Regulus Issue 1 | 2024

Editor/Writer: Jo Bailey

Photography: Sue Oxley

Anna Turner

Elizabeth Inglis Photography

Sam Johnson

Lisa Clark

Craig Morgan

Ellen Fell Lightforge

Printing: Caxton

Published: May 2024

General correspondence should be addressed to:

Head of Communications

St Andrew’s College

347 Papanui Road Strowan Christchurch 8052 New Zealand

Telephone: + 64 3 940 2000

Email: comms@stac.school.nz Website: stac.school.nz

Sports Day 42 House Swimming Sports 43 Sports round up

48 S ummer Tournament Week

50 More Maadi gold for St Andrew's; A successful season for the r owing squad

Old Collegians

52 Message from the President; Events 53 Events; Gone but not forgotten; Upcoming events

Class notes

56 Welcome to the world

(Cover) Senior A Girls' futsal team. Back: Juan Chang (Manager), Serena Patel (Assistant Coach), Addison Pilkington, Scarlett Gray, Megan Simpson, Billie Revis, Odette Lieshout, Britney-Lee Nicholson (Coach) Front: Rosalie Lunam, Holly Lyon, Taylor Gordon, Meila Farrelly, Amber de Wit

From Rector the

As I started this year, knowing it would be my last at St Andrew’s College, it got me thinking what makes a successful school? What creates an inclusive welcoming culture? How do we best support young people to develop resilience, self-worth, and character strengths that will serve them well in life. Of course the answer to these questions are complex, however, the thoughts below are I believe relevant.

In March, St Andrew’s celebrated 107 years since the founding of the College in 1917. Our traditional celebration was enjoyed by current students, invited guests and parents, and Old Collegians attending our 60 Years On Reunion (class of 1964). What happened in the years since 1917 and St Andrew’s humble beginnings near hospital corner at Hagley Park, transitioning to Strowan a year later, is a remarkable story. Founders’ Day continues to be a day when we take the opportunity to reminisce, reflect upon our school in days gone by, remember some of our history, and give thanks for what we enjoy today. Understandably I am feeling somewhat nostalgic about my time at St Andrew’s. Over 17 years at the College, I have come to value the traditions and understand the importance of stories. Pondering why St Andrew’s gets under your skin and has remained relevant to over 13,000 students over almost 11 decades,

I again think of the Māori whakataukī.

Kia

whakatōmuri te haere whakamua

I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past.

Over the last century at St Andrew’s College, successive Boards, Rectors, leaders, and staff have responded to the changing world, both here in Aotearoa and globally, weathering destructive and heartbreaking conflicts and wars, devastating pandemics, recessions, and disasters. At each chapel service, students are reminded of the sacrifice made by Old Collegians in WWII in order to understand the impact of conflict and war on everyday lives. Despite these challenging events our College has grown from 19 boys on that first day to 1607 students today.

There has been exponential change in technology, facilities, family structures, rules and expectations, societal norms, and what a school can offer to students by way of opportunities, learning, and personal growth. With education of young people firmly the focus of their commitment, teachers at St Andrew’s have kept an eye on tradition and structure, while at the same time recognising the inevitable change and progress which demands a new way of doing things. Balancing tradition and innovation is at the heart of progress. Our current Vision Statement at the centre of our St Andrew’s Strategic Plan states our commitment to providing students with ‘the roots and wings to flourish in an ever changing world’. It is a delicate dance we must master to honour the roots that ground us, while at the same time we reach for the stars which guide us forward. In this interplay between what has been and what could be, we find the essence of successful evolution where the wisdom of the past meets the possibilities of the future.

Founders’ Day is when we come together as a community to celebrate the vision of our Founders – those traditions and values that were laid down in the early years and have stood the test of time. I know 60 years seems an impossibly long time for anyone under 30, but it’s interesting to note the traditions the students enjoyed in decades back to the 1950s included camps at the Alastair Sidey Mountain Lodge at Castle Hill; Duke of Edinburgh excursions; College productions – it was The Crucible in 1968 when our reunion guests were in their final year; basketball was a popular and competitive sport with the senior team winning their grade; and a St Andrew’s eight rowed for the first time at a Maadi Cup regatta in Wanganui. These St Andrew’s traditions are but some that have remained strong. Alongside them a responsive, generous, and creative spirit has ensured St Andrew’s remains a relevant and progressive school for the youth of today and tomorrow.

Our St Andrew’s traditions give us roots to keep us centred and strong as a school, a connection to something greater than ourselves. This is reflected in our campus and Strowan House, at the heart of the College since 1918. Sitting under the shade of our majestic trees or looking up at the Saltire flag of Scotland or glancing at the Roll of Honour in the Memorial Enclave as we enter the Centennial Chapel, we are reminded of those who have gone before us. We also keep traditions alive by singing the school song and knowing who Regulus was, watching the Pipe Band parade at the Christchurch A&P Show and on Athletic Sports Day, dressing up in House colours and belting out the chants, living by our founding values and Mātauranga Māori principles of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and kaitiakitanga, and honouring our College haka. These time-honoured traditions are what binds us together as a community. Like those who have gone before us, we play for the Thistle, we value the opportunities we have here, we are loyal to each other and our school, but demonstrate humility and inclusivity and celebrate our differences.

Our traditions remind us of who we are, they are the guardians of our heritage, the threads that like our tartan weave together our St Andrew’s cultural identity. However, as we navigate the ever-changing landscape of the 21st century, we need to remember that tradition without innovation is stagnation, a relic of the past clinging desperately to a world that no longer exists.

The students of 2024 are called to dream, imagine and create. Innovation ignites the flames of progress, pushing the boundaries of what we thought possible. By developing the resilience, courage and the skills to be curious our young people will challenge the status quo and influence a positive future.

And so, just like in any community, we need each other. In encouraging our students to be innovative and use their wings to guide us forward, we also remember it is the fusion of old and new that will provide the compass that points us in the right direction. Innovation without tradition is chaos, tradition without innovation is stagnation. I believe at St Andrew’s we are showing what we can do when we balance these two forces. St Andrew’s students will keep listening to or playing the pipes and drums, sing the school song as they mean it, feel their House spirit, be proud and humble at the same time, play sport for the Thistle, enjoy the orchestra, choirs, the jazz and rock bands, and use technology to do better things for the good of all.

As the world keeps changing, we will continue to develop young people whose influence ensures our shared compass steers us all in the right direction.

“Together, building better people, for life”.

Christine Leighton Rector

Thanks

to our

Donors

from the Development Team

New Strowan Members

Bill and Marilyn Burrows and Family

Silver Note

Young and Helen Chen

Theatre Seat

3 x Anonymous

Keith Alloway

Rachelle and Jonathan Connolly

Gillies Family

Deirdre and Gordon Leighs

Jodie and Richard Paterson

Pearson and Williams Family

Perry Robertson Family

Belinda and Hamish Ranken

Rumble Family

Philip and Sue Smith

Wallis Family

Whitehead Family

Annie Young

Viv and Roy Zhang

This issue of Regulus covers highlights from a very busy Term 1

Once again, outstanding success in NCEA examinations and NZQA Scholarship was cause for celebration. Our students were awarded a total of 64 Scholarships, the most of any school in the South Island, including Dux Lachlan Odlin, who earned eight Scholarships (two at the Outstanding level). Lachlan’s impressive record has seen him awarded a place at St Andrew’s University, Scotland to study a Bachelor of Science in Financial Economics, from August 2024, although he is still awaiting offers from other overseas universities.

This summer season has seen a record number of students participating in summer sports, with 168 students competing in various tournaments at National or South Island level. Top three placings were achieved at National tournaments:

• Rowing: Maadi Cup gold – U16 Boys’ 4+ and U18 Girls’ 8+; silver – U18 Boys’ 4+;

• National Futsal Champions – Girls' Senior A Girls' futsal;

• Mixed Tennis – silver;

• S enior A Girls’ volleyball – bronze;

• National Triathlon Champion – Sophie Lampe (Y10).

Many other successes are recorded on pages 43–51 but most pleasing is the positive attitude and sportsmanship displayed by our teams, not only when things go according to plan but also amidst disappointment and the ‘near miss’. The many activities included in this Regulus clearly demonstrate why St Andrew’s students graduate as young people of character who go on to achieve fulfilment in the years beyond school.

From Board the

As I write this, St Andrew’s has just celebrated Founders’ Day with a superb assembly in the Centennial Chapel followed by the Highland Games. It is a highlight for many, as it is one of the few times in a year that the entire student body from Pre-school through to Year 13 gather. Students, staff, and Old Collegians enjoyed a fun afternoon of House competitions in singing, chanting, Highland dancing, and traditional Scottish tests of skill and strength.

Founders’ Day is also a timely reminder that we are all guardians of the College. The students sung, cheered, laughed, and competed, just like the thousands of students who have come before them.

As Board members, we consider it to be a privilege to be the current caretakers of this special place. We honour the work each person at the College does to ensure we are preserving traditions and building the future. As a community we are focused on ensuring that the current students and the thousands of students yet to come will also thrive at St Andrew’s.

We are mindful of this dynamic as we recruit our next Rector. A Board sub-committee was formed for this purpose late last year and is working closely with EQI Global in a global search for the best possible candidates. EQI Global have a longstanding reputation for delivering high-quality senior appointments in a range of organisations, including in the education sector. Advertising and candidate identification for the role over March and April will be followed by a thorough and robust interview and selection process.

This recruitment process has presented a great opportunity to showcase the College and everything it has to offer. It is also an occasion where we can reflect on the strength of the team at St Andrew’s. We have outstanding depth and talent in our teachers, tutors, support staff, and management. They consistently deliver the quality education, continuous improvement, strong leadership, financial management, and pastoral care which are hallmarks of St Andrew’s College. The inclusive and supportive environment we enjoy fosters stability, connection, and unity of purpose.

Our team’s strength contributed in no small part to our students’ strong academic results and cultural and sporting achievements in 2023. We achieved a pass rate in excess of 98 per cent across all three NCEA levels. These results were complemented by 64 NZQA Scholarships achieved across a wide range of subjects, with six at Outstanding level. Two of our students received an Outstanding Scholar Award from NZQA, given to the top 60 scholarship students in New Zealand.

The stunning Ngā Toi, our Performing Arts Centre which includes the Gough Family Theatre, will open shortly with the Senior Production, Legally Blonde Kamo Marsh Landscape Architects have been assisting the College to develop a cultural integration plan to acknowledge mana whenua on our campus. The first stage of implementing this plan has been to incorporate some of the design features into Ngā Toi.

We look forward to seeing the Performing Arts continue to flourish in their new home.

He waka eke noa.

Felicity Odlin Board Chair

On behalf of the Board of Governors

Virginia Simcock wins

Marily Scanlon Award

After 32 years sharing her love of the Japanese language and culture with St Andrew’s students, Virginia Simcock retired at the end of 2023. Her significant contribution, including over 20 years as Head of Modern Languages, was honoured at Prizegiving, when she was presented with the Marily Scanlon Award for Teaching Excellence.

As the sole Japanese teacher at the College throughout that time, Virginia’s engaging teaching style made learning Japanese come alive for her students. She was renowned for the delightful displays in her classroom of all things Japanese.

Virginia joined St Andrew’s as a part-time Japanese teacher in 1992, the same year St Andrew’s officially became co-educational. She soon gained a reputation for being a passionate and skilled teacher, which led to her position becoming full-time in 1996. “I have loved the opportunity to teach Japanese to students right throughout their secondary schooling. We built a great rapport and I’m still in touch with many of my past students today,” says Virginia.

In the early days of her role, there was no technology, just text books, which saw Virginia spend countless hours writing resources for her students.

The nine school trips she led to Japan were ‘definite’ highlights, she says.

“Cultural and language trips give students and teachers the opportunity to get to know each other on a whole different level, and allow them to experience first-hand what they have learnt in the classroom. I know of several St Andrew’s students who were inspired after those trips to go back to Japan to study or work.”

Known at the College as a great organiser with strong connection building skills, Virginia created a sister school relationship with Fukuoka High School, the Kurashiki Exchange, teacher exchanges, and promotional trips.

After taking away ‘many happy memories’ from her three decades at St Andrew’s, helping hundreds of young people to learn Japanese, and develop a better global understanding and cultural awareness, Virginia is excited about entering a new life phase. In her retirement, she hopes to work with and support new migrants to New Zealand, enjoy some travel, and spend more time with her grandchildren.

On hand at Prizegiving to witness the 15th presentation of the Marily Scanlon award was its sponsor (and former Board member) Jay Scanlon. He generously sponsors the $5000 prize in honour of his late wife Marily. Virginia is putting the money towards a tour in Iceland in July.

Virginia Simcock in her classroom just before her retirement from St Andrew’s.

Being awarded the Marily Scanlon Award at Prizegiving.

A Cultural Narrative for

past, present and future

Over the last year, St Andrew’s Museum Archivist and Curator, Pip Dinsenbacher, has taken on the challenge of researching and writing the College’s first Cultural Narrative. “This document will recognise the historical relationship between all the places associated with the College and the mana whenua, Ngāi Tahu. It will also include St Andrew’s Presbyterian and Scottish heritage and culture, another integral part of our history,” says Pip.

To create the document, Pip has undertaken considerable research into the history of the mana whenua in the region going back centuries and has also delved into the history of the four key sites associated with St Andrew’s – the original site of the College in Addington, the current Strowan site, the leased land at Castle Hill, and the farm at Cave. “The Cultural Narrative will include Ngāi Tahu’s guardianship, stories, history, belief systems, and practices which relate to the land, and will help to ensure the tikanga and values of Ngāi Tahu are actioned and acknowledged in our outcomes going forward,” says Pip.

After gathering hundreds of pages of research it became clear that St Andrew’s College had a dual narrative, which would form the basis of its own document. The College relationship with both mana whenua and its Presbyterian heritage would not exist without the other. Bringing the two narratives together in the document, the narrative uses the metaphor of weaving – the warp and the weft, the tartan and the kākahu. While there are some differences between the two narratives, there are also lots of synergies in terms of looking after each other, and keeping language, stories, and traditions alive.

Along with being a public document, the Cultural Narrative will also become a significant teaching resource. It will put into context what was happening on the land well before pre-European settlement, when for example, the Strowan site was largely swampland, used by hunters and gatherers for food. Each site has a rich history, which should be understood by students in the same way that St Andrew’s Scottish Presbyterian traditions and connections are celebrated.

Rector, Christine Leighton, says Pip is doing a wonderful job of weaving together the College’s traditional stories into the Cultural Narrative. “We must also continue to look forward to the changing demographics of our community. Currently our students and staff identify with 22 different ethnicities, so in years to come additional strands in the document will represent the narratives of multiple faiths and cultures represented here. All these strands will bind and tighten in support of each other to represent the future fabric of our College as we continue to celebrate our diversity and commitment to a truly inclusive St Andrew’s community.”

Christine refers to the well-known Māori whakataukī; Ka mua, ka muri – walking backwards into the future, reminding us that we all occupy a particular point-in-time in the history of our land and our kura. “The past, present, and future all eventually merge into our own unique and special story.”

Pre-European settlement, the Strowan site was largely swampland, used by Māori hunters and gatherers for food. It is pictured here in the early 1850s.

Te Ao M ori and Tikanga reflected in new landscaping design

Ornamental latticework in tukutuku style on the Cafeteria window

The sympathetic blending of St Andrew’s Presbyterian Scottish heritage with recognition of mana whenua in the College’s Cultural Narrative, has been visually reflected in the new landscape design for the new Ngā Toi – Performing Arts Centre and the wider campus, says Rector, Christine Leighton.

“We worked closely with Danny Kamo (OC 1991) director of Kamo Marsh Landscape Architects, on the landscape design which is a harmonious merging of Scottish and Māori cultures, and explores various means of expression, including weaving in Te Ao Māori and Tikanga principles.”

The general process of mihi whakatau or welcoming manuhiri (visitors) to the College; wayfinding (how people find their way around the College); St Andrew’s gathering places and recognising the traditional use of the site for Mahinga kai (food gathering) were all key considerations of the design.

Highlights include significant new native plantings, new seating and sculptures, and the incorporation of a range of mahi toi (artistic works) into the existing built landscape.

These include kōwhaiwhai patterns used in Māori carving and art, and tāniko patterns, traditionally used to form the borders of cloaks, which have been specially created for St Andrew’s College, representing its whakapapa, culture, and the whenua. These designs will feature on paving, building walls, posts, and seats around the College, with whariki mat designs also used to decorate paving.

Another special feature is the stunning ornamental latticework pattern in tukutuku style, on the windows of the new Cafeteria. The design is also unique to the College, featuring the St Andrew’s cross and traditional Māori elements.

Danny Kamo says it has been a privilege to work alongside Christine and her team to develop a cultural masterplan for the campus. “We worked with the College’s Cultural Narrative and considered the various current and proposed Māori processes and teachings such as mihi whakatau, or welcomings, and Hangi. It was important to acknowledge where the St Andrew’s campus sits in this whenua or land and we have developed

An artist’s impression from the College’s new landscaping design produced by Kamo Marsh Landscape Architects.

a series of toi or artwork specific to the College and its surroundings, designed to provide a subtle visibility of the Māori culture and Presbyterian faith so important to the College. We are proud to be involved and hope it will be enjoyed for many years to come”

Christine says incorporating Te Ao Māori and Tikanga principles will be reflected in the way St Andrew’s represents its future buildings and plantings. “We remain true to our Scottish symbolism, traditions and identity, and the stories of the founders of St Andrew’s are very special to us. However, living in Aotearoa New Zealand now, it is important we also acknowledge and live our partnership with Māori through the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It is also imperative for our young people, particularly our Māori students, the mana whenua of New Zealand, to see themselves and their culture represented in the College environment.”

Theatre Operations Manager Meet the new

With our new Ngā Toi – Performing Arts Centre set to open in May and become the College’s thriving cultural hub, new Theatre Operations Manager, Stuart Lloyd-Harris, is excited about the opportunities the facilities will provide for St Andrew’s students.

“The College has invested a great deal in the new Ngā Toi complex, and it’s encouraging to see the Arts being supported so well. Without artists, societies would crumble and life would be very dull. St Andrew’s has some amazingly talented teachers bringing the next generation of musicians and actors onto the stage. Having opportunities to perform and showcase their abilities in a professional theatre is such an important part of the learning process.”

Stuart took on the newly created role in late January. His primary responsibility at St Andrew’s is the oversight of Ngā Toi’s systems and procedures, technical requirements such as sound, lighting and A/V, and liaising with theatre/dance staff and external contractors. He will also oversee sound/lighting and A/V systems and procedures for significant one-off school-related events and large-scale school assemblies within the College’s other large venues.

Along with extensive experience in theatre fit-out and theatre management in New Zealand and the UK, Stuart has done contract set, lighting and A/V design for the Court Theatre and various other theatre organisations. Most recently, he was the Technical Director at the Free Theatre, as well as a theatre consultant at Skillwise Charitable Trust. He has also worked as a Technical Director and Tutor at the Centre for Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury, a Theatre Technician at NASDA, Ara Institute, as well as an Technical Manager at an independent cinema and conference venue.

