Mother Aubert Pioneer in Maori Education and Social Services

Abstract

A young French girl arrived in Auckland in 1860. Unknown in a foreign land and knowing nothing of English, Suzanne Aubert became one of the most respected and well-beloved figures in New Zealand's history. More than 100 years have passed and the memory of Suzanne Aubert has not faded, yet little has been written about her life and work. Her monuments have been erected in silent stone, her inscription of 'love and service' has been quietly etched upon the hearts of abandoned foundlings, chronic invalids, and the indigent rejects of a growing Colony, who have left no record of her selfless devotion to the poor of this land. Few people know about her aristocratic background or her life in France. Forgotten is her work for the education of Maori girls in Auckland, her district nursing in Hawke's Bay, the establishment of her Maori schools and her foundling home on the Wanganui River. Remembered is her work in Wellington where her Homes of Compassion have flourished and cared for the poor, the old and young, the deformed, all outcasts in the Capital.