As St Joseph’s School Central Hawke’s Bay approaches a remarkable milestone, the community is warmly invited to join in celebrating a century of faith, learning, and service.
Over the weekend of 27 February – 1 March 2026, past and present students, families, staff, and supporters will gather to honour 100 years since the school first opened its doors.
Founded in 1926 as St Joseph’s Convent School Waipukurau, the school was established by the Sisters of St Joseph of Nazareth to meet the needs of Catholic families across Central Hawke’s Bay. Before then, local Catholic children travelled to St Columba’s in Waipawa or attended state schools. When the convent school opened on 1 February 1926, 58 students from 26 families were enrolled. By year’s end, the roll had grown to 73.
The original three-room brick building was ingeniously designed to function as both school and church. Every Friday, children stacked desks into corridors, concertina doors were drawn back, and the floors polished for Sunday Mass. On Monday mornings, the process was reversed and the building returned to its weekday purpose. A fourth classroom was added in the mid-1960s as the roll expanded. The school welcomed its first lay teacher in 1972, and following integration in 1975, its first lay principal.
The centennial theme, “Walking in Faith: A Century of Light. A Future of Hope,” reflects both gratitude for the past and optimism for the decades ahead.
Centennial Weekend Programme
Friday, 27 February 2026
- 5:30 PM: Registration opens
- 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Meet and Greet at the Municipal Theatre, Waipawa
Saturday, 28 February 2026
- Morning: Free time to explore Central Hawke’s Bay
- 1:30 PM: Official welcome and pōhiri at St Joseph’s School
- Speeches, entertainment, classroom tours, and decade photographs
- 5:30 PM – Late: Dinner and music at Municipal Theatre, Waipawa
- Guest Speaker: Cardinal John Dew
- Live Band: Sir Duke
Sunday, 1 March 2026
- 9:30 AM: Mass at St Joseph’s Church
- Morning tea and farewell