The stump of an oak tree in the Halswell Primary School grounds. The oak tree had the be cut down after it broke during the earthquake and was hanging at a angle. The person who cut down the tree has carved "1870 - 16:9:2010" into the stump, the year that the tree was planted, and then the day that it broke and fell.
A PDF copy of a poster promoting the Shirley Primary, Shirley Intermediate and Banks Avenue Schools Pumpkin Growing Competition 2015. The poster depicts 'All Righties' harvesting a giant pumpkin and carrots.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Halswell School shows few signs of the earthquake damage it suffered in September 2010".
A reassuring sign hangs on the gate at Lyttelton Main primary school. It reads, 'School is safe, have a good day'.
A PDF copy of a certificate for the Shirley Primary, Shirley Intermediate and Banks Avenue Schools Pumpkin Growing Competition 2015. The certificate depicts 'All Righties' harvesting a giant pumpkin and carrots.
A presentation given to St Martin's primary school students about SCIRT work in Opawa and Hillsborough.
A photograph of Aranui Primary School pupils meeting one of the 'All Righties'. The photograph was taken at the launch of the Aranui AWA trail at Aranui School. All Right? posted the photograph on their Facebook page on 2 September 2015 at 3:55pm.
Children play on the netball court at Lyttelton Main primary school. The surface of the court has been warped by the earthquakes.
A graphic giving the status of Yaldhurst Model School.
A typical "sand volcano" caused by liquefaction where the soil loses its strength during the earthquake and the silt rises upwards, ejecting out of a hole like magma in a volcano.
An aerial photograph of Central New Brighton School in New Brighton.
A photograph of two people looking at an AWA Trail map. The photograph was taken at the launch of the Aranui AWA trail at Aranui School. All Right? posted the photograph on their Facebook page on 2 September 2015 at 3:55pm.
One of several containers now on the Halswell School grounds while reconstruction takes place.
Heart-shaped notes on the fence of Burwood Primary School. The notes express appreciation for the efforts of the civil defence, fire service, volunteers and council workers from the students of Burwood Primary.
Heart-shaped notes on the fence of Burwood Primary School. The notes express appreciation for the efforts of the civil defence, fire service, volunteers and council workers from the students of Burwood Primary.
Principal of Banks Ave School, Murray Edlin, and Canterbury Primary Principals Association president, John Bangma, discuss the issue of earthquake damaged schools in property repairs funding shock.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Porta Showers set up in Burwood Primary School for the community".
A video of interviews with students from Banks Avenue School about their experiences during the 4 September 2010 earthquake.
Christchurch has experienced a series of over 13,500 earthquakes between September 2010 and January 2012. Some children who have been exposed to earthquakes may experience post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD) including difficulty concentrating, feeling anxious, restlessness and confusion. Other children may be resilient to the effects of disaster. Western models of resilience relate to a child’s social support and their capacity to cope. The Māori model of wellbeing relates to whanau (family), wairua (spiritual connections), tinana (the physical body) and hinengaro (the mind and emotions). Children’s concepts of helping, caring and learning may provide insight into resilience without introducing the topic of earthquakes into the conversation, which in itself may provoke an episode of stress. Many researchers have studied the effects of earthquakes on children. However, few studies have examined positive outcomes and resilience or listened to the children’s voices. The objective of this study was to listen to the voices of children who experienced the Canterbury earthquake period in order to gain a deeper understanding of the ideas associated resilience. Individual interviews were conducted with 17 five-year-old participants during their first term of primary school. After the interviews, the teacher shared demographic information and reports on the children’s stress and coping. Six children were identified as New Zealand European and eleven children identified as New Zealand Māori. Children had different views of helping, caring and learning. Themes of resilience from Western and Kaupapa Māori models were identified in transcripts of the children's voices and drawings. Māori children voiced more themes of resilience associated with the Western model, and in the Tapa Whā model, Māori children's transcripts were more likely to be inclusive of all four components of well-being. How five-year-old children, having experienced an earthquake disaster during their preschool years, talk or draw pictures about helping, caring and learning can provide insight into resilience, especially in situations where it is not advisable to re-traumatise children by discussing the disaster event. Future research should interview parents/caregivers and whānau to gain further insights. Considering information from both a Western and a Tapa Whā perspective can also provide new insights into resilience in young children. A limitation of this study is that qualitative studies are not always free from a researcher’s interpretation and are, therefore, subjective.
