal for eight years until the end of 2022 and foresaw the need for spaces to accommodate the learning taking place beyond the classroom walls. Outdoor showers and an umu (pizza oven) were also added to support these adventures.
FORGED STEEL GATES
OUR LOGO
A competition was held for students to design a new logo for the school. Oliver Wates won the competition, depicting the iconic Yellowhead cliffs that are visible coming into Broad Bay, and Hereweka (Harbour Cone) means 'catch weka' (the cone itself is Pukemata, 'pointed hill'). A carving of the school logo was crafted by Allan Mann in the late 1990s as commissioned by the school.
Guy Garey forged the beautiful steel gates that greet visitors at the front and side entrances to Broad Bay School. These were commissioned during their daughter, Beth’s time at Broad Bay School. Guy and his wife Christine have been avid supporters of the kura over the years and have been paramount to its success today through their contributions to the physical school site and their advocacy. They both still reside in Broad Bay.
BROAD BAY SCHOOL 2023