It took months of planning and long-distance consultation – it took a month for a letter to travel from New Zealand to Utah, and another month for a reply to come back – but early in 1908 the New Zealand Mission was ready to announce an exciting new venture: the establishment of what would become the Maori Agricultural College, at Korongata, on New Zealand’s North island.

“Within the past four months,” Mission President Rufus K. Hardy related to a journalist, “we have purchased 130 acres of good land at the Bridge Pa, and we have the option over another 130 acres. On this ground, we intend establishing a sort of college to impart a little higher education to young Maori men than they receive at ordinary schools, and at the same time train them manually in such industries as they show a preference for.”

These industries would be, “amongst other things, scientific farming, stock raising, carpentry, blacksmithing, engineering, draughtsmanship, etc. The idea is to place in the hands of the young Maori a trade or profession enabling him to become a useful, independent, and self supporting citizen.”

The school, intended to accommodate 100, would be limited to male students, but not to Latter-day Saints. “We will take anyone, irrespective of creed, who will conform to the rules of the establishment. The only qualifications necessary are a desire for learning, freedom from the use of alcohol and tobacco, and absence of moral taint.”

Equipment for the school would include the latest machinery “of modern American manufacture,” and the school would be furnished with “the best kind of stock.” Money – about £8000 – wold come chiefly from contributions of Church members in the United States, and not raised from among the impoverished Maori themselves. Teachers would come chiefly from Utah, with others being “practical up-to-date New Zealanders, with a thorough knowledge of local conditions.”

All of this would be offered to the Maori boys without charge.

This project was discussed favorably in the English-language New Zealand press – and was welcomed by the Maori Saints themselves. One group of priesthood holders from Nuhaka, Mahia put their appreciation into writing. (This transcription of a handwritten document in a language I don’t read must certainly contain errors, which I regret.):

Tireni, me nga mema o te Hahi o Ihu Karaiti o te Hunga Tapu o nga ra o muri nei, a mea ana he wa tika tenei hei whakaputanga atu ita matou mihi me to koutou archa, mo tenei taonga nui kua homai nei a koutou ki a matou, ara ta koutou whakaaetanga mai kia whakaturia he kura mo a matou tamariki; Ma reira nei a matou tamariki tane me nga whakatupuranga hoki e tipu ana inaianei o te iwi Maori i roto mei i te Hahi, e ata whakaakona ai ratou ki nga matauranga, a tau ai ratou mo nga mahi a te Atua, e riro ai hoki ratou he tangata ngohengohe ki nga ture o te whenua e noho nei ratou.

E tino kitea ana e matou te nui o ta koutou mahi mo tenei kura, me to matou mohio hoki ma reira e horapa haere ai e Whakapumau kia tino u ki roto i nga ngakau o to matou iwi te Rongo Pai e whakawhetai nei matou. Na, i te mea kei roto matou i to matou Hui Tau nui inaianei, no reira matou i mea ai kia mohio ai koutou, kei te whakaae matou o koutou teina ki te tautoko, ki te awhina, ki te mahi hoki i nga mea katoa e tasa e matou, te mea kia tipu ai a oti noa te kura.

Tenei matou he Kai-whakakapi mo te rima mano mema o te Hahi i Niu Tireni nei, te whakamoemiti atu nei ki a koutou, me te inoi ano ki te Ariki kia manaakitia koutou i roto i ta koutou mahi, me te mohio ano matou ko o matou whakatupuranga e haere mai nei i muri i a matou tera ratou e whakanui i a koutou, no te mea ki ta matou nei whakaaro ko te huarahi ana anake tenei mo a matou tamariki e tu roa ai ratou, me te maia ki te tu atu ki nga mea e whakararuraru nei i waenganui i a matou. Ko te koreria a te Atua ko te matauranga, no reira ma roto ite kura kua whakaaetia mai nei e koutou, a riro mai ai i a matou he wahi nui o te kororia o te Atua.

The letter was signed by local priesthood members:

English translation:

We, the local Priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, take this opportunity of expressing to you our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for the kindness and generosity you have bestowed upon us in your having consented to the establishing of a school for our children whereby our boys, and the rising generation of natives now in the Church may be properly schooled and educated in a way that will fit them for God’s service, and make them good citizens in the land they now occupy.

We fully appreciate the greatness of your undertaking and know it will be the means of spreading, as well as establishing more firmly in the hearts of our people the Gospel for which we are truly thankful.

We wish you to understand that we your brethren assembled in this, one of our greatest Annual Conferences, pledge ourselves to support, assist and do whatever lies in our power to promote and forward the establishing of this school, to the best of our ability. We thank you in behalf of the five thousand members of the church in New Zealand and pray the Lord to bless you in your undertaking, for we know the generation which is coming up after us will assuredly call you blessed, as in our judgment this is the only way whereby our children will be enabled to perpetuate themselves and combat against the degrading influences now amongst us. The glory of God is intelligence, and through the school proposed by you we feel that more of the “glory of God” will be ours.

The Maori Agricultural College was formally dedicated in 1913. A 1931 earthquake severely damaged the buildings, and the school was closed. The Church College of Hawaii (more equivalent to a high school than a university) was established in 1955; the CCNZ accepts both young men and young women.