December 23, 2024 - The History of New Zealand through a Libertarian Anarchist lens. Please enjoy the ideas and let me know what you think.

1964: Henderson Intermediate

February 17, 2019

By AHNZ

Henderson Intermediate (‘where students flourish and grow’) established out of Henderson High (Auckland) in 1964. The school was one of the first (June 2010) to partner up with the Communist-promoting Confucius Institute run out of Auckland University.

The organization also promotes the interests of the Chinese Communist Party in the countries in which it operates.- wiki

“We now have every classroom in our school learning Mandarin!”- Henderson Intermediate site

In the case of New Zealand, the Confucius Institute is nestled in with Auckland University in an historic home down Symonds Street, Pembridge House. It serves as a sort of missionary station for the Chinese Communist Party, keeping an eye on Chinese students and public relations while also setting up schools like Henderson to assimilate. The same scheme is followed in other countries too.

“Until last year part of the university used the building for the likes of the economics and law schools. Auckland Council seem to be the owners now and lease it to the university who sublet to their partners, the Chinese Government, in the form of The Confucius Institute.”- 1876: Pembridge House

Draw your own conclusions but to me this all feels rather dodgy.

“Respecful”

Within the last year or two Henderson Intermediate came up with this simple R2P2 (Respectful, Responsible, Prepared, Proud) school values idea.

My guess is it happened in 2015 to coincide with ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’. The Principal, or whoever cooked it up, probably thought they were being really cool and contemporary borrowing some charm from R2D2.

Actually, I bet she tried really hard for a long time to think of 2 values that started with D before falling back on P.

The Three Rs Take A Back Seat..

I don’t know how recently this sign is that’s hanging outside the school gate. Probably 2017. It’s wrong! Obvious thing to say but I have to say it: Get back to The Three Rs, reading, writing and arithmetic. To blazes with your Two Rs and Two Ps.

Instead of writing “Respectful” on their school banner sign they’ve written “Respecful” which isn’t even a word!

Family Values

Respect, responsibility, preparedness, and pride are family values. Schools in New Zealand history were once places for learning, not parenting. We’ve jumped these things from the Family Lattice to the State Education Lattice, as pointed out by Kings High Rector Dan Reddiex.

Henderson Intermediate is hell bent on replacing their students family values and cultural identity with their own (or Communist China’s?) priorities…

Principal Wendy Esera says one of the school’s priorities is to teach the children tolerance and acceptance, to normalise having people from many different backgrounds living together.- Superdiversity: Children lead the way as cultures combine; NZ Herald

Mistakes happen but hasn’t anyone noticed? Why don’t they take it down? And what’s worse? That they can’t spell or that they’ve never seen the Blues Brothers movie? Or, is this sign some kind of symbolic flag showing that they’re not about spelling or even scholarship but cultural training? Forcing subjects to obey a known falsity is how you break minds isn’t it?

No regerts?

Respec!

Update: Email reply from Principal’s PA:

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: RE: Respecful
Date: 2019-02-13 19:22
From: Joanne Carter <joanne.carter@hendersonint.school.nz>
To: admin@anarkiwi.co.nz

Morning Rick

Good picking up!!! The sign has been out there for about two years now
and nobody has ever picked that up so thank you for picking up the MISTAKE

Enjoy your day

Jo

Jo Carter
Principal’s P.A.
Director of International Students
Henderson Intermediate School


Ref. “The first New Zealand Confucius Classroom was launched at Henderson Intermediate School on 2 June 2010.”; Henderson Intermediate

Edit June 2020: Added in link and quote to Pembridge House post

2 thoughts on "1964: Henderson Intermediate"

  1. JOHN PALMER says:

    About 1964 is close but the foundation year for Henderson Intermediate School was 1964. I was a student for there for its first two years (64 and 65).
    I have a photo of the Room 10 class of 1964 if you would like to have it as foundation year evidence.
    Best wishes,
    John

    1. AHNZ says:

      Thanks for that. I hit rocks trying to find that out but I see you are right because Old Friends archive also says 1964 is the Foundation Year. I’ll update the post.

      You might be in one of these photos:
      https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/webarchive/20160218080000/http://www.oldfriends.co.nz/InstitutionPhotos.aspx?page=1&institution=2355&=&

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Anarchist History of New Zealand: Don't assume that a cultural norm is also functional.