Ōtūmoetai Primary School apology for historic Māori ban: Surviving student speaks, tears shed

Ōtūmoetai Primary School apologised to Judea hapū, including Merewhiua Bennett, for a historic decision to make the school "European only". Photo / George Novak

It has taken 81 years but the healing has begun for Merewhiua Bennett and 41 other Māori pupils who were removed from Ōtūmoetai Primary School in 1939 because of their ethnicity.

Bennett and Heeni Goldsmith are the only surviving students who were sent to Bethlehem Native School so Ōtūmoetai Primary School could become "European only".

Tears were shed yesterday as Ōtūmoetai Primary School principal Zara McIndoe apologised for the historic wrongdoing - a decision she found horrifying and ''heartbreaking''.

But Bennett does not like to think there was any malice in what happened all those years ago.

"My thinking now about it, that perhaps, it wasn't so much just to get rid of the Māori pupils. But there was a native school within the area so maybe the people here thought 'send them to the native school if they're Māori'."

"The only thing that really affected me at the time was thinking 'we're not in Paeroa, we're in Bethlehem' because I was only 5 or 6," Bennett says, with a laugh.

Bennett remains positive, saying it wasn't so bad considering she met her husband and the father of her children there.

Ōtūmoetai Primary School apologised to Judea hapū, including Merewhiua Bennett, for a historic decision to make the school "European only". Photo / George Novak

It has also come full circle, with her youngest son and two grandchildren having attended Ōtūmoetai Primary.

"I hope with the primary school having done that, the teachers now will think of this day and embrace everything that's around, whether it's Māori, Pākehā or even other ethnicities. Because we all can benefit from each other."

In April 1938, Pākehā parents sent a petition to the Ōtūmoetai school committee asking for all 42 Māori children at the primary school to be moved to Bethlehem Native School.

Ōtūmoetai Primary School celebrated the school's 125th anniversary with a full school assembly and apology to Ngāi Tamarāwaho. Photo / George Novak

At the time, Māori made up more than half the school roll of 77.

According to school committee records, it discussed the possibility of making the school European only and committee members asked the secretary to write to the Department of Education putting forward this proposal.

Current deputy principal Marcus Hughes told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend parents from the Hūria or Te Reti communities were not members of the school committee so decisions about their children were made entirely by Pākehā parents and the Department of Education.

In October 1939, the department gave the committee permission to remove all Māori children from Ōtūmoetai Primary.

On November 20 that year, 42 Ngāi Tamarāwaho children ranging from 6 to 13 years old were enrolled at Bethlehem Native School, or Paeroa Native School as it was called at the time.

Ōtūmoetai Primary was left with 35 children of European descent on its roll.

The school made a private apology at Huria Marae on Wednesday, but as part of its 125th-anniversary celebrations, it unveiled a new stage named Merewhiua me Heeni in dedication to the memories of those who were told they were not welcome.

Ōtūmoetai Primary School apologised to Judea hapū, including Merewhiua Bennett, for a historic decision to make the school "European only". Photo / George Novak

As Bennett and Goldsmith's niece cut the ribbon, Bennett acknowledged those people unable to be there with a karanga, moving many to tears.

When making the apology in front of past and existing school pupils and staff, principal McIndoe was fighting to keep her tears in.

"It is clear to me if we look to learn anything from the wrongdoings of the past, the first step forward is to apologise.

"So to move forward and continue the healing process, I wish to publicly apologise on behalf of Ōtūmoetai Primary School for the wrongdoings of the past and offer my sincere condolences to the people of Ngāi Tamarāwaho, in particular to Merewhiua and Heeni."

While you look around the primary school, te ao Māori can now be seen from the correct macrons on adorning the pupils' uniforms and the six school houses named after native trees.

It is clear the school has grown from the decision made over eight decades ago.

Ōtūmoetai Primary School principal Zara McIndoe making the apology. Photo / George Novak

After making the apology, McIndoe told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend she had first learned of the school's history when Bennett herself mentioned it to her last year.

"I was horrified."

McIndoe then spoke to Ngāi Tamarāwaho elder Des Tata, who informed her of a thesis which included the educational history of the hapū.

"It was heartbreaking. Anyone who would read that would be absolutely heartbroken.

"I thought 'we must apologise for what happened' because an apology had never been made. They [Ngāi Tamarāwaho] were still holding on to that hurt and that hurt needed to be healed in some way."

McIndoe hoped the same situation would not have taken place anywhere else, but she believed it was best to own it and to not be afraid to expose the truth.

"Bring it out and from under the carpet not sweep things away. The message for our children is we hope they learn it's never too late to say sorry.

"Even for the wrongs of the past, you can always acknowledge it and it helps you to heal the hurt, and move forward, positively."

Secretary for Education Iona Holsted. Photo / File

Ministry of Education secretary for education Iona Holsted said: "The actions of the then Department of Education in 1939 were wrong."

In 2012, the Crown apologised to Ngā Hapū o Ngāti Ranginui for breaching the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles, Holsted said.

"The school board's decision to formally apologise is a positive step, that we support.

"We remain committed to supporting the Iwi, Ngāti Ranginui, and hapu, Ngai Tamarāwaho, in its educational aspirations."