Jemaine’s NZ college to close

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Jemaine Clement

By nicole July 17, 2008 at 1:55 pm Post a comment

I’ve never understood the closing of schools, hospitals, libraries etc. I mean yes, if the building is falling apart then it makes sense..but that doesn’t seem to be the case in Jemaine’s old school in NZ. Makoura College in Masterton is in danger of closing and Jemaine has written a beautiful e-mail in support of his alma mater.

Andrew Hutchby,a Masterton teacher, has created a website to save the school and in this article says this:

Mr Hutchby, who attended Makoura for five years from 1988, said his education at the school was “wonderful” and put the lie to a popular misconception in the town “that you wouldn’t get anywhere in the world if you went to Makoura”.

“That’s absolutely wrong. Entertainer Jemaine Clement went to Makoura and he made his way in the world and there are many other examples across a whole range of industries and occupations.”

Jemaine took the time to write Mr. Hutchby and excerpts of his email were read at a public meeting to save the school. From the Wairarapa Times-Age:

Mr Hutchby quoted Clement as saying Masterton people often expected Makoura to be “rough” because of the part of town it’s in “in truth, Makoura was the opposite of its reputation”.

“No gangs of 13-year-old thugs terrorised the science block.

You couldn’t get whisky with your salad at the school canteen. Not one knife fight ever erupted during our sustained silent reading class.

“In fact it was a pleasure to attend. Students were taught respect for each other. There is no old-fashioned prefect system which teaches pupils that some kids are important and others aren’t or gives some students power over others. Rather, students are taught to value and respect their fellow students, help them with their problems and listen to their opinions. When a young person learns that people are valuable, they learn that they themselves are valuable,” Clement said.

In the full email Clement said he was “yet another ex-pupil heartbroken by the news that Makoura might close … I believe it is a great school … if Makoura closes, it will be a great loss for the Wairarapa”.

So I ask New Zealanders and non-New Zealanders alike to visit Support Makoura and see what you can do to help..
you know, if that’s what you’re into.