Regulus Issue 2, 2022

AUGUST

Editor/Writer: Jo Bailey

Photography: Clinton Lloyd

Sue Oxley

Anna Turner

Craig Morgan

Sarah McCook-Weir

Morgan Sheppard

Published: August 2022 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

(Cover) Year 13 students Luke Zhu, Corin Simcock, Tom Edwards and Toby Harvie –Global winners of the International Mathematical Modeling Challenge.

From Rector

Recently, St Andrew’s College students once again competed in the Ngā Manu Kōrero competition here in Ōtautahi. Five years ago we introduced Te Reo Māori as an optional subject. The employment of Pete Westrupp as teacher of Te Reo Māori has helped us to grow in confidence as a school community, as we deepen our understanding of Te Ao Māori and our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

We are halfway through the school year and, despite the challenges of staffing the College through the impact of COVID-19, we have managed to continue with full curriculum delivery and a busy programme of student activity.

Many activities are celebrated in this edition of Regulus with our World Champion Mathematics Modeling team gracing the cover of this magazine. These students demonstrated that embracing opportunities and seeking ways to grow, develop, and apply their knowledge and skills can lead to unexpected opportunities. You can read their story on page 13.

Another international achievement was the outstanding success of Hannah Withers (Year 9) as runner-up in the International Future Problem Solving Challenge. Hannah, along with the Year 9 Future Problem Solving team, are profiled on page 12. These students are creating new knowledge and applying creative solutions to the world’s challenges. Their ability to collaborate effectively in teams, work across disciplines, and understand the creative learning process is inspirational.

At the recent Ngā Manu Kōrero competition, four speakers from St Andrew’s, supported by our Māori Pasifika and Waiata Tautoko, represented St Andrew’s College with pride and confidence. In an emotional prizegiving ceremony, Metua Cranwell (Year 9), came second in the Junior section – speaking in Te Reo Māori and Charlotte Galvan (Year 9) also gave an excellent speech in English. In the Senior section, Lily ChampionSmith (Year 12) came third speaking in English and Penelope Taulafo (Year 12) fourth speaking in Te Reo Māori. It is worth noting that most of the other placegetters were from Kura Kaupapa schools where the curriculum is taught in Te Reo Māori. St Andrew’s College won third place overall.

In recent years, a number of St Andrew’s College staff have retired after more than 20 years of service to the College. Three staff members who have given loyal service left at the end of Term 2; Dianne Voyce (Payroll Manager/Credit Controller for 25 years), Stephanie Brooks (Teacher in Charge of ESOL for 20 years) and Pip Dinsenbacher (Preparatory School Art Specialist for 22 years). Pip, along with her teaching role, has also assumed the position as Curator of Archives in the College Museum and Manager of Special Displays and Stories over the last six years. Old Collegians will particularly appreciate the importance of this responsibility as they witness the history of St Andrew’s

which is captured in displays and records across the College.

As we head into Term 3, we are anticipating the 2022 Senior College production Songs for a New World This production is usually performed early in Term 2, but COVID-19 delays has moved this to August. Congratulations to the creative team of Head of Drama and Dance Laurence Wiseman, Head of Music Duncan Ferguson and Performing Arts Co-ordinator Ginnie Thorner who have found a way for the students to perform when the Theatre has been demolished and the Performing Arts facilities are much compromised. The $20 million new Ben Gough Family Theatre and Performing Arts Centre is underway and on track for completion in June 2023. This ambitious project is a huge investment for the College and any support you could give through the upcoming Annual Giving Appeal would be a great endorsement of the wonderful Performing Arts programme at St Andrew’s, both past and present.

The cumulative effect of the generosity from so many, helps us to continue to provide the very best facilities to support the learning of present and future St Andrew’s students.

Pai ake te iti I te kore rawātu. Little is better than nothing at all.

Ngā Manu Kōrero Speech Competition

Four St Andrew’s students spoke extremely well at the Ngā Manu Kōrero Speech Competition – a Māori speech competition for all schools in Canterbury. Lily Champion-Smith (Year 12) delivered her powerful speech to an appreciative audience and came third in the Senior section (English). Metua Cranwell (Year 9) was second in the Junior section Te Reo Māori, while

Penelope Taulafo (Year 12) was fourth in Senior Māori, and Charlotte Galvan (Year 9) was eighth in Junior English. The four speakers from St Andrew’s were supported by 32 students from the Māori and Pasifika Group who sang their waiata tautoko (supporting song) following the speeches. Overall, St Andrew’s finished third behind two Kura Kaupapa (schools taught primarily in te reo Māori) which was a wonderful result.

Head Shave for Charity

On the second-to-last day of Term 2, an act of selfless generosity was witnessed by hundreds of students in the Quad. Some time ago, Secondary School Commerce Teacher, Jo BigfordFleming, sought approval to shave off her hair to raise money for two charities important to her, Paralympics New Zealand and Breast Cancer New Zealand. It was wonderful to see so many students and members of the St Andrew’s community get behind her, with Jo raising over $13,700. On the day, students were encouraged to wear pink and/or black in support of these charities.

Special leaving gift for Pip Dinsenbacher

This page is from a special gift book from the Preparatory School in recognition of Art Specialist, Pip Dinsenbacher’s retirement.

This beautiful drawing of Pip is by Ruby Richards (Year 4). The book includes a letter from each class in the Preparatory School acknowledging the impact of Pip’s art on every individual in the school.

From Board the

Rentoul House, ice on the windows during winter, hot water for showers running out by 6.00am, and an earlier curfew on Saturday night than the boys.

• donations of $845,000 adding to a successful Your Legacy, Our Future campaign;

Connection comes from looking back, understanding and valuing the past while creating the future.

Connection between people, generations, and cultures provides the foundation, strength, and spirit of the College. Everyone in the College community plays a role in fostering this connection.

This year, it is timely to look back, to that day 30 years ago when girls formally started at St Andrew’s College. My fellow Board member, Stephanie Bain, was in the first intake of girls in 1992. She came for her final year of school and boarded in Rentoul House with three other seventh form girls and nine sixth form girls (now Year 13 and Year 12).

Stephanie shared some memories with me about her year at St Andrew’s College. She recalled that at the start of the school year the boys, in an effort to figure out how the girls fitted in, carried their books and opened doors for them. The girls, not used to this treatment, were bemused. It only lasted for a couple of weeks until the boys figured out that the girls were just normal people and part of the school community. Stephanie’s fond memories of her year boarding at St Andrew’s include forming close friendships with the 13 female boarders who lived in

Stephanie was struck by how warm and welcoming all the staff and students were to her and the 54 other new girls. She also found that, with so many opportunities on offer, she was very involved from day one and felt like she had always been there. Looking back at her time at St Andrew’s College, she felt that becoming co-educational had opened up so many more opportunities for all students. 1992 was the first year of an in-House Senior Musical Production and a full choir for the Jubilee celebrations, both of which Stephanie participated in. The new co-educational approach built a community that normalised boys and girls learning and interacting alongside each other, and created a real sense of belonging.

For Stephanie, this sense of belonging has resonated as her two sons attend the Preparatory School. For Alexander (Year 3) and Sebastian (Year 1), having both boys and girls at school just reflects normal life. They, along with all their classmates, have participated in the StAC-UP programme which was introduced last year and focuses on treating others with respect and kindness.

We looked back to the near past of 2021 at the College’s 105th AGM on Wednesday 30 June. Last year was another year of exceptional student outcomes and strong financial performance. Notable College achievements included:

• strong roll and exceptional student outcomes in academic and co-curricular activities;

• completion of the Fitness Centre;

• commencement of the Ben Gough Family Theatre build;

• significant inroads into debt from previous building projects;

• a new partnership with So They Can where we are raising funds for a partner school in Tanzania;

• 22 gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Hilary Awards – which is a New Zealand school record.

At Board level there were three reappointments and a retirement at the AGM. Rob Woodgate and I were reappointed for our third terms, Nick Letham was reappointed for a second term, and Malcolm Johns retired at the end of his second term. Malcolm has been co-opted back on to the Board for a further six months to see this year out.

I mentioned in my last article that we were starting a formal appointment process for the Foundation Trustee positions. After a thorough process we are delighted to welcome Mark Mulholland, Gordy MacLeod and Tom Stanley to the Foundation Board. David Boyd has been appointed as the new Foundation Chair.

It is an honour to work alongside such outstanding Boards of Governors and Foundation Trustees. I am constantly reassured by their calibre, commitment, and desire to serve the school as custodians working to honour the past, protect the present, and find opportunities for the future.

Personal strengths senior leaders for a focus

Taking part in a Gallup Clifton Strengths assessment has helped a group of 22 members of the Senior Leadership Team, including the Executive Team and senior managers in the Secondary and Preparatory Schools, to delve deeper into their understanding of their personal strengths, says Head of Well-being, Kerry Larby.

“All staff and students at St Andrew’s have completed the VIA Strengths Survey, which is a broader taxonomy on universal human values. The Gallup Clifton Strengths comprise 34 themes under four different work-related categories – Strategic Thinking, Relationship Building, Influencing, and Executing."

"Taking part in this assessment has helped our senior leaders to discover how they can best use their talents to achieve their personal goals, and the strategic goals set by the College.”

Engaging in the process as a team also allowed the senior leaders to develop awareness about each other’s strengths, and how they might collaborate. As part of the assessment, each senior leader was connected with a strengths coach from the Gallup Institute for a one-hour session, looking at how they can best utilise their strengths at work, says Kerry.

“At the conclusion of the training, each leader was challenged to articulate and share their leadership philosophy with the wider team. This included a description of how they contribute their strengths to their leadership role.”

Deputy Principal of Preparatory School (Well-being) and Head of Education, Vicki Pettit, says the Clifton Strengths assessment process was helpful on an individual level, and she enjoyed gaining insights into other members of the leadership team.“I developed a greater appreciation of the strengths of others and how this can help us as we work together and lead our respective teams.”

Director of Boarding, Matt Parr, agrees the workshop was a great opportunity to connect with other senior leaders from around all areas of the College. “I enjoyed learning how my strengths interact with others and gained a better appreciation of how other people respond or react to situations when considering it from a strength-based lens. It was also great to be able to draw links between the Gallup and VIA Strengths.”

Head of Senior College, John Ruge, found the detailed insights into his own profile both affirming and challenging. “The Clifton Strengths assessment validates my innate strengths in a very empowering

way, as well as challenging me to be aware of how these impact my leadership style and how they affect the way I interact with the others in our team.” He sees huge potential for building stronger teams through the training and is hoping to transfer some of this knowledge to programmes with student leaders.

Building a strength-based culture is an important goal for staff and students at St Andrew’s College and exposing leaders to their unique strengths has proven to be an effective way to influence broader cultural change in teams, says Kerry. “Developing self-awareness and appreciation of the diverse talents of others in the senior leadership group, is helping our already effective and flourishing team to move forward even more positively together.”

Meet the St Andrew’s Board of Governors

Members of the St Andrew’s College Board bring a wide range of skills and expertise to their voluntary roles and make a significant contribution to the governance of the College, while supporting management and staff throughout the year.

In addition to governance of all aspects of the College, the Board has a special focus on capital development works, which have been significant and ongoing since the earthquakes. The Board is currently overseeing the exciting Ben Gough Family Theatre development, with construction by Armitage Williams Construction now well underway. Health and Safety is also a strong focus and has been high on the agenda at every Board meeting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Felicity Odlin says it was an ‘absolute honour’ to become the new Board Chair in 2021. “The role is about serving and giving my time and skills in the best way possible to this amazing community we are all part of.” Felicity is the current Finance Manager for Global Culture retail stores throughout New Zealand and joined the Board of Governors in 2016. Her experience working with multidisciplinary teams in small and medium size businesses, and background in accounting and financial roles have been a great asset to the Board, particularly the Finance and Audit Committee, and the Student Disciplinary Committee. She has deep roots at St Andrew’s. Her brother and grandfather both attended, and she and husband Mark’s two sons attended the College. Lachlan is currently in Year 12, and Oliver was College Dux in 2021, and is now in his first year studying Engineering at the University of Canterbury.

Nick Letham – Staff Nominee and Deputy Chair

Nick Letham (OC 2001) says his time as a student at St Andrew’s helped to build foundations for life beyond the school gate, in terms of skills, work ethic, values and the desire to make a difference.

He has served on the St Andrew’s Board since 2019, and is its current Deputy Chair. He has also been a member of the Old Collegians Association Executive since 2007 (including a stint as President from 2014 –2016) and is a former trustee of the College Foundation. “As the Staff Nominee on the Board, I feel an added sense of responsibility to understand the staff’s experience at the College, and to continue to improve and enrich their time at St Andrew’s.” Nick is a corporate/commercial law partner at Chapman Tripp. He has strong family ties to St Andrew’s, with his brothers Andrew (OC 2004) and Cameron (OC 2008), father Guy (OC 1974) and uncle Donald (OC 1970) among the many family members who have also attended.

