Tokoroa School 1925-1945
Throughout this time in Tokoroa, the NZ Forest Service had implemented the plan to plant Pinus Radiata in the area. Even throughout The Great Depression, the work carried on. The use of 'unemployed' labour houed in large tents and shacks made the planting possible. Their jobs were to burn off scrub and ferns, develop roads and plant trees in the area. This saw an increase in the amount of people moving into the area. However, the growth of the school was still very slow, as many of the people working in the area were single men (Chapple, 1976).
In 1936, over 85,000 hectares of land had been covered by trees surrounding and through the area that is the current town. Small settlements were formed around around the area of the forest to house rangers, and workers. These settlements also contributed little to the school roll because they too were filled with single men, or young couples.
In 1935, New Zealand Forest Products Limited was established to take-over the forest during the maturation stages of the pine trees. They sold bonds for an acre of trees, promising return on each bond. Once this process was completed, NZ Forest Products had over two million dollars worth of investment money, and no processing plants. This prompted the construction of Kinleith, as well as another processing plant in Kawerau. These two plants were to be giant processing plants to service the nearly Thousands of square kilometers of pine planted within the Central North Island (Chapple, 1976).
In 1937, the school needed a third room was needed which arrived from Mangatapu and transformed into an open-air classroom. By 1937, there were 91 students and 3 teachers. This is an implication of a very slowly growing community which would all change in Tokoroa within the next decade.
Tokoroa School received prefabricated classrooms between 1937 - 1945. This growth was also being reflected in the forestry industry, and dairy industries, and more families were settling in Tokoroa (Lory, 1977). Although this indicates growth, this growth is nothing in comparison to the influx of immigrants in the years following 1945 who were to provide labour that the area and the country never had the manpower to meet in the forestry industry. The families that were moving to Tokoroa were from all around New Zealand. However, there were many that moved to Tokoroa from the Cook Islands, and Samoa laying the foundations for the vibrant Pasifika, especially Cook Island community in Tokoroa (Chapple, 1976).
In 1938, the original building was removed and newer structures were built in place. The original building was moved to Atiamuri, and became the first school building there to cater for children of families working on the construction of the dam at the time.
In 1936, over 85,000 hectares of land had been covered by trees surrounding and through the area that is the current town. Small settlements were formed around around the area of the forest to house rangers, and workers. These settlements also contributed little to the school roll because they too were filled with single men, or young couples.
In 1935, New Zealand Forest Products Limited was established to take-over the forest during the maturation stages of the pine trees. They sold bonds for an acre of trees, promising return on each bond. Once this process was completed, NZ Forest Products had over two million dollars worth of investment money, and no processing plants. This prompted the construction of Kinleith, as well as another processing plant in Kawerau. These two plants were to be giant processing plants to service the nearly Thousands of square kilometers of pine planted within the Central North Island (Chapple, 1976).
In 1937, the school needed a third room was needed which arrived from Mangatapu and transformed into an open-air classroom. By 1937, there were 91 students and 3 teachers. This is an implication of a very slowly growing community which would all change in Tokoroa within the next decade.
Tokoroa School received prefabricated classrooms between 1937 - 1945. This growth was also being reflected in the forestry industry, and dairy industries, and more families were settling in Tokoroa (Lory, 1977). Although this indicates growth, this growth is nothing in comparison to the influx of immigrants in the years following 1945 who were to provide labour that the area and the country never had the manpower to meet in the forestry industry. The families that were moving to Tokoroa were from all around New Zealand. However, there were many that moved to Tokoroa from the Cook Islands, and Samoa laying the foundations for the vibrant Pasifika, especially Cook Island community in Tokoroa (Chapple, 1976).
In 1938, the original building was removed and newer structures were built in place. The original building was moved to Atiamuri, and became the first school building there to cater for children of families working on the construction of the dam at the time.