As a multi-talented creative himself, Stuart brings a unique perspective to the role. He has significant experience in photography, lighting and set design, sculpture, writing, and filmmaking. Back in the UK, where he is from, Stuart worked on theatrical lighting design projects for high profile performers including Amy Winehouse and Sinead O’Connor.

Some of his projects in New Zealand include co-creating the permanent earthquake memorial ‘Song Song’, a walk-in musical instrument situated at the entrance to Ara Institute; making a film to accompany the nationwide tour of Flying Nun band, Cloudboy; and co-designing and choreographing a show for Footnote Dance Company.

Stuart hopes Ngā Toi will become a hub of artistic expression for all students at St Andrew’s.

“My goal is to have a vibrant performance space that the students are integrated into operating all elements of. A place for not only the students that want to be on the stage, but also those that may shy away from the limelight and are more interested in the creative world which exists behind the scenes.”

New Westgarth Scholarship

Fond memories of his time attending St Andrew’s College in the 1950s, along with an admiration of former scholarship student, Richie Mo’unga (OC 2012), has contributed to John Westgarth (OC 1960) and his wife, Alison, making a generous gift to St Andrew’s College which will benefit students for years to come.

The Westgarth Scholarship has been introduced in 2024, to support a student entering Year 9. A new scholar will be added each year.

The first Westgarth Scholar is Hao Bo (Terence) Yang (Year 9), an accomplished musician who attended the St Andrew’s Preparatory School on a Music scholarship. Terence’s already impressive achievements include winning first prize in the 2023 Golden Classical Music International Competition, New York, winning the Best Newcomers Award at the 2023 Chamber Music Contest Canterbury District with his chamber group, Pickle, and passing Grade 8 with

“I feel extraordinarily honoured to be the first recipient of the Westgarth Scholarship. I really appreciate Mr and Mrs Westgarth’s generous contribution for supporting the next generation of young music students like me at St Andrew's College. I love music and this scholarship allows me to further develop and explore my music education and skills,” says Terence.

From 1954–1959, John Westgarth walked the short distance from his family home in Heaton Street to St Andrew’s. During his six years, at the College, John played tennis, rugby, and cricket. He was a good student graduating from the Secondary School with an Endorsed School Certificate. In 1957, he won the T D Burnett Memorial Prize awarded for the best essay in Form 4 about ‘A Pioneer Family’. The prize continues to be awarded to this day at the annual Prizegiving.

From an early age, John had a burning ambition to be a farmer. After working as a Romney sheep breeder and farm manager, he took on a large mortgage and purchased his own farm, Punaroa Downs in 1964. He and Alison spent the next 46 years on the farm where they raised their two sons, James (OC 1984) and Ben (OC 1990) who

The Westgarths helped to advance the work prospects and skills of many young people who joined the shearing school on their farm. John was delighted when Agriculture students from St Andrew’s visited their farm, arranged by the College’s legendary PE and Agriculture teacher, Ian Clark, a member of staff from 1952–87.

John and Alison have retired to Twizel where they enjoy an active lifestyle. They have supported the College for many years as members of the Strowan Club, and have given generously to many College fundraising campaigns. They particularly enjoy watching the St Andrew’s rowing crews at regattas held on Lake Ruataniwha, and regularly attend Old Collegian functions, annual Prizegivings, and drama productions.

When the Westgarths visited St Andrew’s late last year, they spoke about the respect they had for Richie Mo’unga’s humility, mana, and remarkable talent, and how his scholarship to St Andrew’s positively impacted his life. It is their hope that the Westgarth Scholarship will give other young people an opportunity to get the best out of a secondary school education at St Andrew’s College.

John and Alison Westgarth, with Rector, Christine Leighton, the first Westgarth Scholar, Hao Bo (Terence) Yang (Year 9) and his parents, Sunny Yang and Xin Liu.

Introducing our 2024 student leaders

Another wonderful group of students have been appointed to a wide range of leadership roles in 2024. Leadership is both an opportunity and responsibility that our students are well supported in. This year’s prefect team, under the leadership of Head Prefects, Hugo Ranken and Meg Simpson, have introduced a theme called ‘All for One, One for All’ as their guiding principle for the year.

Hugo Ranken

Head Prefect

Hugo Ranken says it is a privilege to be a 2024 Head Prefect, and to carry on the legacy of those who have gone before. He is excited to implement the prefects’ theme for 2024 – ‘All for One, One for All’. As an approachable leader, Hugo is always open to a range of others’ ideas, but is happy to make decisions in the best interests of the majority. His main goals for 2024 include helping to ensure everyone feels welcome at St Andrew’s, making a difference in the College community, and continuing to build on St Andrew’s strong school spirit. Hugo has passed NCEA Levels 1 and 2 with Excellence. He is a multi-talented performer and athlete, and has a busy co-curricular programme which includes productions, choir, adventure racing, multisport, water polo, cycling, and mountain biking. After leaving St Andrew’s Hugo hopes to study Osteopathy at Ara, and later look into acting school.

Meg Simpson

Head Prefect

Meg Simpson is honoured and grateful to have been chosen as a Head Prefect. As a leader she values showing kindness, being inclusive, and leading by example by putting others ahead of herself. Fostering a sense of belonging and inclusivity within the school, where every student feels comfortable being themselves, is one of her main goals, alongside encouraging students to embrace the ‘All for One, One for All’ theme. Meg would like to leave a legacy as a kind, hardworking leader, who inspires other students to do this in her own way. A gifted academic, Meg has already achieved NCEA Levels 1–3 with Excellence. She is an exceptional footballer, having represented both Canterbury and New Zealand. In 2025, Meg hopes to study Engineering or Medicine in either Australia or the USA, while also pursuing football.

Holly Maraki

Deputy Head Prefect

Holly Maraki says being chosen as a 2024 Deputy Head Prefect is a significant achievement she is proud and excited by. She describes herself as an involved, reliable, and approachable leader, who likes to lead by example and take action to make things easier for the people around her. She would also like to foster cultural diversity and appreciation within the College. Alongside her leadership role, Holly aims to try new things, and embrace every challenge. Along with achieving NCEA Levels 1 and 2 with Excellence, Holly is a Māori and Pasifika leader, and Polyfest Group leader. She is also a talented sportswoman, playing Senior A netball, Mixed touch and Girls’ sevens, and representing Canterbury and the South Island in netball. She would like to go to university either in New Zealand or overseas to study Forensic Science and Psychology, and continue playing netball.

Carter Rhodes

Deputy Head Prefect

Carter Rhodes is grateful and honoured to be a Deputy Head Prefect, and cannot wait for the exciting year ahead. His leadership style is to ensure others feel included, welcome, and happy. He is approachable, genuine, and forms strong connections. In 2024, Carter aims to foster a cohesive environment where all students feel they belong, create bonds with many different students, and embrace his leadership role. He would like to be remembered as a leader who positively impacted others’ lives, embraced the school spirit, and was someone students felt comfortable to approach. Carter has passed NCEA Levels 1 and 2 with Excellence, and is a valued member of the Senior A basketball and volleyball teams. He plans to study Commerce once he leaves St Andrew’s, either at the University of Canterbury or potentially in the United States, where he hopes to play college basketball.

Gretal Tavendale

Head of Girls’ Boarding

Gretal Tavendale is looking forward to the challenge of helping to lead the boarding community as Head of Girls’ Boarding for 2024, and being part of a leadership team of other Year 13 boarders and staff. She plans to lead by example, and help to foster an environment where individuals can grow. Encouraging positive interactions between year groups, while creating an inclusive community and sense of belonging for all boarders are among Gretal’s other goals. Throughout her schooling, Gretal has been involved in netball, hockey, rowing, and social basketball as well as supporting many cultural and sporting activities from the sidelines. She passed NCEA Levels 1 and 2 with Merit, and in the future is considering going to the University of Canterbury to study Human Resource Management and Communications.

Alex Kinney

Head of Boys’ Boarding

Alex Kinney is grateful for the opportunity to serve as Head of Boys’ Boarding, and expects to gain valuable life skills and grow as a person in the role. His leadership style is all about getting involved, being energetic, encouraging others, and leading by example. In 2024, he plans to help foster a fun, inclusive environment, and to connect with the younger boarders, while being someone they can rely on. He would like to encourage younger boarders towards being good people and to make the most of their opportunities at St Andrew’s. During his time at the College, Alex has achieved NCEA Levels 1 and 2 with Excellence and has been in the 2nd XV rugby team. He is considering studying Engineering at the University of Canterbury, or Agriscience at Lincoln University in the future.

Prefect Team 2024

Benjamin Ashman

Ruby Beynon

Isobel Bhatia

Siara Clarke

Tamaroa Connelly

Shaun Cooper

Jack Flanagan

Sam Gamble

Elliot Graves

Thomas Heffernan

Jenna Howell

Brooke A Hughes

William Kamo

Grace Kempthorne

Hayden Lam

Libby McNee

Áine Molony

Molly-Belle Morrow

Xanthe Pearce

Edward Pitts

Middle School Leaders 2024

Neve Aitken

Lucia Apse

Oliver Barker

George Bissland

Amelia Blockley

Harvey Croft

Hugo Fairweather-Logie

Jacob Farrelly

Cooper Fleming

Sam Foote

Charlotte Galvan

Iona Garrett

Reece Glennie

Matthew Graham

Sylvia James

Isla Kempthorne

Rebecca Kingsbury

Ania Kuziel

Charlotte Kyle

Aaron Li

Daniel Liu

Hannah Papali'i Taimalelagi Malietoa

Ewan Mander

Thomas McIntosh

Sasha McIntyre

Tadhg Molony

Billie Revis

Timothy Richardson

Jack Satterthwaite

Sienna Spark

Sea-am Thompson

Grace Vincent Parr

William Voice

Chantelle Xiong

Olivia Ratcliffe

Scarlett Ryan

Tom Simpson

Katie Taggart

Henry Tayler

Lila Waghorn

Xanthe Ward

Henry White

Matthew Wilcox

Annie Young

Jinyang (Yang) Zhang

Ellie Zhou

TV Studio New cutting edge technology for

The St Andrew’s College TV Studio, a long-time sanctuary for the College’s aspiring filmmakers, journalists, broadcasters, and industry professionals, has undergone a significant transformation with the addition of new cutting edge equipment.

Thanks to a generous $40,000 grant from the PTA, the studio is now the sole 4K-capable television broadcast facility in the entire South Island.

Teacher in Charge of Media Studies, Rachel D’Arcy, says the department is grateful for the support of the PTA, which has enabled it to purchase two new cameras, a camera control unit, cabling, camera lenses, and a monitor for highly accurate colour correcting. “We already had the only fully professional television and digital media studio and control room complex in a New Zealand secondary school. With the new equipment, we can now operate as a full HD studio, with the option to go to 4K.”

The equipment upgrade started during COVID-19, when the College brought a couple of extra cameras to facilitate the extra live-streaming of events that occurred during the pandemic.

The updated four-camera TV Studio replicates a real world environment

and provides some exciting production and performance opportunities, says Rachel. “Our students not only learn the technical intricacies of media production, but how to transform their ideas into captivating visual stories, while pushing the boundaries of creativity.”

The three Year 9 and three Year 10 Media Studies classes learn practical production and technical skills, how the professional TV Studio and control room works, and how to plan and create a production. In Year 12, the focus is to write, plan, and produce a media product, a focus which extends to Year 13 when a major component of the course is to create a short film. Rachel says Media Studies opens up some great career options in several creative fields. “Many of our students go onto Broadcasting School, Film School, or do a Communications degree at university. Whether they want to work in radio or television, be a filmmaker or musician, or work behind the scenes, there are so many career possibilities if they are prepared to be dedicated and work hard.”

Another group to gain valuable skills from the new equipment are members of the student Technical Media Crew, who work behind the scenes at a range of College events under the supervision of Technical Operations Supervisor, Paul Sparkes. He says the TV Studio’s

influence has garnered nationwide industry recognition for the pivotal role it plays in shaping the media professionals of tomorrow. “It is wellknown throughout the industry, and at Broadcasting School, that the skill level of students who come through St Andrew’s is going to be well ahead of other students at a similar age.”

Rachel says the benefits of the TV Studio extend far beyond what students learn in the classroom. “We have an inclusive environment within the studio walls, which allows every student, regardless of their abilities, to find their voice and purpose. It is a place where students are not just welcomed but celebrated for the unique gifts they bring to the table.”

This was highly evident on the first day of Term 1, when a group of students burst through the studio doors at morning tea time, says Paul. “The first thing they said was, ‘we’re home’. It’s a space they can just be themselves.”

Professionals at the helm

Whether students are interested in a career in front of or behind the camera, they have two industry professionals with a host of real-world experience in film and broadcasting to guide them at St Andrew’s.

Rachel D’Arcy, who is driven by her love of storytelling and filmmaking, became the Teacher in Charge of Media Studies at the beginning of 2023. After completing a degree in Filmmaking and Film Studies, and travelling throughout her twenties, Rachel completed her teacher training in Melbourne, then dedicated three years to teaching in a remote indigenous community in Australia. She returned to her hometown of Christchurch during COVID-19. “I love weaving my experiences into my work with Media Studies students – helping to nurture their passions and talents as they chase their dreams of a c areer in the industry,” she says.

Paul Sparkes brings over 25 years of television news and current affairs experience to his role as Technical Operations Supervisor at St Andrew’s. He oversees the technical operation of the TV Studio, and almost every event at the College, guiding the student Technical Media Crew in their operations. Paul started at TVNZ straight out of high school, with his varied career also including a two year Polynesian Performing Arts music course, being part of the initial crew at CTV, then working back as an editor at TVNZ, where he won Best News Editor six times and was a finalist another eight times. Since 2016, Paul has run his own company, Sweet As Media.

He loves giving back the knowledge he has acquired over his long career to the young people at St Andrew’s. “Although I’m not officially a teacher, I ensure the students learn how to

use the gear the right way from the start. It’s great to see their confidence grow and them creating projects they are passionate about.”

Additional creative opportunities

The new equipment in the TV Studio is also supporting the remarkable growth of the Technical Media Crew and Film and Broadcasting Academy (FABA) which both tripled in size in 2023.

The student Technical Media Crew ‘is almost a backbone’ of events at St Andrew’s says Paul Sparkes. “These students do so much great work behind the scenes, often working odd hours. They are at the College early for chapels and assemblies, work in the field during big events like Athletic Sports Day, and spend hours setting up and packing out. They also get valuable experience running outside broadcasts at major College events, such as Prizegiving.”

The Film and Broadcasting Academy (FABA) is a fast growing co-curricular option, held after school on Thursdays for 90 minutes, which has been chosen by around 60 students from Years 9–13. “We have split the large group, with half doing film and half doing television broadcasting. It is great to see so many students interested in exploring their creativity. One of our future goals is to create a regular student-led news show,” says Rachel.

The 2024 Heads of Media, William Couper and Arthur O’Connell (both Year 13), are both members of the Technical Media Crew and are responsible for running the crew’s 30 students, along with FABA, which is a student-led academy. Rachel D’Arcy and Paul Sparkes oversee both initiatives.

They are excited by the broad reach of the Media Department in the St Andrew’s culture and community and the growing numbers of students who are part of it, says Rachel. “The addition of our new equipment has further cemented our legacy of providing industrystandard media education and fantastic opportunities for our students.”

Teacher in Charge of Media Studies, Rachel D’Arcy, and Technical Operations Supervisor, Paul Sparkes

Left: Harry Ferguson (Year 10) behind the camera at the Academic Assembly. Right: Heads of Media, Arthur O’Connell and William Couper (both Year 13).

Another year of impressive NCEA achievement

St Andrew’s College students once again achieved impressive success in NCEA, with a total of 227 Excellence endorsements across all three year levels (77 at Level 1, 91 at Level 2, and 59 at Level 3). Congratulations to all students w ho gained overall Excellence endorsements, along with the many students who gained subject endorsements.

Dux of St Andrew’s College: Lachlan Odlin

As well as being awarded the David Wilton Prize for St Andrew’s College Dux, L achlan Odlin was awarded the Newton Cup for Deputy Head Boy, the Physical Science Prize, and a General Excellence Prize. Lachlan gained three NZQA Scholarship passes as a Year 12 student, and gained an impressive eight NZQA Scholarships in Year 13, including two Outstanding Scholarships. Lachlan also received an Outstanding Scholar Award from NZQA, given to the top 60 scholarship students in New Zealand.

New Zealand Scholarship Awards success

We were delighted that a group of 34 St Andrew’s students (including six in Year 12 and two in Year 11 in 2023) gained a total of 64 NZQA Scholarships with six of these at Outstanding level. Dux of the College, Lachlan Odlin, was successful in gaining an incredible eight Scholarships (including two Outstanding). Joint Proxime Accessit, Gemma Lewis, gained five Scholarships (including one Outstanding) and Annika MacDonald achieved four Scholarship passes. Both Lachlan and Gemma received an Outstanding Scholar Award from NZQA, which is given to the top 60 scholarship students in the country.

• L achlan Odlin (Year 13) – English, Chemistry, Physics (Outstanding), Calculus, Geography, Economics, History(Outstanding), Classical Studies;

• Gemma Lewis (Year 13) – Biology, Chemistry (Outstanding), Agriculture and Horticulture, Statistics, Calculus;

• A nnika MacDonald (Year 13) – Biology, Chemistry, Statistics, Calculus;

• Daniel Robertson (Year 13) –Biology, Chemistry, Physics;

• Kotori Mori (Year 13)

– Japanese, Calculus;

• Bailey Moir (Year 13)

– Calculus, Technology;

• F inlay Fairweather-Logie (Year 13)

– Chemistry, Economics;

• Kyle Sander (Year 13)

– Biology, Statistics;

• A lexandra Irwin (Year 13)

– English, Biology;

• Holly Walker (Year 13) –History, Classical Studies;

• Marco Leighs (Year 13)

– Drama (Outstanding);

• Poppy Rumble (Year 13) –Photography;

• Portia Bennie (Year 13) – English;

• Jacob Giles (Year 13) – Geography;

• Jedd Bright (Year 13) – Accounting;

• Noah Mellish Temple (Year 13 – Technology;

• Meghan Shearer (Year 13) – Statistics;

• Luke Wylie (Year 13) – History;

• Guy Daniels (Year 13) – Statistics;

• Gabriella Kenton-Smith (Year 13) – Biology;

• V ivien Kuziel (Year 13) – Biology;

• Emily Keith (Year 13) – History;

• Lorna Hart (Year 13) – Biology;

• Kyrielle Spenner (Year 13) – Design;

• Ben Schelp (Year 13) – Calculus;

• A aron Moore (Year 12) – Chemistry, Physics, Calculus, Technology;

• L iam Hackston (Year 12) –Geography, History, Religious Studies (Outstanding);

• James Hart (Year 12) – Physics, Chemistry (Outstanding);

• Yuzhou (Chantelle) Xiong (Year 12) – English, Calculus;

• Megan Simpson (Year 12) –Geography, History;

• Bryan Cooper (Year 12) – Calculus;

• Jack Li (Year 12) – Technology;

• Joshua Adams (Year 11) – Calculus;

• Jasmine Hooker (Year 11) – Music.

Board Scholarship Awards

The following group of student leavers from 2023 were presented with Board of Governors Scholarships after gaining NCEA Level 3 Excellence endorsements.