Christine Leighton – Rector

As Rector, Christine Leighton has been a full member of the Board of Governors since October 2007. She and her Executive team are responsible for the operations of the College, managing the business, education, and student matters. Originally a teacher of English in secondary schools in New Zealand and England, Christine moved into management as Head of English at Tauranga Boys’ College, Assistant Principal at Nelson College for Girls, and Principal at St Hilda’s College (Dunedin) before taking up the position at St Andrew’s College. The role of Rector requires Christine to connect across all facets of school life – students, parents, staff, Old Collegians, Board, and parent groups, and professional colleagues across New Zealand. Christine says working with a skilled, supportive Board, who wants the very best for the St Andrew’s College community is a highlight of her role. “It is very satisfying what we can achieve working together”.

Rob Hall – Board Nominee

Rob Hall is a chartered surveyor and Fellow of the RICS. He is the current Manager National Asset Management at Kainga Ora – Home and Communities and is the former Chief Executive Officer of Development Christchurch Limited. He previously served as a Co-Deputy

Chair of the St Andrew’s Board. “I bring a perspective to the Board table focused on honouring our history, while striving for improvement in our ever-changing world,” he says. Although Rob did not attend St Andrew’s College himself, his children, Chanel (Year 12) and William (OC 2019), have. He also had a great aunty who worked at the College in the 1960s. Rob is also a Director of the New Zealand Registered Architects Board, a Trustee of the Dogwatch Sanctuary Trust, a warfare officer in the Royal New Zealand Naval Reserve, and is a former Board member of SPCA Canterbury and the Christchurch Arts Centre.

Richard Holyoake – Board Nominee

As a Chartered Professional Engineer with over 30 years’ experience in infrastructure delivery, Richard Holyoake’s professional skills have been valuable throughout the College’s extensive post-earthquake development programme, providing input to capital programme developments, and providing 'challenge and ideas' in the area of Health and Safety across the College. Richard is the current Market Segment Lead, for Beca, working with a team of skilled professionals in the fields of landside, terminals and airside infrastructure, and advisory services. He joined the St Andrew’s Board in November 2014, when his children James (OC 2020) and Rachel (Year 13) started in the Preparatory School. “I never cease to be amazed by the opportunities afforded to those who attend St Andrew’s, and the passion with which staff at the College provide these opportunities.”

Malcolm Johns – Parent Nominee

Parent Nominee, Malcolm Johns, has brought a wide range of commercial and governance skills to the Board for the past six years, which has included a stint as the Board’s Co-Deputy Chair. Since January 2014, he has been the Chief Executive of Christchurch International Airport, guiding it through significant challenges, including earthquake recovery, the terror event, and the global pandemic. All three of Malcolm’s children have attended St Andrew’s, with Lachlan in Year 13, Eilish in Year 11, and Charlotte (OC 2020).

“I’m incredibly excited at the digital journey St Andrew’s has been on and the way data has been developed and used to create and optimise individual learning pathways for our students,” he says. Malcolm also serves as one of New Zealand’s three delegates on the 21 country APEC Business Council, and chaired the Climate Change work programme focused on mitigation, adaptation, and fair transition frameworks as they relate to regional trade policy. He has served on various other commercial, not for profit, and government Boards across his commercial career.

Rob

Rob Woodgate has served on the Board for just over six years, and personally gets a lot out of it. “I’m constantly amazed at what I learn around the St Andrew’s College Board table and how it applies to my day job. It’s definitely a two-way process of learning and governance for me.” Rob is a chartered accountant and has extensive experience, holding a range of finance positions in New Zealand and the United Kingdom throughout his career. He has worked for some large South Island businesses including Silver Fern Farms, PGG Wrightson, and Fulton Hogan, for whom he is the current Group Chief Financial Officer. Rob’s strong financial acumen is valuable to the Board and he is the current Chair of the College’s Finance and Audit Committee. Although he didn’t attend St Andrew’s himself, Rob’s children Oliver (Year 11) and Emily (Year 9) have both attended since Year 1 and Pre-school respectively.

Old Collegian Nominee on the Board, Stephanie Bain, brings a unique perspective to the Board table, as she was one of the first girls to join St Andrew’s when it became co-educational in 1992. Stephanie’s father is also a proud Old Collegian, and her great-uncle was one of the College’s early students back in the 1920s. “I was privileged to be one of the first female students at the College, and we learnt so much about having to earn our place in a male dominated world. Having my sons, Alexander (Year 3) and Sebastian (Year 1), at St Andrew’s has given me another perspective again.” Stephanie is a Director and Principal People and Culture Consultant at Sunstone Talent, a company she runs with her husband, Paul Swettenham. “I’m excited to help ensure the Board continues to build on the legacy and live to the values and traditions which are already here, and also take things forward as we continue into the future.”

Nominee

Peter Nelson joined the Board in 2021 as the Christchurch Presbytery Nominee and did all his schooling at St Andrew’s from 1961 to 1973. “It is a privilege to have some input to help the College continue to evolve and grow, developing young men and women with values to face an ever changing and evolving world, and maintaining the leadership position it has aspired to and holds today.” After 26 years of senior management roles

in the corporate sector of the wine and spirit industry, both in Christchurch and Auckland, Peter founded Sculpture Hospitality and has expanded this business throughout Australasia.

“The skills I am able to bring to the Board come from my background and experience in sales and marketing, and strategic development,” he says. Outside of business and St Andrew’s, Peter chairs the Alpine Mission Board, and is a coach and mentor of Canterbury rugby referees.

Jamie-Lee Tuuta (OC 2005) –Board Intern

Jamie-Lee Tuuta (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Toa Rangatira) says joining the Board as a Board Intern in 2021, has given her the opportunity to give back to the College, which provided her with ‘so much’ academically and culturally. She brings wide-ranging skills to the Board, as a barrister, mediator, and collaborative practitioner. She is also a Trustee of Te Puawaitanga ki Ōtautahi Trust and was named in the inaugural Top Diverse Board-Ready Directors List for 2021. Jamie-Lee is appreciative of the progress St Andrew’s has made in weaving in the respect and acknowledgement of Te Ao Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi around its Scottish heritage. “We need to continue to weave that relationship together and realise its positive potential. I enjoy and have experience walking in both worlds and can assist in bringing everyone together on that journey.”

Meet the 2022 Student Captains

Academic Captains

Sarah Anthony

Sarah is honoured to be selected as an Academic Captain, and in 2022, wants to inspire students to remember the three ‘Es’ from the Academic Captains’ address: Effort, Excellence, and Enjoyment. Alongside established programmes, Sarah plans to implement other academic activities, and promote New Zealand Scholarship examinations to students.

Sarah has maintained a top five ranking, passed NCEA Level 3 with Excellence in Year 12, and has a New Zealand Scholarship. She is also Head Librarian and Head Sacristan in 2022. Next year, she plans to study a Bachelor of Veterinary Science at Massey University.

Luke Zhu

Luke feels privileged to have been selected as an Academic Captain. He plans to continue to build the Peer Tutoring and LEAP Reading programmes, and increase support for students planning to go overseas to study. He would like to help students to reduce the burden and stress that comes with the academic side of school. Luke was awarded four New Zealand Scholarships, and is an exceptional mathematician who has already studied two 200-level papers at university. He plays the clarinet in the College Orchestra, and next year, plans to travel to the USA to study Mathematics on a Scholarship.

Tom Edwards

Tom is grateful for the responsibility of being an Academic Captain, and alongside the continuation of existing academic programmes, he is keen to offer academic events for Year 9–10 students, such as Spelling Bees, along with academic evenings for older students. Tom would like to encourage all students to strive towards achieving their academic personal bests. He has a top five academic ranking, has Excellence endorsements at Level 3, won two New Zealand Scholarships, and was Best Speaker at the Canterbury Debating Competition. Tom is considering studying humanities once leaving St Andrew’s.

Cultural Captains

Rachel Holyoake

Rachel is excited to be a Cultural Captain in 2022 with Lucy Ojala. She is passionate about promoting the diverse talents of St Andrew’s students to the rest of the student community, while raising awareness and pride in the various cultural groups and their activities. Alongside the popular Cultural Week, Rachel was proud to help drive the introduction of StAC Music Month, to coincide with New Zealand Music Month, which showcased many of the College’s music groups.

Rachel has taken part in numerous cultural groups and activities at St Andrew’s, including six productions, being a member of the Middle School and Senior College choirs, a member of the Symphony Orchestra, and a member of the Pipe Band since Year 9. She was selected for the New Zealand Youth Pipe Band in 2021. Next year, Rachel plans to study a Bachelor of Earth Sciences at either Canterbury or Auckland University.

Lucy Ojala

Lucy is grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside Rachel Holyoake as a 2022 Cultural Captain, and is particularly proud of their StAC Music Month initiative which saw many different music groups perform in the Quad on Friday lunchtimes throughout May. Alongside the Cultural Council, Lucy plans to implement more competitions and activities for different cultural groups this year, which will involve students from right across the College. She would like to create a positive environment in which people can freely express themselves and share their unique talents, while building greater appreciation for cultural activities, without judgement, in the wider College community.

Lucy has been part of three productions, and is involved in StAC Dance. After leaving St Andrew’s, she is planning to take a gap year working in an English boarding school.

Sports Captains

Madeline-Rose Morrow

Madeline-Rose (Maddie) is excited to take on the role of Sports Captain this year. She is keen to establish new ideas and sports events which could be carried on in future years. She is passionate about competition among students in sport, while also upholding a great sportsmanship culture. She would love to see a growth in the inter -school House spirit, through sports and consistent in-House competitions.

While at St Andrew’s Maddie has been involved in football, volleyball, basketball, and cricket. She has played in the Girls’ Senior A and Canterbury A basketball teams for the last five years, and is captain of the Senior A Girls’ squad in 2022. Maddie has been selected for the New Zealand U18 Women's National Team who will attend the FIBA Asia Championships in India in early September. She plans to study at a New Zealand or Australian university next year, and continue competing in basketball.

Adam Redway

Adam is honoured to be a 2022 Sports Captain, and is enjoying helping out with all sporting activities at the College. He has been involved in organising a range of House sporting events, the Preparatory and Secondary Schools’ cross county events, and Athletic Sports Day, and is looking forward to the popular House basketball tournament in Term 3. One of Adam’s goals for the year is promoting recreational sports to students, and encouraging involvement. Encouraging a loyal supporter group that attends school sporting events is another focus.

Adam has played in a range of Canterbury age group hockey teams, and is representing Canterbury in the National U18 Hockey Tournament. He is considering his options for next year, which potentially include completing a Sports Management degree at Lincoln University, or taking a gap year in Europe.

Pip retiresDinsenbacher

After more than 23 years inspiring and encouraging countless Preparatory School children to explore their creativity in vibrant, clever, and exciting ways, Art Specialist, Pip Dinsenbacher closed her classroom door for the final time, when she retired at the end of Term 2.

The patience for teaching that Pip also learnt at her father’s side, has benefited hundreds if not thousands of Preparatory School children over the years.

Both of Pip’s children went to St Andrew’s, and this month, she is looking forward to travelling to Nevada to see Dani, and Stockholm to see Sophie. Her other retirement plans include doing more photography, playing the piano, and continuing to learn raranga (weaving Māori baskets). “We lived mainly in Māori communities when I

Technology Materials highly popular

The opportunity to problemsolve, develop practical skills, and design and produce a tangible product out of a range of materials, has seen the popularity of Materials Technology grow significantly, says Teacher in Charge of Hard Materials, Greg Murphy

“Our classes are full, and lots of students really look forward to it. They get to class early and come to the workshops during lunchtimes and after school to work on their projects. Materials Technology used to be a male dominated subject but a lot more girls are taking it now, which is really encouraging.”

Behind the big workshop doors in the woodwork and metalwork rooms in the Technology Centre, students are working hard on a range of exciting projects. These include anything from a toolbox for the back of a ute, to a kinetic sculpture, coffee tables, tool trolleys, and jewellery boxes. “A couple of girls are making a bird perch sculpture for the garden,” says Greg.

Materials Technology is an elective subject in Years 9–10, where students create simple step-by-step projects in the ‘Design and Make’ programme, gaining knowledge of a range of materials and processes in woodwork and metalwork.

