Palmerston North’s location was previously a large forest clearing known as Papaioea, where Rangitāne people had a pā. Rangitāne o Manawatū descend from the eponymous ancestor and grandson of explorer Whātonga, who arrived in Aotearoa / New Zealand in the Kurahaupō. The iwi established itself in the Heretaunga / Hastings area before moving south, settling and intermarrying with other iwi throughout the Manawatū, Horowhenua, Wairarapa and also across Te Moana o Raukawa / Cook Strait to Wairau. The pā at Papaioea was associated with ‘rangitira Rakaumaui and was a significant site for Rangitāne o Manawatu’. Rākaumauī was among Rangitāne’s descendants who ‘were the first of his line to settle in Manawatū’.
In the mid-nineteenth century the lower North Island’s European colonisation moved upwards and inwards from Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington and Whanganui, with eyes eventually settling on the Manawatū. By this time the pā at Papaioea had been abandoned but some structures and buildings remained. The negotiation process between iwi and the Crown for the area’s purchase was protracted, but was eventually acquired in 1864. Before then there was limited European entry into, or settlement of, the Manawatū. However, in 1866 Palmerston township (renamed Palmerston North in 1873) was surveyed and The Square was created at the location of the former pā. Settlement in Palmerston North and the surrounding district gained momentum in the 1870s when the government’s immigration and public works scheme enticed more people to the area.
Being centrally located, the Palmerston North Technical School’s future neighbourhood was developed for commercial and residential purposes in the late nineteenth century. For example, the site and surrounding area was up for auction in 1881 and described as ‘valuable…[and] so quickly and well-settled’, contributing to Palmerston North becoming ‘the most flourishing and important [town] in the North Island’. At the time, the parcels either side of King Street at its intersection with Princess Street (called Duke Street at the time) were owned by prominent businessman Joseph Edward Nathan (1835–1912). By the early twentieth century various residences, shops, stores, offices, a private school and private hospital were in this part of Palmerston North.
Palmerston North Technical School
As the town’s population grew, so did its educational institutions. Around 900 people were living in and around Palmerston North in the late 1870s and Central School (later called Campbell Street School) had opened. By the beginning of the twentieth century, when the population had risen to approximately 6000, there were further public schools – College Street and Terrace End – as well as privately run schools.
Vocational training in Palmerston North began, in a faltering way, at the beginning of the twentieth century. This was the result of mounting local pressure in the late 1890s, including raising funds towards a school building and the cause being taken-up by Member of Parliament Frederick Pirani (1858-1926). The Wanganui Education Board was offering weekly art and technical drawing classes, under the heading of technical classes, in 1900 and then some day and evening classes began in 1902 at the newly created District High School. There were several public meetings to gauge support for a technical school’s creation. That same year Cabinet granted the Education Board £700 for a technical school building in addition to money it had set aside; to the £220 raised within the community; and £800 the High School Board committed to the project. However, the project stalled for several years, apparently because student numbers were not consistent enough to convince the government of its feasibility. Amid growing frustration at the lack of progress, in 1905-06 the High School Board determined it would take up the mantle, formally establishing Palmerston North Technical School and managing it.
The establishment of the technical school was part of a growing nationwide trend in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century to provide young adults and school leavers with additional educational opportunities in work-related areas. At the time, the vast majority of New Zealanders went ‘straight from primary school to work’, so vocational training was considered important for on-going personal development. An added benefit for Palmerston North was ‘a marked decrease in larrikinism…The fact that youths were attending the evening classes for two or three hours a night and were under discipline had good effect on civic orderliness’. Palmerston North’s school followed in the footsteps of those in Wellington (1886), Dunedin (1889), Whanganui (1890), Auckland (1895), Invercargill and Masterton (1896), Napier (1899) and Timaru (1901). Within the Manawatū there was another technical school which opened in Feilding in 1907.
New Zealand’s early technical schools were generally established as a result of local persistence and drive. Palmerston North’s institution was no different. Local service industry employers were particularly keen for technical classes to be available for training their apprentices. Once set-up, the institution depended on donations from the local councils and groups, such as: the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, Citizen’s Lunch Club, Farmers’ Union, New Zealand Society of Accountants and the Plumbers Association. Support came in other ways as well, such as public donations towards specific projects and scholarship funding from groups like the Palmerston North Working Men’s Club.
Despite being earnestly underway in 1907, it was several years before Palmerston North Technical School had a permanent home. In early 1908 the technical school was described as ‘a very large institution, but it is housed in rented premises in various parts of the town, and difficulty is found in obtaining accommodation for the increasing numbers’. After the appointment of Francis Dudley Opie (1872-1924) as the school’s Director, student numbers went from strength to strength and creating purpose-built facilities became imperative. Within a few weeks of announcing its intention to find a site, the school’s committee raised £600 through local and district subscriptions for the purpose and purchased sections on the corner of Princess and King Streets in May 1908.
