Notes from our past: 1914 to 1923

  • In October 1914 representatives from all the major trade unions in Auckland, along with other interested educators (including some from the University of Auckland) agreed to form the Auckland Workers’ Educational Association—the first tauiwi community education provider in Aotearoa.
  • The first AWEA Economics class began in 1915 – it produced two Labour leaders, Michael Joseph Savage (New Zealand’s first Labour Prime Minister) and Bob Heffron (Premier of New South Wales).
  • Dr Florence Keller tutored a women’s hygiene class for the AWEA in 1918 and 1919 giving 20 lectures on subjects such as venereal disease, invalid cookery, sanitary housing, school hygiene and first aid. A remarkable woman, Dr Keller was acclaimed in her mid-90s to be the oldest practising surgeon in the world.
  • AWEA student numbers grew rapidly from 164 students in 1915 to 1674 students in 1924
Notes Our Past 1924 1933 Collage