# Education Act 1877

The Education Act 1877 established twelve regional education boards in New Zealand after the provinces were abolished and the central government took control of education. The act established that education would be free, compulsory, and secular for non-Māori children aged five to thirteen, and optional for Māori children.

## History

Education had previously been the responsibility of provincial governments. Through the Abolition of Provinces Act 1875, the provinces ceased to exist on 1 January 1877. The Canterbury education system developed by William Rolleston was used as an exemplar for the Education Act 1877, and under Rolleston's guidance, Charles Bowen helped form the legislation. The act passed into law on 29 November 1877 and came into operation on 1 January 1878.
The Education Act 1877 was repealed through the Education Acts Compilation Act 1904, also known under its short title "The Education Act, 1904", and passed into law on 4 November 1904.

## Effects

The act established that education would be free, compulsory, and secular for Pākehā children aged seven to thirteen. Māori children were also welcome to attend school, but compulsory primary school education for Māori children did not become law until 1894. 435 Māori and part-Māori children were attending public schools during 1880. In 1882, the Minister of Education stated: "A perceptible increase in the numbers of Maori and half-caste children attending the public schools, especially the latter, is recorded. The increase would be still more noticeable, but for the unwillingness on the part of many parents of both races to allow their children to be taught in schools open to both races".
Compulsory attendance did not happen in practice. There were various exemptions: if a child lived more than two miles distant from a school or the road to school was not passable for a child; if the child had a sickness or disability that prevented attendance at school, or if the child attended a private school or had reached the standard set at a public school. In 1880, only a few years after the act was passed, officials calculated that average attendance during the year was 76.6%. Especially in rural areas, children often helped with tasks at home rather than attend school. Epidemics could also dramatically affect attendance: for example, in 1882 there were serious outbreaks of scarlet fever, measles and diphtheria in different parts of the country that caused drops in attendance at school. Ongoing truancy problems led to the introduction of the School Attendance Act in 1894. This act also made school attendance (at a public or native school) compulsory for Māori children.

## Education boards

The act established a tiered administration system. At the top, the Department of Education established the curriculum and provided funding to twelve education boards (Auckland, Taranaki, Wanganui, Wellington, Hawke's Bay, Marlborough, Nelson, North and South Canterbury, Westland, Otago and Southland). Each of the boards in turn funded school committees responsible for individual schools.
| Name of board | Founded |
| Auckland Education Board | 1877 |
| Hamilton Education Board | 1877 |
| Hawkes Bay Education Board | 1877 |
| Taranaki Education Board | 1877 |
| Wanganui Education Board | 1877 |
| Wellington Education Board | 1877 |
| Nelson Education Board | 1877 |
| Grey/Greymouth Education Board (aka West Coast/Westland Education Board) | 1877 |
| Southland Education Board | 1877 |
| Westland Education Board | 1877 |
| Canterbury Education Board | 1877 |
| Otago Education Board | 1877 |