Then it’s a step up to NCEA in Years 11–13, when students go from being directed, to working through the whole process of finding a problem, coming up with a solution, talking to a stakeholder, and designing and producing their end product, says Greg. “Through challenging briefs, students are encouraged to experiment and be innovative, as they develop design skills that translate their knowledge and ideas into practical realities.”

Greg says students in Materials Technology develop acute problemsolving skills, as they take their initial concept to design and production. “The students’ designs might look good on paper, but can they actually make their product? Experimenting with materials, trialling processes, and design through modelling are an important part of these courses.”

There are currently around 60 metalwork projects and 60 woodwork projects underway across Years 11–13,

he says. “We’re impressed with the students’ projects and the accompanying folios with all their written work, which are of a really high standard.”

Greg is keen to stress that while Materials Technology teaches students skills which would be useful for a job in the trades, the subject also paves the way for a range of future study or career pathways. “Technology can lead to careers in lots of areas including civil or mechanical engineering, architecture, fitting and turning, carpentry, product design, furniture design, interior design, and industrial design to name a few.” To get an idea of the scale of the Materials Technology operation at St Andrew’s, two tonnes of steel was recently delivered to the workshop, he says. “Lots of students helped us carry it into the classroom. They loved it.”

Between them, Greg, who has taught metalwork at St Andrew’s for 14 years, and John Hamilton who has been a woodwork teacher at St Andrew’s for over 30 years, have immeasurable experience to pass on to students.

“It is a challenging subject that is great to teach. The safety aspect is another huge part of it. All the students are so well behaved though. We’ve never had any problems.”

Forging interesting careers

These former Materials Technology students at St Andrew’s are exploring a variety of interesting career paths.

Tim Duncan (OC 2019)

Tim Duncan has always had a passion for making things, which prompted his decision to take Materials Technology (Woodwork) at St Andrew’s. He says the subject has prepared him well for his current, highly specialised work for an aircraft restoration company. “I was able to apply the skills I learnt in Materials Technology to my own projects, and also learnt the importance of discipline and the responsibility of working in a workshop.”

He enjoyed numerous other aspects of the course, including gaining a deeper understanding of how wood works, and taking classroom knowledge and designs and converting them into something useful. “Mr Hamilton taught me all the way through and was a great teacher. He pushed me and my fellow students to strive for more than the minimum, to develop a passion for the subject, and a deeper understanding of how it works.”

Tim is currently working on three signification restoration projects –ground-up rebuilds of Beech Staggerwing aircraft, built between 1933 and 1949. One was New Zealand’s first air ambulance, and another was used in Antarctica in 1940 by Admiral Richard Byrd. His future career goals are to become a Licensed Aircraft Engineer/Commercial Pilot and work in these fields.

Will Mace Cochrane (OC 2017)

Will Mace Cochrane is in his final year of a Bachelor of Forestry Science with Honours (BForSc) degree at the University of Canterbury and says taking Materials Technology (Metalwork) for several years at St Andrew’s proved invaluable to his studies. “Materials Technology was my favourite subject and provided the opportunity to plan, develop, and build a project. The skills I learnt, especially within the planning aspect, have significantly improved my capabilities to create high quality reports, understand client needs, and quantify timelines. This is important in forestry, which requires in-depth research and report writing to inform clients of environmental, social, and financial viability for their investments.”

He says he would ‘highly recommend’ that every student try Materials Technology at some point. “It provides a variety of skills not commonly taught in other subjects at school, which are important to any career path, no matter the direction one takes in tertiary studies.”

Will has accepted a graduate role with PF Olsen in 2023, and is looking forward to being part of the forest industry within New Zealand as it adapts to changes in environmental, social, and financial needs.

Jake Jackways (OC 2021)

Jake Jackways took Materials Technology as he was intrigued by the hands-on aspect of working with metal, and says it was a 'nice change' from Science and Mathematics subjects. “Being able to do basic things with metal such as welding, seemed an important skill to have moving forward. I always looked forward to the classes, as Mr Murphy was a fun teacher who made them enjoyable and was always there to help when you needed it.”

Along with the practical work in the workshop, Jake enjoyed the design process of the subject. “We had to come up with multiple designs, then narrow them down, and adjust them to fit our projects. Now that I am studying Engineering at the University of Canterbury, which looks at designing ways to solve problems in all aspects of life, I feel that Materials Technology provides a brief introduction into the design process that engineers have to go through. It gives you a good taste of some aspects, and touches on many others, without the Science and Mathematics involved.”

Once he graduates, Jake is keen to work as an engineer in a company and travel overseas to work to gain new experiences.

Second for world Future Problem Solving

Rising astrophotography star

Year 9 student, Hannah Withers, achieved outstanding success in the Individual Competition at the 48th International Conference for Future Problem Solving International, finishing runner-up to the world champion in the Middle Division of the ‘Global Issues’ competition. “Hannah represented both St Andrew’s College and New Zealand in this highly prestigious international competition, competing virtually against 40 other champion problem-solvers from around the globe. Finishing second was an incredible achievement,” says Rector, Christine Leighton.

A Year 9 team from St Andrew’s, comprising Matthew Bluck, Katie Foot, Charlotte Kyle, Teresa Steiner and Ania Kuziel, also represented New Zealand in the international final, and was one of only two New Zealand teams across all divisions to advance to the finals. The team also had great success, placing in the top 10 for their Presentation of Action Plan and receiving an Honourable Mention.

The Year 9 students had worked hard in preparation for the event, coached by Future Problem Solving and GATE teacher, Susannah Debenham, and guest tutor, Julie Rogers.

“We are very proud of all these students, who competed amongst the best young minds in the world and demonstrated dedication, perseverance, and skill, as they were challenged with some complex global scenarios,” says Christine.

Head of Photography, Thomas Rae (Year 13), has been recognised as a rising star in landscape and astrophotography by nzphotographer magazine, which recently published a feature article about Thomas and his work. Thomas was encouraged to submit his photography to the magazine by St Andrew’s College Art teacher, Jacqueline Spencer-Macleod.

Thomas says his appreciation for nature, curiosity for the night sky, and his love of art and creativity drives his work. He said in the magazine: “I just love being out exploring the world around us and thinking about our place in the universe. Experiencing the incredible view of our night sky creates a feeling that cannot be replicated. Behind the camera, there is an intense and indescribable sense of awe, wonder, and gratitude.”

The fact that Thomas only got into photography in 2017, and is largely self-taught, makes his achievements even more remarkable. His parents have been a great support, taking him to dark sky locations away from the light pollution of cities, when conditions are favourable, he says.

Thomas has been supported to progress his talents at St Andrew’s. In 2021, Head of Secondary School, Evert van Florenstein, and Teacher in Charge of Academic Extension and Enrichment, Ellen Hampson, encouraged Thomas to join the New Zealand Photographers Association, connect with Mark Gee, an award-winning New Zealand astrophotographer, and investigate mentor support from leading landscape photographer, Tony Bridge. Thomas has had one tutorial with both Mark and Tony. Early in Term 4 2021, Thomas had a well-received exhibition of his work in The Green Library and Innovation Centre.

His ambitions for his future work are to highlight a strong philosophical and environmental perspective, address issues in the world, and to inspire people to think further about our place in the universe. He is unsure whether his future career will be science or art based, but says photography will continue to be a big part of his life regardless.

Mathematical Modeling Competition Global winners

Four of St Andrew’s high achieving academics, Tom Edwards, Toby Harvie, Luke Zhu and Corin Simcock (all Year 13), are on top of the world, after winning one of only three Outstanding Team Awards presented at the International Mathematical Modeling Challenge (IM2 C), making them the winners of this prestigious competition, alongside schools from Thailand and the USA.

This outstanding success follows the team’s win in the New Zealand round of the competition. This qualified them for the international event, where they competed against 56 other teams from 31 countries/regions around the world. All teams worked at their schools during a five-day period between March and May.

This year’s problem was ‘Aboard! Boarding and Disembarking a Plane’ which required the teams to develop a model for the most time-effective plane boarding and disembarking methods, and then submit a substantial report.

The students had a week away from school in Term 1 to compete in the competition, and their success in both the New Zealand and international rounds was fully deserved given the complexity of their project and the work they put into it, says Teacher in Charge of Digital Technologies, and Mathematics teacher, Phil Adams, who supported the boys throughout

the project. “This year’s problem required them to come up with their own boarding and disembarking strategies for airplanes. They had to do comprehensive research to learn more about aircraft boarding algorithms, before identifying all the complicating variables. They took the approach of mathematically modelling the variables and the boarding process, then wrote a complex computer program in Python to run simulations of the boarding process over and over again. This enabled them to try different boarding strategies and see how they reacted to changing variables like the disobedience coefficient, passengers with carry-on luggage, or groups.”

Phil says after running thousands of trials and analysing the results, the students were able to settle on a strategy. “This took them five full days, including the time taken to produce a professional and polished report summarising their process and findings. They did an incredible job. This team’s creativity, team work,

and mathematical skill makes them a standout. It will be exciting to see where they go to from here.”

Rector, Christine Leighton, was thrilled with the result. “These four boys are incredibly able and love an academic challenge. They were thrilled to win entry into the international competition but to be one of three teams in the world with an Outstanding Award was beyond expectation. We are very proud of them.” The boys’ outstanding win resulted in national media attention, and after hearing a story about them on Radio New Zealand, Sir Ian Taylor invited them, and Mathematics teacher, Phil Adams, to be special guests at the prestigious New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards in early August, where they were recognised for their Outstanding Award. The team was also invited to present at the Air New Zealand headquarters in Auckland, where they will be given a tour and introduced to members of the software development group.

of the Spoken Word

Other individual winners were Katie Foot (Year 9), Theodore Meek (Year 10), Isobel Forsey (Year 11) and Lucas Te Rangi (Year 12). Thomas Kamo (Year 13) won the Impromptu section.

The competition was split in two, with a Junior Festival of the Spoken Word held earlier to find the Year 9 and Year 10 winners, who went on to compete in the Senior final against the Years 11–13 finalists.

The full list of finalists for each competition were:

Year 9: Katie Foot, Hannah Papali’I, Taimalelagi Malietoa, Matthew Bluck;

Year 10: Theodore Meek, Kaelan Graham, Daniel Officer;

Slam Poetry: Katherine Simcock (Year 10), Lily Champion-Smith (Year 12);

The slam poetry and spoken word talents of St Andrew’s College students were on full display during the final of the Festival of the Spoken Word competition in The Green Library and Innovation Centre, says Rector, Christine Leighton. “The calibre of the speakers was outstanding, with the judges commenting on the courage and authenticity of each speaker’s voice. The personal perspectives they shared made this a particularly memorable evening.”

Lily Champion-Smith’s (Year 12) performance, full of strength and pride, saw her win both the Slam Poetry section, and the Mark Ellerm Memorial Cup for Overall Best Speaker.

Festival Brain Bee

The annual New Zealand Brain Bee Challenge provides a rich learning experience for Year 11 ACEE students, says Teacher in Charge of Academic Extension and Enrichment, Ellen Hampson. “The Challenge is a wonderful opportunity for our students to learn about the functions of the brain, neuroscience research, careers in neuroscience, and to dispel misconceptions about neurological and mental illnesses, all while immersed in the stimulating environment of the University of Otago.”

Year 11 students, Meg Simpson, Isobel Forsey, Chantelle Xiong, Tamaroa Connelly and William Couper, were selected to represent St Andrew’s in the South Island finals. Although they didn’t place, they had a great experience,

“English teacher, Ellie Simatos, did a wonderful job of organising the competition, supported by other teachers in the English Department who helped the students to prepare,” says Christine.

Year 11: Isobel Forsey, Jack Flanagan (Saskia Wells was sick and unable to attend);

Year 12: Penelope Taulafo, Lucas Te Rangi, Portia Bennie;

Impromptu: Thomas Kamo (Year 13), Marco Leighs (Year 12).

says Ellen. “The competition began with the dissection of a sheep’s brain, in which our students did very well. They also visited the Anatomy Museum and were treated to first-hand neuroscience research material from up-and-coming researchers and in some cases, very senior researchers.”

During the event, the students had a good look around the University of Otago campus, led by senior PhD students who provided expert guidance, says Ellen. “They had a taste of Otago life and participated in some things first year students do. The whole process was incredibly enriching.”

Brain Bee is one of many events that Year 9–11 ACEE students typically take part in. The regular programme also includes participation in two Philosophy Conferences per year featuring Oxford University staff as presenters, Future Problem Solving coached by

Preparatory School teacher Susannah Debenham, the Model United Nationals Conference, Model European Union Conference, World Scholars’ Cup, da Vinci Decathlon (Ethics) and the Ethics Olympiad.

