Palmerston North Pitopito Kōrero: News in brief

Snippets to help you make the most of living in Mawawatū.

Milestone for St Peter’s College

St Peter’s College in Palmerston North is 50 this year. The school is calling past students, staff and anyone who has been associated with the school to attend the 50th jubilee during Labour weekend, October 25-27. The college was opened on August 18, 1974, by then-Prime Minister Norman Kirk. The opening roll was about 700 students, made up of pupils from secondary schools Marist Brothers School and St Joseph’s High School, plus St Patrick’s Intermediate School. Today the college is a state-integrated Catholic co-ed with more than 730 students from Year 7 to 13. The jubilee will begin with a meet and greet on the Friday evening, a school open day and a cocktail evening with music on Saturday, and mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit on Sunday. “We’re looking forward to welcoming back past students and staff to the school,” principal Margaret Leamy said. “We have some great events planned, which will be an opportunity to catch up, see how the school has changed, and connect with old friends and teachers.” To register visit stpeterspn.school.nz/50-jubilee.

Six Extinctions exhibit deemed roaring success

The Six Extinctions exhibition at Palmerston North’s Te Manawa Museum attracted more than 35,000 visitors. The exhibition, which opened in December and ran for 15 weeks, is estimated to have had an economic impact of $6 million. An economic impact study commissioned by the museum estimates that more than a third of visitors were drawn to the region solely by the exhibition, with many extending their stay. Six Extinctions, developed by Australian-based Gondwana Studios, brought visitors face-to-face with some of history’s most legendary creatures including the dunkleosteus, a giant armoured fish, and the inostrancevia, a tiger-sized sabre-toothed beast. The most prominent was a life-sized cast of the largest tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found. Te Manawa added items from its collection to the exhibition, including a moa skeleton and casts of moa footprints at the Manawatū River. Chief executive Susanna Shadbolt said visitor feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the exhibit’s educational value, engaging presentation, and sensory experience. “Visitors also shared their appreciation over free admission and we’re very grateful for the support of Palmerston North City Council to make this possible.”

Prime Minister’s Science Prize winners to give talk

On May 21, two University of Otago scientists will talk about finding a genetic cause for stomach cancer in Palmerston North. This month, Professor Parry Guilford and Associate Professor Karyn Paringatiai won the Prime Minister’s Science Prize. The prize was awarded for an innovative partnership between members of the McLeod whānau and their community, cancer geneticists from the University of Otago, and clinicians from Tauranga Hospital. Together they identified a genetic mutation in the CDH1 gene, which was causing members of the McLeod whānau to die from stomach cancer at a young age. Since then, the genetic test has enabled other families to discover that they also have a mutation in the CDH1 gene. To book for the evening talk visit events.humanitix.com. The talk is organised by the Prime Minister’s Science Prize Secretariat, Royal Society Te Aparangi and the Manawatū branch of the society.