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Story: Te rāngai mahi – Māori in the workforce

Te Aute College old boys

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Te Aute College old boys

These are some of the more well-known former students from Te Aute College, known as 'old Thornton boys' after the headmaster John Thornton. Seated in the front centre is the best-known of an illustrious group, Āpirana Ngata.

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Alexander Turnbull Library, T. K. Fitzgerald Collection

Reference: 1/2-070852; f

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Basil Keane, Te rāngai mahi – Māori in the workforce – Urbanisation, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/25526/te-aute-college-old-boys (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Basil Keane, published 4 March 2010.