New curriculum New Zealand stories highlights

Looking at New Zealand stories from a variety of different perspectives is one of the key aspects of the new Aotearoa New Zealand Histories

Curriculum which is being introduced to all New Zealand schools in 2022, says Mary Leota, the Te Reo Māori and Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum Lead Teacher in the Preparatory School. “There are so many rich stories around Māori history and culture, which when woven with stories that incorporate the broader history and cultural narratives of New Zealand history, and immigrant stories, creates a strong mat of learning for the students. This new curriculum challenges us to see New Zealand stories from a variety of different perspectives, and not just from the person who wrote the history.”

Teacher in Charge of History, Hamish Faulls, is the Teacher in Charge of Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum in the Secondary School.

He says schools and kura can decide which local contexts they would like their students to explore, and St Andrew’s has been working actively for some time in collaboration with History and Social Studies teachers to resource the new programme. “We have the challenge of crossover between the Social Studies, History, and Te Reo Māori and Tikanga programmes in the Secondary School, so it has taken a lot of co-ordination to find a clear pathway for the new curriculum across these areas. This year, History students in Years 11–13 are being introduced to many more New Zealand history topics than in the past.”

Hamish said St Andrew’s has had valuable assistance from Māori Collection Specialists from Christchurch City Libraries in assessing the College’s Māori-related resources. “As a result, we are in the process of acquiring additional Ngāi

Tahu focused resources. Our College librarians have also been really supportive, consulting with us about the books we should and shouldn’t have, and promoting our collection of New Zealand history and other New Zealand books to students.”

In the Preparatory School, students start the year answering the questions, ‘Who am I?’ and ‘What’s my story’, and weave that into their personal pepeha (sharing their connections with people and places), which they build from Years 3–8.

Mary is working closely with teachers, helping them to implement the new curriculum at an appropriate level for each year group. She teaches the first class with the teacher in the room, so they are confident to teach the subsequent class and also embed more Te Reo Māori in every aspect of their day. “We are all on a learning journey together, as for a lot of us, the curriculum includes new learnings we were never taught ourselves.”

Mary is also the Preparatory School’s Te Reo Māori kaiako. She is currently studying Level 4 Te Ahu o te Reo Māori ki Ngāi Tahu, and a tikanga course, Te Whainga O Te Ao Tikanga Level 3, at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. “I would love to see more teachers studying Levels 1 and 2 Te Reo.”

Hamish says the Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum will continue to evolve and grow in both the Secondary and Preparatory Schools. “We will continue to take a balanced approach in everything we do, to ensure we can move forward positively and cohesively across the College.”

Teachers Hamish Faulls and Mary Leota are leading the implementation of the Aotearoa New Zealand

Academic successes

Computational and Algorithmic Thinking competition

A group of 56 students competed in the Computational and Algorithmic Thinking competition run by the Australian Mathematics Trust.

Bryan Cooper (Year 11) and Toby Harvie (Year 13) won High Distinction awards, placing in the top three per cent of their year level. A further 15 students earned Distinction awards, after finishing in the top 15 per cent.

Creative Writing

Two students submitted pieces for the New Zealand National Flash Fiction Day competition, with Samuel Brophy (Year 10) making the shortlist in the youth section with his story, Closed Curtains. This is an incredible achievement in this international youth writing competition. Ewan Hamer (Year 12) was also longlisted in the youth section for his story, Bird’s Eye View

Published in the autumn issue of the fingers comma toes journal were Daniel Officer (Year 10) with his non-fiction piece, Trepidation, and Nick Wylie (Year 10) with his poem, The Sound of Wind

Samuel Brophy (Year 10) had his story longlisted in the National Flash Fiction Day Youth competition 2022.

Highly Commended award, placing him in the top 10 nationally, an incredible achievement given the hundreds of students around the country who competed at regional tournaments.

Emerging Leaders Conference

A group of 17 Year 12 students were invited to attend the Emerging Leaders Conference held at Christ’s College. Around 600 students from various schools listened to inspiring speakers, including Abbas Nazari, a former refugee who escaped the Taliban in Afghanistan and sought asylum in New Zealand, and four-time Olympian, Emily Seebohm. The students also attended workshops and took part in a student panel.

Enterprise in Action

Matthew Patterson (Year 13) represented Canterbury in the national Enterprise in Action competition in Wellington. He is the CEO of Step on Me, which has designed a device that will help prevent the spread of germs in offices and homes. His team was second in the first challenge and won the second challenge, for which he has received a $4000 scholarship to Massey University.

Ethics

Tom Edwards, Ethan Adams, Corin Simcock (all Year 13), Luke Wylie (Year 12) and Chantelle Xiong (Year 11) were fourth overall at the Senior South Island Ethics Olympiad.

invited to speak at the Speaking 4 the Planet event at Tūranga, Christchurch. Katherine entered the Spoken Word category and spoke about human impact on climate change.

VEX Robotics

The St Andrew’s alliance of Alexander Harbrow and William MacIntyre (both Year 9) in team StAC 1, and Owen Menzies, Emily Morgan, Flynn Blackler, William Couper, and Bryan Cooper (all Year 11) from team StAC 4, won the final at the VEX Robotics Canterbury Challenge Championships, making them the overall Canterbury champions for this year.

Year 11 Mathematics Casio Calculator Competition

St Andrew’s was represented in the group and individual sections at the Year 11 Mathematics Casio Calculator Competition by Aaron Moore, Bryan Cooper, Chantelle Xiong and James Hart. St Andrew’s finished in second place in the group section, with Bryan Cooper winning the individual section, and a new calculator, after securing a one-point victory.

Young Enterprise

Luke Wylie (Year 12) and Tom Edwards (Year 13)

Debating

Luke Wylie (Year 12) and Tom Edwards (Year 13) won the Canterbury Schools’ Impromptu Debating Tournament, beating Christ’s College in the final. This is the second title that Luke has won this year and Tom’s second time winning this tournament, which he won with Oscar Bloom (OC 2021) last year. Luke and Tom also represented Canterbury at the New Zealand Schools’ Debating Championships, where Tom earned a

Tom Edwards is having an amazing year of outstanding achievement. After writing an ethical case for the 2023 Australasian Ethics Olympiad, titled The Fifth Industrial Revolution, he was named as the Ethics Centre Grand Prize Winner. Along with being awarded the top prize, Tom received a monetary award of $AUD250. Tom was also part of the St Andrew’s team, which finished on top of the world in the International Mathematical Modeling Challenge (IM2 C), winning an Outstanding Team Award alongside just two other school teams in the world. Read the full story about this incredible achievement on page 13.

Speaking 4 the Planet

Katherine Simcock (Year 10) was one of three students from across Canterbury

A group of Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) teams from the Year 13 Business Studies classes competed in the Business Plan pitch competitions, judged by local entrepreneurs in a Dragon’s Den format. The top three teams were ZoeJasmine Designs (hand-crafted jewellery), Restoration Products (restored farm machinery) and Student Art Initiative (a website distributing student art).

Matthew Patterson (Year 13) was selected to represent Canterbury in the Entrepreneurs in Action (EIA) 2022 event run by Young Enterprise at the beginning of July. EIA is an annual event where 60 of the country’s most engaged Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) students come together to compete in two back-to-back business challenges over 48 hours. Throughout the three days, students were split into teams and mentored by host companies such as Spark and Xero to compete in the two business challenges.

American universities Strong interest in

A special information session for students interested in studying at American universities gave them a fascinating insight into all the exciting options on offer, says Teacher in Charge of Academic Extension and Enrichment, Ellen Hampson, who organised the session with Academic Captain, Luke Zhu. “It was a wellreceived session with around 24 Year 12 and 13 students attending. They heard from US Education Ambassador, Ron Mitchell, and Old Collegian, Alan Fu (OC 2020), who joined us online from America to talk about his experiences at university there, and to share his top tips.”

A high quality education, transferrable work experience, career opportunities, and the ability to travel and make new friends from around the globe are some of the benefits of studying in America.

Alan Fu says his key advice for students was to start preparing early, do lots of research into various universities, and have a clear goal in mind for what they are aiming for. “To stand out in a large pool of applicants it is important to be a wellrounded student, and not to undersell yourself, or underestimate the quality of education and opportunities you have had at St Andrew’s. American high schoolers are trained to brag about themselves, so put the humble Kiwi attitude aside,” he says.

Another Old Collegian, Kate Allan (OC 2020) joined the Teams meeting at the end, and passed on her key message about the importance of students building a strong network and community once in America, and surrounding themselves with a good friendship group.

Ellen Hampson says her main advice is for students to aim high, take at least two or three SATs (standardised tests), and to sign up to the University of Canterbury’s STAR

Course Mathematics 199. “A lot of the curriculum in the USA is very different, so it is wise for students to do a lot of learning and research early so they can try and bridge the gaps.”

A sports scholarship is another way to access an education at an American university. Top basketballer, Charlotte Whittaker (OC 2018), had multiple offers, which she narrowed down to four universities, before choosing a full basketball scholarship at the University of Colorado Boulder. “It is in a beautiful location, had my degree choices, and some of the most compassionate, supportive, and driven coaches, who would not only invest in me as a basketball player, but as a person.”

When Charlotte was back in New Zealand recently, she spoke to Sports Performance students about her experiences and challenges, and her dream to play in the Women’s NBA or in Europe. She highlighted the immense opportunities, and also the challenges and adversity she has faced, including enduring five major hip surgeries and being away from family. “Being away from home was a huge emotional adjustment. It was hard at the start but as I realised home will

always be there, it was easier to go back to Colorado each year. The resilience and mindset I’ve developed due to this adversity has been so important in my personal growth and development.”

Charlotte’s other key advice for other sports students considering scholarships are to make the first move by sending highlight tapes and videos to coaches and schools; study and learn SAT; continue to work hard and improve their craft; keep an open mind; and enjoy their time there.

“Learning a new culture and meeting amazing people who will forever be part of my extended family are some of the special things I will take from this experience.”

Field trips

Field trips are a key aspect of the Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) programme at St Andrew’s. So far this year, students have taken part in a range of exciting, educational trips, often in some of the most beautiful corners of the South Island. Learning outside the classroom adds relevance to their classroom work, and in some cases, gives them the opportunity to put the theory they have been learning into practice. Following are some highlights of the 2022 field trip programme.

Year 11 Geography field trip to the West Coast, Hanmer Springs, and Kaikoura

The main purpose of the Year 11 Geography students’ trip to the West Coast, Hanmer Springs, and Kaikoura was for them complete their geographic research in Blackball, which aimed to determine the future population of the town. Students also visited an operational opencast coal mine near Reefton, participated in tourism ventures in Hanmer Springs, and gained an understanding of the changes to an environment because of the Kaikoura earthquake.

Year 12 Geography trip to Aoraki Mt Cook National Park

The Year 12 Geographers enjoyed three days exploring a winter wonderland at Aoraki Mt Cook National Park. This included summiting the Red Tarns in knee-deep fresh snow, seeing firsthand the rapidly retreating Tasman Glacier, and spending two nights enjoying spectacular views from Unwin Mountaineering Lodge.

Year 12–13 VETR Conservation field trip

A group of 14 students spent two days working on a conservation project at Castle Hill focused on mitigating wilding pines, with their efforts linked to an achievement standard. Castle Hill conservationist, community leader, and former Antarctic field guide, Ray Goldring, expressed his thanks to the students, who learnt that without wilding pine removals over the last 12–14 years, they would now be travelling to the West Coast through a five metre plus high forest of wilding pines starting from Porters Pass to and beyond Lake Pearson.

Year 10 Agriscience field trip to the National Trade Academy

The Year 10 Agriscience classes attended a field trip to the National Trade Academy where they experienced a wide variety of practical primary industry activities. Students rode two-wheeler motorbikes and quadbikes, tied fencing knots, handled sheep, groomed and tacked horses, repotted seedlings, and helped out with the feeding and care of animals in the farm park.

Year 13 Travel and Tourism trip to Queenstown

A group of 32 Year 13 students were fortunate to experience Queenstown for four days as tourists. The trip included a visit to Highlands Motorsport Park, a trip up the gondola and luge rides, a jetboat ride into the Mt Aspiring National Park up the Dart River, the famous Kawerau Gorge bungy jump, and a visit to Arrowtown to learn about the history of the Chinese goldminers. Students also visited Queenstown Resort College to consider further study in adventure tourism or hospitality, and the Queenstown Park Boutique Hotel to learn about the accommodation side of tourism. Queenstown locals working in the tourism and hospitality sectors spoke to the students about the shortage of people to fill job vacancies with the borders opening up. Travel and Tourism teacher, Ian Morrison, organised and managed the trip, with his expertise and knowledge of history and geography, adding value to the students’ experience.

