The opening marks a major milestone since the school reopened its doors last year, following a decade-long effort to gather and fully digitise its scattered collections.
The room reveals nearly two centuries of photographs, sacred taonga, and historical records documenting generations of Māori boys who have passed through the school gates since it first opened in 1844.
For the people behind the project, this archive is about giving current students a tangible link to their past and a clear sense of where they come from.
Reclaiming Tīpene Stories
Former student Professor Te Kani Kingi led the project as kaitiaki taonga. He spent more than ten years gathering these scattered pieces of history to ensure the stories held by generations of old boys are kept alive.
As Kingi explains, the motivation was deeply rooted in the school’s enduring spirit.
“Ko te wairua o te kura nei he tino tawhito. E hiahia nei mātou ki te kohikohi ngā whakaahua tawhito, hei akiaki ngā tama hou o te kura nei kia whaiwhai i roto i ngā tapuwae o ngā taipakeke o te kura nei,” says Kingi.
The room acts as a visual map where generations of Māori men can see their exact place within the school’s long history.
Old boy Doug Hauraki was among those who returned to witness the opening, noting the calibre of people who have come through the school.
“I kite nei koe ngā momo tangata,” says Hauraki.
“Kua eke i roto i ngā tūru rangahau o te kāwanatanga, toko waru rātou e mau nei ngā tohu mātauranga teitei.”
Remembering Charles Timutimu
While the day was a celebration of history, it was also a deeply emotional moment of remembrance for the late Charles Timutimu.
The old boys remember him as a proud Ngāi Tūhoe leader who became a foundational figure at Tīpene, dedicating decades of his life to anchoring the school’s Māori department and mentoring generations of boys in te reo, tikanga, and rugby.
Te Kani Kingi says Charlie’s heart never really left the place.
“Tata ana ia ki tana whānau, aroha atu ia ki te whutupōro, engari tāpiri ki tērā, aroha atu ia ki te kura o Tīpene”
Doug Hauraki says watching Charlie go from a junior boy to a teacher in the classroom showed what the Tīpene brotherhood is all about.
““Ka haere mai ia ki te kura, ka huri kura māhita ia, ka hoki mai ia he kura māhita, , ā, ka tae anō ia ki tōna hoa rangatira a Atareta i hoki mai konei he tumuaki mō te kura”
Inspiring the next generation of Tīpene students
The timing of the archive’s completion is especially significant. After being closed for 25 years, Tīpene officially reopened its doors as a charter school in 2025, welcoming a whole new generation of young boys.
For student Brae Birch-Tuapawa, the room is a living reminder of their own potential.
“Kua kitea whānuitia te ara kua whakawāteatia e rātou ngā taniwha whaikura o tō tātou nei kura me ngā wawata mō mātou nei, ngā tira hou o Tīpene, kia eke ki ngā tihi teitei, ngā tihi taumata.”
Fellow student Mikaele Gordon-Timo agrees, noting that walking the same halls as prominent leaders of the Māori world makes their own goals feel achievable.
“It really does inspire me. For example, I see Te Ururoa a lot and knowing what he has done and knowing they all came from where we are now at our kura. I’m just really grateful and hopefully will follow them down their path.”
With nearly two centuries of history now recovered, digitised, and secured at Tīpene, its stories sit proudly in this new room, displayed for the school’s new boys to carry forward.
