Hands-on learning at Pompallier Mission
Pompallier caters for education groups of all ages, from pre-school to adult education.
Hands on experiences and stories of the people and place
In this restored and working factory, students receive wonderful hands-on experiences of the tools and equipment of the 1840s mission printery. They are taken through the early 19th Century industrial processes, from tanning and leather production, to typesetting, printing and bookbinding. At the same time, Pompallier staff tell the stories of the people who lived and worked here.
- How did Maori, and the English already in New Zealand, respond when French Catholic missionaries arrived in 1838?
- What did literacy mean to the Europeans who were bringing it to New Zealand and to the Maori who were so keen to have the new books?
- What did Bishop Pompallier and the missionaries who went with him to Waitangi in February 1840 contribute to the Treaty made there?
- What was it like working here in the 1840s? How did colonization and the Industrial Revolution affect this, and other places in Kororareka and the Bay of Islands?
- What did the French Catholic missionaries see and do when war started on the neighbouring hillside in 1845?
The Pompallier landscape and garden was occupied both before and after the mission station was here.
An Education Kit
Our Oldest Factory: Pompallier is highly recommended as a classrom and cross curriculum Social Studies and Technology resource that will expand your group's understanding of the history and technology of this place.
This has been developed in partnership with Developmental Publications and is for Primary and Intermediate students. The picture-based resource (cost applies) includes material for teachers to develop classroom-based projects.
The Pompallier Experience: Living History
Highly recommended by:
Primary & Intermediate Schools:
Rick Kivell - Science Adviser
Robyn Boswell - Technology Adviser
Raewyn Sills - Social Studies Adviser
Kiri Matthews - Maori & Pacific Islands Adviser
Secondary Schools:
Steve Watters - NZ History Teachers Association
Contact us to make your booking and discuss your group's needs.