Welcome to the Pleasant Point Schools’ Digital Archives. This site is being developed to provide links to a range of collections relating to the history of all the state schools in the Pleasant Point District.

The first school was established in Pleasant Point in 1868 on Te Ngawai Road. When the roll increased a new school was opened in Harris Street (where the swimming pool is now). By 1905 this had become a District High School. Further roll increases saw the school move to the current site in Halstead Road in 1908. The small rural primary schools around the area – Cave, Sutherlands, Opihi, Totara Valley, Hazelwood, Taiko, Upper Waitohi, Kakahu Bush and Rockwood – gradually closed and their pupils travelled by bus into Pleasant Point. In 1970 the District High School was separated into Pleasant Point Primary School and Pleasant Point High School, but the closure of the High School in 2004 means that PPPS is now the only state school in the Pleasant Point area.

Preserving History

At the 150th Jubilee of Pleasant Point Schools in 2018 a group was established to preserve, research and manage the photographs, documents and memorabilia of all the local state schools. As well as digitising photographs and documents the group has also created a data base and inventoried all available archival material. Some material, such as pre-1923 enrolment records, cannot be placed in the public domain but it is intended that other collections be added to this site.

Historical Display Boards

An exciting innovation of the group has been developing permanent Information Boards for every school in the district, from PPPS and PPHS to all the tiny rural schools. Each board tells something of the history of the school through photographs and excerpts from documents, and is placed on or near the site of the school. Currently the Rosewill, Taiko, Sutherlands, Cave, Totara Valley, Hazelburn, Opihi and Harris Street boards have been completed - it is definitely worth taking a tour around our beautiful countryside to view these boards! As only a small part of each school’s history can be displayed on these boards QR codes will be placed on them with links to this site and more information.

Sources: Pleasant Point History

These sites provide general information about Pleasant Point and/or Pleasant Point District:

https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc03Cycl-t1-body1-d6-d106.html

This is a digital copy of The Cyclopedia of New Zealand (Canterbury Provincial District) published in 1903. It provides information, not just about what buildings and businesses there were in Pleasant Point at this time, but also about some of the prominent businessmen, farmers and early settlers (after whom some of the streets in the township are named, such as William Halstead, Edward Acton and John Greig). Note that almost all of the business owners featured in The Cyclopedia paid to be in it and supplied the details, so the information is historically biased and not representative of the society of the time. In the Pleasant Point section, for example, there are no women or non-Europeans profiled. Nevertheless, it does provide an idea of what the township was like in the early 1900s.

https://nzhistory.govt.nz/keyword/pleasant-point

This is part of a section on South Canterbury places from Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, written by John Wilson, published 28 February 2007 (updated 17 August 2015). This very reputable site has only a small section on Pleasant Point and its surroundings, but contains some excellent links to other aspects of New Zealand’s history.

https://www.pointhistory.org.nz/

This website is a digital copy of the book Pleasant Point - A History by O.P. Oliver, published in 1989. Coverage of the township’s history is thorough, with sections including businesses, schools, farming, transport and community services. Although material is not referenced the book is clearly written and has some fine photographs. Mrs Olwyn Oliver (1926-2013) was a teacher at Pleasant Point Primary School and also wrote Pleasant Point 1868-1968: A Centenary of Schooling (Pleasant Point, N.Z.: Centennial Committee, 1968). Copies of this are available in the South Canterbury Museum and Timaru District Libraries. The latter also holds copies of two publications about Pleasant Point High School: Pleasant Days : A History of Public Education in the Pleasant Point District by A.J. Pike(Timaru, N.Z.: Herald Communications, 1993) and New Pathways: A History of Pleasant Point High School 1970-2004, A.J. Pike(Pleasant Point, N.Z.: Pleasant Point High School, 2004).

https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/

The Timaru District Libraries Online Heritage collection includes digitised copies of Pleasant Point High School’s Yearbook The Pointer. Although incomplete the collection is being added to.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/464801096948100/

Pleasant Point High School Revisited is a Facebook page for former students and their parents, former staff and their families, PTA members, and BOT members of PPHS.

[plus PPDS archives f/b page??]

Sources: General

https://www.archives.govt.nz/research-guidance/research-guides/education

Archives New Zealand holds material from official sources such as government departments. These include the Department of Education and Education Boards. Examples of material held by the Christchurch branch of Archives New Zealand are student attendance and progress records, school inspection reports, and lists of teachers. However, the records are very incomplete.

https://natlib.govt.nz/collections/a-z/papers-past

Papers Past is the National Library’s online archive of New Zealand (and Pacific) newspapers, magazines, parliamentary papers and other material. The three newspapers most relevant to Pleasant Point are South Canterbury Times, Timaru Herald and the Press. The Papers Past website has information about each newspaper, and guidelines on how to search.

Maps

The PPDS Archives Committee can be contacted at ppdsarchives@gmail.com