Expulsion from the Waikato

Back at Otawhao, Gorst now had to move his family out of their comfortable cottage into a large and rather tumble-down house where the Rev. J. Morgan, the missionary and postmaster, had lived for 20 years and where he had his school. Morgan, angry at not being consulted, rather resented this move. He had a large family and Gorst’s cottage was poky. But generously enough he decided to put no obstacle in the way of the changes if these would help the Maoris. ¹ In the meantime, work on the technical school proceeded apace, helped by Gorst’s enthusiasm. The house was in need of considerable repair but the school buildings were sound and could be adapted for their new purpose. About 20 pupils were selected and the teaching staff arrived. The General Assembly meeting at Wellington voted ample funds for the new work and then agreed as well to the building of a hospital on Crown land at Te Awamutu (this had been promised before). There were to be two doctors, one attached to the hospital and the other, the Rev. A. Purchase, acting as a ‘Medical Commissioner’; he was to travel around the Waikato to attend to the sick and to improve public health.