Portia Bennie, Cleo Beynon, Jackson Blake, Neko Brewer, Grace Burnett, Isla Calder, Lily Champion-Smith , Nina Clarke, Makayla Dai, Samuel Edwards, Finlay Fairweather-Logie, Mia Fraser, Jacob Giles, Ewan Hamer, Sophie Hayden, Alexandra Irwin, Chelsea Jenkins, Gabriella Kenton-Smith, Tom Kerry, Kyra Lazor, Marco Leighs, Thomas MacLean, Kate McFerran, Evangeline McNeill, Noah MellishTemple, Bailey Moir, Kotori Mori, Juliet Noordanus, Joshua Ongley, Charlotte Palmer, Poppy Rumble, Kyle Sander, Sienna StowersSmith, Friederica Todhunter, Radha Vallabh, Lauren Whittaker, James Hart (Year 12 2023), Yuzhou (Chantelle) Xiong (Year 12 2023).

St Andrew’s College Dux, Lachlan Odlin (Year 13)

Future

problem solving

St Andrew’s College Preparatory School students experienced huge success at the 2023 Future Problem Solving National Finals winning three first placings for New Zealand amongst other accolades. Several students have now qualified for the international final which will be held at the University of Indianapolis in June 2024.

• Year 8 Future Problem Solvers team for ‘Global Issues Problem Solving’: Maja Clark, Alexa Collis, Alysa Geddes and Sophie Schouten – first place;

• Year 7 Future Problem Solvers team for ‘Presentation of Action Plan’: Alice Glover, Tasmin Wingfield, Benjamin Yu and Joy Zuo – first place;

• Year 8 Individual Problem Solver for ‘Global Issues’: Genevieve Bainbridge-Smith – first place;

• Year 8 Individual Problem Solver for ‘Global Issues’: William Nicholls – third place;

• Year 7 Future Problem Solvers team for ‘Global Issues Problem Solving’: Benjamin Edward, Cong (Zilong) Chen, Louis Hyland and Emmett Lawler – second place.

ICAS Gold Awards

Each year, thousands of students sit examinations in various subjects in the International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) examinations. In 2023, two St Andrew’s College students achieved outstanding success, winning ICAS Gold Medals for the top mark in New Zealand for their respective year groups of the ICAS examinations.

The Gold Award winners were:

• Hudson Blyde (Year 7): Writing

• Cong (Zilong) Chen (Year 7): Spelling Bee

Genevieve Bainbridge-Smith (Year 8) (top), St Andrew’s College Future Problem Solvers (left), and Cong (Zilong) Chen and Hudson Blyde (both now Year 8) (above).

for 2024 teaching staff New

Secondary School

Nicola Proffit is the new Head of Social Sciences at St Andrew’s. She has joined the College from Wakatipu High School where she was a Social Sciences and Commerce Teacher.

Christa Jellyman has joined the College’s Health and Physical Education team on a part-time, fixed-term basis. She is a former New Zealand athletics representative, and was Kaiako Physical Education and Health at Te Kura.

Wiremu Pickering is the College’s new Teacher in Charge of Te Reo Māori. He was formerly a Te Reo Māori teacher at Villa Maria College.

Fiona Taylor is on a fixed-term contract as a French teacher and Head of Modern Languages at St Andrew’s. She was previously the Head of Languages at Lincoln High School.

Wilj Dekkers has returned to St Andrew’s as the new Digital Literacy teacher.

Stacey Williams is a new Social Sciences teacher on a fixed-term contract, who joins St Andrew’s from Christchurch Girls’ High School.

Preparatory School

Sophie Martin is a newly graduated Specialist teacher who is on a fixed-term contract in the Preparatory School.

Above: Nicola Proffit, Christa Jellyman, W iremu Pickering, Fiona Taylor, Stacey Williams

Academic successes

Late 2023* Successes

Australian Mathematics Competition

Benjamin Yu (Year 7) and Cong (Zilong) Chen (Year 7) achieved perfect scores at the Australian Mathematics Competition, receiving prestigious Peter O’Halloran Awards. St Andrew’s won two prizes for the Top Student for every 300 students within their region and year group; 22 Distinctions (top 20 per cent); and 33 credits (top 55 per cent).

Creative Writing

Isobel Forsey (Year 12) was first overall in the St Andrew’s College Secondary School Creative Writing Competition for 2023, as well as first in the Prose category. She was the recipient of the Kerrin P Sharpe Cup for Promise in Creative Writing. Runners-up in Prose were Chantelle Xiong and Grace Kempthorne (both Year 12) with Dixel Vallabh (Year 12 receiving a special mention). First in Poetry was Ellie Zhou (Year 10), with runners-up Jenna Howell (Year 12) and Vivien Kuziel (Year 13).

Emma Geddes (Year 9) won a silver award in The Royal Commonwealth Society’s Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023. Mabel Hart (Year 8) and Matthew Kenyon (Year 10) won bronze awards in this prestigious competition.

In the 2023 Vancouver Haiku Invitational International Haiku Competition, James Knowles (Year 9) received a Sakura

2024 Successes

Kids’ Lit Quiz

The Preparatory School Team 1 comprising Harry Sibson, Emmett Lawler, Edward Garbutt and Xiaofeng (Alina) Deng (all Year 8) achieved second place at the Canterbury Kids' Lit Quiz Canterbury Regional Final, just one point behind The Cathedral Grammar School.

Olympiad Camp

Hannah Withers and Ellie Zhou (both Year 11) participated in the New Zealand Olympiad in Informatics (NZOI) summer camp in Christchurch in January

Award for his haiku, petals scatter Receiving Honourable Mentions in this competition were Heidi Smith (Year 9), with at the wedding, and Ella Withers (Year 13), with after the funeral

Chantelle Xiong (Year 12) was shortlisted in the Michael King Writers Centre Signals Young Writers Awards 2023.

Ethics Olympiad

The StAC White team of Matthew Bluck, Jinyang (Yang) Zhang, Sam Foote, Ellie Zhou, and Daisy Huang (all Year 10) won the Middle School Ethics Olympiad South Island Regional Competition, qualifying for the international virtual event in February 2024.

French

The following students passed the International DELF French examinations. Emily Keith (Year 13) achieved an Outstanding score for her B2 examination, which is the required proficiency to study at a Frenchspeaking university. Results:

• Level A1: Katie Chan and Daisy Thake (both Year 10);

• Level A2: James Anthony, George Paterson, Elia Short and Katherine Simcock (all Year 11);

• Level B1: Brooke Hughes, Billie Revis and Joseph Ryan (all Year 12);

• Level B2: Emily Keith, Radha Vallabh and Kyle Sander (all Year 13).

* Please note the use of 2023 year groups.

Gallery 347 Technology Exhibition

The annual Gallery 347 Technology exhibition celebrated the 3D design work of Level 2 and Level 3 Design and Visual Communication (DVC) and Textile Technology students. Over 50 different projects were displayed in The Green Library and Innovation Centre, the result of hundreds of hours of students’ work.

Programming Māori Pacific Potential (PMP Haumi)

The St Andrew’s Business Studies PMP team was second overall in the national Programming Māori Pacific Potential (PMP Haumi) pitching competition in November. This team was led by Te Koha Ware (Year 13) and included Harata (Charlotte) Galvan, Hanna Papali’i Taimalelagi Malietoa (all Year 10), Maniah Taefu and Hanaatia Te Kane Hakiwai (both Year 9). The team narrowly lost to St John’s College from Napier.

Programming

At the national Programming Contest for Girls at the University of Canterbury Computer Science Department, Hannah Withers and Ellie Zhou (both Year 10) placed second in New Zealand to get silver, and Daisy Huang and Katie Chan (both Year 10) placed sixth, earning them a br onze medal.

as part of the Informatics Olympiad, competitive programming contest.

At the 2024 Academic Awards Night for top NCEA academic achievers from ethnic and migrant backgrounds in Christchurch secondary schools, three St Andrew’s College students nominated and awarded were Aaron Moore, Sea-A m Thompson and Chantelle Xiong (all Year 13). They achieved highly at Level 2, as well as completing Level 3 subjects as Year 12 students in 2023.

Assistant Head of Secondary School (Academic)

Helaina Coote with Chantelle Xiong, Sea-Am Thompson and Aaron Moore (all Year 13) Regulus

Pre-school celebrates

Lunar New Year

In mid-February the Pre-school was awash with red when the children enjoyed a fun week celebrating the Lunar New Year. They enthusiastically learnt about Chinese legends, and took part in some traditional customs, including crafting lanterns and fans, dragon dancing, and making sticky rice balls.

Head of Pre-school, Mandy Jenkins, says the week-long focus on this special time in the Chinese calendar was rich in opportunities for engaging in learning experiences and teaching practices that support the development of strong relationships between children, teachers, and whānau. “The inquiry fitted perfectly with our Term 1 focus on respectful relationships, and also celebrated the diverse mix of families in our Pre-school learning

community. Learning about the language, culture, and identity of our families is an ongoing journey for us.”

Mandy, who has Chinese heritage herself on her mother’s side, says the teachers enjoyed learning about the customs and traditions of the Lunar New Year too. The week started with the teachers and children watching a video about the legend of Nian, a mythical beast who would come out on the eve of the Lunar New Year to devour villagers’ crops. The villagers learnt he was afraid of loud noises, red, and fire, so would set off fireworks, and make lanterns and other red decorations, to ward him off – practices which have remained an integral part of the cultural celebration today. “This was a new story for the teachers too and it was great to see the look of amazement on their faces alongside the children.”

During the week the children made red decorations including lanterns and fans, and worked on a collaborative

art project, creating a large dragon mural for the wall made of decorated paper plates. They listened to some Chinese drumming music, and took turns dragon dancing under a big sheet of fabric. To end the celebration, the children had fun making sticky rice balls, which represent kinship connections, and families and people staying close together.

Mandy says the Lunar New Year celebrations provided an authentic learning experience which was enjoyed by all the children. “They took everything in and asked lots of questions. Many of our children already use dragons in their play and artwork, so the week really captured their imaginations.”

Above: Matisse leading a dragon dance.

Left: Head of Pre-school, Mandy Jenkins making fans with Jackson and Aisha.

Below: Teacher, Ashleigh Gargiulo creating art with Hattie, Kyro and Maddison.

Nico making a rice ball.

Junior Syndicate Cultural Week

Wearing traditional costumes, making flags from their home countries, and learning about each other’s cultures, were some of the special activities which took place during the Junior Syndicate’s Cultural Week, says Year 1 teacher, Anna Wylie, who organised the celebration. “We have such a diverse range of cultural backgrounds in the Junior School, and the children loved sharing their pride in who they are and where they come from.”

Head of Junior Syndicate, Heather Orman, says Term 1 is the ideal time to run this vibrant celebration of diversity and community, now in its second year. “It is a great time for the children to learn from each other and get to know each other better. The week is also a great opportunity for our teachers to learn more about the Junior students, and to build stronger connections and understanding with their families.”

Cultural Week started with the children sharing cultural boxes, which included five special items they gathered, which may be related to their culture. “It was wonderful to see the whole spectrum of boxes the children came up with, including lots of Kiwiana. We are really proud of all the students for sharing their boxes in front of their classmates,” says Anna.

On Cultural Dress Day, which coincided with the Preparatory School Assembly, the Junior School was a riot of colour as the students enthusiastically embraced wearing clothing or traditional costumes representing their country and culture.

Throughout the week, Junior Syndicate teachers added many cultural activities into their regular classroom programme, including learning about different culture’s celebrations, myths, legends, songs, and stories.

The week ended with a special cultural Discovery session, and the students’ participation in the annual Highland Games. “Attending this special celebration of St Andrew’s Scottish traditions and school culture was the perfect end to a wonderful week,” says Heather.

Above: Alex Haliday, Romy Johnstone, Wilkie Fowler, Indi Mills, Genevieve Foster, Harrison Gunning, Billy Brandon, Connor Hood (all Year 1).

Bottom row (from left): Zoe Johnstone and Ella-Rose McLeod; Nori Yoon and Tyler Wang

Top: Sophia Xu. Above: Zachary Hore, Emily Bryant and Natasha Huang. Below: Cynthia Zhang

bowled over Year 8 students

In Term 1, the four Year 8 classes enjoyed trading their schoolbooks for two sessions on Elmwood Bowling Club’s neatly manicured greens, under the watchful eye of Bowls Canterbury’s Youth and Development Facilitator, Erica Eyres, and some of the club’s helpful volunteers.

Year 8 Team Leader, Morgan Sheppard, says lawn bowls was chosen as an activity as very few of the students had played it before. “We knew bowls would be something they would have to learn almost from scratch, which is pretty much what we experienced. It was great seeing their resilience as they tried something new, working in teams with peers they wouldn’t normally work with, and some students naturally stepping into leadership roles.”

The first session was a crash course in skill building and learning the fundamentals of bowling, before the students put their newfound knowledge into practice during friendly competitive play in the second session.

Erica Eyres of Bowls Canterbury said the students were well behaved and full of enthusiasm. “It was great tosee how quickly they picked it up, and most importantly, how much they enjoyed themselves.”

Although she prefers more active sports, Scarlett Dunbar (Year 8), said she had played bowls before, and would try it again. “I really enjoyed being outside the classroom. It was nice to begin the day in the fresh air.”

Aysha Adair (Year 8) also enjoyed being outside with her friends, while Elliot Harper (Year 8) embraced the sport’s more competitive side, saying her highlight of the two days was when her team ‘smashed’ their opposition. She is also keen to give bowls another go. “I like anything that happens outdoors, and I was good at bowling.”

Morgan says the two lawn bowls sessions ticked all the boxes when it came to the students’ display of teamwork, resilience, and confidence. “It was a great activity, and we were grateful for the patient, kind guidance of Erica, and the outstanding volunteers at Elmwood Bowling Club.”

Above: Hunter Boock provides encouragement to Archie Meikle (both Year 8) under the watchful eye of Elmwood Park Bowling Club member Neil Johnstone.

Left: Year 8 students during a bowls session with Bowls Canterbury’s Youth and Development Facilitator, Erica Eyres.

A feast of co-curricular opportunities

St Andrew’s College is known for the incredible array of co-curricular opportunities students are offered outside the classroom, which help to enrich their learning experience.

Head of Middle Syndicate, Megan Feller, says once students get to Years 4–6 there are a myriad of activities for them to choose from, whether they have a cultural, sports, or academic apptitude. “We encourage the children to try lots of different things, so they can find their niche, and a passion for activities they might continue with as they progress throughout the College. Everyone has a talent or interest they are able to pursue.”

There are many options for children keen to give sports a go, with tennis and athletics available before school in the summer, and a wide variety of codes for Year 5–6 students to try during core sport each Wednesday afternoon.

The exciting range of cultural activities on offer includes everything from dance, hip hop, jazz, ballet, and Highland dancing, to speech and drama, creative

writing, kapa haka, choir, orchestra, learning a musical instrument, and Pipe Band. “We’ve loved seeing several of our former Year 4 students who have started out on the pad drum and chanters, go on to become members of the wonderful Preparatory School Pipe Band,” says Megan.

Book Club, Chess Club, Minecraft Club, Friendship Club, and Craft Club are just a few of the other popular activities available to Middle Syndicate children.

Megan says lots of these activities take place before school, during lunchtimes, and after school, but a considerable number of Year 4–6 students also leave the classroom to participate in

co-curricular options. “It is unusual for Middle Syndicate teachers to have our whole class with us all the time. Accommodating the children’s co-curricular activities can be a juggling act but we do our best to make it work for the children.”

Megan says the teachers avoid letting the children go during Mathematics or missing two writing sessions if possible. “It’s important we strike the balance between our students’ learning and exploring their interests. We understand that school is not just about academics, and embracing the wonderful range of opportunities on offer for our students is a big part of being at St Andrew’s.”

Zivana Hartley-Walker and Zachary Velluppillai (both Year 4) enjoying a Pipe Band pad drum session.

Above: Taking part in a hockey session were Joy Hao (Year 6), Claire Chua (Year 5), Ceci Pugh (Year 6), Jessica Nguyen, and Harriet Merry (both Year 5). Right: Georgina Tiffen (Year 6) in full flight during a hockey session.

St Andrew’s stunning transformation

post-earthquake

campus

There is perhaps no better time to be a student at St Andrew’s College, given the incredible $110 million of building development which has taken place on the campus since 2011. On the following pages, we detail the highlights, starting with the post-earthquake restoration of Strowan House, and finishing with our new Ngā Toi Performing Arts Centre, including the Gough Family Theatre, which is set to open in May. This impressive facility is the final piece of the puzzle of a campus transformation which will ensure current and future students enjoy world class facilities at St A ndrew’s for decades to come.

2011–2012

STROWAN HOUSE RESTORATION

Strowan House is a familiar landmark known to every student who has passed through the St Andrew’s gates. The grand old building was extensively damaged in the September 2010 earthquake, which worsened during the major aftershocks of 2011. As a result, a significant 18-month restoration project was carried out, which brought the ‘grand lady’ back to her brilliant best. Strowan House continues to play a hugely important role at St Andrew’s College as a busy hub for the Rector, Senior Management, teachers, various administrative and support teams, and of course the boarders, who every day, enjoy meals in the character-filled dining room, which is also the venue for many events and traditional celebrations.

UPGRADE OF MUSIC SUITE AND RECORDING STUDIO

Over the summer of 2014/2015 the Music Suite was the last area of the campus to undergo earthquake repairs. MS01 was gutted and rebuilt complete with highquality acoustic panels, making the room a great rehearsal and small concert performance space, and able to be used to make high quality recordings. The storeroom next to MS01 was expanded into the space, with double paned glass installed to create a recording studio control room. With the addition of state-of-the-art recording equipment, the impressive Music Suite provides wonderful opportunities for the College’s musicians, singers and songwriters. NEW BOARDING HOUSES

The Christchurch earthquakes caused significant disruption for boarders, with the original Rutherford and Thompson Boarding Houses having to be demolished. These were replaced by two new state-of-the art boarding houses, opened in 2013, which between them, provide comfortable, modern, and homely accommodation for 120 boarders. There are many vibrant common areas inside and outside the boarding houses, which provide a great space for boarders, and boarding staff, to congregate and connect.

GYM 2

There is lots of life going on inside Gym 2, where students are regularly engaging in sports, classroom learning, and practices. This lively hub opened in March 2016 to support the growing roll and range of sports programmes on offer at St Andrew’s. Along with a generous competition standard, sprung beech main floor, the building includes classrooms, offices, meeting rooms, changing facilities, an upstairs spectator viewing area, and a magnificent Centenary Sports Wall, which honours the 88 students and staff who achieved national or international recognition over the College’s first 100 years of history.

LANDSCAPING AND TURLEY BRIDGE 2016–2017

CENTENNIAL

The Dedication of the magnificent Centennial Chapel in October 2016 was a remarkable milestone in the history of St Andrew’s, as it returned the Chapel to where it belongs, at the heart of the College.

This beautiful 750-seat Chapel is used for worship, celebrations, assemblies, presentations, and special musical events. With its striking pitched rooflines, steel skeleton, and expansive use of glass, the Chapel is a thoroughly modern building. However, the past has also been remembered, as it incorporates many features of the Memorial Chapel, which was sadly decommissioned following the Canterbury earthquake of 2011. Original stonework, stained glass windows, oak doors, ceremonial chairs, the Book of Remembrance, bell, gargoyles, communion table, baptismal font, and 1000 of the original bricks are all sympathetically incorporated in the Centennial Chapel, which also has a special Memorial Wall running right along one side.

