By Roselyn Fauth
What if I told you that a Timaru girl, born in 1866, to Scotsman, Physician and Surgeon Dr Duncan and Ann McLean from the Channel Islands, went on to shape the future of more than 8,000 young women across New Zealand, and was later honoured by the King at Buckingham Palace? Her name was Mary McLean appointed in 1898 after the fire that split Timaru High School, was the first principal of the newly established Timaru Girls’ High School. She was 32 years old when she was hired in 1898.
She modernised curricula, introduced science, arts, music, physical education, and pushed for equal access for less academic pupils. These reforms reflected and accelerated New Zealand’s wider secondary school transformation. Her career was capped by a personal investiture at Buckingham Palace, where King George V awarded her the CBE in 1928. This honour recognised her as one of New Zealand’s foremost educators. In retirement she founded the Women’s Social Progress Movement (1929), which campaigned on temperance, censorship, women’s representation, and relief during the Depression.
She began in Timaru, a provincial town, and rose to national prominence. Mary Jane McLean never married and did not have children. Like many women teachers of her era, marriage would have meant having to resign from her profession, so she devoted her life entirely to education and public service. Her story shows how women from regional New Zealand shaped the nation. For Timaru, she is a reminder of how local schools produced leaders who influenced far beyond South Canterbury.
When I was a student at Timaru Girls’ High School, I knew the classrooms, the uniforms, the friendships... but I didn’t know the story of the woman who had stood at the very beginning of it all. Her name was Mary Jane McLean, and she was our first principal. Born here in Timaru, she went on to become one of New Zealand’s most important education leaders. She even travelled to Buckingham Palace to be honoured by King George V himself...
From Timaru Girl to University Scholar
Fun Fact: She earned TWO degrees!
Mary was born in Timaru on 4 April 1866, the eldest daughter of Dr Duncan McLean, a respected local physician and surgeon, and his wife Ann (mee le Ber), whose family came from the Channel Islands. She grew up in South Canterbury with her siblings Henry (known as Harry) and Agnes. Her brother Harry became a doctor and served in the First World War – badly wounded at Gallipoli, he returned to active service in France and later with the occupying forces in Germany.
Mary’s early education was at Timaru Main School and then Timaru High School. She had a love of learning that carried her further than most women of her time. While teaching part-time, she studied university papers by correspondence. In 1886 she moved to Christchurch to attend lectures at Canterbury College. By 1888 she had completed a Bachelor of Arts with honours in botany and biology, and in 1890 she gained a Master of Arts with honours in Latin and English.
First Principal at Just 32: She was paid £150 less than the boys’ principal!
In August 1897, fire destroyed much of Timaru High School. The decision was made to formally separate the boys’ and girls’ schools. From 1898, George Hogben became rector of the boys’ school, while Mary McLean was appointed the first principal of Timaru Girls’ High School.
She was just 32 years old. Hogben’s salary was set at £450, while Mary was paid £300 – a striking reminder of the gender inequality of the time. Even so, she embraced the opportunity with energy and vision, determined to build something meaningful for the young women of Timaru.
Building a Great School in Wellington: She taught 8,000 girls over career!
In 1900, Mary applied for and was appointed principal of Wellington Girls’ High School (renamed Wellington Girls’ College in 1905). She would remain there for 26 years, living in Wellington for the rest of her life.
She inherited a school with low enrolments, poor facilities, and limited support. But she modernised the curriculum, introducing drawing, class singing, gymnastics, and improved science teaching. She balanced high academic expectations with opportunities for less academic pupils, especially after the free-place reforms of 1911 that made secondary education accessible to more young people.
By the time she retired in 1926, the roll had grown from 87 to 850. It is estimated that more than 8,000 girls passed through the school during her leadership.
Always Learning, Always Sharing: She introduced the gym tunic!
Mary was deeply committed to both faith and learning. A Presbyterian, she strongly supported the school’s Christian Union, which encouraged service and philanthropy.
She also took study leave twice – in 1907 and 1918 – to Britain, Europe, and North America to keep up with the latest ideas in education. After visiting a Swedish college of drill and games, she introduced the gymnastic tunic. This new style of uniform was soon adopted in girls’ schools across New Zealand. She also championed better libraries and science facilities, ensuring her students had access to the tools of modern learning.
