Wellington Girls' College

Wellington Girls' College Te Kāreti Kōtiro o Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Wellington Girls' College from Pipitea Street
Address
Pipitea Street, Thorndon, Wellington, New Zealand
Coordinates	41°16′29″S174°46′50″E / 41.2748°S 174.7806°E / -41.2748; 174.7806
Information
Type	State Single Sex (Girls) Secondary School (Year 9–13)
Motto	Lumen Accipe et Imperti "Receive the light and pass it on" [1]
Established	1883
Ministry of Education Institution no.	272
Principal	Julia Davidson
School roll	1422 [2] (July 2025)
Color(s)	Teal   Black   Gold
Mascot	The Teal Seal
Socio-economic decile	10Z [3]
Yearbook	The Reporter
Website	wgc.school.nz

View from Moturoa Street circa 1935

Wellington Girls' College was founded in 1883 in Wellington, New Zealand. At that time it was called Wellington Girls' High School. Wellington Girls' College is a year 9 to 13 state secondary school, located in Thorndon in central Wellington. ^[4]

History

Seeing a need for higher education for girls the founding fathers of Wellington College leased a building in Abel Smith Street in 1882 and appointed Miss Martha Hamilton as the Lady Principal of the school. It opened on 2 February 1883 with 40 students. However, by the end of its first year the roll increased to almost 100 girls, and when the Premier, the Rt. Hon. Robert Stout visited the school in 1884 the building was overcrowded with 130 students. As a result of his visit the school was moved to its current site in Pipitea Street.

Before the school the Colonial Hospital, Wellington's first public hospital, was built on the site in 1847. ^[5] It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1848 ^[6] and a new building large enough to meet the needs of the city was built in 1855. ^{[5] [7]} It was replaced by Wellington Hospital.

In 1925 the Wellington East Girls' College was established to serve the southern and eastern suburbs.

Notable alumnae

Main category: People educated at Wellington Girls' College

The arts

• Fleur Adcock – poet
• Isobel Andrews – playwright, novelist, short-story writer and poet
• Sylvia Ashton-Warner – writer, poet and educator ^[8]
• Leigh Brewer – dancer and choreographer ^[9]
• Vidyamala Burch – writer and mindfulness teacher
• Joe Cotton – pop singer
• Anne French – editor and poet ^[10]
• Rebecca Gibney – actor
• Robin Hyde – poet, novelist, biographer and journalist
• Annabel Langbein – celebrity cook, food writer and publisher
• Katherine Mansfield – writer
• Elizabeth McRae – actor ^[10]
• Marjory Nicholls – poet
• Anna Paquin – actor
• Beverley Randell – children's author ^[10]
• Jo Randerson – writer, playwright, theatre director and performer ^[11]
• Fran Walsh – screenwriter and film producer
• Bridget Williams – publisher ^[12]

Public service

• Nellie Coad – teacher, community leader, writer
• Cathy Dewes – Māori language advocate, educator
• Winnie Laban – politician ^[11]
• Margaret Shields – politician ^[11]

Science and medicine

• Elaine Gurr – doctor
• Helen Deem – doctor
• Theodora Clemens Hall – doctor
• Ocean Mercier – scientist
• Marion Robinson – professor of nutrition
• Dianne Sika–Paotonu – immunologist

Sports

• Gina Crampton – netball player ^[13]
• Beth Jurgeleit – hockey player
• Jackie Kiddle – rower
• Trish McKelvey – cricketer ^[11]
• Melissa Moon – athlete
• Thamsyn Newton – cricketer
• Rebecca Perrott – swimmer ^[11]
• Sarah Tetzlaff – competition climber and Olympian ^[14]
• Jade Wilson – squash player ^[15]

Notable staff

• Airini Beautrais – poet
• Edith Searle Grossmann – novelist and journalist ^[16]
• Edith Howes – writer and educationalist ^[17]

Principals

	Principal	Period
1	Martha Hamilton	1883–1900
2	Mary McLean	1900–1926
3	Violet Greig	1926–1938
4	Esther North	1938–1950
5	Maida Clark	1950–1958
6	Betty Fraser	1958–1978
7	Elaine Barnett	1978–1995
–	Kath Kelly (acting)	1995
8	Ngaire Newton	1995–1996
–	Kath Kelly (acting)	1996–1997
9	Marg McLeod	1997–2006
–	Denise Johnson (acting)	2006–2007
10	Julia Davidson	2008–present

References

1. "WGC Prospectus 2021" (PDF). Wellington Girls' College. 2020.
2. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
3. "Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools". Ministry of Education. Archived from the original on 24 January 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
4. "Education Review Report: Wellington Girls' College 25/05/2009". Education Review Office. 25 May 2009. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
5. King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for Children: opened 13th March 1912. Wellington. 1912. OCLC   155838330.
6. "Earthquake". New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian. 18 October 1848. p. 2 – via Papers Past.
7. "Medical". New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian. 5 February 1848. p. 3. Retrieved 11 July 2023– via Papers Past.
8. "School Ties Newsletter" (PDF). School Ties (14). May 2010.
9. "Leigh Brewer (1947-1949) — School Ties: December 2023 - Issue 27". Wellington Girls' College. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
10. "School Ties Newsletter" (PDF). School Ties (15). November 2010.
11. "School Ties Newsletter" (PDF). School Ties (16). December 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
12. "Alumni Reconnect: Bridget Williams, publisher". chamber music blog. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
13. "School Ties – Wellington Girls' College Alumnae Newsletter – December 2016" (PDF). www.wellington-girls.school.nz. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
14. McFadden, Suzanne (30 July 2018). "Young climber striving to be faster, higher, stronger: As climbing becomes a new Olympic sport, 18-year-old Sarah Tetzlaff is reaching heights no Kiwi climber has reached before". Newsroom. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
15. "Young squash star remembered". Stuff. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
16. Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Grossmann, Edith Searle". www.teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
17. Murray, Heather. "Howes, Edith Annie". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage . Retrieved 14 November 2016.