Our History
Our school was named after the Somerville Family who owned the land on which the school was built.
Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki originally occupied several paa, or fortified villages in the Mangemangeroa Valley, using the forest and marine environments for food and shelter. Evidence of midden sites, kumara pits and stepping stones show occupation occurred in at least five different sites within the Valley. For more information on Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, click here.
In 1863, Archibald Somerville purchased an extensive area of farm land (then known as the Paparoa Farm).
The Original Somerville Family Homestead
In 1870, Māori who were living in Mangemangeroa, left for Waiheke as more farms developed.
The Somerville Family subdivided and sold off areas of their undevelolped farm in 1988, earmarking a portion of land to be used for a school after Archibald Somerville’s death.
In 1992, Archibald Somerville died at the age of 60.
In 1996, with the large number of houses being built in the area, a new intermediate school was needed and so the building of our school commenced.
Somerville Intermediate School opened to students on 28 January 1997.