View source for Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu

{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox school
| name        = Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu
| native_name = The Correspondence School
| image                  = Correspondence School, Wellington 01.jpg
| alt                    = 
| caption                = View of Te Kura
| seal_image  = 
| motto       = 
| type        = State co-ed correspondence school
| established = 1922
| address     = Private Bag 39992,<br>Wellington Mail Centre,<br>Lower Hutt 5045<br>11 Portland Crescent,<br>Thorndon,<br>Wellington,<br>New Zealand 
| coordinates = {{coord|-41.2739|174.7766|type:edu_region:NZ-WGN|display=inline,title}}
| head_label  = Chief Executive Officer
| head        = Te Rina Leonard<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tekura.school.nz/about-us/our-staff/senior-leadership-team/|title=Senior Leadership Team|publisher=Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu|access-date=23 August 2024}}</ref>
| roll        = 28,000
| decile      = not given by ERO
| MOE         = 498
| homepage    = {{URL|http://www.tekura.school.nz/}}
}}
'''Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu''' or '''Te Kura''' (formerly '''The Correspondence School''') is New Zealand's largest school with around 28,000 students enrolled each year, from early childhood to secondary level.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tekura.school.nz/about-us/about-us/|title=About Us|publisher=Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu|access-date=23 August 2024}}</ref> It is headquartered in Portland Crescent in [[Thorndon, New Zealand|Thorndon]], [[Wellington]].  In addition to its ordinary full-time students, Te Kura provides programmes to students at other [[state sector organisations in New Zealand|state-owned schools]] where a subject is unavailable, and to adults. Te Kura is [[Ministry of Education (New Zealand)|Ministry of Education]] funded.

==Early history==
The school began in 1922 with 100 [[primary education|primary level]] students, expanding into [[secondary education]] in 1928 with 50 students and into [[early childhood education]] in 1976. When the school was first established in the 1920s, parliamentarians referred to the founding vision as "a school for the benefit of the most isolated children, for example of lighthouse keepers and remote shepherds living upon small islands or in mountainous districts". The same parliamentary debate on TCS also described it as "a school of last resort, ensuring that no matter where he lived every child should have as full an education as he was capable of achieving".{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

==Recent developments==
The school began a significant review of its services under the leadership of Debbie Francis (CEO January 2004 – July 2006) during which time the school was restructured. A $6 million annual deficit was corrected primarily through reducing the number of salaried staff – amongst other strategies. Further to this, the school developed a Differentiated Services Model for its full-time students.

Mike Hollings commenced in the position of CEO from August 2006 after completing a contract as the CEO of [[New Zealand Education Review Office]] (ERO). Further restructuring was undertaken at the end of 2007 when the school commenced the adoption of a more regionally focused model.

==Notable staff==
{{Main category|The Correspondence School faculty}}
*[[Arthur Gordon Butchers]] (1885–1960), principal, educationalist and historian<ref>{{DNZB|last=Arnold|first=Rollo|id=4b53|title=Arthur Gordon Butchers|accessdate=23 April 2017}}</ref>
*[[Louise Henderson]] (1902–1994), artist and painter<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kirker |first1=Anne |title=New Zealand women artists |date=1986 |publisher=Reed Methuen |location=Auckland |isbn=0474001814 | page=140}}</ref>
*[[Trish McKelvey]] (born 1942), former cricketer, cricket administrator, and educator<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.vuw.ac.nz/annualreports/2007/The-University-Council.pdf | title=Annual report of the University Council | publisher=Victoria University of Wellington | date=2007 | accessdate=20 July 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523222529/http://www.vuw.ac.nz/annualreports/2007/The-University-Council.pdf | archive-date=23 May 2012}}</ref>
*[[Apirana Mahuika]] (1934–2015), Māori tribal leader<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/regional/life-dr-apirana-mahuika | title=The life of Dr Apirana Mahuika | date=9 February 2015 | work=Māori Television News | accessdate=7 March 2015 | first=Kororia | last=Taumaunu}}</ref>
*[[Te Paekiomeka Joy Ruha]] (1931–2011), prominent Māori leader and teacher<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1112/S00117/poroporoaki-ki-te-pae-ki-omeka-ruha-onzm-qsm.htm |title=Poroporoaki ki Te Pae ki Omeka Ruha, ONZM, QSM |publisher=[[Māori Party]] |agency=[[Scoop (website)|Scoop]] |date=16 December 2011 |accessdate=18 December 2011}}</ref>

==Notable alumni==
{{Main category|People educated at The Correspondence School}}
*[[Courtney McGregor]] (born 1998), representative artistic gymnast<ref>{{cite news |title=Christchurch gymnast Courtney McGregor wins bronze before Olympic test event |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/sport/78959571/christchurch-gymnast-courtney-mcgregor-wins-bronze-before-olympic-test-event |accessdate=20 April 2016 |work=[[The Press]] |date=15 April 2016}}</ref>
*[[Nico Porteous]] (born 2001), represented New Zealand and won bronze at the [[2018 Winter Olympics]] in Pyeongchang.<ref name="bigyear">{{cite news|last1=McFadden|first1=Suzanne|title=It’s a big year for… Nico Porteous|url=https://www.newsroom.co.nz/@sportsroom/2018/01/25/78022/its-a-big-year-for-nico-porteous|accessdate=26 February 2018|publisher=Newsroom|date=26 February 2018}}</ref>
*[[Miguel Porteous]] (born 1999) represented New Zealand at the [[2018 Winter Olympics]] in Pyeongchang.<ref name="bigyear"/>
*[[Joan Robb]] (<abbr>c.</abbr> 1921 – 2017), New Zealand herpetologist 

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.tekura.school.nz/}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Correspondence School The}}
[[Category:Educational institutions established in 1922]]
[[Category:Schools in Wellington City]]
[[Category:Distance education institutions based in New Zealand]]
[[Category:1922 establishments in New Zealand]]