Speaking Up for Girls’ Education: She asked for scholarships to match the Rhodes!
In 1912, Mary gave evidence to the national Education Commission. She called for:
- Equal opportunities for girls, including scholarships equivalent to the Rhodes awards
- Bible in schools at all levels
- Continuous assessment to replace exams (even for university entrance)
- A university chair in economics to provide expert advice to government
These ideas show how far-sighted she was – her vision combined academic rigour with social purpose, always asking how education could better serve young people and the wider community.
A view entitled "Timaru looking south from the dome of the R.C.Church", taken in March 1911. The view looks south-south-west from the dome of the Basilica, over the Sacred Heart Convent and towards the original Timaru High School (later Timaru girls High School) behind it (in the far left background). South Canterbury Museum 2451b
Farewelled in Style.
Fun Fact: She met the King!
Mary retired in June 1926, farewelled with a civic ceremony in a packed Wellington Town Hall. She was presented with an illuminated address – a document still preserved today in the National Library of New Zealand.
In 1928 she travelled to London, where King George V personally invested her as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) at Buckingham Palace.
A Life of Service
Fun Fact: She started her own women’s movement!
In retirement, Mary continued her commitment to social good. In 1929 she founded the Women’s Social Progress Movement, enlisting the wives of civic and national leaders. The group campaigned for temperance, censorship, women’s political representation, and organised relief work during the Depression years of the 1930s.
Although the movement faded after Labour’s 1935 election victory, it reflected Mary’s lifelong belief that education and social responsibility went hand in hand.
She lived with her siblings Henry and Agnes in Wellington for many years. Both predeceased her. Mary McLean died at her home in Mulgrave Street, Wellington, on 9 February 1949, aged 82. She never married – perhaps because women teachers of her time were expected to resign if they did. Instead, she poured her life into education and public service.
My Reflection – What Mary Has Taught Me
As a former Timaru Girls’ High School student myself, learning about Mary McLean has been an eye-opening and personal journey. When I sat in classrooms at the school, I didn’t realise the opportunities I had – to study, to speak up, to pursue leadership – were built on foundations laid by women like her.
Her story has taught me that education is more than books and exams. It is about courage, vision, and the belief that young women deserve the same chances as anyone else. Mary lived within the limits of her time, yet she turned those limits into opportunities for others.
I see myself reflected in her story: a Timaru girl shaped by this place, by its schools, and by the women who came before me. Mary’s legacy reminds me that the choices we make can ripple outwards, shaping not only our own lives but also the future of those who follow.
For me, Mary McLean is more than a figure in school history. She is one of my heroines.
Old Girl Roselyn Fauth in the Archives Room learning about her schools history.
References and Thanks
I want to acknowledge the historians and archivists who have carefully preserved Mary McLean’s story, making it possible for me to connect with her life today. Without their work, I could not have learned about her achievements or shared them here. Thank you to the Timaru Girls High archivists.
Te Ara – Dictionary of New Zealand Biography: https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/3m26/mclean-mary-jane
NZHistory – Suffrage Roll (Mary McLean): https://nzhistory.govt.nz/suffragist/mary-mclean-0
Infinite Women (republished DNZB biography): https://www.infinite-women.com/women/mary-mclean/
Wikipedia – Mary McLean: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_McLean
Aoraki Heritage Collection – Obituary: https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/1024
National Library of New Zealand – Illuminated Address on retirement (1926): https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22849210
Thanks to the people and institutions who have documented Mary McLean’s history and shared it online. Because of that, as a former student, I can walk back through my own school’s past, meet the women who came before me, and discover what they still have to teach me today.
1893-09-16. Portrait of Miss Mary Jane Mclean, 1866-1949 Headmistress at Timaru High School. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections NZG-18930916-0206-03. No known copyright restrictions . View this page on Papers Past: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/new-zealand-graphic/1893/09/16/14
Timaru High School: the tennis lawns -group of girl pupils and academic staff. Timaru High School: the tennis lawns -group of girl pupils and academic staff. The New Zealand Graphic and Ladies Journal, 16 September 1893, p.206. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections NZG-18930916-0206-02. No known copyright restrictions. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/new-zealand-graphic/1893/09/16/14
1893-09-16. Science Lecture Room, Timaru High School. The New Zealand Graphic and Ladies Journal, 16 September 1893, p.207. View this page on Papers Past: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/new-zealand-graphic/1893/09/16/15. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections NZG-18930916-0207-01
1893-09-16. Group of scholars, Timaru High School. The New Zealand Graphic and Ladies Journal, 16 September 1893, p.193. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections NZG-18930916-0193-01.