Having moved quickly to secure a site, the High School Board were keen to maintain the momentum. Fundraising continued and prominent architect Frederick de Jersey Clere (1856-1952) completed the plans in late 1908 for the building anticipated as being ‘a striking addition to the architecture of the district’. Aspects of the main building were said to have been based on Clere’s recent design for Petone’s technical school, although that was a smaller scale structure and less ornate. The ‘up-to-date in all respects’ red brick, two-storey, centrepiece of the school would include administration and library spaces and cooking, science and general classrooms.
Tenders for the building contract closed in late March 1909 and the successful contractor was the Union Timber Company. This company was a local business which, despite its name, had experience with brick construction. Some of their earlier contracts for brick buildings included additions to the Club Hotel and hospital. Clere’s son Edmund Herbert de Jersey Clere (1884-1967) supervised the work. A workshops building, located behind the main building, was completed first and opened in June. The contractor’s work on the neighbouring main building was described as splendid and ‘the closest and most critical inspection fails to reveal any bad workmanship’.
The Technical School’s official opening was celebrated on 29 September 1909 and was undertaken by Minister for Education George Fowlds (1860-1934). A large crowd gathered in front of ‘the finest technical school building in the dominion’, for the opening and other dignitaries included Member of Parliament David Buick (1848-1918), representatives from local councils, as well as the architect and Opie. After the ceremony the building was ‘thrown open for [public] inspection’ and student work was on display. The celebrations included an evening concert in the building.
The local population rose from 10,000 in 1911 to 20,000 in 1930, earning Palmerston North city status. The steady population growth across 20 years coincided with a national trend of increasing interest in vocational training opportunities. By 1913 Palmerston North’s was the largest of New Zealand’s provincial technical schools. This was physically reflected at the school through additions to the buildings. By 1926 the school had a roll of 1000. Classes ran from 9am to 9pm and students came from a wide catchment, including Dannevirke, Marton, Ōtaki and Pahīatua. However, before more students were accepted the facilities needed further expansion.
The capacity issues were not Palmerston North specific – there was ‘a continual cry’ around the country about overcrowding. In 1925 the Board approached the Borough Council about purchasing their vacant section opposite the main building. However, the asking price was too high. Subsequently, the Council had a change of heart, possibly influenced by Councillor Matthew Henry Oram (1885-1969) who was their representative on the Board at the time. In December 1926 the Council donated the land for new Workshops, on provision that it ‘shall only be used for educational purposes’.
With the site secured it was time to campaign for the Workshops building’s construction. In July 1927 Minister for Education Robert Alexander Wright (1863-1947) gave approval for a purpose-built single storey building and provided a government grant. It was several months later before Government Architect John Thomas Mair (1876-1959) signalled the plans were ready and the Public Works Department called for construction tenders in December 1927. Messrs Anderson and Williamson’s tender was accepted and work had begun by late February 1928. The contractors described themselves as ‘long standing’ in Palmerston North, and in the 1920s and 1930s completed important buildings such as additions to the Chief Post Office, the Public Library and Masonic Lodge.
It was anticipated that the Workshops would ‘constitute a very handsome addition to Palmerston North’s growing number of educational buildings’. The building was nearing completion in mid-August. Unfortunately, the Minister for Education could not attend a proposed opening ceremony in September so the school’s committee decided to forego an official opening altogether. However, completion of the building was timely because trades courses received a big increase in enrolments that year.
Technical school classes in this period were reasonably gendered, with girls and women generally taking courses in cooking, dressmaking or secretarial skills. The Workshops’ facilities included carpentry and plumbing workshops, as well as classroom space where skills such as architectural drawing were taught. However, in 1928 at least one woman took a trades course there:
‘In the woodwork class is a lady teacher who motors fifteen miles [for evening classes] to make herself proficient enough to give elementary instruction to boys away from the manual centres’.
The fact that this was unusual enough to be reported about in the Manawatu Standard indicates the teacher’s presence probably raised eyebrows in the predominantly male domain of the Workshops.
In the 1930s technical schools around the country could not keep-up with demand and Palmerston North was no exception. The technical school enjoyed a very good reputation and speaking there in 1932 Sir Apirana Ngata (1874-1950) emphasised its importance in expanding the opportunities available to young people, especially the rural Māori students who travelled into town to attend. There was a wide range of weeknight classes for those who wanted to ‘Learn More to Earn More’ in addition to high school manual classes during the day. Further pressure was created when the first Labour Government abolished the policy of a proficiency exam, which made vocational training opportunities even more accessible. Therefore, despite the recent construction of the Workshops, expanding the school was an on-going issue throughout the decade and into the 1940s. This included extending the Workshops, by adding two rooms in 1936-37, ‘complet[ing] that building as it was originally intended’.
