You are logged in as
Logout
You are logged in as
Logout
Dear Parents and Caregivers
Kia ora koutou.
It is an absolute privilege to be the new Rector of St Andrew’s College, and to be following on from the remarkable and outstanding 17 years of leadership under Christine Leighton. St Andrew’s is clearly in a place of strength across all areas of the College.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my first busy few weeks settling into my new role and have been so appreciative of how friendly and welcoming everyone has been. There is such a positive vibe across the school. St Andrew’s is clearly a very busy place, with so many opportunities available for our young people. Many schools may claim to offer a holistic (all-round) education, but St Andrew’s truly delivers this.
A simple quote on the philosophical purpose of education that always resonated for me was from American Civil Rights champion Martin Luther King, Jr. who said that the true goal of education is developing both the intellect and character. This truth is so very evident at St Andrew’s.
My very first duty as the new Rector was to welcome the three visiting schools, who were hosted by our Senior Boys’ 1st XI cricket team for the annual pre-season Trans-Tasman Cricket Quadrangular Tournament (Monday 13 – Friday 17 January). This was a great chance to meet these young men and their parents and see our team confidently dispatch Geelong College (outside of Melbourne) and Scots College (Wellington), before stumbling against Scotch College (Adelaide). This was then followed up the next week (Tuesday 21 January) with a separate cricket fixture against King’s School (Sydney) in which our St Andrew’s boys bounced back with a convincing win. In this game I particularly enjoyed watching a century scored by Year 12 student Tom Simpson. Our cricket no doubt should have a great season ahead this year under the experienced coaching of Mike Johnston and Mark Lane.
My wife Judi and I travelled to Twizel for a weekend (Friday 17 – Sunday 19 January) meeting our young rowers at their start-of-year camp and pre-season competition at the Canterbury Club Championships regatta. In glorious weather at Lake Ruataniwha, we cheered on our rowers, which this year is an 85-member squad. This is such a great sport for young people to grow and develop themselves, both physically and mentally. These young rowers’ dedication and commitment is matched by our staff, coaches and parents who all support them. I greatly appreciated meeting Craig Lewis who chairs the parents’ rowing group, and this very supportive group of parents.
It was great to see and meet our new and returning boarders settling into their new ‘home’ – with a welcome BBQ on Saturday 25 January for the new Year 9 parents. I have been impressed with the excellent boarding staff team who are ably led by Director of Boarding, Matt Parr. Boarding is such a special and important part of St Andrew’s, and an area of schooling Judi and I are very familiar with, having previously run boys’ boarding at St Peter’s School, Cambridge.
During this first week of the new school year, the staff have been enjoying reconnecting with colleagues, supporting new colleagues, and engaging with a range of quality professional learning. It has been delightful seeing all our students coming onto the campus. Head of Middle School, Matt Parr, and his team, ran a great Year 9 orientation programme on Wednesday, designed to help our new Secondary School students settle in. Yesterday’s official pōwhiri to welcome new staff and students into the St Andrew’s College whānau was a wonderful occasion and an important process to undertake through our beautiful Māori cultural traditions. We are very grateful for the support and involvement of Ngāi Tahu for this pōwhiri.
Pōwhiri Flickr >
First Day of school 2025 >
At today's Secondary School Prefect Investiture and Leadership Assembly, we celebrated the investiture of 34 Prefects and introduced the Prefect Theme, is ‘Grounded by the Thistle, Surrounded by Connection.’ This theme reflects not only who we are as a school but also the values we aim to embody as a community. Various Year 12 and 13 leadership positions were also recognised. The event included a music performance by the Jazz Combo and a handover address from last year's Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl. Congratulations to all the students who were acknowledged for their leadership roles.
Rector’s Assembly Address >
Heads of College Morning Comment >
2025 Prefect Team >
Prefects’ Investiture and Leadership Assembly Flickr >
It has been an absolutely wonderful start to my time at St Andrew’s and this new year ahead.
Ngā mihi mahana
Mark Wilson
Rector
During January, St Andrew's College hosted the annual cricket Quad Tournament between The Geelong College, Scotch College Adelaide, Scots College Wellington, and St Andrew's. After tough conditions to prepare wickets, the weather eventually played its part for the full week of cricket. Teams were based at St Andrew’s and Elmwood Park, with the visitors staying in the boarding houses. The one-day competition came down to the final between Scotch and St Andrew’s, but unfortunately St Andrew’s batting let them down and they were bowled out for 139, which Scotch got four wickets down. The 20/20 final came down to the last ball where Scots needed a six to win but only managed two, which gave Scotch the title and St Andrew’s second place. It was an excellent week of cricket both on and off the field as all teams got into the spirit of the competition.
The 1st XI cricket team hosted King's School from Sydney in a 50-over match last Tuesday. Batting first, St Andrew’s was in some trouble losing three quick wickets, but Tom Simpson and Liam Costeloe (both Year 12) combined in a 100-run partnership, with Tom going on to make a very impressive 105, with the team managing to get a target of 270. King’s made a very solid start and were 92 for two, but Hugo Fairweather-Logie (Year 12) bowling his off-spinners halted proceedings, taking 5/16 and restricting King’s to 140. The College has a long-standing relationship with King’s School, which was evident amongst the staff and boys alike at the after-match function.
