As noted, the Wellington training college had a modified set of Montessori apparatus. When the Director of the School for the Deaf at Sumner, Christchurch requested a set of Montessori apparatus in July 1915, it was the Prime Minister of New Zealand, W. F. Massey, who wrote to the High Commissioner for New Zealand in England to order a complete set of Montessori apparatus. The materials were purchased for 8 pounds 8 shillings and shipped on the S. S. Rangatira, which was shipwrecked on route to New Zealand. Part of her cargo was saved but unfortunately not the Montessori apparatus. The apparatus was re-ordered in October 1916 but as it was during the war it did not arrive until December 1917 (Education Department File re Montessori Education, E-W, W1012, 29/21).
Despite such complications caused by the War, by late 1916 the Assistant Director of Education, J. Caughley reported:
. . .. that there is a considerable number of schools where the Montessori system is being carried out. A few that may be instanced are the Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin Training Colleges, the central infant school, Wanganui, as well as several other infant departments in that district. In addition to these quite a number of teachers in infant schools in Invercargill and other centres have adopted the Montessori method in the infant classes. It will therefore be seen that the system is being very extensively tried in New Zealand, as students in the Training Colleges are also being trained in the system there will be considerable experience on which to base judgement as to the value of the system in relation to New Zealand education (Assistant Director of Education to J. H. E. Schrader, Canterbury University College, 16 October 1916, New Zealand National Archives E-W, W1012, 29/21) [italics added] .
The Wanganui Education Board
The reference to the Central Infant school in Wanganui was germane as this proved to be the most significant experiment with Montessori teaching that occurred in New Zealand. Prior to Simpson's (1914) report being published, the Wanganui Education Board made plans to send a teacher representative to Australia in February 1914 for the " purpose of gaining an insight into the working of the Montessori system" (Minutes of the 439 meeting of the Wanganui Board, p. 159, ABCV W3571, Education Board Minute Books 1912- 19, Box 100). In December 1913 the Board agreed to ask Miss Mary D. Alexander, Head-teacher of the Central Infants' School, if she would be willing. A follow-up to Braik's visit, however, was not undertaken until 7-18 June 1914 when Alexander along with two other teachers, Miss Emily Blennerhassett, Assistant-teacher at St. John's Wanganui, and Miss Harriet Hall-Jones travelled to Sydney to visit Blackfriars. After their visit Alexander and Blennerhassett published their reports in the Leaflet (Minutes of the 445th meeting of the Wanganui Board, p. 228, Wanganui Education Board ABCV W3571, Education Board Minute Books 1912-19, Box 100). The Leaflet was a periodical publication
edited by the Senior Inspector, for Wanganui teachers (Miltch-Conway
&
Openshaw, 1988).Before travelling to Sydney, Alexander stated in her report that she was "doubtful if the amount of freedom suggested in the book could be a good thing for large classes and in the hands of weak and incompetent teachers" (Alexander, 1914, p. 9). During her visit, however, she changed her mind and was anxious to begin using the Montessori method at once in the Central Infants' School. In her report Alexander provided details of Simpson's visit to Rome to demonstrate that Simpson had a thorough knowledge of Montessori's method and had tested it "so that we could not have gone to anyone better equipped to demonstrate it to us" (Alexander, 1914, p. 7). She relayed that "Simpson thought it wise to go slowly with the method and at Blackfriars has only certain periods during the day when the method is used" (Wanganui Education Board, Vol. 1-4, July 1914, p. 8).
In her report Alexander pointed out that, as teachers of Infant Schools, they were more interested in the older children, from five years of age so most of their time was spent observing in that classroom. In identifying the limitations of Montessori's method, she stated that it did not " provide for storytelling, nursery rhymes and poetry in her curriculum", but she believed teachers could adopt Montessori's principles of liberty in teaching these subjects (Alexander, 1914, p. 13). She cautioned, though, that "if we are to make the Montessori method a success in our schools in New Zealand more liberty must be given to the teacher in arranging the curriculum"(Alexander, 1914, p. 13). Alexander concluded at the end of her visit that she was "quite satisfied that the Montessori method would help us considerably in our Infant Schools if it is systematically introduced and undertaken by teachers who thoroughly understand the method" (Alexander, 1914, p. 13).
Blennerhassett's report stated that Simpson gave them an insight into the method, which they would not have been able to gain by reading Montessori's book. She outlined two essential components of Montessori. First was the "principle of liberty", which Blennerhassett understood to be self-discipline with the teacher becoming an observer, a director. "She guides the child without letting him feel her presence too much, is always ready to help but never an obstacle between the child and her experience" (Blennerhassett, 1914, p. 15). The second was the sense training material and the way it could be applied to teaching children phonics, reading and numbers. Blennerhassett was convinced that the "method is superior to our own - it would tend to develop more self-reliance, individuality, originality, freshness of thought" (Blennerhassett, 1914, p. 1 7). Nonetheless, like Alexander, Blennerhassett was of the opinion that " sweeping changes would not be desirable or in any way necessary - this method can be worked gradually into our schools as at Blackfriars" (Blennerhassett, 1914, p. 1 7).
In early 1915 Braik died but the Wanganui Education Board continued to be enthusiastic about the educational possibilities of Montessori. The Wanganui inspectors, who were now headed by T. B. Strong, worked on introducing Montessori methods into the districts schools, most of which were in the country areas. Strong, who had taken over from Braik as editor of Leaflet, published an article on Montessori but warned that " . . . as a body without a soul is but useless clay, so apparatus used without regard to the underlying principle is but useless lumber" (Editorial, The Montessori System, Leaflet, May 1915, quoted in Miltich-Conway & Openshaw, 1988, p. 192).
During this time teachers at Wanganui Central Infants School worked towards introducing Montessori methods into their programme. In 1914 Hall-Jones, one of the three teachers who had traveled to Blackfriars, joined Alexander on the teaching staff. Early in 1915 Blennerhassett transferred from St. John's to join both Alexander and Hall-Jones. Mary D. Hawk, another enthusiastic supporter
of Montessori's ideas, headed the teaching team (Miltch-Conway