Year: 1915 - 1916
Occupation: Kinetic Artist

Leonard Charles Huia Lye was born on 5 July 1901 in Christchurch. In 1914 after achieving proficiency at Te Aro Primary, he began studying commerce at Wellington Technical College but soon changed to art. He received valuable encouragement from his teacher H. Linley Richardson and his classmate Gordon Tovey. Lye is best known for his kinetic art.Len Lye is a controversial figure in New Zealand art, regarded by some as an outsider whose art has little relevance to the local tradition, but seen by supporters of experimental work as an important role model.

Year: 1895 - 1898
Occupation: Artist

Maud teachers included Mabel Hill, Mary Elizabeth Richardson, James Nairn and was she heavily influenced by Arthur Dewhurst Riley, Maude entered competitions and won free places at WTC She completed her teachers certificate by 1899 and took over Nairn’s classes when he died in 1904. In 1910 she held her first exhibition of water colours with varying reviews and in 1911 left NZ. She worked in Europe but took no formal lessons rather relied in Riley’s advice that there was too much teaching especially for promising students” She spent time painting in Breton then moved to Sydney in1913 and was a foundation member of the Australian Academy of Art. She exhibited in the 1940 NZ Centennial exhibition and is recognised as a New Zealand artist who never forgot the subjects techniques and assurance of her early training at WTC.

Year: 1891 - 1893
Occupation: Mayor of Wellington

William Appleton was a very successful business and a successful politician. He was Mayor of Wellington 1944-50 and Karori’s Appleton Park is named after him. He was knighted in 1950. He was a member of the Wellington Harbour Board, a director of the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition Company, president (1948–51) of the Municipal Association of New Zealand and was on the 1954 board of inquiry which investigated the Tangiwai rail disaster.