One hundred years to the day after Samuel Marsden Collegiate School officially opened its Karori campus, students and staff gathered to celebrate a significant milestone in Marsden’s history.
On 23 September 1926, Governor-General Sir Charles Fergusson arrived by car along the school’s entrance drive to officially open the new campus. A photograph from the day captures Marsden students lining both sides of the driveway to welcome him.
A century later, on Wednesday 23 September 2026, that same driveway became the setting for another special moment as today’s Marsden community came together to mark 100 years in Karori.
The celebration included the cutting of a special 100-year cake, with the honours fittingly shared across generations of the Marsden community: Marsden Old Girl and our longest-serving staff member Jo Sherlock; Olivia, our longest-standing current student; and Teodora and Zara, our two newest Year 1 students.
Students also gathered on the driveway to recreate the spirit of the 1926 photograph, creating a wonderful connection between Marsden then and now.
Marsden’s story, of course, began well before the move to Karori. The school was founded in 1878 when Mrs Mary Ann Swainson established a small day and boarding school for girls on Fitzherbert Terrace in Wellington. Later known as Fitzherbert Terrace School, it came under the leadership of Miss Esther Mary Baber before being purchased by the Anglican Diocese of Wellington in 1920.
The move to Karori followed the gift of ten acres of land from the Riddiford family to the Church for educational purposes. The school was renamed Samuel Marsden Collegiate School, in honour of the first Anglican missionary to New Zealand, and a new home began to take shape.
Over the 100 years since, the Karori campus has changed enormously. Trees have grown, buildings have been added and generations of students have walked the same driveway first captured in that 1926 photograph.
As we celebrate a century at Marsden Avenue, our eyes are also turning to the next major milestone. In 2028, Marsden will mark its 150th anniversary, bringing our wider community together for our major jubilee celebrations.