Year 12 Travel and Tourism trip to the West Coast

The Year 12 Travel and Tourism students spent three days on the wild West Coast. Driving through a wintery Arthur’s Pass was stunning, with the snow-covered Alps and vast icy landscapes. Students visited the Hokitika Gorge and the Treetops Forest Walk, where they saw vegetation that hasn’t changed since ancient times. On Day 2 they visited the Pancake Rock formations which, at high tide, produced amazing mist sprays through the blowholes. Sea caves and seal colonies, wild west coast beaches and rogue waves made for an interesting and educational day as students followed in the footsteps of Thomas Brunner and Kehu in 1846. Visits to the towns of Hokitika, Greymouth and Westport helped the students with their Unit Standard looking into the social and cultural impacts of tourism on the West Coast.

Next steps school beyond

There was great feedback following the annual St Andrew’s College Careers Expo, on Wednesday 25 May, which allowed Year 11–13 students to explore options for future study and career pathways once they leave school. “This event always generates lots of conversations, and we’ve been busy since the Expo meeting students, and co-ordinating times for them to go off and visit campuses in the next step in their decision making process,” says Career Counsellor, Richard Webster.

An impressive 24 exhibitors attended the Expo, including seven of the eight New Zealand universities, Ara, and SIT, as well several industry training organisations, private training providers, and representatives from the New Zealand Defence Force, electrical training company ETCO, Zestpeople, and Telford. There were even representatives from Camp America and other gap year providers.

“The Expo was an excellent opportunity for parents and students to be face-to-face with providers and ask questions about the types of courses, accommodation, scholarship options, or potential job opportunities they offer,” he says.

While the University of Canterbury and Lincoln University stands are always the busiest at the Expo, Richard says

not everyone is suited to the university environment. “It’s great for students and parents to compare the universities with some of the smaller tertiary providers, whose more hands-on practical courses might be a better fit.”

The Expo is also a good opportunity for Year 11 students to start planning for their future. “It can help them to cement the subjects they need to be doing in Years 12 and 13 to ensure they meet entry criteria for their potential pathway.”

In addition to the Expo, the Careers Department at St Andrew’s provides a range of support for students. Richard provides career counselling, and has a significant amount of information about different options for students to take away.

His Careerwise website also has a host of information, and a fortnightly newsletter to all Year 11–13 students and their families keeps them up to date with news and events, including information evenings held by tertiary and training providers. “There are lots of opportunities for students to be proactive. It’s just a matter of them being aware and getting on board.”

Richard believes parent involvement throughout this decision making process is critical.

“Parents know their children best, and are the number one influence on their decision making. Students want their parents’ reassurance, and we find the more parents know and understand the process, and are on their child’s side, the more comfortable the student is through the transition.”

Eco Day Preparatory School

An inquiry by Year 6 children into plastic pollution, led to the Preparatory School holding an Eco Day.

The students had learnt a lot about the impacts of plastic pollution in the ocean from the New Zealand based charity, Our Seas Our Future, whose Mission Statement is to protect Aotearoa’s coastal and marine ecosystems through advocacy, education, and environmental stewardship, ensuring that they are managing sustainability and protected for future generations.

They spread awareness about plastic pollution to the rest of the Preparatory School through posters and presentations

New Head Pre-school Meet the of

in classes, and encouraged families to send their children to school with a single-use plastic free lunch, to avoid packaging that is used once and thrown away. Students also collected rubbish around the Preparatory School environment.

The Year 6 students did a great job of pushing this initiative and raising awareness of such an important issue.

New Head of Pre-school, Mandy Jenkins, says she couldn’t have been more welcomed into the St Andrew’s College family. “Everyone has been incredibly warm and friendly, and I feel at home here already. The Pre-school has an exceptional environment, and I’m enjoying the opportunity to explore the wider College campus and discover all the other wonderful opportunities available to the Pre-school children.”

Mandy has a wealth of experience working alongside children and their families. In addition to being an early childhood educator, her previous roles include social worker, youth worker, and behaviour therapist. She has a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood Education) from Victoria University, and a Masters degree in Psychology, from the University of Otago.

“My own personal philosophy of teaching and learning emphasises that children learn through responsive and reciprocal relationships. My practice draws strongly from the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education,

and its focus on learning environments that provide conditions under which tamariki, and kaiako can explore, test, and revisit ideas together.”

Mandy worked as an early childhood teacher at the Karori Childcare Centre in Wellington, and after moving to the United Kingdom, was Deputy Room Leader in the Pre-school section of Reflections Nursery and Forest School, a Reggio-inspired nursery in the southeast of England. After returning to New Zealand, she became Head Teacher at Arrowtown Preschool Cotter Ave, a community-based non-profit centre, which was also inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach.

She is happy that becoming Head of Pre-school at St Andrew’s has brought her back to her hometown of Christchurch. “I grew up in Christchurch but haven’t lived here for a very long time. Once my husband and I had our daughter, Stella, the pull to return home was strong so she could have a close relationship with my Mum, and we could be closer to our extended whānau.”

Tikanga

New Head of Pre-school, Mandy Jenkins, says the positive way she was welcomed into the St Andrew’s College Pre-school family was the perfect example of how Māori tikanga principles are engrained in the environment. “Everyone was so warm and friendly, and highlighted how the values of manaakitanga and whanaungatanga are embraced by the Pre-school. Building strong relationships with the children, their families, and the wider school is at the heart of everything we do.”

Respecting the individual, and showing kindness, compassion, acceptance, and respect are key aspects of manaakitanga, which are role modelled by the teachers in the ways they interact with the children, and each other, she says. “Whānau, hapū, and iwi are the foundations of whanaungatanga, which is also fostered in the Pre-school. We have strong, reciprocal relationships with our families and love to learn from the children about their different backgrounds, cultural identification, and where they fit as individuals into their families.”

The Pre-school children gather at the start of each morning for a hui, when they kōrero, sing waiata, and listen to a brief on what is happening during the day. “We might also look at tikanga and encourage the children to focus on one aspect, such as kindness,” says Mandy.

“The Treaty of Waitangi and its principles of partnership, protection and participation, underpin the

principlesnurtured

Pre-school curriculum, says Mandy. “Partnership is the most important to us, as it reflects the partnerships we grow with our families. When genuine connections are made and meaningful connections had, we can ensure we are supporting parents to meet the aspirations, hopes, and dreams they have for their children.”

The contact with families often lasts well after the children have moved on to the Preparatory School, says team leader, Jan Marshall. “Those strong connections are what parents really value about the Pre-school. We have several Preparatory School parents whose children came to the Pre-school, who still pop in to see us. The relationships are forged so strongly, and the families always stay part of our community.”

Top: Pre-school children and staff start each day with a hui. Top-right: Head of Middle School, Mikae Tuu’u and his son

Matariki

celebrations

Teachers and children in the Junior Department and Pre-school were buzzing with excitement during a special Matariki celebration on Thursday 23 June, says Head of Junior Department, Heather Orman. “After so many restrictions placed on our community and connections over the last couple of years, it was really special to get together with the Pre-school to enjoy this celebration together.”

The morning started for the group with a karakia and waiata in the Learning Hallway. “The Pre-school children sang two beautiful waiata and our children sang back to them. It was really heart-warming and a great example of why Matariki is so important after the last few years of limited contact.”

Heather says the occasion provided a great opportunity to introduce new Head of Pre-school, Mandy Jenkins, to the Junior Department. “We also invited teacher Julia Evans and her Year 8 class to help supervise the morning’s creative activities. These were set up in seven classrooms, with each sharing a special aspect of Matariki. The children were able to take part in as many of the activities as they liked, from making stars, kites, lanterns, and mobiles, to posters featuring the Matariki stars in a night sky. There was even a Matariki fortune teller.”

The connections fostered between children from Pre-school to Year 8 was a special part of the day, she says. “Our key competencies were flourishing in each room as the students talked, shared their thinking, and spent time together. The Year 8 students were so kind and caring, and some of the conversations were just delightful.”

Following the creative activities, the group reassembled in the Learning Hallway for a Matariki story, and karakia, led by Te Reo Māori and Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum Lead Teacher in the Preparatory School, Mary Leota. Mary says it is important that young children have time to celebrate Matariki and explore the meaning behind it.

“The concepts of Matariki and the importance of our unique culture are being fully embraced by schools and now by the wider community with a national public holiday. Sharing stories, enjoying time with people within our school community, and making strong connections are important concepts of Matariki and were clearly visible within the Junior Department celebration.”

Heather says it was a wonderful celebration of Matariki, and the Junior Department and Pre-school are already looking forward to next year, when hopefully parents will be able to join in too.

Fun engaging lunchtime clubs and

An exciting programme of lunchtime clubs is being run in the Middle Syndicate by the Preparatory School Pastoral team, to provide Years 4–8 students with lots of fun ways to engage their minds and bodies when the weather isn’t always conducive to being on the playground.

The Minecraft Club on Friday lunchtimes is by far the most popular, with 36 Year 4–5 students in one group, and Year 6 students joining Year 7–8 students in a similar sized group. Other options include Book Club, Games Club, Chess Club, and Dance Club.

Parents complete an online form to enrol their children in the clubs, which are overseen by a teacher, with support from senior students and Preparatory School student leaders.

Head of Middle Syndicate, Megan Feller, says the programme has many benefits. “The lunchtime clubs help to build cross year-level connections, and we love to see the fluid and organic conversations the students have while enjoying their activities. From a pastoral perspective, it is an informal way for staff to catch up with students or meet new students. Another spin-off is that the clubs can take a significant number of children out of the playground area, which can become congested in the winter months when the field can be closed.”

The Minecraft Club provides a safe and happy environment for students to create and build. They use laptops with Minecraft Education Edition already installed and ready for them.

Like-minded students who love books, libraries, and bookshops, and who enjoy discussing and recommending

books, meet at Book Club on Tuesdays in the Preparatory School Library. The club involves, of course, lots of reading, and some at-home reading too.

During Wednesday lunchtimes, it's Games Club, when students gather in the Learning Hallway to play board games or card games with their friends.

Two clubs are held on Thursdays. A large number of students are involved in Chess Club, which gives them the opportunity to play with other keen chess players from right across the Preparatory School. They can even engage in some online coaching sessions or get help from Secondary School chess players. Dance Club, facilitated by 24/7 Youth Worker, Katrina Setacci, is another popular club, with students learning choreography and making up their own moves in a range of styles, including hip hop.

Megan says some students have even taken the initiative of running their own small clubs. “We’ve had things like Pop It clubs and friendship bracelet making. It’s great to see the students take our initiative and come up with their own ideas and rules for their clubs.”

Top: Tayla McFadyen and Daya Bromhead (both Year 4) playing chess. Bottom-left: Hugo Nguyen, Casey Gamble, and Emma Theobald (all Year 5) during a Minecraft session. Bottom-right: Lucy Pugh, Danica Minson, and Kalisa Zhang (all Year 7) practise their dance moves

Discovering artists wahine Maori

The Year 8 classes were fascinated to learn about wāhine Māori artists during their visits to the Christchurch Art Gallery in June.

In the forecourt area outside the gallery, they viewed the stunning public mural, Kuīni of the Worlds, with its vibrant, colourful imagery celebrating atua wāhine. The mural was painted by talented Wellington painter, Xoë Hall (Kāi tahu), who is of Māori, Danish, Irish, and English descent.

Once inside the gallery, the students compared Xoë’s work with how other artists have represented atua before, including Robyn Kahukiwa’s striking work My Ancestors Are Always With Me

Then it was off to the Art Gallery’s education centre, where they created their own artworks representing a Māori atua of their choosing.

Team 8 Leader, Morgan Sheppard, says the Art Gallery visits were a great combination of learning and creativity. “As the students viewed various paintings inside the Gallery, we asked them to reflect on our classroom learning, around the people and land of Aotearoa New Zealand.”

Morgan says the visits tied in nicely with the new Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum. “We are linking our inquiry learning to some of the new curriculum, including studying the New Zealand Wars, Treaty of Waitangi, and integrating more use of Te Reo Māori in the classroom. With COVID-19 restrictions easing, we are excited to get the students out of the classroom more to explore these themes, with a return visit to the Art Gallery, a trip to Halswell Quarry, and an experience with Waka on Avon already planned.”

Te Reo Māori and Aotearoa

New Zealand Histories Curriculum lead teacher in the Preparatory School, Mary Leota, runs one History lesson every second week with each Year 8 class, with the classroom teachers building on the learning the following week. “Mary has the energy of a pride of lions and is so passionate about delivering the new curriculum. We really appreciate having her expertise and knowledge in the Preparatory School, as she guides the classroom teachers, and provides us with some wonderful resources to work with.”

