According to Ministry of Education school roll data from July 1 2023, the school had 172 Māori students, 94 Pacific students and 30 European/Pākehā students.
Te Whai Hiringa Peterhead, another school in Flaxmere, changed its name from Peterhead School in the last few years.
The school, which has a roll of 66% Maori, 25% Pasifika and 9% European/other students, explains on its website that Te Whai Hiringa means the pursuit of excellence.
Irongate School principal Maurice Rehu said a wānanga was held last year because his school was in the process of planning a replacement for most learning spaces as they were no longer fit for purpose.
The school asked whānau what important things they would like to see with the rebuild.
“[We asked] is the name still going to be fit for purpose, for the aspirations of our community?” Rehu said.
“The people who came said let’s explore this, this looks like a really good opportunity.”
He said the school celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, so it felt like a suitable time to begin a new phase to express its strong connection with the community.
He said there were a few key figures the school’s board had invited to discuss the change, but the invitation was open to anyone from the broader school whānau, with a long connection to the school, who wanted to come and share their thoughts.
“It is a big decision at the end of the day to rename the school, but when we look at where that name came from and the significance of that to us right now in Aotearoa New Zealand, it does not necessarily reflect us going forward.”
He said the potential cost of changing the school name was a negligible factor.
“It is a sign with a logo attached, but over time that can be absorbed as a natural review process. There is no cost when you take it to the wider community, in terms of the network of schools, so that as an argument is really not relevant.”
He said they would look at phasing in any new uniform required and phasing out the old to minimise any additional cost to whānau.
“We just say every new uniform is this one and if you have the old one - kei te pai, carry it on until it is no longer usable.”
Patsy Crampton is a former president of the school’s PTA and a teacher aide during the school’s early days in the 1970s. She sent three children to Irongate School and said she was concerned a name change would “erase” the history of the school.
“I am a staunch supporter of Māori, but this isn’t the issue for me. It is the history of the school and all the things we did to make it the success it was. That’s the loss for me,” Crampton said.
“[The name Irongate] has a great deal of mana as well. [A name change] is wiping out the history of all who went before.”
She could not attend Wednesday night’s wānanga, but she had passed on her concerns to a current staff member of the school.
“In the last few days it has been prominent in my mind and I am amazed by how it has affected me.”
Rehu confirmed the school had heard Crampton’s feedback and said it was very “understandable”, but he acknowledged the school had also changed over time.
“We appreciate the feedback and it is important to us,” Rehu said.
James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on the environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz
