Children's Home & Orphanages in Hawkes Bay

A book about the children who lived in children's institutions in Hawkes Bay has been written by Dr Kay Morris Matthews, an acclaimed academic historian and author. It will be launched on 22 November by John McKinnon, a Hastings resident who grew up in France House, a home in the Esk Valley for teenage boys.


Ref: 4-3681A-57, Parnell orphanage, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Entitled entitled 'Who Cared? Childhoods within Hawke’s Bay Children’s Homes and Orphanages 1892-1988', the books covers the experiences of thousands of youngsters who were orphaned, illegitimate, abandoned or destitute.

Ref: AWNS-19130724-40-2, Children from an orphanage in Takapuna, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Dr Morris Matthews was the first to analyse New Zealand childhoods spent in institution. She based her research on publicly available information about children's homes and she also held interviews with people who had experienced institutional childhoods.

Ref: AWNS-193730-53-2, Playtime at an Auckland orphanage, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Generally children entered orphanages when there were around three or four years old and they suffered long-term effects of emotional abuse. “For some [of the care givers], the children they grew up with remained ‘like family’ all their lives, and their networks and friendships remain strong.” Read more about this story.

Other books by Dr Kay Morris Matthews in Auckland Libraries heritage collections.

 

Ref: AWNS-19050608-3-1, Opening of an orphanage in Nelson, Sir George Grey Special Collections