A History - Waiwhetu 1950-1986

In 1950 the first community for the new school at Waiwhetu in Lower Hutt, Wellington, comprising three Sisters of St Joseph, arrived in Wellington with the Sisters in the Eastbourne community. For many months the Waiwhetu Sisters lived at Eastbourne and each morning travelled by bus around the harbour and changed buses at Petone for Waiwhetu. The notorious Wellington winds made the route along the waterfront quite a challenge at times! The new school was dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary and at first it was in a large building in which the minimum of alterations had been done to provide accommodation for classes. However in May 1951, a new school was opened and the old school was converted into the Sisters' house. The Sisters moved in and on 14 May 1951 Father G. McHardy S.M. celebrated the first Mass in the convent close by the School.
At the same time a new settlement, Wainuiomata, in the valley over the hills from Waiwhetu, was fast becoming populated by young families and some of the Catholic children travelled by bus each day over the winding hill road to the Catholic School in Waiwhetu. However most Wainuiomata children attended the State schools in their own area so two Sisters from Waiwhetu went over the hill each weekend to give them religious instruction.
A Catholic school was planned for Wainuiomata by the Diocese of Wellington and the Sisters of St Joseph were to staff it, but by the time it was built the Josephites could not staff it and so the Sisters of Jesus and Mary arrived and took on that ministry.