No known copyright restrictions. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/new-zealand-graphic/1893/09/16/1
1912-01-17 Moulders of young New Zealand's character - State school teachers who attended the recent conference at Timaru. The New Zealand Graphic and Ladies Journal, 17 January 1912, p.28. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/new-zealand-graphic/1912/01/17/28
Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections NZG-19120117-0028-02
Timaru Girls High School around c1915 with girls posted in groups in front of the main school building. South Canterbury Museum 2009/108.01. The schools motto is Motto, Scientia Potestas Est (knowledge is power).
Timeline of Mary Jane McLean (1866–1949)
1866 (4 April) – Born in Timaru, New Zealand, eldest daughter of Dr Duncan McLean (a surgeon, Scottish) and Ann le Ber (Channel Islands family).
1870s–1880s – Attended Timaru Main School, then Timaru High School.
Mid-1880s – Began teaching part-time at Timaru High School while studying extramural university courses.
1886 – Moved to Christchurch to attend Canterbury College, boarding with Professor C. H. H. Cook, later working as resident teacher at Montfleuri Girls’ School.
1888 – Graduated Bachelor of Arts, with college honours in botany and biology.
1890 (April) – Graduated Master of Arts, with honours in Latin and English.
1890 – Appointed first assistant teacher at Timaru High School during reorganisation under Rector George Hogben.
1897 (August) – Fire destroyed much of Timaru High School, prompting separation of boys’ and girls’ schools.
1898 – Appointed first principal of Timaru Girls’ High School, aged 32.
1900 – Appointed principal of Wellington Girls’ High School (renamed Wellington Girls’ College in 1905).
1907 – Took a year’s leave to study education in Britain and Europe.
1911 – Free-place reforms introduced; Mary broadened curriculum to support both academic and less academic pupils.
1912 – Gave evidence to the Education Commission, advocating equal opportunities for girls, Bible in schools, assessment instead of exams, and a university economics chair.
1914 – School roll at Wellington Girls’ College grew to 339 (up from 87 in 1900).
1918 – Took another year’s leave to study in Britain, Europe, and North America.
1925 – Played a major role in establishing Wellington East Girls’ College to manage overcrowding.
1926 (June) – Retired after 26 years at Wellington Girls’ College, farewelled in a packed Wellington Town Hall. Roll had reached 850; an estimated 8,000 girls educated during her tenure.
1926 – Presented with an illuminated address on her retirement (now held by the National Library).
1928 – Travelled to London; invested as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by King George V at Buckingham Palace.
1929 – Founded the Women’s Social Progress Movement, advocating temperance, censorship, women’s representation, and Depression relief work.
1930s – Continued leadership of the Women’s Social Progress Movement until it faded after Labour’s 1935 election victory.
1949 (9 February) – Died at her home in Mulgrave Street, Wellington, aged 82.
Side Quest: The Rhodes Scholarships – and Mary’s Bold Idea
In 1912, Mary McLean gave evidence to the New Zealand Education Commission. Among her suggestions was something remarkably progressive for her time: she argued that girls deserved scholarships equal to the prestigious Rhodes Scholarships for men.
So what were these Rhodes Scholarships? They were created by Cecil John Rhodes (1853–1902) – a British diamond magnate, politician, and ardent believer in empire. When he died, he left money in his will to fund elite scholarships at the University of Oxford. From 1902, young men from across the British Empire, the United States, and Germany could compete for these awards. They were life-changing: winners went on to become prime ministers, judges, professors, and influential leaders.
But there was a catch: women were completely excluded. For decades, only men could benefit from the wealth of Cecil Rhodes.
Mary McLean saw the injustice. Standing before the Education Commission, she argued that New Zealand girls deserved the same opportunities – that there should be scholarships “to match the Rhodes.” This was 65 years before women were finally admitted as Rhodes Scholars in 1977.
Her statement shows just how far-sighted she was. She wasn’t just thinking about teaching in classrooms – she was thinking about how young women could and should stand on the same global stage as men.