Gender and age: Mixed. 1965: 3-15 years; c.1969, 74, 76-79: 3-12 years; 1984, 85, 86: 3-15.
Capacity: 1965: 60; c. 1969: 55; 1974: 50; 1976-79: 48 beds; 1984, 86: 52; 1986 average occupancy: 36.
Controlling organisations: South Island Methodist Children’s Home Board, Christchurch Methodist Central Mission.Third-party provider to State, faith-based.Registered 13/5/1929.
Other information
The Home opened on 25 April 1914 with six children already in residence. … in 1930 a separate bungalow built to accommodate eight boys. By this time there were seventy-two children being cared for.
On 31 October 1978, the Christchurch Methodist Central Mission took over management of the Home and the philosophy about care of children moved away from children living in institutional homes, to living in foster homes.
August 1967 the Barrington Street Family Home opened as an adjunct to the Home.
1974: This home also arranges foster-home placements1979: Day Care Centre adjacent for 24 children.1985: Main Function: Short term assessment. Short, medium and long term residential care. Closes during school holidays but staff available for emergencies.
On 28 August 1987 the Home in Harewood Road closed. The building was re-opened as The Sandcastle, the Child and Family Service Centre in 1991 but just one year later was the badly damaged by an arson attack on 29 October 1992. In 1996 the buildings were demolished. This enabled the Wesley Retirement village to be built on the site in 1996.
South Island Children’s Home Masters and Matrons:1914 Sister Mabel Morley1920 Mr J G W and Mrs Ellis1924 Mr F J Butler and Mrs Butler1927 Mr and Mrs Haynes1938 Mr and Mrs Butler 1940 Miss Barclay (matron)1950 Mr G Howells and Mrs Howells 1957 Mr and Mrs Karsten (until August 1957)1957 (from November) Mr W and Mrs Robertson1960 Mr J E Scott and Mrs Scott 1971 Mr G Bostwick and Mrs Bostwick 1973 Mr L G Reed and Mrs Reed
Survivor account from Debbie Morris-Jenkins about time at Christchurch Methodist Children's Home from Whanaketia - Abuse in Care Royal Commission Final Report, Part 2
Information about Christchurch orphanages, Christchurch City Libraries
Methodist newspapers to 1948. An Orphanage Supplement was printed each year from about the 1920s for all Methodist children’s homes in Auckland, Masterton and Christchurch. They can be searched in digital format. Issues which have not been digitised can be viewed at the Methodist Church of New Zealand Archives, National Library of New Zealand and some university libraries.
Sometimes reports of children’s activities were printed in local papers. See digitised newspapers
Printed minutes of Methodist Conference. These are a serial and can be found in most university collections and there is a set held in the Methodist Church of New Zealand Archives. Yearly reports were presented to Conference and detail general activities within the Home. Individuals are not mentioned by name, other than some staff. 1900-2023 which include reports from the Children’s Home have been digitised and are available on the Methodist Church website.
Children's Home Committee Minute Books. The Committee minute books contain detailed information relating to staff, children and the day to day life at the children's homes. The surviving records are designated Restricted Access due to the personal information contained in the records, so for privacy reasons names of children have been redacted. You can try contacting the Methodist Archives for more information.
'The story of the South Island Methodist Orphanage and Children's Home' (PDF, 7.3MB), by M A Rugby Pratt published in 1934 has photographs of the new building at 91 Harewood Road which has been digitised
'The History of Methodist Social Services In Aotearoa New Zealand' (PDF, 3.1MB) from page 29 onwards
'Directory of residential facilities for disturbed children in New Zealand', Department of Social Welfare, 1979.
31 September 2020 Affidavit of Anita Ngaire Easton for Oranga Tamariki - Ministry for Children to the Abuse in Care Inquiry
Methodist Church of New Zealand Archives. Fact Sheet: Methodist Children's Homes in New Zealand (2021)
Information provided by the Methodist Church Archives NZ to the Crown Response Unit on 22 May 2024
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