ASKIN PIPE BAND CENTRE

Opened at the same time as Gym 2, in March 2016, the purpose-built Askin Pipe Band Centre provides an exceptional environment for St Andrew’s national and international award-winning Pipe Band to hone their skills. It is also home to the Pipe Band’s dedicated staff. The Centre replaced the original Askin Pipe Band Room, which opened in 1969 and was damaged beyond repair in the earthquakes.

The College’s landscaping was transformed throughout 2016/2017, ensuring the campus looked its sparkling best during the Centenary celebrations in 2017. Referencing Canterbury’s braided rivers, with pockets of native plantings mixed with contemporary landscape design, the result was an attractive campus, and functional space for students to gather, with several new breakout areas incorporated into the plan. Following the Centenary, the magnificent new Turley Bridge, linking Strowan House with the Centennial Chapel, was constructed, and officially opened in October 2017.

GREEN LIBRARY AND INNOVATION CENTRE

The Green Library and Innovation Centre, which opened in June 2018, is a light, bright ‘Information’ space including an extensive mezzanine space, for displaying books, studying, and research; and two specific ‘Innovation’ spaces. The dedicated areas include a design space, where innovative ideas can be brought together, and a ‘maker’ space or construction zone, where students have access to modern fabrication tools such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and tools. As well as housing the Secondary School Library, the Centre is also home to various groups, including code clubs, VEX robotics and eSports.

STEWART JUNIOR CENTRE AND PRE-SCHOOL

Completed in April 2018, the Stewart Junior Centre and Pre-school provides a wonderful home for the youngest members of the St Andrew’s College community. The eight classrooms, Discovery Room, and large central learning space in the Stewart Junior Centre provide a vibrant environment for Year 1–3 students, who also love getting outside to enjoy their bespoke playground. The adjacent Pre-school building has a colourful, bright, open plan space and dedicated Art and Transition Rooms for extension activities. The Pre-schoolers also enjoy lots of fun adventures in their outdoor space.

COLLEGE SHOP 'THISTLES'

Since opening at the start of Term 4, 2018, the St Andrew’s Uniform Shop, Thistles, and the PTA’s Second-hand Uniform Shop, have provided an enhanced customer experience for students and their families. The spacious, purpose-built shop was created in the former Pre-school building.

DROP-OFF ZONE REDEVELOPMENT AND WAITING SHELTER

The redeveloped Norman’s Road drop-off zone, which opened in early 2019, vastly improved the safety of St Andrew’s families and students, particularly during busy pick-up and drop-off periods.

STACFIT FITNESS CENTRE

The StACFit Fitness Centre, which opened at the start of 2021, provides the St Andrew’s College community with a recreation facility of the highest quality, supporting the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of sports teams, curriculum classes, and staff. The impressive facility includes a large weights and exercise area at first floor level and new changing facilities and sports storage on the ground floor. The upstairs vantage point from the large facility provides sweeping views across the campus for people to enjoy during their workouts.

THE CLOUD

NGĀ TOI PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

INCORPORATING THE GOUGH FAMILY THEATRE

Excitement is building as the official opening of our new Ngā Toi Performing Arts Centre incorporating the Gough Family Theatre, is set for May, on the opening night of the Senior Production, Legally Blonde. This spectacular and highly anticipated development is the result of years of fundraising, generous sponsorship, and a significant amount of planning and hard work by many in the St Andrew’s community, along with the College’s consultants and contractors. With all the features of a professional theatre, and dedicated Ballet, Dance and Drama facilities, our Ngā Toi Performing Arts Centre will be a fantastic hub for creativity and performance at St Andrew’s.

A covered sports facility fondly known as ‘The Cloud’ was opened on the Preparatory School campus in early 2023. This amazing structure enables the Preparatory School to continue specialist Physical Education classes during times of inclement weather, or during periods of very warm temperatures. It is also being used by sports teams as a play space during the day.

and Founders’ Day Highland Games

All the best Scottish traditions were on display as St Andrew’s celebrated its 107th Founders’ Day in March. The day is always a highlight on the St Andrew’s calendar and was another great community occasion, bringing together students, staff, parents, guests, and around 60 Old Collegians who returned for their 60 Years On Reunion, together honouring the Presbyterian founders of the College and its formation in 1917.

Highlights of the Founders’ Day Assembly included a dramatic and entertaining performance of Address to a Haggis by Year 13 student, Matthew Lee, the orchestra’s rendition of Dance of the Tumblers by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Secondary School choir, Staccoro, accompanied by the string orchestra, singing an original piece composed by Sea-am Thompson (Year 13).

Soloist, Noah Fanene (Year 12), sang a beautiful rendition of the traditional favourite, Loch Lomond, to honour the 2024 Robert Burns Scholars, Jack Elvidge and Olivia Bloom (both Year 12), announced at the assembly, who will represent St Andrew’s on a three-week trip to Scotland in the September holidays, visiting a number of Scottish schools.

Guest speaker was Juliette Newman, Head Girl of 2019, who is in her fifth year of Medical School, currently at the University of Otago Christchurch campus. Juliette spoke about the importance of enjoying the journey and the place of failure in creating a memorable life.

A number of awards were also presented at the assembly, including two special Old Collegian Awards, which are traditionally presented each Founders’ Day. James McIver (Year 13) won the GAM Hilson Memorial Accounting/ Economics Award, and Joseph Ryan (Year 13) won the Henry Dowling Memorial French Award.

The day wrapped up with the Highland Games, which was another great occasion of noise, colour, chants, games, songs, and House spirit. The whole school, including the Pre-school and Preparatory School, joined on the lawn outside Strowan House to enjoy the competitive fun, taking part in everything from wheat sheaf tossing, to medicine ball throwing, and Highland dancing.

The afternoon wrapped up most appropriately with a wonderful display from the Pipe Band. Founders’ Day was another great community celebration of 107 remarkable years of St Andrew’s College.

Regulus

honours

those who served Research project

A story in a 2017 edition of Regulus about Old Collegians who had served in the military, set Daryll Fell (OC 1991) off on a significant research project which, when compete, will have a major impact on the recording of St Andrew’s service history.

The College Roll of Honour was printed alongside the Regulus story, and Daryll (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu), who is a military man himself, having served with the both the New Zealand and Australian Defence Forces, immediately recognised one of the names on the list. During the three years he spent at St Andrew’s as a boarder in Rutherford House from 1986–1988 , Daryll slept opposite John McNutt, later Acting Major John McNutt, a member of the NZ SAS, who lost his life on active service in Kuwait in 2001. “John and I connected in Australia when he was in training, and I ran into him again at Whenuapai just before he was deployed to Kuwait. He was a great soldier.”

Keen to do something in honour of John’s memory, Daryll contacted St Andrew’s Museum Archivist and

Curator, Pip Dinsenbacher, to ask whether she had much information on the Old Collegians who had served in various conflicts. “When she said the museum had little information about World War II service details, I got to work. I have a passion for military history and thought if the College didn’t have a definitive collection of what the boys went through, I’d like to make sure they are remembered,” he says.

Daryll started by researching the names on the Roll of Honour. “During that process other names started coming up of Old Collegians who weren’t on the roll. I just kept going, and seven years on I’d say I am around three-quarters of the way through the project.”

Daryll visited St Andrew’s in February, when he searched the College archives for more information and gave three presentations about his research. This included an impressive spreadsheet, which had 626 entries of the students, teachers, and St Andrew’s staff he has investigated so far. The detailed information includes each individual’s age, where they served, where they died (if applicable), and their place of burial (if known). He also shared biographies he has written about some of the more notable Old Collegians who served.

Darryl now has a total of 708 names to investigate.

Some of the interesting facts Daryll has uncovered include two Old Collegians who went on to become Chief of Defence Forces, the highest military position in New Zealand, with others becoming the Chief of Navy and Chief of Army.

Two teachers (and both later Rectors of St Andrew’s) Joseph Mawson and Les Stewart, served during World War I, and 561 students and teachers served during World War II. Old Collegians have fought in 17 other conflicts, with the most significant numbers in modern times serving in Borneo, Korea, Malaya, and Vietnam.

Daryll has served nearly 30 years, mostly in the Australian Defence Force, serving on numerous operational deployments. He recently returned from a posting to Washington DC, accompanying his service member wife, Ellen, but is now based back in Australia. Museum Archivist, P ip Dinsenbacher, is amazed at the depth and quality of Daryll’s research. “I was humbled and astounded by all his work and his genuine desire to give back to his mates and the College he loved so much as a young fellow. His work will be a great tāonga in our archives, a gift and treasure we could never have found any other way,” says Pip.

Daryll Fell (OC 1991) at his Australian home, researching Old Collegians who have undertaken military service.

Legendary Old Collegians’ stories revealed

During his incredible research project, Daryll Fell (OC 1991) has investigated some fascinating stories about Old Collegians who served in the military. Two of the most notable to serve during World War II were Major Edgar Charles Stewart Hargreaves (OC 1936), and Sir Peter Edward Lionel Russell (OC 1931), who have incredible tales of bravery, service, and fascinating post-war lives.

Major Edgar ‘Charles’ Stewart Hargreaves (OC 1936)

Known to many as ‘Mickey’, Major Charles Hargreaves led a life marked by bravery and resilience. Charles attended St Andrew’s College from 1932–34, when his early fascination with aviation and parachuting would shape his future in many ways. As a young man, Charles moved to Britain, driven by a desire to serve in the Royal Air Force, but after failing the RAF’s eye test, found his place in the 8th Hussars, then the No. 2 Commando, later known as No. 1 Parachute Battalion. His expertise as a parachute instructor in the Middle

East, training the fledgling Special Air Service (SAS), was the prelude to his most daring role yet.

In May 1942, he joined the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and was parachuted into Yugoslavia to work with the Chetniks, a Serbian nationalist guerrilla force resisting German occupation and Communist partisans. Despite not speaking Serbo-Croat, he engaged in ambush operations, and earned the respect and affection of the Chetniks. Charles was later captured and subjected to brutal interrogations of the Gestapo in Belgrade. During his imprisonment at ‘Hotel Velika’, in Serbia and Buchenwald Concentration Camp he endured psychological torture and the harsh conditions of captivity. He was later sent to the infamous Colditz Castle, where Sir Charles Upham VC was his roommate. After the war, Charles travelled the world as the Queen’s Messenger and was a key figure in the formation of the Special Forces Club in London, which held extravagant parties and dinners. He died in England on February 4, 2005 at the age of 87.

Sir Peter Edward Lionel Russell (OC 1931)

Sir Peter Edward Lionel Russell (OC 1931) was a celebrated academic, spy, and intelligence officer. He entered St Andrew’s under the name Peter Wheeler in approximately 1919 at the age of five or six, and left in 1925 to continue his education in England. He later became a renowned scholar and academic as King Alfonso XIII Professor of Spanish Studies at Oxford.

During the Spanish Civil War, Sir Peter was recruited as a British spy. After being arrested photographing warships he was facing a firing squad when released on the orders of fascist dictator, Francisco Franco. One of his first jobs as an intelligence officer was to move the Duke and Duchess of Windsor from

and became a renowned epidemiologist.

Lisbon to the Bahamas, reportedly with instructions to shoot them if they were at risk of falling into German hands during their nightly visits to the casino.

In 1940, he began training with MI5, and saw distinguished service in the Caribbean, West Africa, and the Far East. After the war, Sir Peter became one of the great scholars of the 20th century, producing seminal work on Spanish mediaeval, renaissance, and golden age literature and culture. Sir Peter was knighted in 1995, and died on June 22, 2006, aged 92.

Major Charles Hargreaves

Sir Peter Russell (right) with his younger brother Hugh (OC 1933) at St Andrew’s. Hugh also served during World War II

Sir Peter Russell (right) at Buckingham Palace, when he was knighted in 1995. His brother Hugh is on the left.

New Cafeteria nourishing and minds bodies

The new College Cafeteria, in a modern purpose-built space at the eastern end of the new Ngā Toi Performing Arts Centre, is proving a huge hit with students and staff.

Large numbers have been lining up each interval and lunchtime to choose from the mouth-watering food options on offer, with the vast majority now made in-house by new Cafeteria Manager, Martin Pacitti, and his team of five staff. “We’re getting great feedback, and every day is an adventure for our team. We have developed a daily-changing menu, with lots of seasonal and hot options. Each term a new menu will be introduced.”

Alongside the perennial favourites such as pies, sandwiches, toasties, and Mac 'n Cheese, some of the delicious options available during Term 1 included fried teriyaki noodles, BBQ pulled pork rolls, Japanese potato curry, and Buffalo chicken quesadillas. “Teenagers don’t want to come to school and have the same thing day in and day out. We’re trying to cater for all taste preferences. It’s also great for our staff to have a varied menu to work with.”

One of the major changes in the Cafeteria’s operation is the new self-serve grab and go system, with Cafeteria customers picking their food and drink options from the bright display cabinets, then paying at the counter.

Martin, who is Scottish and of Italian descent, worked as a chef in five-star hotels and restaurants in Scotland before coming to New Zealand eight years ago. In Christchurch, he had a range of jobs, working as a chef for White Tie Catering, Arbo Café, C4 Coffee, and in the boarding house at St Bede’s College before taking on his new role at St Andrew’s.

“It’s my objective to ensure the Cafeteria continues to transform and thrive, keeping everyone in the community happy and well-fuelled.”

Above: The stylish new cafeteria has a self-serve ‘grab and go’ system.

Inset: Cafeteria Manager, Martin Pacitti

Pipe Band national crown retains

It was another highly successful New Zealand Pipe Band Championships for the St Andrew’s College Pipe Band, with the A Band, once again, clear winners in the Juvenile Grade.

Pipe Band Manager, Graeme Bryce says it was an “amazing result” for the band, with all four judges placing them first in piping, drumming and ensemble. “The band also performed incredibly well against the adult bands in Grade 2, where they finished runners-up and were first in drumming. It was also great to see our very young B Band, which includes a Year 6 drummer, take fourth place in Juvenile Grade and third in Grade 4A.”

A group of 56 students and seven staff from St Andrew’s were among

the 1500 people who took part in the championships, held at Onewa Domain, on Auckland’s North Shore in mid-March. Thousands more people turned up to watch and support the players, at what is the largest pipe band festival outside of Scotland.

Graeme says a highlight was the St Andrew’s Pipe Band dinner attended by 112 students, staff, and parents on the Friday evening. “The dinner was an opportunity for the Band to honour the seven Pipe Band leavers from 2023. Pipe Band Director, Richard Hawke presented them with leavers’ medallions, and also presented a medallion to Christine Leighton, given this will be her last national championships with us as Rector.”

A spectacular Street March was held in Takapuna on the Saturday morning.

On the Saturday evening, the group was excited to relax with pizza and watch the 12,000 Miles documentary, which followed four New Zealand bands, including St Andrew’s College, as they travelled to Glasgow to pit themselves against the world’s best at the 2023 World Pipe Band Championships.

“We are proud of our Pipe Band students, who achieved some great results and were excellent ambassadors for St Andrew’s College. We have large numbers of students joining the Pipe Band, which is in great shape as we look to the future,” says Graeme.

Mihi Whakatau

The traditional Mihi Whakatau is the first assembly held at St Andrew’s each year, which provides a warm welcome from all current staff and students to the manuhiri – those ‘new’ to the College.

Along with the College’s new Secondary School students, five new kaiako, two new Guidance Counsellors, and five support staff were welcomed.

Matua Wiremu Pickering, our new Teacher in Charge of Te Reo Māori, and Tikanga teacher, Trent Harris, gave the korero at the Mihi Whakatau. The Preparatory School Kapa Haka performed a haka pōwhiri and tumuaki, and Kapa Haka from Villa Maria College joined with around 100 whānau to support new rangatahi and kaiako. It was a special occasion with all 1164 students and 110 Secondary School teachers in attendance.

Polyfest

The St Andrew’s Polyfest group looked striking in traditional dress, as they performed with pride and honour at the 2024 Canterbury Polyfest at Hagley Park. A group of 23 schools took part in the festival, which is an opportunity for rangatahi to showcase Pasifika culture, language, and identity, through song and dance. The Polyfest group spent many hours preparing to represent their whānau, themselves, the kura and Pasifika culture. In the week prior to the competition, there was a big turnout of whānau and friends at the group’s highly successful Fiafia Night, a night of celebration, which showcased all the hard work and commitment they put win during the term.

Calling Te Waka Ceremony

It was an early start for Year 10 ākonga, Te Waka teachers, and Year 10 tutors on Thursday 29 February, who gathered at St Andrew’s ready to travel to Kairaki Beach, to enjoy the sunrise and take part in ‘The Calling’ ceremony. The dawn ceremony is part of the Te Waka programme, an important part of the character education programme at St Andrew’s, now in its 11th year.

‘The Calling’ signifies the end of childhood and the students’ transition towards adulthood, letting go of behaviours, and accepting new challenges and responsibilities, as they are ‘called’ by their teachers.

As the sunrise peeped through low cloud, the ceremony was respectful and reflective, with the students appreciative of its significance.

‘The Calling’ also involved a show of gratitude to people who influenced the students through their childhood. An important part of the ceremony involved the students writing a childhood behaviour they wished to let go of on a shell or rock, which they then threw into the ocean.

‘The Calling’ was organised by Teacher in Charge of Te Waka, Kate Taylor, and was an inspirational experience the students will share with others as a treasured memory.

Regulus

Communityservice and

2023*

Conservation

The Year 12 VETR class participated in a two-day conservation action project in late October at Flock Hill Station, west of Castle Hill. They worked on a heavily infested wilding pine block and mitigated an impressive 1407 wilding pines.

Environmental Action Projects

10ACEE worked on four projects that positively influenced social, environmental, economic, and cultural aspects of sustainability. Four students were involved in a native garden rejuvenation project on campus, supported by Head Groundsperson Michael Seaward, Facilities Manager Mark McGregor and Art Preuss Health and Safety Manager.

Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Awards

A large number of Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Awards recipients celebrated the completion of their Gold Award at the College Prizegiving. A group of 16 students completed the award in 2023, which is the second highest number of awards in a given year for St Andrew’s College. The recipients were: Abby Baxter (Year 12), Max Blockley, Grace Burnett, Joseph Connolly, Naomi Dana, Mia Fraser, Gabriella Kenton-Smith, Tom Kerry, Gemma Lewis, Annika MacDonald, Josh McPhail, Noah Mellish-Temple, Jake Patterson, Poppy Rumble, Campbell Searle, and Torin Ward (all Year 13).

Year 9 Community Service Day

In late October, Year 9 students and their tutors had a fabulous couple of hours picking up rubbish along the New Brighton, Waimairi Beach

coastline. Once the rubbish had been picked up, the students enjoyed sandcastle competitions, beach volleyball or hut building, and listening to a talk from Head Ranger of Coastal and Plains for Christchurch City Council, Robbie Hewson.

