| Wellington Girls' College | |
| Native Name: | Te Kāreti Kōtiro o Te Whanganui-a-Tara |
| Motto: | Lumen Accipe et Imperti "Receive the light and pass it on"[1] |
| Type: | State Single Sex (Girls) Secondary School (year 9–13) |
| Established: | 1883 |
| Address: | Pipitea Street, Thorndon, Wellington, New Zealand |
| Coordinates: | -41.2748°N 174.7806°W |
| Principal: | Julia Davidson |
| Roll: | |
| Decile: | 10Z[2] |
| Moe: | 272 |
| Colors: | Teal Black Gold |
| Mascot: | The Teal Seal |
| Yearbook: | The Reporter |
Wellington Girls' College was founded in 1883 in Wellington, New Zealand. At that time it was called Wellington Girls' High School. Wellington Girls' College is a year 9 to 13 state secondary school, located in Thorndon in central Wellington.[3]
Seeing a need for higher education for girls the founding fathers of Wellington College leased a building in Abel Smith Street in 1882 and appointed Miss Martha Hamilton as the Lady Principal of the school. It opened on 2 February 1883 with 40 students. However, by the end of its first year the roll increased to almost 100 girls, and when the Premier, the Rt. Hon. Robert Stout visited the school in 1884 the building was overcrowded with 130 students. As a result of his visit the school was moved to its current site in Pipitea Street.
Before the school the Colonial Hospital, Wellington's first public hospital, was built on the site in 1847.[4] It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1848[5] and a new building large enough to meet the needs of the city was built in 1855.[6] It was replaced by Wellington Hospital.
In 1925 the Wellington East Girls' College was established to serve the southern and eastern suburbs.
| Principal | Period | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=center | 1 | Martha Hamilton | 1883–1900 | |
| align=center | 2 | Mary McLean | 1900–1926 | |
| align=center | 3 | Violet Greig | 1926–1938 | |
| align=center | 4 | Esther North | 1938–1950 | |
| align=center | 5 | Maida Clark | 1950–1958 | |
| align=center | 6 | Betty Fraser | 1958–1978 | |
| align=center | 7 | Elaine Barnett | 1978–1995 | |
| align=center | – | Kath Kelly (acting) | 1995 | |
| align=center | 8 | Ngaire Newton | 1995–1996 | |
| align=center | – | Kath Kelly (acting) | 1996–1997 | |
| align=center | 9 | Marg McLeod | 1997–2006 | |
| align=center | – | Denise Johnson (acting) | 2006–2007 | |
| align=center | 10 | Julia Davidson | 2008–present |