Year 8 classes were immersed in art and creativity at the Christchurch Art Gallery.

Director of Development, Miranda Newbury, left St Andrew’s at the end of Term 1, after making a significant contribution to the College during her three years in the role, says Rector, Christine Leighton. “Miranda gave outstanding service to St Andrew’s, having connected with hundreds of parents and Old Collegians, worked tirelessly on projects such as Year 9 Parent Volunteers, the Community Business Directory, Community Support Programme, and sponsorship recognition. This was in addition to fundraising efforts for the new Performing Arts Centre and the St Andrew’s College Foundation which supports student scholarships, both of which have had great support from our parent community and Old Collegians in recent years. Her impact was quite remarkable.”

Christine says a highly functioning Development Office is paramount to St Andrew’s, which like other independent schools, receives minimal government funding. “The majority of funding comes from the fees which are charged to parents, which is augmented by funds raised through our various philanthropic programmes, managed by the Development Office. The generosity of our community has contributed to the significant building projects over the last 12 years.”

Along with fundraising, ‘friend raising’ is another important role of the Development Office. “The Development team has strong connections with all parts of the College community, including our Old Collegians, through the huge schedule of events our Alumni and Community Relations Co-ordinator, Lisa Clark, organises.”

Christine says another of Miranda’s leadership strengths during her time at the College was developing her team. “Mel and Lisa are both strong contributors, who are getting on and doing great work, ensuring the office continues to run seamlessly.”

As Rector, Christine is personally very involved in all fundraising activities and attends up to 10 Old Collegian reunions and events every year.

“It is important our alumni remain connected to their school and hear the stories about the opportunities enjoyed by today’s students. These engender a sense of pride in their school which can result in financial support for our future projects or facilities. Giving back remains an important aspect of an independent education,” she says.

Development report Meet the Development team

Thanks Donors to our

Theatre Seats and Notes

Gordon MacLeod and Family

Gold Note - Theatre

Jianping Wang and Yu Zhao

New Strowan Members

Ron Sherlock

New Highland Members

Jianping Wang and Yu Zhao

New Thompson Founders' Circle

John and Alison Westgarth

New StAC Fellow Members

Ben and Penny Gough -

The Ben Gough Family Foundation

Alumni and Community Relations Co-ordinator, Lisa Clark, and Development Co-ordinator, Mel Rissman

Development Co-ordinator, Mel Rissman, and Alumni and Community Relations Co-ordinator, Lisa Clark, are the capable teamin the St Andrew’s College Development Office.

Mel joined St Andrew’s in 2019, after being employed in a senior administrative

role at Greymouth High School for eight years. In her busy role in the Development Office, Mel is responsible for a variety of tasks, including recording of family legacy gifts and pledges, giving-related enquiries, research and reporting, updating the Community Business Directory, reaching out to ask for new volunteers to the College and managing them through the vetting process, and updating the Thanking our Donors, Strowan Club Members, and Sponsors sections on the College website. “I like that every day is different, and I enjoy working on many different projects,” she says.

As the Alumni and Community Relations Co-ordinator, Lisa Clark has become well known to many in the Old Collegians community. Her key roles are to find and reconnect with missing Old Collegians, and organise

the large number of alumni reunions and events held at the College each year, which reunite old friends and classmates. “I love hearing the Old Collegians’ wonderful stories about their time at the College, and enjoy finding the Old Cols who haven’t been in touch with the College since they left. My favourite part is the reunions themselves – watching old friends see each other, often for the first time in many decades. I am also the Secretary of the Old Collegians Executive and attend their monthly meetings. My days also involve being a budding writer, a social media poster, a detective, and an average statistician.” Lisa previously worked in sales and marketing at TVNZ, and has run her own business, Town & Country Homesit for 22 years. Her son, Archie, will start in Year 9 at St Andrew’s next year, and daughter, Lulu, will follow in 2 025.

Construction of the new Ben Gough Family Theatre is progressing well, despite challenging times in the construction industry, says Project Director, David Evans.

“The lead contractor, Armitage Williams, has done really well. They have also faced some impact from COVID-19 but have kept the project on track according to the construction programme. Now that the time consuming works to establish the site, complete the ground works, install underground services, and complete the foundations is complete, it is exciting to see structural steel and concrete panels start to arrive on the site. The new theatre will start to come out of the ground and take shape very soon.”

The Ben Gough Family Theatre is due for completion at the end of June 2023.

New staff in People and Business office

In late April, two new staff joined the office of People and Business Manager, Justine Scott, to provide expertise and assistance in a range of areas in the College.

Kendall Burt is the new Business Office Manager, whose role is focused on facility hire and leasing, general administration, allocation of keys, line management of the cleaning, sewing, laundry, and reception teams, and many other things. “St Andrew’s has been such a lovely and welcoming environment to join. I’m enjoying getting to know the people, places, and wonderful facilities here.” Kendall has broad experience in administration,

customer experience and finance in the construction, tertiary education, NGO, banking, and timber industries. She has a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and Finance from the University of Canterbury and returned to Christchurch in 2019 after working in the United Kingdom for two years.

Carlee Hattrill is the new HR and Health and Safety Advisor at St Andrew’s. She has over 15 years’ experience working in the recruitment sector in Christchurch and Australia, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education and English. Carlee is excited about extending her skills at St Andrew’s where she will focus on HR and recruitment, along with health and safety.

“It’s a great environment here, and everyone is super helpful and friendly. I’m excited to be working together with staff, and enjoying the challenge of understanding this new role,” she says.

Castle Hill – a legacy lives on

Exploring the outdoors is an intrinsic part of life in New Zealand, and students at St Andrew’s College, are fortunate to enjoy a top-quality Outdoor Education programme in award winning facilities at Castle Hill, in the spectacular Canterbury High Country.

There are very few schools with such an enviable programme and environment to explore. According to the College’s early history book, High Flies the Cross, it is a privilege that can be traced back to one man, a teacher, F J ‘Ted’ Bennett, who joined the staff in 1933, and can take ‘chief credit for the notion and siting of the College’s Mountain Lodge’.

Craigieburn was Bennett’s place of escape and relaxation away from school routines. He would go on regular tramping and hunting expeditions in the Trelissick Basin and Castle Hill areas with others, and from 1954 onward was joined by another St Andrew’s staff member, Frank Finnegan.

In 1962, the new Rector, Ian Galloway, had barely got his feet under the table when he was propositioned by Bennett and Finnegan, who were keen to build a mountain hut for the College in the Castle Hill area and start an Outdoor Education programme. In a fortunate coincidence, around the same the College was left a substantial amount of money by William MacGibbon,

who had been St Andrew’s first Board Treasurer in 1917. Bennett and Finnegan’s ‘mountain hut’ scheme caught the new Rector’s interest.

Rector Ian Galloway presented a report on the matter to the Board in June 1962, and it was agreed to proceed immediately, with an application made to the Conservator of Forests for the use and development of the chosen site for the mountain lodge.

Bennett had already earmarked the site for the new building – on a clearing on a terrace above the Thomas River. “Put the lodge here,” he said to an inspection party led by himself and Finnegan, as he puffed on his pipe. And they did.

Work began in October 1963 and was a real community effort. Parties of parents, staff, Old Collegians, and pupils formed nearly a mile of access road, built a river crossing, piped fresh water underground for half a mile, trucked in huge quantities of materials and worked on the lodge itself. Key organisers included T M Stanton and Jack Callaway of the PTA, GAM Hilson (OC 1924) with his connections producing an endless supply of donated building materials, and Kelvin Eaves (OC 1953) who bulldozed the final steep cutting (named after him) from the ford to the Lodge site. The new Mountain Lodge was officially opened on 1 May 1965 in front of a crowd of 800 people.

Many boys at St Andrew’s College got their first taste of outdoor adventuring at Castle Hill, with the facilities giving a fresh dimension to a range of classroom subjects, and also providing a superb location for cadet training.

During the 1980s more work was completed on the lodge, with the Outdoor Education programme greatly enhanced to give boys expert training in all sorts of new experiences, including abseiling, snow caving, boulder climbing, bivouacking, and even a mountaineering course.

In the mid-1990s, the Castle Hill Outdoor Centre had a reputation for running one of the best Outdoor Education programmes in the country. Other schools and touring groups also started to use the facilities.

In 2008, the lodge was completely rebuilt into the state-of-the-art centre for outdoor and leadership programmes which are enjoyed by St Andrew’s College students today. It was renamed the Alistair Sidey Mountain Lodge, following a significant donation by Michael Sidey (OC 1968) in memory of his late brother Alistair (OC 1966) who lost his life in a car accident in his early 20s.

We can only imagine what Ted Bennett would think of the legacy he helped to create, with the exceptional facilities and outstanding Outdoor Education programme offered by St Andrew’s today, which benefits hundreds of students every year.

Outdoor Education programme in full swing

Castle Hill Outdoor Education Centre Operations Manager, Jo Parsons, says the Alistair Sidey Mountain Lodge is a 'phenomenal' asset for St Andrew’s.

“There has been a huge investment from the College in the programme and facilities at Castle Hill and it shows. It is such a rarity for a school to retain its own Outdoor Education programme to this level. The students of today are reaping the rewards of the visionary groundwork that was laid when the first developments took place here.” Jo says many of the founding values and vision ring true today, and she agrees with Rector Galloway’s inspiring words from the 1960s that there is much merit “in the healthy tiredness that comes from roughing it in the open air.”

Following a review and hiatus, it’s back to business as usual at Castle Hill in 2022, with St Andrew’s highly regarded Outdoor Education programme once again in full swing. Students in Years 7–10 have been discovering a lot about themselves and their classmates during their annual excursions to the award-winning Alistair Sidey Mountain Lodge, and there are various opportunities for

senior students to return. “The fact that all our staff at Castle Hill now live in the village is a big plus. They are passionate about the area and enjoy recreating in their workspace at weekends. This enthusiasm and knowledge are passed onto the students.”

Some of the exciting activities students participate in at Castle Hill includes group problem-solving games, abseiling, rock climbing, skiing, snow-caving, tramping, camping, kayaking, and assisting with environmental projects. “We have re-introduced a rafting programme for Year 9 students this year, something that used to be run at Castle Hill in the very early days. Students enter

the Waimakariri River at Mt White Bridge and after receiving rafting instruction on the go, learn the skills to guide themselves down the river to their remote river side campsite, before descending through the gorge on the same river section as the Coast to Coast race. It’s a highlight of the programme,” says Jo.

When Castle Hill is not required by St Andrew’s College, other schools are able to book into an Outdoor Education programme, says Rector, Christine Leighton. “It is good for as many schools as possible to enjoy this wonderful area and benefit from the programmes our staff have designed for the benefit of students.”

New whakatauki boarders and symbol represents

In 2021, boarders started to think about a new way they could be identified within the College, without adding to the many ties they already wear.

Work began on creating a whakatauki and symbol that could be used as a badge, and a constant visual reference and mantra for boarders.

2021 Head of Culture, Tamati Frost, along with Heads of Boarding, Sophie Innes and Jake Jackways, conceptualised the whakatauki, Te taki tino ma, and the symbol of two koru, which represent the College and the Boarding House wrapping around the boarder, who is at the heart of it all. “Loosely translated, the whakatauki means ‘the best lead the rest’. This is not a statement of arrogance or overconfidence, rather it is something we want all in our community to aspire to and live by. The intricate designs within the koru represent the individual backgrounds and journeys of our young people who make up our special community,” says Director of Boarding, Matt Parr.

The work, which started last year, has reached fruition in 2022. With the help of Moana MacDonald’s (Year 13) design skills and further development work by Head Graphic Designer, Craig Morgan, a stunning poster design has been created, with a simplified version being used for the new boarders’ badges, says Matt. “Every boarder has received a Te taki tino ma badge to wear on their blazer, which makes them instantly recognisable in the College. The badges also tie the three boarding houses together as one community.”

To cement the meaning of the whakatauki, a weekly Te taki tino ma gift certificate is being awarded to a boarder in each boarding house who has best demonstrated the values behind it. “There are no set criteria for the award – however ideally the boarder does something in the wider boarding community which shows they are leading the rest. Two of our first recipients were swimmer, Sophia Molnar (Year 11) who didn’t let a setback

stop her from bouncing back and achieving, and James Scott (Year 10) for his outstanding consistent effort in Prep.” The weekly winners exchange their gift certificate with a $10.00 gift voucher.

Boarders Matariki dinner

After disruptions caused by COVID-19, boarders are enjoying the opportunity to participate in boarding and House events again. A recent themed event was the Boarders’ Matariki Dinner on Tuesday 21 June.

