Iona College, Havelock North

Iona College is the oldest Presbyterian School in New Zealand. It was established as a girls' boarding school built on land donated by Hugh Campbell. The Prime Minister, the Right Honourable W F Massey, opened Iona College on 14 February 1914. Iona opened with a roll of 48 pupils who were accommodated in buildings that were habitable but unfinished. Iona's buildings were severely affected by the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake and the College had to be closed for a year while refinancing and rebuilding took place. The opening roll in 1932 was 27 boarders and nine-day pupils. The school chapel is named after Saint Martin. Iona was a private school until December 1998, when it integrated into the state education system. Shannon Warren (formerly of Seymour College, Adelaide) replaced Pauline Duthie as Principal in July 2014. == Enrolment ==

As of , Iona College has a roll of students, of which (%) identify as Māori. As of , the school has an Equity Index of , placing it amongst schools whose students have socioeconomic barriers to achievement (roughly equivalent to deciles 9 and 10 under the former socio-economic decile system). ==Notable alumnae==

• Robin Briant (born 1939), doctor • Helen Margaret Druce (1921–2010), teacher, tramper and botanist • Sandra Edge (born 1962), Silver Fern • Victoria Kelly, musician ==References==