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This year, a small Pukekohe school is celebrating a special milestone — 80 years of running its very own school bus.
The Pukekohe East School Bus began in 1946, when a group of parents converted a Ford V8 van to carry 16 children. The society says it was the first cooperatively owned school bus in New Zealand.
Pukekohe East School Bus Society chairperson Karla Shearer says the service receives zero funding from the Ministry of Education.
When government funding was withdrawn in 2007, a small group of determined parents, led by Kristen Stening, Donna Lovell, and Marlene Dyer, worked tirelessly to raise community funding to keep the bus service running year after year.
“Pukekohe East School’s bus service survives to this day, 100 per cent community funded.”
It’s that determination from the school’s community that led to the creation of the bus service.
As early as 1941, a meeting was held in the schoolhouse to consider engaging a school bus to convey children from the North End. However, it was four years later, and a group of concerned parents from the South End finally forced the issue. They considered the main road from Morgan’s corner to the Pukekohe East Hall had become too dangerous for their small children to walk to school. So, they ‘went on strike’ keeping their children home for a day and threatening to send them to Harrisville School if a bus service was not provided.
At a school meeting in 1945, it was resolved to contract Josh Morgan to transport eight children in his vehicle at a small cost to their parents, with school committee funds making up the deficit.
It was intended as a temporary measure, and an approach was made to the Education Board to provide a bus service. The school’s application was denied, however, because not enough children lived more than two miles from the school. The only solution was for the community to provide its own bus, leading to the creation of the Pukekohe East Bus Society in 1946.
A committee of householders was elected to write the constitution, and a Ford V8 van was purchased and altered to carry 16 children.
The first bus was driven by the head teacher, Alan Shepherd. It was painted red and affectionately known as the ‘Red Terror’. Passenger numbers increased, requiring the Red Terror to make two trips to the North End each day to transport all children. Over the years, there would be another five buses until the existing Hino bus was purchased in 2024.
These days, Stuart Craig has been driving the bus since 2021.
“It takes about 30 to 35 minutes to do the run, and with 36 kids on the roll currently, it’s about a quarter of the school roll that uses the bus.”
Deputy chairperson Angely Cullern says the society will host a musical bingo for its 80th anniversary fundraiser on May 23, with tickets on sale from April 10.
“We are still looking for event sponsors and donations for the auction/raffle at the event – please contact us admin@pukekoheeastschoolbus.org. We also have some advertising spots left on the bus for logos on the sides, with one more spot in the back.”
Cullern says the society would love to hear from anyone who was involved with the school bus and the bus society for the past 80 years.
“We would love to thank them for all their involvement and support over the years, along with all the teachers and school staff (past and present) and the previous bus society members for all their mahi over the years.”