Full Bellies Fundraiser

In October, Year 12 Community Service students gave their time to support a Fife Foundation event, held for local charity, Full Bellies, who help families in need by providing children with nutritional food delivered into schools. Later, close to 400 second-hand children’s books were donated to Full Bellies, after staff and students, led by Year 13 Dean, Donna Jones, put out a request for books to send with the charity’s last lunch delivery for the year. The books went to local Years 1–6 children in need.

Prefect Community Service Day

The prefects went to Jellie Park to help Allenvale School with their swimming sports. Some of the prefects jumped in the pool with the students, others timed the races, and everyone provided lots of great encouragement and support.

*Please note the use of 2023 year groups.

Year 9 Good Character Awards

The following Year 9 students received Good Character Awards by embodying a positive disposition, receiving multiple nominations from various areas – Keer (Tessa) Meng, Jessica Armstrong, Charlie Heinz, Violet McInnes, Danica Minson, Jack Wilkins, George Levings, Marshall Coles, Jack Foley, Thomas Ambury, Monty Crawford and Anna McOscar.

So They Can Leadership Conference

A group of 13 St Andrew’s College students from across various leadership teams, and 14 Christ’s College students, attended the Leadership Hub Conference run by the charity So They Can in the Centennial Chapel. Students learnt about what So They Can do and the lifechanging opportunities it provides for girls in East Africa. The students were also coached as to how to deliver a message for impact and influence, and these skills were then put into practice. The afternoon session focused on strategy for raising money through the So They Can fundraising challenge, ‘One Human Race.’ So They Can is a charity working in East Africa that seeks to support girls into education so that they do not have to be forced into arranged marriages as children.

So They Can Theme Day

A non-uniform day was held on Friday 1 March in conjunction with the One Human Race fundraising challenge for So They Can, which happened right throughout March. Almost $10,000 was raised for So They Can during Term 1 from a variety of events, including Athletic Sports Day sausage sizzle and Mr Whippy, chapel offerings, and $250 raised from auctioning off Head of Middle School, Matt Parr’s parking space.

Students participating in the So They Can Theme Day.

Luke Wylie and Radha Vallabh (both Year 13)

St Andrew’s students participating in the conference.

Great start year for boarders to the

The start of the year is a busy and energetic time for boarders, as they are warmly welcomed back to campus with a range of fun events and activities, designed to help build a strong sense of belonging and community.

The group of 33 new Year 9 boarders were immersed in a Year 9 Boarders’ Orientation Weekend, getting familiar with their new home at St Andrew’s and taking part in a range of fun activities. This included a visit to Kura Tawhiti, the lodge at Castle Hill, for an overnight stay, where they took part in rock climbing, a river/hill walk, and Adventure Based Learning games. A jetboat ride at Alpine Jet Thrills in Springfield on the way was a great experience. Once back at St Andrew’s, a classroom session learning about Manaakitanga was followed by a visit to Adrenaline Forest, and a surfing lesson at Sumner. The weekend was hugely valuable with lots of new connections and friendships made.

The Year 13 House Leaders organised the annual Boarders’ Weekend In, which kicked off the House competition for the Dianne Needham Trophy. Activities included ‘Capture the Flag’ and traditional ‘House Entrances’, followed by ‘Tabloid Sports’ featuring an egg toss, sack races, wheelbarrow races, and tug-of-war. ‘Pot Games’ in the evening challenged the students to plan and perform an acapella song inspired by a judge-set keyword. The ‘Amazing Race’ on Sunday included stations with various tasks, and a multisport competition featured ‘Mat Racing’, ‘Adapted Relay Races’, and a ‘Gumboot Throw’. The Boarders’ Weekend In culminated with the first Boarders’ Chapel Service of the year. All boarders wore their Te Taki Tino Ma shirts as a sign of unity and sat in their sports Houses. After some fierce competition, MacGibbon House were announced as the winners of the 2024 Boarders’ Weekend In.

New boarding management staff

The St Andrew’s boarding houses have two new staff members in key roles, with Liz Gormack taking over from Bronwyn Radcliffe as Thompson Boarding House Manager, and Jean Wilson replacing Lisa Laughlin as MacGibbon Boarding House Assistant Manager.

Liz is already the Assistant Head of Middle School at St Andrew’s, and says the busy orientation activities at the start of the year were a great introduction, not just for the girls in Thompson House, but also for her.

“I’m very excited about the range of personalities we have in Thompson House this year and how well the girls get along. Alby, our spoodle, is particularly enjoying all the attention. With all the staff also onsite we have a lovely community feel.”

Liz says her past experience in boarding at Christchurch Boys’ High School means all the routines of boarding have come back to her, and she is enjoying there being less smelly socks. “I’ll be meeting with the girls one-on-one over the course of the year to see how I can help them, whether it be academically, socially, or looking ahead to when they leave school.”

Jean Wilson is convinced she has ‘blue blood in her veins’ after returning as MacGibbon Boarding House Assistant Manager, a role she previously held at St Andrew’s for three years. “It’s been great reconnecting with families and meeting younger siblings. The Middle School boys have been very welcoming and I love the buzz of something always happening on campus.”

Thompson Boarding House Manager, Liz Gormack, and MacGibbon Boarding House Assistant Manager, Jean Wison

Jean’s journey in boarding started at Bradfield College, one of the UK’s top co-ed boarding schools. After leaving St Andrew’s she spent seven years in boarding at St Margaret’s College, taking on the Head of Boarding role in her final year. “I’m passionate about the job I do, and also youth mental health. The depth of pastoral care that St Andrew’s offers in boarding is second to none and one I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Action from the Boarders’ Weekend

Assemblies

Leadership Assembly and Prefects’ Investiture

The traditional Leadership Assembly saw the investiture of 34 prefects, including Heads of College Hugo Ranken, Meg Simpson, Carter Rhodes, and Holly Maraki. Hugo and Meg introduced the prefects’ theme for the year – ‘All for One, One for All!’ Other Year 12 and 13 leadership positions recognised were Peer Support Leaders, Senior College Council, Academic Captains, Cultural Captains, Heads of Cultural Activities, Pipe Band officers, Sacristans, Community Service Leaders, International Cultural Leaders, House Leaders, Boarding House Leaders, Sports Captains, and Sports Council.

An entertaining music interlude was performed by the Jazz Big Band featuring Year 13 students Chantelle Xiong, Xanthe Pearce, Tamaroa Connelly, Jack Flanagan and Miu Kim (Year 12). A handover of the Prefects’ Diary from Lily Champion-Smith and Poppy Rumble (Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl from 2023) added to the ceremony of the occasion.

Academic Assembly

The Secondary School Academic Assembly was a wonderful celebration of the outstanding achievement of students in the 2023 NCEA and Scholarship examinations. Several of St Andrew’s 2023 Leavers returned to the assembly to receive a Board of Governors’ Scholarship in recognition of their achievements.

Highlights included addresses by the 2023 Deputy Head Prefect and Dux, Lachlin Odlin; and the 2024 Academic Captains, James Hart, Isobel Forsey and Joe Mundy (all Year 13); who between them, delivered important messages around goal setting, managing success and failure, the importance of asking questions, and being passionate about academic learning.

Those gathered enjoyed a beautiful performance of The First Movement of Saverio Mercadante’s Flute Concerto in E Minor by Miu Kim (Year 12) on flute.

epic adventures lead to Scholarships

Madison Wallace (now Year 12) and Shaun Cooper (now Year 13) were the two lucky St Andrew’s College students to have the opportunity to build resilience, develop leadership skills, and face some new adventures thanks to the generosity of Old Collegian, Ben Gough (OC 1991) who funds annual scholarships.

Madison won the 2023 Ben Gough Family Foundation Scholarship for a Year 11 student to attend Spirit of Adventure, which saw her embark on a 10 day voyage from Whakaraupō/ Lyttelton to Bluff and Rakiura/Stewart Island. “It was a bit daunting to be out at sea on a small boat I had no idea how to sail, with 39 other teenagers who I had never met, doing activities that took me outside my comfort zone, and with no contact with the outside world. But all these things are what made it such an amazing experience.”

She says sailing out of Lyttelton was ‘very special’ given it is her hometown. “We sailed through the night to Dunedin, looking at the most amazing sky, and the following day carried on to Stewart Island.

Throughout the voyage we embarked on many different activities, including some amazing walks, playing beach games, and climbing to the top of the mast.”

Making new friends with students from around New Zealand, sailing on night watch, and seeing the glowing bioluminescence, were some of Madison’s other highlights.

In January, Shaun Cooper spent an action-packed 21 days on the Outward Bound course at Anakiwa, where each day, the large group had no idea what was ahead, he says. “The mornings started with a 5.45am wake-up call followed by a run and swim. Some of our mini adventures included three days sailing, a three-day hike, two days kayaking, coast steering, rock climbing, high ropes, and a half marathon.”

The three-day sailing and hiking expeditions with the other 10 students in his ‘watch house’ were Shaun’s highlights. “We had to learn to sail before navigating our own path and setting sail for three days. At one stage we were rowing until 11.00pm, which was one of the best parts, as we got to see luminescence water, and were all singing our hearts out to try to keep our paddles in time.”

During the three-day hike, the group summited Mt Riley, Mt Sunday, and Mt Baldy. “Getting to each peak was a massive highlight and the sunrises were something special.”

The most challenging part of the experience was the three-day solo, he says. “After two weeks getting close to everyone on my watch, being alone and not hearing or seeing anyone for three days was very odd.”

Both Madison and Shaun enjoyed disconnecting from technology, although they have been putting technology to good use since their adventures, keeping in touch with all their new friends.

They are grateful to the Ben Gough Family Foundation for giving them the opportunity to go on these adventures, develop as people, and make lifelong friends. “What this experience has taught me is that we should all push ourselves outside our comfort zone, because the rewards are truly life-changing,” says Madison.

Shaun urges any interested St Andrew’s students to apply for future scholarships. “It’s a great opportunity and I can guarantee it will be the best three weeks of your life if you are chosen for Outward Bound.”

Madison Wallace (Year 12) second from left, with Spirit of Adventure crewmates.

Shaun Cooper (Year 13) sixth from left in yellow cap, on a three-day sailing expedition as part of Outward Bound.

Cultural catch up

Late 2023*

* Please note the use of 2023 year groups.

Ballet Production – Trilogy

At the end of 2023, the Ballet Academy dancers delivered exceptional performances in the Ballet production, Trilogy, which showcased three different performance presentations in one show. These were Kaleidoscope – a colourful fusion of dances, creating a kaleidoscope of artistic endeavours across the diverse genres of lyrical, contemporary, and jazz: Peter and the Wolf – a delightful ballet that tells the story of Peter, his animal friends, with a score composed by Sergei Prokofiev through which each character is represented by a distinct musical theme; and Winterscape – an original ballet created and choreographed by Ballet Academy Artistic Director, Dr Carolyn Cairns, which captured the spirit and beauty of winter, journeying from a misty landscape to an enchanting skating party. Public audiences were delighted by the shows.

Ballet

Femke McLean (Year 9), Charlotte Kyle, Neve Aitken (both Year 10), Tave Stuart (Year 11) and Siara Clark (Year 12), were selected to compete at the National Scholarship Awards in Wellington. Femke McLean and Tave Stuart progressed to the finals, with Tave achieving second place in the B allet section.

Neve Aitken (Year 10) and Cameron Lyons (Year 8) both gained entry into the Associates Programme with the New Zealand School of Dance for Contemporary and Classical respectively.

Tave Stuart (Year 12) won second place in the 2023 New Zealand Classical Ballet Awards for NZAMD, held in late November in Wellington.

Ballroom Dancing

Holly Hembry (Year 8) competed in 17 events at the Aotearoa New Zealand Ballroom Dancing Championships, winning 12 national titles, three second placings, one third place, and a fourth place against tough competition.

Highland Dancing

Samantha Bilton (Year 9) won the New Zealand Highland Dancer of the Year U16 Championship in Nelson during the Term 3 holidays.

Hayley Nolan (Year 13) received a Diploma for Highland and National Dancing at the New Zealand Academy of Highland and National Dancing Conference. This means she is now fully qualified to teach and adjudicate Highland Dancing. At the Temuka competition, Hayley won Most Points U18, Most Points on the Day, and Most Points for the Year. She also competed in Ashburton where she won Most Points for Highland events U18 and Most Points local U18.

The Julie Hawke School of Highland Dance presented the Button Box at St Andrew’s College on Sunday 3 December. This involved performances

by 22 students from the Preparatory School and six from Years 10–13. Each button from Granny’s ‘Button Box’ told a magical story of family history and travels through dance.

Music

Tamaroa Connelly (Year 12) had the national release of his track that made it onto the Play It Strange Peace song competition album. This was professionally produced as part of being a national finalist.

Ethan Waines (Year 7) and his brother, Caleb, received a standing ovation for their piano recital as part of the Rising Stars Concert Series.

Ethan Zhao (Year 7) earned Distinction in both ABRSM Piano Grade 7 and Trinity Violin Grade 7.

Pipe Band

Two key solo piping events were held over Labour Weekend. Top placegetters were:

Silver Chanter Solo Piping Championships

• Lucas Paterson (Year 12): fourth B Grade Piobaireachd;

• Tayla Eagle (Year 11): fourth B Grade 2/4 March, Strathspey/Reel;

• Maggie McConnochie (Year 9): first C Grade Piobaireachd and 6/8 March, second 2/4 March and Hornpipe/Jig, Overall winner C Grade;

• S am Foote (Year 10): first C Grade Hornpipe/Jig, second Strathspey/ Reel, third 6/8 March;

• Emily Brook (Year 10): second C Grade Piobaireachd;

• A lice Glover (Year 7): second D Grade 6/8 March, third Piobaireachd;

• George MacLean (Year 9): second D Grade 2/4 March;

• S am Jaspersmith (Year 13): third D Grade 6/8 March.

South Canterbury Solo Piping Championships

• Maggie McConnochie (Year 9): first B Grade 2/4 March, second Hornpipe/ Jig, 6/8 March, third Strathspey/Reel, first in C Grade 2/4 March, Strathspey/ Reel, Hornpipe/Jig and 6/8 March;

• Tayla Eagle (Year 11): second B Grade Strathspey/Reel, third 2/4 March, Hornpipe/Jig, 6/8 March.

Hororata Highland Games

The Hororata Highland Games in November 2023 was the first event of the new season for the Pipe Band, with many students competing for the first time and achieving some great results. The A Band won Grade 2, the B Band won Grade 4, and in the Juvenile Grade, the A and B Bands were first and second respectively. Individual placings were:

Solo Drumming – Snare

• Daniel Liu (Year 10): first March, Strathspey and Reel, first C grade 2/4 March;

• T heodore Lagias (Year 11): third D Grade Simple Time March.

Solo Drumming – Tenor

• A lanna Brook (Year 10): second Open Grade, first Intermediate Tenor.

Solo Drumming – Bass

• Quenn Lovatt (Year 13): first Open Grade, first Intermediate.

Solo Piping

• Maggie McConnochie (Year 9): second B Grade March, Strathspey and Reel, first C Grade 2/4 March;

• A nthony Song (Year 8): second C Grade 2/4 March.

Ballet

Holly Thirkell (Year 9) was awarded a scholarship to a ballet school overseas.

Choir

Matthew Lee (Year 13) was selected for the New Zealand National Secondary Schools’ Choir, which only auditions once every two years. Matthew rehearsed with the choir over the summer holidays and will be part of a national tour later in the year.

Dance

At the Evolution Dance National Finals held on the Gold Coast at the start of January, Jack Flanagan (Year 13) was first in the 16–20 years Novice Vocal Solo, first in 16–20 years Novice Any Style Solo, and Highest Scoring Novice Soloist 16–20 years. As part of his dance company, Jack’s group placed first in Adagio, Musical Theatre, and Broadway Jazz, and second in Musical Theatre.

Holly Thirkell (Y9)

Hayley Nolan (Year 13)

Lucy Margison (Year 10) and Tave Stuart (Year 12) were in a dance team which provided entertainment at the opening game for the Canterbury Rams basketball team.

Highland Dancing

Georgia Gregg (Year 7) won the South Canterbury Championship Irish Jig U12 Georgia also won the U16 trophy and Most Promising Dancer at the O xford Show.

Iaera Abrahamson (Year 4) won Most Points U10 and the Championship Sailors Hornpipe, and Nayana Abrahamson (Year 2) won Most Points 6 and Under and was runner up Most Points U8 at the the Balmoral Club Highland Dance Championship.

Siara Clarke (Year 13) won seven out of 10 dances at the Hastings Highland Games, including two North Island Championships and two Hawkes Bay Championships. She won the trophy for Most Points Under 18 years.

Music

Hao Bo (Terence) Yang (Year 9) won a gold medal at the Trinity International Music Competition. Terence was also selected for the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Symphony Orchestra 2024 (for flute).

Following a highly competitive audition process, a small group of students were chosen to participate in the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Symphony Orchestra (NZSSSO) course to select a national fullsize orchestra made up of 80 secondary students from 33 schools from across New Zealand. The students were: Hao Bo (Terence) Yang (Year 9), Yuxin (Alice) Chen, Xinyi (Alicia) Chen, Ary Son, Cheryl Teng (all Year 10), Selena Zhang (Year 11), and Jasmine Hooker (Year 12).

Ethan Waines (Year 8)

Ethan Waines (Year 8) passed his ABRSM Violin Grade 8 examination and Trinity Horn Grade 5 examinations with High Distinction.

Orchestra

Ary Son, Xinyi (Alicia) Chen (both Year 10) and Alexander Allan (Year 9), spent a week in January attending the Auckland Philharmonia Summer School. The programme included rehearsals and coaching with players from the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and culminated with a public concert in the Auckland Town Hall.

Pipe Band

Hawkes Bay Easter Highland Games Piper, Maggie McConnochie (Year 10) won the Comunn na Piobaireachd Silver medal and the John Allan Magee Memorial Trophy at the Easter Hawkes Bay Highland Games competition. She also won the Under 21 New Zealand Championship Piobaireachd. These outstanding national achievements are unprecedented for a Year 10 student.

Maggie McConnochie (Year 10)

Placegetters were:

• Maggie McConnochie (Year 10): first Comunn na Piobaireachd Silver Medal and Under 21 New Zealand Championship Piobaireachd, second B Grade Strathspey and Reel, first C Grade Strathspey/Reel, second C Grade 6/8 March;

• Lucas Paterson (Year 13): third Comunn na Piobaireachd Silver Medal, second Under 21 Piobaireachd and Under 21 Strathspey and Reel;

• S am Foote (Year 11): third B Grade Medley, second Comunn na Piobaireachd Bronze Medal, first C Grade 6/8 March, third C Grade Strathspey and Reel;

• C ameron Sharpe (Year 10): second C Grade 2/4 March;

• A lice Glover (Year 8): first D Grade Piobaireachd, second D Grade 2/4 March and D Grade Strathspey and Reel, Overall Most points D Grade.

• F inlay Trewinnard (Year 9): third D Grade Slow March.

Following is a wrap up of summer results:

Waipu Highland Games

Solo Piping

• Maggie McConnochie (Year 10): third B Grade Piobaireachd, second U12 Piobeareachd and Hornpipe/Jig, winner of C Grade Fleming Shield for Aggregate Most Points, and Rev. MacFarlane Cup;

• Emily Brook (Year 11): second C Grade Strathspey/Reel;

• A lice Glover (Year 8): first D Grade Strathspey/Reel, second 2/4 March.