The boarding leadership group decorated the Strowan House dining room for the Matariki Dinner, with students treated to a slam poetry recital from Lily Champion-Smith (Year 12)

who won best speaker at the Festival of the Spoken Word. The karakia was delivered by Cleo Beynon (Year 12).

Other events during the term have included a dodgeball competition, and a Big Brother Little Brother Big Sister Little Sister activity, which paired the Year 9 boarders up with a senior student. There was a spotlight on building positive relationships during anti-bullying week, with Year 13

boarders given a script and questions as they talked to younger boarders about the different pathways and avenues they could take if they needed help or wanted to raise concerns.

“Our parent group has also co-ordinated a few regional dinners, so parents have been able to get together and have dinners together in their areas. It’s good to see some connections happening again.”

Ground Zero Performance workshops

Several Thompson House girls have been participating in a series of workshops run by Ground Zero Performance (GZP), which offers programming, workshops, and sport-specific development to young women aged between 12 and 18. The workshops provide them with the tools to grow confidence inside and outside of the gym.

Both groups have been completing two one-hour sessions each week, with session one being gym-based, and session two including discussions in relation to physical or mental well-being. The topics are chosen by the girls and include body image, sleep cycles, routine, self-esteem and confidence, menstrual cycles, nutrition, basic training principles, beliefs, values, and attitudes.

Head of Thompson House, Bronwyn Radcliffe, was delighted to be approached by Maddy Wait and Sammy Metherell from Ground Zero Performance, with their proposal

to run the programme with some of the girls. “They are providing a sensible and sustainable approach to independent strengthening and conditioning gym work, as well as the opportunity for some conversations around topical issues that will benefit the personal development of our girls. Maddy and Sammy are passionate and proactive and form another link.”

Feedback from the girls has been very positive, with comments including, “I really enjoy doing Ground Zero Performance as it is a great way to keep my fitness and well-being up,” and, “It’s been a really fun programme and Maddy and Sammy have been really supportive and helpful. I’ve learnt a lot so far, and working with them has also helped to give me more confidence when I’m in the gym.”

Prefects’ Assembly

There was singing, dancing, acting, plenty of humour, and some fun video clips at the highly anticipated Prefects’ Assembly, which had ‘The Hunger Games’ theme.

The assembly was held in two sittings to increase audience capacity and invite prefects’ parents and caregivers back on site for the first time since 2020. At the Junior Assembly for Years 8–10, the Year 8 prefects were celebrated, and Noah Fanene (Year 10) won the Middle School Developing Positive Relationships (DPR) Award. Ben Robertson (Year 13) won the DPR at the Senior Assembly.

The speaker for both assemblies was Lynonahdolphin Tausa (Year 13) who gave a powerful talk about knowing where you have come from. The speech was built around the Samoan Proverb ‘E lele le toloa ae ma’au i le auvai’ –The toloa bird flies far, but will always return to the water. Team of the Week went to the Senior A Girls’ basketball and the 9A rugby teams, after an entertaining physical challenge which included apple bobbing and speed portrait art.

The prefects did a great job of putting together the cleverly constructed assembly, with a high level of entertainment, which was enjoyed by all.

ANZAC Service

Noah Fanene (Year 10) sang a moving rendition of Danny Boy and Toby Cammock-Elliott (Year 12, Piper) and Naomi Dana (Year 12, Bugle) played the Last Post and Piper’s Lament Other senior students involved in the service were Head Boy, Harry Withers, Deputy Head Girl Charlotte Roche, prefect Rachel Holyoake, and Deputy Head Thomas Kamo, who delivered an outstanding address, reflecting on the relevance of ANZAC Day from a student’s perspective.

Two hundred guests gathered to pay their respects to Old Collegians and staff who gave their lives in service to their country at the annual ANZAC Day service, organised by College Chaplain, Rev. Paul Morrow, with the assistance of the College Sacristans. The moving service also honoured those who have served in our defence forces.

Board Chair, Felicity Odlin, and OCA President, Meg Black, read the Roll of Honour and wreaths were laid in the Memorial Enclave by Alison Ballantyne (Ladies Circle) and Meg Black (OCA).

Black Bling and Ball

A glamorous group of 350 current and past St Andrew’s parents, Old Collegians, and staff dressed in their finest, gathered on Saturday 21 May, for a night of friendship, fun, and fundraising at the spectacular Black and Bling Ball.

Guests were welcomed by members of the Pipe Band and Chamber Group as they entered Gym 1, which had been magnificently transformed into a glittering ballroom for the occasion. The aptly named band, Black and Gold, ensured the dance floor was full for most of the evening.

The hard-working organising committee alongside parents from the hockey and Pipe Band communities had been busy organising and rescheduling the Black and Bling Ball for the last two years, which had been delayed due to COVID-19.

It was wonderful to see their hard work finally realised at this dazzling event. As well as being a highly enjoyable evening catching up with old and new friends, valuable funds were raised to benefit hockey and the Pipe Band.

Community service and

City Mission Can Drive

The Year 12 SBA tutor group’s Can Drive Community Service project collected 149 cans for the City Mission Food Bank.

tutors and Dean, Donna Jones, worked as a team on cutting, sanding, drilling, and staining beautiful wood, creating propagation stations to sell and generate funds for the Cholmondeley Children’s Home.

the Red Zone. The community planting days have been a huge success with over 33,000 trees planted over the five years of operation. In time, the plants will form a corridor for native birds to return to the Christchurch city centre.

Emerging Ethnic Leaders

Lynonahdolphin Tausa and Maia Columbus (both Year 13) were recognised for their selection as St Andrew’s College Emerging Ethnic Leaders to attend an inaugural breakfast with representatives from 22 secondary schools across Christchurch.

40-Hour Famine

Community Service Fundraiser

As part of a Community Service fundraiser across all Year 12 tutor groups during Terms 2 and 3, Year 12

Eco-Action Community Planting Day

On Sunday 29 May, a group of Sustainability Council members and Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award students, together with other schools and community groups, planted 3000 native trees near the QEII Red Zone. The EcoAction Trust involves multiple schools raising seedlings at school nurseries, harvesting them, and planting them in

The Community Service team has been coming up with various fundraising events to help reach their target of $20,000 for this year’s 40-hour Famine. The money raised will provide clean water for underprivileged communities. At the end of Term 2, Year 9 students were sponsored in a ‘walk for water’ where they walked or ran as many laps of the rugby field as possible in 40 minutes. Year 10 students had a rowing challenge, where they rowed as many kilometres as they could in 40 minutes to raise funds.

Matariki

Games Highland

A celebration of St Andrew’s Scottish heritage and traditions was on full display during the Highland Games on Thursday 23 June, which had been postponed from Founders’ Day in March.

There was a lively atmosphere from the start, with raucous inter-House singing of the School Song, O Flower of Scotland, and the respective House chants. Each House then selected representatives to compete in Highland dancing, which is always a crowd favourite.

This was followed by some impressive efforts by staff and students in the kettle ball relay, wheat sheaf tossing, and medicine ball throwing.

Performances by the Pipe Band and Highland dancers were a special part of the day, which finished with each House performing the College haka.

House spirit was in full force during the passionately fought competition, and when the points were tallied at the end, Thompson House was named the 2022 Highland Games House champions.

Hangi

A hāngi was put down to celebrate Matariki, with Te Reo Māori students alongside members of the Māori and Pasifika Group involved throughout the day, preparing the kai, placing it in the ground and uplifting it once it was cooked. Alongside the hāngi, Year 9–10 Māori language students set up a Matariki display, which included information on the origins of Matariki, how Matariki was traditionally used, Pūaka and information on the different stars of Matariki.

During the day, Preparatory School classes came along and enjoyed a short presentation from students about Matariki and the process of a hāngi.

Brand champion has significant role

Head Graphic Designer and Brand, Craig Morgan, is the longest serving member of the Communications team, and has seen dramatic changes and development at the College since he joined in January 2011. It was just a few weeks before the February earthquake, when the then small team of two was thrust into crisis management.

Although graphic design, branding and marketing in print and online are key aspects of Craig’s work today, his role is so much broader. As the College’s ‘brand champion’, his influence can be felt across most aspects of the campus. “It’s important to keep evolving the brand while also keeping it consistent across all the different things we do. With the help of the team, we are shaping the look and feel of the College all the time.”

Craig has worked closely with College Art Specialist and Archivist, Pip Dinsenbacher, on numerous special creative projects, including the Senior College StAC 100 Timeline display, Sports Wall in Gym 2, jigsaw mural in the Preparatory Junior School, and The Spirit of St Andrew’s, history book. Craig has had significant involvement in events, such as the Centenary celebrations (‘a multi-year project’), and is currently working on the upcoming celebration of 30 years of co - education. Craig has also worked alongside architects engaged by St Andrew’s on the interior design treatments for all the new buildings on campus over the last decade, including the Centennial Chapel, and new Ben Gough Family Theatre.

His design influence is also seen in printed material, campus signage, honours boards, the Rector’s medal, numerous cast metal badges, sports uniforms, and more.

“The attraction of working at St Andrew’s is the opportunity to work on so many different projects. It keeps things interesting, and I’ve enjoyed the challenges along the way.”

Meet the team Communications

Tucked away in an upstairs office in Strowan House is the busy Communications Department, which has a key role in delivering all online and offline written, verbal, and visual communications to stakeholders, along with marketing and the careful management of the St Andrew’s College brand reputation. “Working in Communications at St Andrew’s is not for the faint-hearted, as it is an extremely fast-paced environment. We work with many different departments and stakeholders, including students, parents, teachers, senior management, and the Board. The challenges of COVID-19, with the ever-changing restrictions, have added another layer of complexity. However, we are very lucky to have such a capable team,” says Head of Communications, Kay Shaw.

All external and internal communications from the College, including e-newsletters to parents such as the weekly Rector’s Comment, information to stakeholders, promotional material for events, emergency communications, College photography for events, individual, class, sports and cultural group photographs, and much more, goes through the Communications Department. The St Andrew’s website, StACNet, the StAC app, online forms, social media, and all internal and external publications, including Regulus and Collegian, are managed by the Communications Department.

Kay worked in communications for another independent school before becoming Head of Communications at St Andrew’s five years ago. She says Head Graphic Designer and Brand, Craig Morgan, who has been with St Andrew’s since 2011, is a key member of the team.

Marketing Communications Manager, Georgia Harvey, took up the role earlier this year, but was already well known to many in the College community, as she was employed as a contractor in the Communications Department during the Centenary celebrations. Digital Marketing Co-ordinator, Annelise Thompson, and Graphic Designer, Sarah McCook-Weir, make up the rest of the team. Contractors including Regulus/Collegian editor, Jo Bailey, photographers Sue Oxley, Anna Turner and Clinton Lloyd, and printers, Caxton, also work alongside the team and are an integral part of the mix.

“We are all very similar people and set high standards for ourselves. We are proud to work in our roles and all feel there is something very special about St Andrew’s. This place really gets under your skin,” says Kay.

Sustainable embraced initiatives

The Sustainability Council marked Earth Week in April, and World Environment Day in June, with a range of sustainable initiatives which were embraced by hundreds of students.

The celebration of Earth Day 2022 involved a week of activities organised by Sustainability Council leaders, Toby Harvie and Corin Simcock (both Year 13).

To kick off the week, students were encouraged to use sustainable transport. Toby Harvie, Hugh Nixon and Charli Watts (all Year 13) walked to school from Sumner, sending a valuable message to other students and staff.

During the week, a large number of Secondary School students participated in the repotting of seedlings in support of St Andrew’s commitment to their Eco-Action Project. The Eco-Action Trust involves multiple schools raising seedlings at school nurseries, growing them on, and planting them in the Red Zone. St Andrew’s has been an Eco-Action Trust partner since late 2019, raising 2000 seedlings onsite annually.

Corin and Toby also spoke at an assembly about the importance of investing in a sustainable future.

On 5 June, another large group of students, led by the Sustainability Council, marked World Environment Day by going to the College nursery to do some practical work on their Eco-Action Project.

Teacher in Charge of the Sustainability Council, Ellen Hampson, says marking these international days is important for St Andrew’s students.

“We live in a very safe, secure environment in a country that is largely untouched by some of the larger scale effects of climate change. These global days have amazing key messages, which remind our students of the importance of investing in our planet to guarantee a viable and sustainable future.”

The Sustainability Council has been hard at work in other areas including contributing to plans to improve bike stands at the College, overseeing the use of compostable plastic wrap in the Cafeteria, collaborating with property management staff to devise a plan to reduce plastic bag use, and working on a Sustainable Development Policy document to present to the Senior Leadership Team. They would also like to see the introduction of compost bins at the College.