The technical education sector went from strength to strength in the mid-twentieth century, driven by schemes like compulsory apprenticeships. In the same period there were secondary school sector changes and moves to better define the roles of technical high schools and the tertiary education sector’s newly termed ‘technical institutes’. Changes at Palmerston North Technical School reflect this shift. In 1945 it was recommended that, along with others in main centres, functions be split to create a separate technical high school and the existing school would ‘assume more of the character of senior technical institutes’. However, it was several years before the technical high school was realised, with the creation of Queen Elizabeth Technical College. The college opened at its new campus in 1955, but its students continued to use the Workshops for manual classes.
Palmerston North Teachers’ Training College
In 1956 further tertiary education opportunities became available in Palmerston North, through the establishment of the Palmerston North Teachers’ Training College. This had been on the cards for a while because of the increased demand for teachers as ‘baby boomer’ children became old enough to enter the education system. The use of the main technical school building was mooted in 1954 and costs for alterations were explored. The necessary works were approved in July 1955, resulting in a convenient and relatively cost-effective place for the new teachers’ college. It opened in March 1956 after a ceremony officiated by Prime Minister Sidney Holland (1983-1961). In a replay of 1909, a large crowd gathered in front of the former technical school’s building and Princess Street was temporarily closed for the event. The initial in-take was 160 aspiring teachers - mostly young women. The opening of the college has been described as ‘a pivotal event in the history of the city and of education in the region’. The trainee teachers came from the Manawatū and surrounding provinces such as Taranaki, Whanganui and Hawke’s Bay.
The Princess Street site was meant to be a temporary home for the teachers’ college. In 1962 there was speculation the college, already pushed for space, would end-up at Hokowhitu. Until the mid- to late-1960s teacher training consisted of two years, but students could opt for a third year in a specialised subject. However, with the introduction of a standard three years of training in 1969 space at Palmerston North’s college became critical. This prompted a purpose-built teachers’ college campus at Hokowhitu, which the college began moving into in 1971. At the end of this interlude the technical school (rebranded as Palmerston North Technical Institute) found itself back at the site traditionally associated with vocational education. In 2016 the diamond anniversary of the college’s establishment was celebrated its foundation home, with the Mayor Grant Smith unveiling a commemorative plaque.
From Technical Institute to Manawatū Polytechnic and UCOL
The technical school’s establishment in the early twentieth century was part of a national trend. By the 1960s communities were advocating for technical institutes (the forerunners of polytechnics) to be established in provincial centres, but the feasibility threshold was high. However, in 1969 the National Government lowered it and Palmerston North was the first to benefit when the vocational courses offered by Queen Elizabeth Technical College were taken over and expanded by the Palmerston North Technical Institute in 1971.
The creation of the institute meant that Palmerston North became like New Zealand’s other university cities, with a full complement of tertiary education options: a university, teachers’ college and technical institute. The technical institute opened with 23 full-time equivalent tutors providing courses for nearly 1300 students. ‘Significant additions’ to the range of courses offered included: ‘horticulture, forestry, recreation and sport, hospitality and catering, and the only national courses in fellmongery and leather tanning and dying’.
In 1983 the technical institute changed its name to Manawatū Polytechnic, ‘anticipating a trend towards the widespread use of the name [‘polytechnic’] from the late 1980s’. The choice of Manawatū, rather than Palmerston North Polytechnic, recognised the institution’s regional reach. The 1980s also saw growth in health-related courses, such as nursing – training had previously been hospital-based. The use of the Princess and King Street buildings was, again, only meant to be temporary, because they were ‘considered to have a limited structural life’. However, there was much debate and indecision about other potential sites. Therefore, the polytechnic ended up staying put, but taking over further property to cater for its growing student and staff population. This included sharing the Hokowhitu campus with the teachers’ college from the early 1980s, which had its own issues.
In the early 1990s more than 40 per cent of Palmerston North’s population were involved in the education sector as students or staff, leading to it being dubbed the ‘Knowledge City’. It was important that the polytechnic could continue to contribute to that status and it was given a boost of confidence in 1996 when the development of a single central city campus became feasible through a $22 million dollar contribution from the government. The character and role of the institution had changed significantly since 1909 and this was reflected by the campus’ expansion in the late 1990s through the construction of new buildings and acquisition and adaption of existing buildings. The former technical school main building was substantially demolished as part of the project, but three façades were retained. The new campus helped to consolidate the polytechnic’s facilities at its traditional home and opened in 1999. That year the institution reported a 23 per cent growth in enrolments, over the previous two years. It was also in this period that a new workshops facility was created and performing arts courses began being based in the former Workshops.
Manawatū Polytechnic became known as the Universal College of Learning (UCOL) in 2000. From its Palmerston North base UCOL subsequently incorporated or set-up campuses within its wider region, including in Whanganui, Masterton and Levin. The broader tertiary education sector faced challenging times in the early twentieth century, including government funding cuts and reforms in 2006 and 2019. However in 2019, UCOL confidently described itself as: ‘a high performing government funded Institute of Technology and Polytechnic, covering a large geographic area of the lower North Island’.