Solo Tenor Drumming

• A lanna Brook (Year 11): first Open March, Strathspey/Reel, Hornpipe/ Jig, winner of Tony Purvis Trophy for Aggregate Open Grade champion.

Turakina Highland Games

• Lucas Peterson (Year 13): first B Grade Piobaireachd, Hornpipe/Jig, fourth Strathspey/Reel, Aggregate B Grade champion;

• Maggie McConnochie (Year 10): second B Grade March, third Piobaireachd, first C Grade Piobaireachd, second 2 /4 March and Slow Air.

Provincial Championships

A group of 77 students competed at the two-day Pipe Band Provincial Championships in the lead up for the P ipe Band Nationals. On both days, the A Band won Grade 2 and Juvenile Grade, and over the two days the B Band was runner-up and winners of Grade 4 and second and third in Juvenile Grade.

Mackenzie Highland Show

Placegetters were:

Solo Piping

• Charlie Gregg (Year 9): first C Grade 2/4 March and C Grade Strathspey/Reel;

• Emily Brook (Year 11): first C Grade 6/8 and C Grade Piobaireachd, second C Grade 2/4 and C Grade Strathspey and Reel;

Tenor Drumming:

• A lanna Brook (Year 11) first Intermediate March, Strathspey and Reel, and Open March, Strathspey and Reel.

National Youth Pipe Band of New Zealand

Harrison Justice (Year 13) and Daniel Liu (Year 11) have been accepted into the National Youth Pipe Band of New Zealand alongside existing members from St Andrews, Tayla Eagle (Year 12), S am Foote (Year 11) and Lucas Paterson ( Year 13). The band is preparing for a trip to Canada in July.

Athletic Sports Day

There was enthusiastic participation and some impressive athletic talent on display at the Secondary School Athletic Sports Day in February. House Leaders did a great job generating fierce House spirit and competition, with some excellent House

The highly anticipated Prefects, staff, and Old Collegians relay event was won by the Old Collegians team of Hugh Montgomery (Head Boy 2020), Harrison Jones-Park (OC 2018), Nikkita McIntyre (OC 2023) and Amiria Rule (current Head of Learning Support – Secondary, and OC 2001).

The traditional Pipe Band march was a fitting end to another fantastic day of competition. For the third consecutive time the winning House was Rutherford, with Erwin second, Thompson third, and MacGibbon fourth.

Regulus

House Swimming Sports

The annual Secondary School House Swimming Sports at Jellie Park in March, was another fiercely contested competition, with just over 110 swimmers competing to win points for their various Houses. Rutherford House continued its great form in House sports events, taking the win after also finishing top House on Athletics Sports Day. MacGibbon House took second place.

Among the stand-out individual performers were Catherine Shao (Year 9) winner of six U14 Girls’ events, Iona Garrett (Year 11) winner of five U15 Girls’ events, Joshua Exon (Year 11) winner of six U16 Boys’ events, and Rylee McBride (Year 12) winner of five Senior Girls’ events.

Sports round up

Late 2023*

Senior Mixed Touch –National Champions

The highlight of the end of 2023 was the Mixed touch team being crowned the 2023 Bunnings New Zealand Secondary Schools’ National Touch Champions at the competition held in Rotorua in December. In a challenging field of 41 teams, St Andrew’s secured the prestigious title undefeated through intense pool play and a thrilling quarter-final triumph against Mount Albert Grammar School. The players exhibited exceptional skills to overcome last year’s champions, Rolleston College, in the semi-final by a narrow margin of two points. Despite facing adversity with the untimely loss of key player, Holly Maraki (Y12), due to injury just before the final game against Manukura School, the team secured an early lead, ultimately claiming victory and the championship. Team co-captains, Macklan Robertson (Y12) and Sienna Stowers-Smith (Y13), were recognised as MVPs for the tournament. The College last took out this title in 2012 with the then Year 13 student, Richie Mo’unga (OC 2012), on the team.

Athletics

CPSSA Athletics Championships

A group of 13 students from the Preparatory School qualified to represent our zone at the CPSSA Athletics Championships. After a fantastic display of teamwork, smooth transitions, and excellent running, the Girls’ Y7 relay team won the Canterbury title. Students to place in the top 10 in the Canterbury region were:

• Lucy Bailey, Isla Marshall, Alice Glover, Tayla Ford (all Y7): first Girls 4×100m Y7 relay;

• Edward Park (Y7): sixth 60m sprint;

•Oliver Julius (Y8): ninth 1200m; •Kobe Ford (Y6); ninth 1000m; •Alice Glover (Y7): ninth 100m sprint.

National Track and Field Championships

The National Track and Field Championships were held in Christchurch, making the event’s 50th anniversary back in the place where it all started. Weather for the weekend was mainly fine but windy, however, heavy rain on the Sunday morning affected events.

*Please note the use of 2023 year groups.

St Andrew’s athletes performed well winning four medals (one gold, two silver and one bronze).

Jonah Cropp (Y13) was the standout performer defending his 3000m walk title. His event was on during the rain so conditions weren’t good to go after the event record which he had just fallen short of the year before. Following the meeting, Jonah was named in the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ team.

Sophie Lampe (Y9) had a part to play in both silver medals, winning an individual silver in the Year 9 Girls’ 3km road race and was a member of the Junior mixed 4×400 relay team along with Oliver Jackways, Kupa Rule and Abigail Scott-Douglas (all Y10), which also picked up silver.

Miah Taylor (Y12) finished third in the Senior Girls’ pole vault with a height of 2.90m to win her first national schools’ medal.

Other athletes to place in the top 10 were Kupa Rule (Y10) who was eighth in the Junior Boys’ 1500m, Beau Robertson (Y10) who was ninth in the Junior Boys’ long jump, Daisy Thake (Y10) who was ninth in the Junior Girls’ javelin although was the eighth placed New Zealand athlete, and Abigail ScottDouglas (Y10) who was ninth in the Junior Girls’ steeplechase.

Back: Tom Ruwhiu (Assistant Coach), Seymour Stowers-Smith, Nikao Panapa, Fynn Harris, Tom Turner, Cylas Tauti, Lucas Te Rangi, Paul Harris (Coach) Front: Tom Harris, Metua Cranwell, Addison Williams, Ophelia Powell, Macklan Robertson (co-captain), Sienna Stowers-Smith (co-captain), Rafferty Powell, Sam Mustchin. Holly Maraki missed the final and team photograph due to injury.

Jonah Cropp (Y13) won gold in the 3000m walk; Sophie Lampe (Y9), Kupa Rule, Abigail ScottDouglas and Oliver Jackways (all Y10) won silver in the Junior Mixed 4×400 relay.

Basketball

Lauren Whittaker (Y13) was named in the Tall Ferns (the New Zealand national basketball team) extended squad in the lead-up to the FIBA Qualifying and the 2024 Olympics. New Zealand basketball podcast ‘Shooting the Breeze’ named Lauren as their pick for the best current player in her age group in New Zealand.

At the 3×3 Basketball Cup, Kavanah Lene, Lauren Whittaker (both Y13) and the Mainland Pouākai team won bronze medals.

Maniah Taefu and Makenzie Disher (both Y9) were selected for the HoopNation U16 Girls X-posure Tour team. Rafferty and Ophelia Powell (both Y12) were selected for the U18 X-posure Tour team. The tour allows athletes to play in the world’s biggest youth basketball event hosted in Melbourne.

Climbing

Spencer Menzies (Y11) achieved several climbing successes in 2023, finishing sixth at the National Open Bouldering Championships; being selected to represent Climbing New Zealand Oceania to compete in Melbourne in late 2023 and winning third place in his age group at the National Youth Bouldering Championships.

Cricket

The following players made a representative team:

• C anterbury Cricket Metro U15: Zachary Hoshek and Benjamin Stewart (both Y9).

Equestrian

Gemma Lewis (Y13) riding Ruanuku R was selected for the New Zealand team for the FEI World Dressage Challenge (WDC) and was by far the youngest of the four-team members in this open competition. Gemma rode in the Intermediate I class (the highest

class at the WDC) and scored 67.35 per cent, winning her class, as well as the top score for New Zealand Individual rankings on the world stage. Gemma also won the Fair Play Award for the New Zealand competition. Gemma also won Reserve Champion Level 1 at the Marlborough Dressage Championships; Champion Level 7 Reserve Champion Level 1 and Best Young Rider (U25) at the Otago Dressage Championships; and Champion Level 7 and Champion Level 1 at the South Canterbury North Otago Premier League Dressage Competition.

Georgia Lewis (Y10) was the U15 champion at the Canterbury Mounted Games Individual Championships and won two firsts and a second in dressage and show jumping at the Canterbury A&P Show.

Football

Kyra Lazor, Amelia McAllister, Shannan Delany (all Y13), Scarlett Gray and Amber de Wit (both Y11) were members of the Canterbury United Youth football team, which won the National Youth Championship for the second year in a row.

Futsal

The Girls’ futsal team claimed the Term 4 Mainland Championship title after playing five games. They were unbeaten in the tournament, winning the final game against Rangi Ruru Girls’ School 12–0.

Motorcycling

Shey Doerner-Corson (Y10) was third at the New Zealand EnduroX Championships at the Christchurch A&P Show. He placed second in the final rounds of both the South Island and New Zealand Hard Enduro Championships. Shey also won the South Island Dirt Spring a four-round series.

MotoSport

Georgia Lewis (Y10) debuted in the 1/4 midget car class at Ruapuna Speedway’s opening meet, where after good performances in three heats, she won 1/4 Midget Driver of the Night.

Netball

Holly Maraki (Y12) was selected as one of 15 players to attend the Mainland Secondary Schools’ Development Camp, a step in the selection process for the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Netball team.

Race Walking

Jonah Cropp (Y13) was named in the New Zealand team for the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championship to be held in Turkey

in April 2024. Jonah won the 10km event at the New Zealand Road Running Championships in September 2023, with his time in the U20 event qualifying him for the World Championships. Jonah’s long-term goal is to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 or Brisbane in 2032.

Rowing

The following students were selected to attend Rowing New Zealand development camps at Lake Ruataniwha in December 2023:

• Freddy Todhunter (Y13) – U21 development camp;

• Benjamin Ashman, Charles Butterfield, Coby Goode and Jake Burrowes (all Y12) – U19 development camp.

Rugby Sevens

The Girls’ Sevens team had a successful season, which saw them finish fourth at the South Island Sevens’ Tournament and being invited to compete in the national Condor Sevens Tournament played at Mount Maunganui in December. After three losses in pool play at the national tournament, the girls were seeded in the Plate Competition. Two wins saw them earn a place in the Plate Final, facing Auckland Girls’ Grammar School. The team eventually went down 24–36 in a tight contest. It was a performance to be very proud of and the team ended up 10th in New Zealand.

The Junior Girls’ and Junior Boys’ rugby sevens teams showcased their skills at the Canterbury Rugby Union Junior Sevens Festival. The Boys’ team emerged as grand champions after five tough games across the day. This was an excellent achievement from a motivated and committed group of players. After three convincing wins in pool play, the team beat Rangiora High School in the semi-final, and went on to beat St Thomas of Canterbury College A in a tight final 32–26. The Girls’ team also did well with many players taking part in full contact rugby for the first time. After two wins and a loss in pool play, the girls went forward to the semi-final, losing that encounter 0–29 to Christchurch Girls’ High A, the powerhouse of girls’ rugby in Christchurch.

Skeet Shooting

Kurt Lilly (Y10) was second in the C Grade 20-gauge skeet at the New Zealand Skeet Shooting National Competition, and the first-placed New Zealand Junior in the grade. Kurt was also named first reserve in the New Zealand Junior Skeet team.

Spencer Menzies (Y11)

Surfing

Amelie Clark (Y10) and Frank Roberts (Y12) were selected for the Canterbury surf team to represent Canterbury at the National Scholastic Surf Championships in Gisborne. The team won second place and Amelie made the final in the U14 Girls’ event.

Swimming

Rylee McBride (Y11) was selected for the Swimming Canterbury West Coast (SCWC) Gold Squad.

At the Apollo Projects Junior Festival, Yunze Li (Y6) won three 10 and Under events and was third in five events. Chloe Wang (Year 5) won a first and second placing in 12 and under.

Tennis

Canterbury Primary Schools’ Tennis Championships

At the Canterbury Primary Schools’ Tennis Championships, two Preparatory School teams took part in the Open section comprising 14 school teams. StAC 1 – Alexander Allan, Oliver Gilbert, Toby Lang, and Theo Smith (all Y8) finished second overall. StAC 2 – Billie Feaver-Banks (Y8), Frank McHarg (Y6), Mia McHarg (Y8) and Sabine Waghorn (Y7) were third overall. Frank McHarg (Y6) won the Canterbury Primary Schools’ Tennis Championships in both singles and doubles.

Canterbury Junior Tennis Championships

A group of eight Y9–10 tennis players from St Andrew’s competed at the Canterbury Junior Tennis Championships with the following top three placegetters:

• Oliver Jackways (Y10) and Jack Wheeler (Y9) were runners-up in the Y10 Boys doubles;

• Maria Filipovic (Y9) won the Y9 Girls singles;

• Marija Filipovic (Y9) and Lila Waghorn (Y10) won the Y10 Girl doubles;

• Molly Brophy and Kristina Burton (both Y9) were runners-up in the Y10 Girls doubles.

• L ila Waghorn (Y10) won the Y10 Girls singles.

South Island Primary School Tennis Championships

At the South Island Primary School Tennis Championships, Billie FeaverBanks (Y8) and Frank McHarg (Y6) were third in their singles events. Mia McHarg (Y8) was second in doubles.

Preparatory School Singles and Doubles Tennis Tournament

Frank McHarg (Y6) beat Toby Lang (Y8) to become the Preparatory School Boys’ Singles Champion, while Mia McHarg (Y8) won the Girls’ Singles title after beating Billie Feaver-Banks in the final. Toby Lang (Y8) and Frankie McHarg (Y6) won the Boys’ Doubles and Mia McHarg (Y8) and Sabine Waghorn (Y7) won the Girls’ Doubles.

Touch Rugby

The following players made Canterbury representative teams:

• C anterbury Touch U16: Otis Wheeler, Kupa Rule, Oliver Kirk, (all Y10), Zachary Hoshek, Tuari Manuel (both Y9) and Nikao Panapa (Y11);

• C anterbury U16 Boys Red: Nikao Panapa (Y11), Seymour StowersSmith, Otis Wheeler (both Y10);

• C anterbury U16 Boys Black: Zachary Hoshek, Tuari Manuel (both Y9), Oliver Kirk, Kupa Rule (both Y10);

• C anterbury U18 Boys: Fynn Harris, Samuel Mustchin (both Y11);

• C anterbury U18 Girls: Addison Williams (Y12).

The Mixed touch team won the Wednesday Super Touch competition with a 7–3 win over Lincoln High School.

Volleyball

At the Canterbury Secondary Schools’ Junior Volleyball Championships, the Junior Girls’ A team finished second in Division 1 after beating Villa Maria College A in the semi-final, but went down to tournament favourites St Margaret’s College in the final. The Junior Boys’ A team also had a successful tournament to finish in the top six. The Junior Girls’ B team finished sixth overall out of 14 teams.

At the South Island Secondary Schools’ Junior Volleyball Championships, the Junior Girls’ A team were unbeaten to reach the final. In a tight semi-final, the girls beat Columba College two sets to one, then faced Waimea College in the final. In another tense battle, Waimea come out on top in the third set 15–13. Hannah Hannah Papali’I Taimalelagi Malietoa (Y10) was named in the tournament team.

The Junior Girls’ B team qualified for Division 2 which consisted of predominantly A teams from throughout the South Island region. The team finished in 16th place. The Junior A Boys’ team narrowly missed out on top eight, finishing 14th in Division 1.

Basketball

Roma Tuimaunei, Ava Jones (both Y11), Oliver Kirk, Jai Curtis, Makenzie Disher, Maniah Taefu (all Y10) were selected to trial for Basketball New Zealand U15 teams, with Ava, Maniah and Makenzie chosen for the U15 Women’s national team selection camp, and Roma and Jai selected for the U15 Men’s national team selection camp. Ophelia Powell (Y13) was selected to attend the Basketball New Zealand U17 national team selection camp.

Bronson Curtis (Y12) travelled to Australia to represent New Zealand in the 2024 Koru Tour.

Jai Curtis, Makenzie Disher, Maniah Taefu (all Y10), along with Ophelia and Rafferty Powell (both Y13) travelled to Australia to represent New Zealand HoopNation in an international tournament in Melbourne during the last week of January.

A large group of students were named in regional representative teams:

• U16: Alanna Brook, Ava Jones, Roma Tuimaunei (all Y11), Lucy Cliff, Makenzie Disher, Hannah Radford Maniah Taefu, Jai Curtis, Oliver Kirk (all Y10), Kai Sloane, Iosefo (Sefo) Tito (both Y9);

• U18: Niamh Chamberlain, Ophelia Powell, Rafferty Powell, Marcus Isitt (all Y13), Orla Motley, Logan Righton, Bronson Curtis (all Y12);

• U20: Ella Sharpe, Carter Rhodes (both Y13).

Clay Target Shooting

Kurt Lilly (Y11) competed in the New Zealand Clay Target Shooting National Championships in March, and won the Open Handicap Trophy, to be crowned national champion in this event. There were over 200 shooters of all ages taking part, including New Zealand representatives. Kurt beat all of them, including his dad, Brett Lilly (OC 1985). It is incredible the title would be taken out by a Year 11 student, given that he is against super veterans with decades of experience, shooting at the highest level. This is the highest accomplishment of any St Andrew’s trap shooter, in the College’s long history in the sport.

Kurt Lilly (Y11)

Regulus

Climbing

Spencer Menzies (Y12) competed at the La Sportiva New Zealand Lead Climbing Championships where he finished first in the Youth A Male U18 category. He was selected for the New Zealand lead climbing team for the Australian Youth Nationals, where he will also represent New Zealand in the bouldering discipline.

Cricket

Aine Molony (Y13) was selected for the Canterbury U19 Women’s cricket team, and was then chosen to participate in the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) female New Zealand U19 cricket camp held in February.

The 1st XI Girls’ team achieved their best results in recent history at the Gillette Venus Tournament Over the three-day tournament the girls played six T20s, winning five. During pool play, a top performance came from Daisy Thake (Y11) with two half centuries. On the second day, the team qualified for the quarter-finals, however, was unable to restrict Rangi Ruru Girls’ School in their run chase. The final day of play saw the team playing off for fifth to eighth, and with two solid performances against Lincoln High School and the Forward Foundation they thoroughly deserved their final ranking of fifth in Canterbury.

Equestrian

Georgia Lewis (Y11) was selected for the U25 Canterbury teams for dressage and mounted games. Canterbury placed first in the South Island and first nationally in dressage and mounted games. Georgia also placed fourth in New Zealand individually in her a ge group for dressage.

Taylor Quaid (Y10) competed in the New Zealand Horse of the Year Show in Hastings, coming home with two titles, as well as fifth and sixth places in Pony of the Year on two different ponies. She also won The Arab of the Year, and Paced and Mannered Arab of the Year.

At the Horse of the Year Show, Georgia Lewis (Y11) won two national titles in Mounted Games, was third in the U15 pairs, and along with her team, were Reserve Champions U18 team.