FLICKR >The new Year 9 cricketers had a skills session on Tuesday in the Preparatory School’s ‘Cloud’. The staff who co-ordinated this were very impressed with the skill level of those who attended. We will be looking at entering two teams in the Year 9 grade for Term 1.
FLICKR >
In early January, a group of 18 akōnga travelled to the west coast of the USA for a 10-day basketball tour. The team began their tour in Phoenix, Arizona, where they participated in a Bigfoot Hoops tournament against some of the top programmes in the region. They were fortunate enough to attend an NFL game and play a pair of games against a local high school, before traveling back to Los Angeles (LA), California. In LA, the team attended a men's college basketball game, before settling in for two days of training and development at the world-renowned Sports Academy. The team played evening games after the training days, before getting exclusive access to watch the number one-ranked, undefeated, UCLA women's basketball team train from courtside. In total the team played 16 games during the tour. The final day consisted of local sightseeing, including Santa Monica and Venice Beach.
FLICKR >The rowing squad, numbering 85 rowers and coxswains enjoyed fantastic weather and water conditions at their recent training camp and Canterbury Rowing Championships regatta at Lake Ruataniwha. The training from the rowers over the summer holidays is starting to pay off as there were some significant improvements in performances of crews from the previous Otago Championship regatta prior to Christmas. The team made 22 A-Finals and seven B-Finals, of which eight crews gained a top 3 placing in an A-final. It was exciting to see both the Girls’ U19 Eight and the Boys’ U17 Eight win their respective A-final races.
FLICKR >
Another highlight for the rowing team was the boat naming ceremony for two new Hudson fours, named Rutherford and Rentoul, which were unveiled by our new Rector, Mark Wilson, and his wife Judi. The rowers trained and raced hard all week, while also enjoying other activities such inter-house rowing, swimming and a triathlon race.
FLICKR >This blog presents five crucial questions for parents to ask themselves at the start of every sports season to ensure their child’s positive experience in sports.
READ THE BLOG POST >
Staff, students, and whānau began the year with an inspiring presentation by Dr Tony Fernando, a Buddhist monk, psychiatrist, and lecturer from the University of Auckland. Dr Fernando shared wisdom from the Buddha, offering practical ‘mind hacks’ to help us stay calm in today’s busy world.
His teachings focused on managing expectations, practicing mindfulness, embracing different perspectives, and fostering a generous spirit. Audiences not only appreciated his practical advice but were inspired by his calm presence, kindness, and gentle humour, which perfectly embodied his message.
If you missed this presentation, you could learn more about Dr Fernando’s insights in his latest best-selling book, Life Hacks from the Buddha: How to be calm and content in a chaotic world. Alternatively, listen to his interview on RNZ: Life Hacks from the Buddha.
At the end of 2024 around one hundred students were selected to be Peer Support leaders for the 2025 Year 9 students. The group undertook two days of training in December and then came back to school early this week to prepare for the Year 9 cohorts’ arrival on Wednesday.
Each tutor group has been allocated five or six Peer Support Leaders who worked with the Year 9 students over various sessions throughout their first day at the College. This is a key role in helping the Year 9 students to feel like they belong at St Andrew’s and to start making connections with each other and some senior students. The highlight of the day for the Year 9 students and the Peer Support Leaders was the evening activities. Students enjoyed a light meal together before heading out to the field for some activities, including a bouncy castle race, multisport, charades, a tug of war, and other activities.
The programme continues on a weekly basis throughout Term 1, with a range of activities to ensure our Year 9 students are supported as they start their journey at St Andrew’s.
Our Year 9 boarders have been fully immersed in their orientation to the College and boarding since arriving on Saturday afternoon. A group of 30 Year 9 students started their boarding journey moving in and enjoyed a family BBQ. The new entrants have now completed their orientation programme, designed to keep them busy and help these ‘strangers’ from around the South Island and abroad, knit together as a cohort. This has involved learning routines and making connections with staff and their peers.
The orientation programme saw them head to Adrenaline Forest, a surfing lesson in Sumner. A classroom session explored Manaakitanga and discussed ways to support others in reaching their full potential. The students visited Alpine Jet Thrills in Springfield for an exhilarating jet boat experience, followed by an overnight stay at Kura Tawhiti, Castle Hill Lodge, where they enjoyed a student-prepared dinner, and activities designed to prepare students for their boarding journey. These challenges required tolerance, good communication skills, valuing other people, inclusiveness, and collaboration to be successful – much like what is required as a boarder. Next was a river/hill walk, then the group packed up the lodge and headed ‘home’ to the boarding houses.
FLICKR >
Earlier this week our upper-level dancers (Years 7–8 and Secondary School) jump-started their year with two intensive days of training in ballet technique, repertoire, and body conditioning. In repertoire experiences the Secondary School dancers were challenged with the Black Swan variation (from Swan Lake) and the Year 7–8 students enjoyed learning Squirrel Nutkin from Tales of Beatrix Potter.
