Regarding the segregation at Pukekohe Primary School, I attended the school between 1943 and 1952 and there was no segregation between Maori and European children other than at swimming time. The pupils of the day enjoyed their time on Fridays. All children were inspected before entering the pool and often were checked for head lice and sores which were very prevalent through those years. All pupils were required to walk through a foot pool to cleanse their feet. I have checked with pupils older than and younger than myself and at no time was there any segregation regarding the toilets, as stated in the book and the author,s presentation. There was one block of toilets for Girls, and one for Boys, The statement that Maori children were punished for using the wrong toilets is defiantly misleading, and I can find many who attended the said school to back that up. Teachers would often provide lunches for those less fortunate pupils. I myself made many Maori friends during my education and went on to work with those same schoolmates.