St Andrew’s riders achieved the following top three placings at the Canterbury Interschools Dressage Championships:

• Lily Ellis (Y12 – captain): third place in Class 1;

• Georgia Lewis (Y11): first place in Class 2. 2024 continued

Football

Holly Lyon (Y11) and Scarlett Gray (Y12) were selected for the New Zealand Secondary School U16 Girls’ team, which is touring Melbourne in April.

Futsal

Scarlett Gray, Amber de Wit (both Y12), Meg Simpson (Y13) and Holly Lyon (Y11) were named in the Canterbury Senior Women’s Futsal Squad to play in the Ford Football SuperLeague.

The Senior Girls’ futsal team won the Mainland Football Futsal Regional Tournament 2024 after beating Papanui High School on a penalty shoot-out, and the Canterbury Championship, beating Christchurch Girls’ High School 5–4.

Golf

At the Canterbury Secondary Schools’ Golf Championships, Zihui (Alisia) Ren (Y13) won the overall Female Best Gross with a score of 76. The St Andrew’s A team placed fourth overall.

Grass Cart Racing

Josh Silcock (Y13) won the 0–205cc Senior Class in the Canterbury Grass Kart Championships, which consisted of five rounds of racing against some very experienced drivers. Josh held a narrow one-point lead going into the last race and brought home the win. This was his first senior championship after graduating from the juniors in June 2023.

Gymnastics

Kalisa Zhang (Y9) has been selected to represent New Zealand at the 2024 Australian Gymnastics Championships. She also received the Stage 3–4 2023 Rhythmic Gymnast of the Year from the Canterbury Gymsport Trust.

Jet Ski

At the Battery Zone New Zealand Jet Sport Nationals, the following students achieved a top three placing:

• E xpert/Elite, Ski Lites, and Expert/ Elite, Four Stroke: Jake Wilson (Y11) first. Jake also won the Perpetual Cup for the New Zealand Jet Sports Boating Association (NZJSBA) Number One New Zealand Jet Sports Rider of the Year.

• Junior Development 13–15years: Thomas Parsonage (Y11) second, Danica Minson (Y9) third;

• Junior Development 10–12years: William Parsonage (Y8) first, Alex Wilson (Y8) second.

At the Jet Ski South Island Championships, Thomas Parsonage (Y11) was second in the 13–15 years category, and William Parsonage (Y8) was first in the 10–12 age group.

Motorcycling

Shey Doerner-Corson (Y11) was third in Round 1 of the New Zealand Hard Enduro Series, in Wanaka.

Rowing

Four rowing students secured representative trials, with Charles Butterfield and Jack Pitts (both Y13) invited to attend the New Zealand U19 trials, and William Tavendale and Logan Gardner (both Y13) invited to attend the U18 South Island trials.

Surf Life Saving

Amelie Clark (Y11) was first in the board race, second in the surf race, second in the diamond, and second in the run swim run at the Canterbury Surf Life Saving Championships.

Swimming

At the Canterbury West Coast Junior Swimming Championships, Catherine Shao (Y9) won a total of 12 medals from 10 individual events (five gold and seven silver). Samuel Hu (Y9) won two bronze medals and a silver medal.

Kelicia Rui En Purcell (Y7) competed in 14 events at the 54th Singapore National Age Groups Swimming Championships, achieving 12 personal bests and met the ‘Meet Time Standard’ in all events.

Alisia Ren (Y13)

William Parsonage (Y8)

ISSA Swimming Sports Day

A number of students from the Preparatory School competed at the ISSA Swimming Sports Day, winning the Years 5–6 Mixed Medley and Years 7–8 Mixed Medley, as well as number of individual placings. Those to achieve first placings were:

• Yunze Li (Y7): Year 7 Girls’ 50m freestyle, 50m breaststroke;

• K aia Hartstonge (Y8): Year 8 Girls’ 50m freestyle, 50m backstroke, Open 50m butterfly;

• Cong (Zilong) Chen (Y8): Open Boys’ 50m butterfly;

• Chloe Wang, Bozan Wang, Hunter Lane (all Y6), Arizona Wallace (Y5): Years 5–6 100m medley relay;

• K aia Hartstonge, Zilong Chen (both Y8), Yunze Li (Y7), Hudson Blyde (Y8): Open 200m medley relay.

Those to finish on the podium at the Canterbury Primary Swimming Sports Championships were:

• Open Mixed 200m Medley Relay: Kaia Hartstonge (Y8), Yunze Li (Y7), Cong (Zilong) Chen and Hudson Blyde (both Y8) first;

• Years 5–6 Mixed 100m Medley Relay: Bozan Wang, Chloe Wang and Hunter Lane (all Y6), Arizona Wallace (Y5) first;

• Year 6 Boys: Bozan Wang third 50m breaststroke, first 50m freestyle;

• Year 7 Girls: Yunzi Li first 50m freestyle, third 50m backstroke, second 50m breaststroke;

• Year 7 Girls: Kelicia Purcell first 50m breaststroke;

• Year 8 Girls: Kaia Hartstonge second 50m freestyle;

• Open Boys: Cong (Zilong) Chen (Y8) first 100m backstroke;

Tennis

Canterbury Secondary Schools’ Tennis Championships

A number of Years 11–13 students competed in the Canterbury Secondary Schools’ Tennis Championships with some great results. Those to place were:

• Girls Singles: Lily McHarg (Y12) third;

• Girls Doubles: Lily McHarg and Ruby McPhail (both Y12) second;

• Year 11 Girls Singles: Lila Waghorn (Y11) first;

• Open Years 12–13 Boys Singles: Ricky Kotepong (Y12) third;

• Open Years 12–13 Boys Doubles: Ricky Kotepong (Y12) and Josh Silcock (Y13) second;

• Boys Singles: Oliver Jackways (Y11) second in Consolation round;

• Boys Doubles: Oliver Jackways and Felix Parkinson (Y13) first in Consolation round.

South Island Secondary Schools’ Tennis Championships

The Girls’ A tennis team, comprising Lily McHarg, Ruby McPhail (both Y12), Lila Waghorn (Y11), Marija Filipovic (Y10), with the debut of Billie FeaverBanks (Y9) played superb tennis to be crowned South Island champions after beating Rangi Ruru Girls’ School 6–0 and the Ashburton College team 5–1. The Senior A Boys were also well represented by Ricky Kotepong (Y12), Alvin Na, Jack Wheeler (both Y10), Josh Silcock (Y13) and another debut by a Year 9 student, George Kotepong. They beat Otago Boys’ High School and Christ’s College (A2) to get through to the final against Christ’s College A1. Unfortunately, sickness affected the team but in spite of this they played great tennis. Christ’s College won the match with St Andrew’s finishing South Island runners-up.

Umpiring

Alexander Black (Y12) umpired at the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Softball Championships and was appointed as part of the umpiring team for the Division 1 Girls’ grand final.

Triathlon

Two St Andrew’s students claimed national titles at the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Triathlon Championships in Wanaka, with Cohnor Walsh (Y11) winning the U16 Male category and Sophie Lampe (Y10) winning the U16 Female category. Cohnor and Sophie also won first place in their respective U16 events at the South Island Secondary Schools’ Tri and Duathlon Championships in Oamaru.

VEX Robotics

The Mischievous Fellas (William Couper, Victor Sherbourne, Owen Menzies and Flynn Blackler – all Y13) made the final of the VEX Robotics regional scrimmage but were beaten by an Ao Tawhiti/Burnside High School team. At the national finals, The Mischievous Fellas continued their good form, making the s emi-finals, which they lost in a close game, 74–83. Two other St Andrew’s teams made the quarterfinals (top 16) – Totally Undefined – Oliver Cooper (Y12), Hannah Withers, Alex Manson, Luke Manson (all Y11), and Emily Morgan (Y13); and Jonathan –Matthew Bluck, Lee Patterson, and William MacIntyre (all Y11).

Volleyball

At the Mainland South Island Secondary Schools’ Volleyball Championships the Senior A Girls’ team finished second, after securing five wins in pool play, beating Christchurch Girls’ High School A in the semi-final, and losing to St Margaret’s College 1–3 in the final. The Senior A Boys’ team finished second overall in Division 2, after four wins and a loss during pool play, beating Middleton Grange School 3–0 in the semi-final, and going down to Shirley Boys’ High School in a highly entertaining final. The Senior B Girls’ team also competed in Division 2, and made it to the semi-final, where they lost to Villa Maria College A.

At the Canterbury Senior Secondary Schools’ Volleyball Championships, the Senior A Girls’ team finished second in Division 1, the Senior B Girls finished eighth in Division 1, and the Senior Boys finished seventh in Division 1.

Yunze Li (Y7)

Coach Hamish Faulls, Lila Waghorn (Y11), Lily McHarg, Ruby McPhail (both Y12), Felix Parkinson (Y13), Oliver Jackways (Y11), Josh Silcock (Y13) and Ricky Kotepong (Y12)

Regulus

Summer Tournament Week

It was another outstanding Summer Tournament Week for St Andrew’s, with the 13 teams and two squads representing the College in nine different sports, performing brilliantly at the highest level, claiming several national and South Island titles.

Highlights included an incredible performance by the highly skilled Senior A Girls’ futsal team, which won a national title, and Sophie Lampe (Y10) who delivered another outstanding performance to win the New Zealand U16 Girls’ triathlon. There was also huge excitement on the water at Maadi Cup, where St Andrew’s won gold medals in the U16 Boys’ coxed four, and the U16 Girls’ coxed eight, along with a gutsy silver medal in the prestigious Springbok Shield, won by the U18 Boys’ coxed four. (See pages 50 – 51 for a full wrap up from the Maadi Regatta).

Also at a national level, the Senior Mixed tennis team finished a highly creditable second, and the Senior A Girls’ volleyball team won bronze, with both these teams facing some of the top schools around the country.

South Island titles were won by the Senior Mixed touch team, the 3×3 Senior Girls’ basketball team, with silver medals won in mountain biking by Abigail Scot-Douglas and William Pringle (both Y11) at their South Island competition.

New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Triathlon Championships

Outstanding young athlete, Sophie Lampe (Y10) delivered another incredible performance to take the New Zealand U16 Girls’ triathlon title at the national event in Tauranga. This win is on the back of two other recent national and South Island U16 triathlon titles won by Sophie. Cohnor Walsh (Y11) also continued his excellent form to finish fifth in New Zealand in the U16 Boys’ event.

Senior A Girls' futsal team, Back: Juan Chang (Manager), Serena Patel (Assistant Coach), Addison Pilkington (Y13), Scarlett Gray (Y12), Megan Simpson, Billie Revis, Odette Lieshout (all Y13), Britney-Lee Nicholson (Coach) Front: Rosalie Lunam (Y9), Holly Lyon, Taylor Gordon (both Y11), Meila Farrelly (Y10), Amber de Wit (Y12)

New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Futsal Championships

The well-drilled Senior A Girls’ team had a fantastic run all the way from the group stage to the final of the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Futsal Championships in Wellington, where they beat Napier 4–1 in a thriller in extra time, to become New Zealand champions. Amber de Wit (Y12) was named MVP of the tournament. This is the first time in St Andrew’s history that the girls’ team have won this national tournament, and completes the treble for the 2024 season, after the team won both the Canterbury Tournament and the Regional Championship. Also competing at these championships were the Senior Boys’ team, which finished 28th in New Zealand, and the Junior Boys’ team which finished 24th in New Zealand.

Senior Mixed tennis team: Ruby McPhail, Lily McHarg (both Y12), Marija Filipovic (Y10), Hamish Faulls (coach), Ricky Kotepong (Y12), Alvin Na, Jack Wheeler (both Y10)

New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Tennis Championships

A young St Andrew’s Mixed tennis team comprising Marija Filipovic, Jack Wheeler, Alvin Na (all Y10), Lily McHarg, Ruby McPhail, and Ricky Kotepong (all Y12), did incredibly well to end the national championships in second place, after facing some top schools. They started the Christchurch-based tournament with convincing wins against Kristin School, 6–0 and Scots College, 5–1. This led to a tight match against Saint Kentigern College, which they took out 4–2 after breaking a deadlock by winning both mixed doubles matches. This saw St Andrew’s face Macleans College in the final, which was a huge task with all the opposition players ranked higher. Macleans won the tie 5–1 and St Andrew’s finished a highly creditable second in New Zealand.

Left: Cohnor Walsh (Y11) and Sophie Lampe (Y10)

Senior Mixed touch team. Back: Paul Harris (Coach), Sam Mustchin (Y13), Otis Wheeler, Kupa Rule (both Y11), Fynn Harris (Y12), Nikao Panapa (Y12), Seymour Stowers-Smith (Y11), Tom Turner, Macklan Robertson (both Y13), Harrison Mealings (Y12), Beau Robertson (Y11), Alison Lomax (Manager) Front: Metua Cranwell, Annabelle Barker (both Y11), Rafferty Powell, Holly Maraki, Addison Williams, Ophelia Powell (all Y13), Tom Ruwhiu (Assistant Coach)

South Island Secondary Schools’ Touch Championships

The Senior Mixed touch team followed up the national title they won in December 2023, with a great performance at the South Island Secondary Schools’ Touch Championships in Christchurch, claiming the championship for the second consecutive year. The team played a solid semi-final, beating Rangiora High School 8–5. In the final, St Andrew’s made a strong start and never looked back, beating Lincoln High School 11–4.

Senior A Girls Volleyball team, Back: Brooke Hughes (Y13), Hannah Papali’i Taimalelagi Malietoa(Y11), Catherine Cook (Y12), Milla Downing (Y13), Charlotte Galvan (Y11), Ashley Bonne (Y12) Front: Mia Montgomery (Y12), Molly Morrow (Y13), Niamh Chamberlain (Y13), Saige Maraki (Y11), Gabrielle Jones (Y13)

New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Volleyball Championships

The Senior A and B Girls’ and Senior Boys’ teams went to Palmerston North with high hopes of doing well in their respective divisions. The Senior A Girls had a wonderful tournament, playing some of their best volleyball of the season. They fought hard and in the semi-finals were beaten in a tight match 2–3 against Rangitoto College. In the bronze medal match, the girls played great volleyball to beat Otumoetai College and secure third place in New Zealand. The Senior A Boys’ team also did well winning Division 3, which was a perfect way to end their season. The Senior B Girls’ team fought hard throughout the championship and came a creditable 47th in New Zealand.

Island silver

left, Abigail Scott Douglas (Y11), and right, William Pringle (Y11)

South Island Secondary Schools’ Mountain Biking Championships

Two St Andrew’s mountain bikers put in some great performances at the South Island Secondary Schools’ Mountain Biking Championships in Queenstown. William Pringle (Y11) won silver in the Boys’ U17 Cross Country event and Abigail Scot-Douglas (Y11) also won silver in the Girls’ U16 Cross Country event.

South Island Secondary Schools’ Water Polo Championships

The Senior A Boys’ and Girls’ water polo teams competed in the South Island Secondary Schools’ Water Polo Championships in Christchurch, where the Boys’ team did well in pool play winning four out of five matches, before meeting King’s High School in the quarter-final, which they won 8–3. After going down 4–9 to St Bede’s College in the semi-final, St Andrew’s faced Marlborough Boys’ College in the playoff for third and fourth, losing in a nailbiter, 10–11. The girls had some mixed results but tried hard, finishing in eighth place.

Southern Regional Secondary Schools’ 3×3 Basketball Championships

The Senior A Girls’ team won the Basketball New Zealand Southern Regional 3×3 Championship after a three-day competition in Ashburton. In their nine pool games, the girls were only really challenged by Rangiora High School, who they beat 10–8 and Craighead Diocesan School who they beat 10–7. A comfortable 10–4 win over Christchurch Girls’ High School in the semi-final set them up for a final against Kaiapoi High School, which they also won by a good margin 12–6. The boys’ team finished 12th against some tough competition.

Jaden Hu (Y13)

The Senior Girls 3×3 team, Ella Sharpe (Y13), Hayley Stowell (Y9), Maniah Taefu (Y10), and Ava Jones (Y11)

South

medallists,

Maadi gold for St Andrew’s

The gold medal won by the U16 Girls' coxed eight at the 2024 Maadi Cup couldn’t have been a more fitting send off for Rector Christine Leighton, who was attending her final regatta supporting St Andrew’s crews before her retirement at the end of this year.

Racing at Lake Ruataniwha, in their recently named boat, Christine Leighton, the girls won St Andrew’s first ever national girls’ eight title, in a nailbiting final, which saw them pip Rangi Ruru Girls’ School and Waikato Diocesan School for Girls. It was a fantastic result for the young crew of Robbie Miller (Year 12) (cox), Lucia Apse, Katie Taggart, Alanna Brook, Chloe Lowe, Sayler Hedgcock (all Year 11), Abbie Hartstonge, Sophia Drury and Mollie Thomas (all Year 12), who had already been crowned S outh Island champions.

What has been described as an ‘epic’ 30 minutes for St Andrew’s U16 rowers had earlier kicked off with a win in the A final of the Boys' U16 coxed four, with Bradley Hughes, Kaelan Graham, William Currie (all Year 12), Oliver Barker (Year 11) and William Kamo (Year 13 – cox) claiming the College’s first gold of the regatta by a length over their opposition.

The Boys' U18 coxed four, put in a gutsy effort in the prestigious Springbok Shield event, finishing just behind Hamilton Boys’ High School. This was an outstanding result for Charles Butterfield, Jack Pitts, Jake Burrowes, Luke Skinner, and William Tavendale (all Year 13) who put in so much effort throughout the season. These five boys were joined by additional crew members, Logan Gardner, Benjamin Bolton, Thomas Heffernan, and Coby Goode (all Year 13) in the U18 coxed eight crew in the Maadi Cup final, the pinnacle of secondary schools’ rowing. Against very strong opposition, the crew put in a great effort to finish sixth.

Fourth placings by the Boys' U18 coxed squad featuring Logan Gardner, Benjamin Bolton, Thomas Heffernan, Coby Goode and William Tavendale, and the Boys' U16 coxed eight featuring Bradley Hughes, William Currie, Oliver Barker, Kaelan Graham, William Gilray (Year 11), Tadgh Molony, Hendrik Todhunter, Harry Pitts (all Year 11) and William Kamo (Year 13 – cox) were other highlights of the regatta.

A cocktail function hosted on the shores of the lake by the St Andrew’s rowing parents in conjunction with Rangi Ruru Girls’ School parents on the Thursday

evening, was a great opportunity for parents from North Island schools to enjoy some South Island hospitality and mingle with Christchurch independent schools. The 400 strong crowd was delighted at performances by piper Jack Boon (Year 13), and Matthew Lee (Year 13) who did an impressive Address to a Haggis

Overall, St Andrew’s crews made it to an impressive six A finals and eight B finals at Maadi Cup. On the back of the rowing squad’s outstanding effort during the season, Charles Butterfield and Jack Pitts were selected as New Zealand U19 team triallists, with Logan Gardner and William Tavendale selected as South Island U18 team triallists.

Outgoing Director of Rowing, Guy Williams, was pleased with the students’ outstanding performances on the water. “I am extremely proud of the rowing team this season, which was full of disruptions and weather delays. Our Year 13 students have been amazing leaders, with the medals at Maadi Cup reflecting the efforts of the entire squad.”