FLICKR >Every year we have a special concert put on by our school Itinerant music tutors for Year 9 and Preparatory School students. This year we commissioned a special arrangement of movie themes from our arranger in residence, William Ernest (who also arranged Stairway to Heaven and Viva la Vida) that showcases the different instruments of the orchestra. As a special bonus, we brought back the 2024 Year 13 students to do a reprise performance of Viva la Vida. You can view the concert here.
Students are encouraged to sign up for music lessons using the link below:
A big feature of the past three days has been the individual and class/tutor group photographs for all 450 Preparatory School and 1158 Secondary School students. Parents will receive an email in the coming weeks advising when these are available to purchase online.
Tavé Stuart (Year 13) went to the Australian National Showcase dance competition in the Gold Coast last week and, in addition to her dance troupe winning Overall Supreme National Champion for Australia, individually achieved the following:
Over the break, Alexander Black (Year 13) was appointed to the U19 and U17 national softball tournaments at which he passed his New Zealand Umpires Badge and was appointed to the final as Plate Umpire. He also umpired at the South Island U15 Open Club Championships in Invercargill in the third week of January and has been appointed to the Men's Open Championships in March, which is the pinnacle men's event on the softball calendar.
On Sunday 15 December, Cohnor Walsh (Year 11) and Sophie Lampe (Year 10) competed at the Canterbury Secondary School Triathlon Championships. Sophie took first place in the Youth Female U16 category, and Cohnor also finished first in the Youth Male U16 category, securing second place in the PAK'nSAVE Triathlon Festival.
Hanxi (Cicy) Chen and Eileen Jiang (both Year 11) attended the summer camp for the New Zealand Olympiad in Informatics held in Christchurch in early January. They are to be congratulated not only for giving up a week of holidays for an intense programme of study, but also for their exemplary behaviour at the camp.
Wilde Brabazon-Fleming (Year 10) is playing the role of Lysander in his Shakespearean debut with Canterbury Youth Theatre. He has been performing in theatre productions since the age of four with Newtown Arts Company in the US and has been training with The Court Theatre since the age of six.
Eleanor Nortje (Year 5) and Agnes Buist (Year 6) received the Examination Scholarship for their respective grades (Initial and Grade 2) at the recent Summer Fling highland dance four-day event. Only one scholarship is awarded per grade from close to 40 pupils per grade.
Ben Ashman, Coby Goode (both OC 2024) and James Tavendale (OC 2020) were part of the Avon coxed eight who won their race at the Canterbury Championships on Lake Ruataniwha in Twizel earlier this month.
Mike Camm (OC 1962) recently became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for his dedication to wildlife conservation. Mike has been a champion for kiwi and pāteke (Brown Teal) recovery for over 25 years. In 1998, he and his wife bought a 120-hectare property in Tūtūkākā, transforming it into a haven for these species. He founded the Tutukaka Landcare Coalition in 2003 and co-founded Kiwi Coast in 2013, connecting conservation efforts across Northland. Under his leadership, Kiwi Coast has trapped over 700,000 pests and seen the return of kiwi to previously silent sites.
Good luck to all students who are representing the College over the weekend in sports and cultural activities including:
If you wish to sign-up your child for one of the below co-curricular activities, please visit the link below.
Sign Up Forms Link > https://stac.nz/PrepForms
For further information about co-curricular groups, itinerant lesson options, and tutors, please contact one of the following:
The Robert Burns Scottish Scholarship (RBSS) is a significant scholarship offered to one male and female in Year 12 each year. The scholarship provides the successful students the opportunity to learn about the history, customs and heritage of Scotland through the life and works of the revered poet, Robert Burns. The successful scholar gains the opportunity to be an ambassador of St Andrew’s College while traveling to leading independent schools in Scotland.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
View the Robert Burns Scottish Scholarship Booklet – for Female applicants here >
View the Robert Burns Scottish Scholarship Booklet – for Male applicants here >
All applications must be completed by Friday 7 February 2025.
If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact Director of International Students and Exchanges, Pāle Tauti, at PTU@stac.school.nz.
PTA meetings start at 6.30pm and are held in the Preparatory School staffroom. The dates for 2025 are:
All 2024 photographs are now available to purchase online:
Details of how to order the photographs can be found on our website using the button below and you will need to log into StACNet using your St Andrew's College login.
You will be notified when 2025 individual and class/tutor group photographs are available to purchase online.
If you have any questions relating to this service, please email photography@stac.school.nz
For any illness, students should stay home if unwell. Any student should also feel free to wear a mask if they wish to do so while at school.
For any absence, whether ill-health (including COVID-19) or otherwise, the College’s preferred platform for reporting this is via our online form which can be found at the button below:
If you are not able to report your child's absence using the online form, please report their absence via the relevant email address below. If you cannot get through to us via the form or email, please call our attendance line on +64 3 940 2031 (term time only).
The Community Business Directory is on our website and represents over 100 parent businesses. Please take a look at how many businesses you can support locally.
The St Andrew's College Community Business Directory >
If you would still like to register your business, complete the following form.
Community Business Directory Registration >
For a full list of upcoming school events, please refer to the fixtures page on StACNet.