A natural disaster will inevitably strike New Zealand in the coming years, damaging educational facilities. Delays in building quality replacement facilities will lead to short-term disruption of education, risking long-term inequalities for the affected students. The Christchurch earthquake demonstrated the issues arising from a lack of school planning and support. This research proposes a system that can effectively provide rapid, prefabricated, primary schools in post-disaster environments. The aim is to continue education for children in the short term, while using construction that is suitable until the total replacement of the given school is completed. The expandable prefabricated architecture meets the strength, time, and transport requirements to deliver a robust, rapid relief temporary construction. It is also adaptable to any area within New Zealand. This design solution supports personal well-being and mitigates the risk of educational gaps, PTSD linked with anxiety and depression, and many other mental health disorders that can impact students and teachers after a natural disaster.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Showing support. Clutha Valley Primary school's Kanuka group show their support for the victims of the Christchurch earthquake".
What impact are the earthquakes having on secondary students' education? Lynn Freeman talks to Principal of Avonside Girls High School, Sue Hume, and NZQA Deputy Chief Executive, Bali Haque. We also hear from John Bangma, President of the Canterbury Primary Principals' Association, on how primary students are coping.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Wacky support. Clinton Primary School pupils (from left) Jess Kendall and Kayla Monique-Kamana turn on the style at their school's Wacky Hair Day to raise money for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal".
As a 90s baby millennial, Helen Clark was Prime Minister from the time I started primary school to the time I started high school. I grew up in a world where in the eyes of a child there was never … Continue reading →
An interactive site in which primary and intermediate school children provide descriptions of their experiences, sometimes with pictures. The descriptions are listed in chronological order of posting and can also be accessed by the name of the school.
A banner on the fence of Burwood Primary School expressing the student's appreciation for the efforts of the civil defence, fire service, volunteers and council workers with a banner on their school fence. On each heart-shape note is a personal message from the students.
A sign outside a community showering facility set up at the Burwood Primary School. The sign reads, "Community Shower. Open 7am to 7pm".
An aerial photograph of St Paul's School in Dallington. The photograph has been captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "St Pauls School, 17 Gayhurst Road, suffered badly from liquefaction in the September earthquake. This area is all red zoned".
This thesis examines the closing of Aranui High School in 2016, a low socio-economic secondary school in eastern Christchurch, New Zealand, and reflects on its history through the major themes of innovation and the impact of central government intervention. The history is explored through the leadership of the school principals, and the necessity for constant adaptation by staff to new ways of teaching and learning, driven by the need to accommodate a more varied student population – academically, behaviourally and culturally – than most other schools in wider Christchurch. Several extreme changes, following a neoliberal approach to education policies at a national government level, impacted severely on the school’s ability to thrive and even survive over the 57 years of its existence, with the final impact of the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes leading indirectly to Aranui High’s closure. The earthquakes provided the National government with the impetus to advocate for change to education in Christchurch; changes which impacted negatively on many schools in Christchurch, including Aranui High School. The announcement of the closure of Aranui High shocked many staff and students, who were devastated that the school would no longer exist. Aranui High School, Aranui Primary School, Wainoni Primary School and Avondale Primary School were all closed to make way for Haeata Community Campus, a year 1 to 13 school, which was built on the Aranui High site. Aranui High School served the communities of eastern Christchurch for 57 years from 1960 and deserves acknowledgment and remembrance, and my hope is that this thesis will provide a fair representation of the school’s story, including its successes and challenges, while also explaining the reasons behind the eventual closure. This thesis contributes to New Zealand public history and uses mixed research methods to examine Aranui High School’s role as a secondary school in eastern Christchurch. I argue that the closure of Aranui High School in 2016 was an unjustified act by the Ministry of Education.
Home address-based school zoning regulations are widely used in many countries as one means of selecting pupils and estimating future enrolment. However, there is little research regarding an alternative system of zoning for parents’ place of employment. Previous research has failed to analyse potential impacts from workplace-based zoning, including negating the effects of chain migration theory and settlement patterns to facilitate cultural integration, promoting the physical and mental wellbeing of families by enabling their close proximity during the day, as well as positive results concerning a volatile real estate market. As the modern family more often consists of one or both parents working full-time, the requirement of children to attend school near their home may not be as reasonably convenient as near their parents’ workplace. A case study was performed on one primary school in Christchurch, consisting of surveys and interviews of school stakeholders, including parents and staff, along with GIS mapping of school locations. This found deeper motivations for choosing a primary school, including a preference for cultural integration and the desire to school children under 14 years near their parents’ place of employment in case of illness or earthquake. These data suggest that the advantages of workplace-based zoning may be worth considering, and this thesis creates a framework for the Ministry of Education to implement this initiative in a pilot programme for primary schools in Christchurch.