Gold medal winning U16 Girls' coxed eight (from left) Sayler Hedgcock, Chloe Lowe, Alanna Brook, Lucia Apse, Katie Taggart (all Year 11)

Abbie Hartstonge, Sophia Drury, Robbie Miller (cox), Mollie Thomas (all Year 12)

Maadi Cup A Final results:

• Robbie Miller (Year 12) (cox), Lucia Apse, Katie Taggart, Alanna Brook, Chloe Lowe, Sayler Hedgcock (all Year 11), Abbie Hartstonge, Sophia Drury and Mollie Thomas (all Year 12): gold in the U16 Girls' coxed eight;

• Bradley Hughes, Kaelan Graham, William Currie (all Year 12), Oliver Barker (Year 11) and William Kamo (Year 13 – cox): gold in U16 Boys' coxed four;

• Charles Butterfield, Jack Pitts, Jake Burrowes, Luke Skinner and William Tavendale (Year 13 – cox): silver in Boys' U18 coxed four (Springbok Shield);

• Charles Butterfield, Jack Pitts, Jake Burrowes, Luke Skinner, Logan Gardner, Coby Goode, Ben Bolton, William Long and William Tavendale (Year 13 – cox): sixth in Boys' 18 coxed eight (Maadi Cup);

• Logan Gardner, Benjamin Bolton, Tom Heffernan, Coby Goode and William Tavendale (Year 13 – cox): fourth in Boys' U18 coxed quadruple sculls;

• Br adley Hughes, William Currie, Oliver Barker, Kaelan Graham, William Gilray, Tadgh Molony, Hendrik Todhunter, Harry Pitts and Wiliam Kamo (Year 13 – cox): fourth Boys' U16 coxed eight.

A successful season for the rowing squad

South Island Secondary Schools’ Rowing Championships

The St Andrew’s rowing squad had a successful weekend in Twizel at the South Island Secondary Schools’ Rowing Championships. The squad handled the mixed conditions well, competing in 24 A finals, winning eight medals – five golds and three bronze. Both the Boys’ and Girls’ U16 coxed eight became South Island champions, with the girls beating strong St Margaret’s College, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School and Christchurch Girls’ High School crews to win by a length. This was the first St Andrew’s Girls’ eight to ever win a South Island Secondary Schools’ title.

The Boys' U16 coxed eight won in similar fashion, beating Christ’s College by three-quarters of a length with the Boys' U16 coxed four also winning gold. The Senior Boys’ squad became South Island Secondary School champions in both the U18 coxed four and U18 coxed eight. Bronze medals were won by Girls'

U18 single sculler, Libby McNee (Year 13), the Girls' U16 coxed four and the Boys' U15 coxed eight.

With limited racing over the season, the St Andrew’s rowers left everything out on the water during this regatta, which was a great build up to the Maadi Cup.

Other regattas

A rowing camp in mid-January coincided with the Canterbury Rowing Championships held on Lake Ruataniwha. Unfortunately, the regatta was interrupted by wind. All three of the Girls’ U16 coxed quads made it through to the A final.

At the end of January, the novice squad spent time in Twizel without the company of the return rowers, who joined them on Friday 26 January to compete in the South Island Rowing Championships, one of three championship regattas during the season. The regatta was yet again affected by the wind, but the rowers

got a full day of racing in on some nice water on the Sunday. The St Andrew’s team won three bronze medals, one silver and three gold medals, taking three South Island Club Championships titles.

The full St Andrew’s College rowing squad raced at the Christchurch Schools’ Head of the River at Kerrs Reach. With a lot of racing abandoned this season, this regatta was pivotal. There were several strong results throughout the one-day event, starting with the novice/return rower 50/50 boats. Both the boys’ and girls’ crews had strong wins and the senior rowers had some tight racing. The Girls’ U18 quad had a close race with Cashmere High School, eventually finishing in second place. Both Boys’ U18 fours had strong performances, winning their races, as well as the Boys’ U18 quad. The Boys’ U18 coxed eight had another close race with Christchurch Boys’ High School and lost by half a boat length.

Boys' U16 4+ after winning their gold medal (from left) Bradley Hughes, William Currie, Kaelan Graham (all Year 12), Oliver Barker (Year 11), William Kamo (Year 13 – cox)

The Boys' U18 4+ with their silver Springbok Shield medals (from left) Rachel Williams (Coach), Charles Butterfield, Jack Pitts, Jake Burrowes, Luke Skinner, William Tavendale (all Year 13), Hayden Soper (Coach)

Old Collegians Old Collegians – Events

President Message

from the

It has been a busy start to the year for the Old Collegians Association.

The Founders’ Day Assembly and 60 Years On Reunion were memorable events, marked by special traditions and several familiar faces.

At the Founders’ Day assembly, Matthew Lee (Year 13) gave a superb Address to a Haggis. It was an honour to have Gerald Wilson (the 1968 1st XI cricket captain) presenting this year’s 1st XI cricket caps and Francis Twiss presenting medals to the rowers. Francis was part of the inaugural St Andrew’s boat that competed in the Maadi Cup in 1968.

As part of this special weekend, the College welcomed Old Collegians for their 60 Years On Reunion. The cocktail and dinner evenings were met with enthusiasm, offering an opportunity for alumni to reconnect and reminisce. Matthew Lee delivered another stellar Address to a Haggis at the reunion dinner. Catering Manager, Russell Gray and his team orchestrated yet another memorable evening. Well done and thank you to everyone who helped make the night so successful.

This year, we are delighted to announce we will be hosting Old Collegians functions in Dunedin (Wednesday 29 May) and Wellington (Wednesday 3 July). These gatherings hold special significance as they mark Rector Christine Leighton’s final visit as the Rector. We extend a warm invitation to all Old Collegians in these regions to join us in bidding her farewell.

Finally, we are taking nominations for sports, service and art awards which will be presented at our Old Collegians Annual Dinner on Friday 16 August 2024. If you are aware of any Old Collegians whose success should be celebrated, could you please send us an email outlining their achievements to our Alumni and Community Relations Co-ordinator, Lisa Clark at oldcols@stac.school.nz.

I look forward to connecting with you at our events this year.

Sam Crosbie (2009) President Old Collegians Association

10 Years On 2023 Class of 2009–2013

On Thursday 16 November 2023, more than 50 alumni and their partners from the Class of 2013, along with some of their beloved teachers, assembled at the College to celebrate their 10 Years On Reunion. Following a tour of the College, the guests were piped into the Centennial Chapel, where many marvelled at its beauty for the first time. The group’s Leavers’ Gift, the Memorial Chapel Model, took pride of place at the entrance, much to their delight. Rector, Christine Leighton, extended a warm welcome to the group, reminiscing about their time at St Andrew’s and sharing memories, including the viewing of the music video ‘This is Us’, created by the group during their final year. Annie Stevenson, the 2013 Head Girl, also addressed the gathering and acknowledged those unable to attend. A cocktail party followed in Strowan House and provided our Old Collegians with the opportunity to reconnect with their former teachers, including Dean, John Quealy. As the night progressed, the reunion attendees headed to a nearby venue, where they extended their trip down memory lane well into the evening.

60 Years On 2024

Class of 1964–1968

On Friday 8 March, we welcomed back 40 Old Collegians from the Class of 1964–1968 and their partners to a truly memorable Founders’ Day and 60 Years On Reunion. The weekend commenced with the Founders’ Day Assembly which showcased our students many talents. During the assembly, Gerald Wilson, the 1968 cricket captain, presented this year’s 1st XI cricket caps, and Francis Twiss presented medals to our rowers. Francis was part of the inaugural St Andrew’s boat that competed in the Maadi Cup in 1968.

The afternoon was filled with vibrant energy as Old Collegians enjoyed watching the Highland Games –a delightful blend of noise, colour, chants, games, songs, and House spirit. The afternoon wrapped up most appropriately with a display from the Pipe Band.

The Friday night cocktail party saw 60 guests return for a well overdue catch-up, sharing countless stories. Many Old Collegians were impressed at the facilities now available to our students. Past staff members, John and Jill Irving, along with Rex Livingstone, were also in attendance. Saturday night marked the formal dinner, complete with the traditional Address to a Haggis. Thanks to Alastair Craw, Richard McLachlan and John Masson, who assisted Matthew Lee

forgotten but Gone not

Thomas (Tom) Brake (1947)

Raymond (John) Collins (1948)

Brian Riach (1951)

William (Bill) Wallace (1951)

John Burn (1953)

John Gunn (1953)

William (Bill) Edginton (1956)

Murray Neilson (1957)

Mark Taylor (1958)

Leonard Beattie (1959)

George Currie (1959)

Peter Greer (1959)

Paul Brown (1960)

Stewart Wyllie (1960)

Neil Bisman (1961)

Richard McAslan (1961)

David McIntyre (1961)

Robert (Bob) Syme (1961)

Gavin Bain (1962)

John Pilbrow (1963)

Peter Steele (1966)

Bruce Hatherley (1968)

Ellwood Montagu (1969)

John Atkinson (1972*)

Martin Thomas (1972)

John Lewis (1975)

Lindsay Reid (1975)

Simon Hampton (1978)

Nicholas (Nick) Seddon (1978)

Martin Pattie (1979)

Alistair (AJ) Hickling (1994)

*We apologise for running the incorrect peer year for John Atkinson in Issue 3 2023 of Regulus

Events for 2024

1st XV Rugby Reunion: Teams of 1954, 1964, 1974, 1984, 1994, 2004, 2014

Saturday 18 May 2024

Otago Old Collegians

Regional Catch Up

Wednesday 29 May 2024

40 Years On: Class of 1984–1988 21–22 June 2024

Wellington Old Collegians Regional Catch Up

Wednesday 3 July 2024

50 Years On: Class of 1974–1978 26–27 July 2024

OCA Annual Dinner

Friday 16 August 2024

Regulus

Class notes

Eddie Oakley (1958) was recognised for his contribution to the rural Rakaia community at the 2023 Ashburton District Council’s Community Honours Awards.

Brian Palliser QSM (1962) received a Civic Award for his outstanding service by Christchurch City Council in December. These awards are presented annually to honour those who ‘go above and beyond’ for Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.

Mike (Scrump) Johnston (1974, Staff) represented New Zealand in the International Masters Cricket World Cup in Chennai, India in February in the O ver 60s division where they came third.

Feleti Teo (1982) was elected by the new parliament of Tuvalu as the country’s Prime Minister. Feleti, who was Dux in his final year at the College, has had an illustrious career in a number of Pacific-wide organisations since he graduated with an LLB degree from the University of Canterbury. Feleti follows in the footsteps of another Old Collegian, Sir Toalipi Lauti (1951), who was the first Prime Minister of independent Tuvalu in 1978.

Mike Butterick (1990) is the new MP for Wairarapa. He is also Deputy Chair of the Environmental Select Committee, and on the Education and Work Force select committee.

Joanna Bennett (1999) and Preparatory School mother of three, placed second in the Ladies Class of the Nutbuster Hard Enduro competition in Hurunui. The course was run in open grassy hill country, mud and rocks, matagouri bushes with steep technical ascent and long technical descents.

Grant Walker (2002) completed the Moab 240 in Utah, an endurance race across the Utah Desert. Runners had 116 hours to make their way from Moab, back to Moab, with 240 miles (385km) and 31,564ft of elevation along the way. Grant completed the race successfully, leaving behind 84 others who could not complete it in time. It was an exceptional feat of endurance.

Marianne Gilchrist (née Dutkiewicz, 2008) swam the length of Lake Taupō, which is a staggering 40.2 kilometres, making it the largest lake in the Southern Hemisphere. She achieved this test of endurance and determination in 14 hours and 35 minutes. This swim has been achieved by less that 100 people, and was first done in 1955 by Margaret Sweeney.

Henry Nicholls (2009) and Leo Carter (2012) put on a great show in Canterbury’s Ford Trophy cricket match against the Central Stags in February, scoring 209 runs. This was

the highest third-wicket partnership for Canterbury. Henry got his eighth List A century seventh for Canterbury, ending with an astonishing 138 off 123 balls. Leo smacked his second List A century going for 107 off 103 balls. Zak Foulkes (2020) took three wickets in their victory over the Stags – great work from our Old Collegians!

Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson (2013) starred as the witch in the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s production of Hansel and Gretel, which toured New Zealand late last year.

Sam Gilbert (2016) signed with the Highlanders for the 2024 season of Super Rugby Pacific.

Neil MacLeod (2016) released his new single, Fear, in March. Neil is a singersongwriter, producer, engineer, and artist, who has received a nomination for Te Tohu Hopunga Puoro Mariu (Favourite EP/Mixtape) at the 2023 Student Radio Network Awards with his EP, We Have Known Lost Days.

Britney-Lee Nicholson (2017) is the top goal scorer of all time for the New Zealand Futsal Ferns after scoring two goals against the Philippines in November. Britney-Lee is the current St Andrew’s Girls’ futsal and football head coach.

Lizzie Stevenson (2017, Head Girl) graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB) with Distinction. She was also awarded the Dean of the Otago Medical School Prize for outstanding service to the University of Otago Medical School by a graduating student. She was the only one of her cohort to receive the prize, which is awarded at the discretion of the Dean. She was also the dual winner of the Division of Health Sciences Premier Undergraduate Prize. In 2024, Lizzie has taken up a position at Nelson Hospital, working as a junior doctor alongside her sister, Annie Stevenson (2013, Head Girl) who graduated with the same degree with distinction in 2020, and recently achieved a Postgraduate Diploma in Child Health.

Saxon Morgan (2018) achieved a careerbest at the World Triathlon Cup in Hong Kong, with his tenth place finish taking his world ranking from 110th to 102nd.

Tom Rance (2018) competed in the New Zealand National Flag Football Team at the Asia/Oceania Continental Championships in Malaysia. The team lost the tournament to Thailand in the dying seconds of the final. Tom's highlight was beating internationally ranked Japan in the semi-final. He scored an intercept touchdown on full time to seal the game and also led the competition in intercepts.

Eddie Oakley

Feleti Teo

Joanna Bennett

Grant Walker

Monique Rees (2018) made her debut for the Wellington Blaze in November as part of the New Zealand Cricket Women’s One Day Competition.

Luca Vinnell (Head Boy 2019) was awarded the Helen Goodwin Doctoral Scholarship and is starting his research career, looking at the immune system’s connection to Parkinson’s disease.

Anika Boet (2019) secured a contract as a company dancer with Sydney Dance Company and departed on an international tour. She was a member of the Ballet Academy from its inception in 2011 and enjoyed many wonderful roles during her time w ith the Academy.

Mika MacDonald (2021) and the Christchurch Golf Club’s men’s team retained the Woodward Cup in the finals at Pegasus in November.

Harry Waddington (2021) won the 2023 Sir Edward Taihakurei Durie Essay Competition. His essay was published in the Māori Law Review Journal in February 2024. Harry was proud to be the first recipient of the prize from the University of Canterbury.

Molly Spark (2021), and her team, FEAR Youth, placed ninth at the 2023 Adventure Racing World Championship on the Eastern Cape of South Africa. They completed the 840km course in 150 hours and 32 minutes and were the youngest team competing against over 100 fourperson teams from around the world.

Milly Christie, Brianna Sloper, and Isla Miers (all 2022) received their Diplomas for Highland and National Dancing at the New Zealand Academy of Highland and National Dancing Conference. They are all now fully qualified to teach and adjudicate Highland Dancing.

Sophia Clark (2021) and Zee Hammond (2017) were presented with their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award, by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, at a reception in Government House hosted by the Governor-General.

Moses Armstrong-Ravula (2022) has been named in the Moana Pasifika Under-20 squad. His brother Isaiah (2021) has become a fan favourite in his rookie year with the Fijian Drua Super Rugby team and was named 'Fan Player of the Match' in their victory over the Canterbury Crusaders in Lautoka.

At the New Zealand Young Piper of the Year 2023, Campbell Wilson (2020) won the Overall U21 prize for the fifth consecutive time with a first in Piobaireachd, first in March, Strathspey and Reel, and first in the Hornpipe and Jig events.

Lauren Whittaker (2023) made the Tall Ferns travelling team for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in China in February..

Lose Faingaanuku, Holly Munro (both 2021) and Sienna StowersSmith (2023) were selected for the 2024 Mainland Synergy Hair Netball League team.

The following Old Collegians were named in the Canterbury U20 basketball team: Kavanah Lene, Lauren Whittaker, Mitch Corkery, Torin Ward (all 2023). Sam Jenkins (2020) was named as coach of the Canterbury U18 team.

The 2024 New Zealand Elite rowing squad includes four St Andrew’s Old Collegians – Robbie Manson, Ben Taylor, Thomas Russel, and Z ack Rumble. The College is currently the most represented school in the Rowing New Zealand squad.

Old Collegian rowers participated in the New Zealand National Rowing Championships at Lake Karapiro. The Men’s Double Scull was won by Robbie Manson (OC 2007) and his doubles partner, Jordan Parry, qualifying them for the Paris Olympics in July. The School of Origin Men’s 4 was won by Ben Taylor, Thomas Russel, Flynn Dijkstra, and Zack Rumble (all OC 2017), who also r owed together in the winning

Year 13 2023 Leavers’ Gift

Each year, the Year 13 Leavers initiate and organise a gift to the College as a legacy gift. On Friday 16 February, a small ceremony was held with a number of Leavers from 2023 to unveil and bless their gift, a magnificent carved Pou which now proudly stands in the Senior College foyer. Carver, Alex McLeod, was commissioned by the Leavers to carve this Pou which honours the diversity and inclusiveness of their year group.

A group of 2023 Year 13 leavers at the unveiling with their Year 13 Dean, Donna Jones

Ben Taylor has qualified for the Men’s Reserve Pair to race at the three World Cups leading up to the Paris Olympics in July. Zack Rumble has been selected into the Elite Men’s quadruple sculls to compete at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland and if placed in the top two, he will qualify for the Olympics.

Freddy Todhunter (2023) was selected for the U21 New Zealand rowing team to compete at the 2024 U21 Pacific Regatta in Sydney, Australia in May/June.

Anika Boet

Zee Hammond with HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward

Maadi Cup 8 in 2017. The Boss Rooster (Men’s Premiere 4) was won by Ben Taylor, Thomas Russel, Zack Rumble and Oli Welch.

From left to right, Thomas Russel, Zack Rumble, and Ben Taylor

Regulus

Welcome world to the

Alexander George Edward Shipton

Son of David Shipton (2008) born 26 October 2023.

Madelyn Rose Smith

Daughter of Emalie Hunt (2009) born 10 December 2023

Evelyn Grace Bunn

Daughter of Tamara McCutcheon (2002), born 28 August 2023.

Matilda Jane Pearl Henderson

Daughter of Todd (2012) and Annie (née Black, 2012) Henderson, born 27 October 2023.

Cooper Lee Johnson

Son of Carly Johnson (née Dew, 2007), born 5 December 2023.

Charlotte Haddon Winchester

Daughter of Louise Merrick (2012), born 30 December 2023.

Alice Nikki Crosbie

Daughter of Sam Crosbie (2009) born 22 January 2024.

Thomas Alexander Hart

Son of Alexander Hart (2013) born 14 February 2024.

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