Many interesting speakers visit St Andrew’s each year to speak to students, staff, and parents on a wide range of topics.

Guests this year have included Temel Atacocugu, an Al Noor Mosque terror attack survivor, and Doug Wingfield, who spoke about his experience in the New Zealand Air Force in the Vietnam War.

The students of the Year 9O Social Studies class were inspired by the message of strength and character in the face of adversity delivered by Temel Atacocugu. He spoke about the horrors of the terror attack and the ongoing physical and mental challenges he faces.

Temel also shared stories from his Walk for Peace, where he ‘reclaimed’ the route that the shooter took from Dunedin to Christchurch, in the name of peace and togetherness. The presentation finished with Temel

Pink

Guest StAC Shirt

speakers at Day

sharing his dreams for the future. The talk was designed to finish the topic of 9/11 and political extremism which the students had been studying for a few weeks.

Doug Wingfield, the grandparent of Sefton Wingfield (Year 10) and Felix Wingfield (Year 12), spoke to all Year 12 History students about his service as a Leading Aircraftman (LAC) during the Vietnam War, which like many other ground crews, was never recognised for their service

He spent 10 years seeking recognition for this service. In May 2019, he received the Chief of the Air Force Commendation for ‘outstanding zeal and devotion to duty’ in recognition of his research into 41 Squadron’s ‘lost’ Vietnam War veterans. The Year 12 students had been studying the Vietnam War during Term 2, so this was an excellent opportunity for them to learn from someone who experienced it first-hand.

St Andrew’s College celebrated Bully Free New Zealand Week alongside the Mental Health Foundation’s Pink Shirt Day. Both events aim to promote an anti-bullying culture by celebrating diversity and promoting kindness and inclusiveness.

Student leaders celebrated the week by raising awareness on two key foci: What constitutes bullying? and What does it mean to be an upstander?

Heads of Well-being, Selena Gan and Lachlan Odlin (both Year 13), presented a thought-provoking speech to students at assembly, encouraging them to show courage by being an upstander rather than a bystander. Lachlan explained that an upstander does one of four things: supports the person being bullied, interrupts the bullying in some way, lets the bully know what they are doing is not okay, or takes action to support the victim.

Staff and students embraced the Pink Shirt Day theme, with the College awash with pink. The day started with the Well-being Committee handing out hot chocolates.

The week was a great opportunity for the St Andrew’s community to reflect on how it continues to bring the whole school value of inclusivity to life.

Students and staff celebrated Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa (Samoan Language Week) from Monday 30 May to Friday 3 June, with an engaging programme of events, run by Head of Middle School, Mikae Tuu’u. These included phrases of the day, The Lord’s Prayer being recited in Samoan at chapel, an opportunity for students to wear formal Samoan dress to school, and Samoan songs playing in the Quad during Friday lunchtime. Another popular activity was sampling some delicious Samoan food in Thompson House on the Thursday. Students enjoyed the week, with many attempting to speak Samoan and embrace the beautiful language. Samoan is the third most widely spoken language in Aotearoa New Zealand. This is the twelfth year that Samoan Language Week has been celebrated here.

Samoan Language Week Pride Week

The campus was awash with colour during Schools’ Pride Week, a time to celebrate and affirm rainbow identities, help increase a sense of belonging, and reduce the experiences of bullying for rainbow youth.

Led by the StAC Pride Group, the College celebrated diversity and its value of inclusivity by making rainbow pins for the prefects and staff to wear, and students to purchase. The rainbow flag flew proudly outside the Middle School office and on the main flagpole, and the The Green Library and Innovation Centre celebrated the month with a book display titled ‘Out on the Shelves’. Staff and students wore colourful socks and tights at the start of Pride Week, and StAC Pride Group members, prefects, and the student Well-being Committee provided a hot chocolate for students to kick off the week’s activities.

A powerful message on the need to embrace diversity was delivered by Assistant Chaplain, Ben Hughes, during a chapel service. Students swapped their uniforms for the colours of the rainbow, with the proceeds from the mufti day going to Qtopia, an organisation that supports Rainbow youth in Ōtautahi and the wider Waitaha/Canterbury area.

Cultural catch up

Ballet Performance

The Senior ballet dancers performed wonderfully at the Dancing Like the Stars event. Held at the Isaac Theatre Royal, they wowed the audience with their dynamic dance from the Broadway hit Newsies

Big Sing

The two senior choirs, VOX16 and Staccoro, performed at the Big Sing. Both performed well, with VOX16 winning Best Performance of a Romantic-era Piece, and Staccoro winning Best Mixed Choir.

Chamber Music

Following six sessions in the Canterbury District Round of the New Zealand Chamber Music Contest, two trios made it through to the District Final. They were the piano trio, 8 Strings 88 Keys (Miu Kim and Jasmine Hooker (Year 10) with Sea-am Thompson (Year 11)), and The Berlin Trio, which also includes Jasmine Hooker and former Preparatory School student Ryan Gu. The Berlin Trio went on to win the District Final, which put them automatically through to the Southern Regional Finals where they came second and are now through to the National Finals. This is the fourth year in a row a St Andrew’s student features in the NZCT National Finals.

Choral

Classical Concert

Orchestral students treated their audience to a wonderfully varied programme of music from the 16th to the 20th centuries, at their annual concert in the Centennial Chapel in early June. Groups performing were The Berlin Trio, 8 Strings 88 Keys, Preparatory School Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, and the Symphony Orchestra. It was a great opportunity for the chamber groups to perform before they went into competition for the New Zealand Chamber Music Competition.

Concert

Ballroom Dance

Holly Hembry (Year 7) competed at the New Zealand One Dance Ballroom Dancing Championships. Over two days, she danced 24 events, with 16 wins three seconds and two third placings. She also won the Champion of Champions trophies in both the Pre-Teen (12 years and under) and Teen (16 years and under) age groups. At the combined 2022 Kiwi Classic and 2021 Aotearoa New Zealand Championships in Auckland over Matariki weekend, Holly won seven solo national titles, placing second in her other two events. On the Saturday she competed in the Pro/Am Latin competition partnered by Enrique Johns from Dancing with the Stars. They won all five of their events.

Estee Wilke (Year 13) performed with the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Choir in Wellington at the St Mary of Angels Church, the ANZAC Dawn Service at the Wellington War Memorial, and in other performances at Paraparaumu. A fundraiser concert called Evening of Song was held for Estee in early June to help her raise funds for the National Secondary Schools’ Choir tour.

Choral and Music Concert

Choirs and classical groups, Stacchorus, Staccoro, VOX16, the Chamber Orchestra, and the two boys’ barbershop groups performed in a lunchtime concert at St Mary’s Pro Cathedral. They appreciated being able to perform in public after many disruptions due to COVID-19 restrictions, and their varied programme was enjoyed by the audience.

The College’s piano trio, 8 Strings 88 Keys (Miu Kim, Jasmine Hooker (both Year 10) and Sea-am Thompson (Year 11)), performed at a lunchtime concert in the Ron Ball Studio at the Christchurch Town Hall, in June.

Highland Dance

Milly Christie (Year 13) had excellent results at two top Highland dancing competitions. At the Otago Centre 110th Annual Highland and National Dancing Championships she was awarded:

• First – Sean Triubus U18 Championship and U18 Highland and Fling;

• Most Points – Highland Section 16–18 years;

• Runner-up – Most Points 16–18 years.

In the Top of the South Championships

Milly won the Marlborough Nelson Championships U18 Years Irish Hornpipe, Reel O’Tulloch and Highland Reel, and was overall Runner-up Champion U18 Years.

• Irish Stage 3 Theory Honours: Isla Miers (Year 13);

• Grade 4 Honours: Tessa Meyrick (Year 8);

• Grade 2 Merit Plus: Amelia Lyttle (Year 7);

• Grade 2 Honours: Sarah McCarthy (Year 7);

• Preparatory Merit Plus: SarahCharlotte McKay (Year 5), Ella-Rose McFedries, Aysha Adair (both Year 6);

• Preparatory Honours: Georgia Gregg (Year 5), Tayla Ford (Year 6);

• Preparatory Merit: Chloe O’Donnell (Year 5);

• Initial Honours: Adelyn Abrahamson (Year 4);

• Initial Merit: Agnes Buist (Year 3);

• Getting Started in Dance Level 1: Iaera Abrahamson (Year 2).

New Zealand Music Month – StAC Music May

Cultural Captains, Rachel Holyoake and Lucy Ojala, organised a Friday lunchtime programme called ‘Lunchtime in the Quad’ in honour of New Zealand Music Month in May. A number of College rock bands took part, including Black Wired, Afterglows, False Alarm, and High Voltage, who drew big crowds of student to the Quad to enjoy their fantastic performances.

As part of the College’s New Zealand Music Month celebration, there were also daily posts to the St Andrew’s College Music Department Facebook page, sharing work from current and past students, with lots of fantastic original pieces of music being shared from songwriters, jazz, classical, and rock musicians.

Peace Song Competition – Play it Strange

Pipe Band

Tayla Eagle (Year 10) was selected to represent St Andrew’s College in the National Youth Pipe Band of New Zealand. Tayla joins her sister Georgia Eagle (Year 12), Rachel Holyoake (Year 13), Connor Higgs (Year 12) and Lucas Paterson (Year 11) in the band.

Comunn na Piobaireachd (New Zealand) conducted an online solo piping competition during Easter. With Lucas Paterson (Year 11) winning fourth place in the Bronze level event.

Year 9 student, Sam Foote, piped for the Rangi Ruru Girls’ School Founders’ Day Assembly, firstly piping guests in and then piping in the traditional cake during the service.

St Andrew’s College pipers achieved great results in the New South Wales Piper’s Society Online Competition:

• C Grade 2/4 March: first place Cameron Sharpe (Year 8), second place Rylan Cliff (Year 10), third place Sam Foote (Year 8);

• D Grade 2/4 March: first place William Nicholls (Year 7);

• Novice Piping: first place Spencer Hughes (Year 9), second place Jed Thompson (Year 11).

At the Otago Queen’s Birthday Piping Championships placegetters were:

The following St Andrew’s students achieved wonderful results in the New Zealand Academy of Highland Dancing Examinations:

• Grade 5 Honours: Charlize Blakely (Year 10);

• Elementary Theory Honours: Madison Hughes (Year 11), Gemma Lewis ( Year 12);

• Advanced Practical and Theory Honours: Siara Clarke (Year 11);

• Advanced Theory Honours: Hayley Nolan (Year 12);

• Irish Stage 3 Practical and Theory Honours: Milly Christie, Brianna Sloper (both Year 13);

Grace Lawrence (Year 13) has once again placed as a top 5 finalist for the national Peace Song Competition from Play It Strange. She has won a recording session to the value of $750 to have her song professionally produced.

• Lucas Paterson (Year 11): third U21 2/4 March, third C Grade Piobaireachd, second C Grade Strathspey/Reel, first place and Otago Championship Winner C Grade 2/4 March, first U16 2/4 March;

• Cooper Gallagher (Year 10): second B Grade Strathspey/Reel, third C Grade Hornpipe/Jig, second U16 2/4 March;

• Tayla Eagle (Year 10): third B Grade Strathspey/Reel, first 6/8 March, second C Grade 2/4 March, second Hornpipe/Jig;

• Emily Brook (Year 9): first C Grade Strathspey/Reel;

• Cameron Sharpe (Year 8): third C Grade 6/8 March, third D Grade Strathspey/Reel;

• Anthony Song (Year 7): third U16 2/4 March, first D Grade 2/4 March, second 6/8 March;

• Sam Foote (Year 9): third D Grade Piobaireachd.

Lucas Paterson (Y11) and Sam Foote (Y9) competed in the Matariki Solo Piping Championships in Hastings. Both pipers performed very well in their respective events:

• Lucas Paterson: fourth New Zealand Under 21 Piobaireachd, fourth Bronze Medal Piobaireachd, third B Grade Hornpipe and Jig, C Grade 2/4 March, and C Grade Strathspey/Reel;

• Sam Foote: first D Grade 2/4 March, third D Grade Strathspey/Reel.

On Sunday 3 July, members of the Pipe Band competed in the second indoor Highland Piping Society of Canterbury competition for 2022. First placegetters were:

• Cooper Gallagher (Year 10): first C Grade Piobaireachd;

• Cameron Sharpe (Year 8): first C Grade 2/4 March, D Grade Strathspey/Reel;

• Iona Lawson (Year 11): first C Grade Strathspey/Reel;

• Sam Foote (Year 9): first D Grade Piobaireachd;

• Anthony Song (Year 7): first D Grade 2/4 March;

• Ryley Medland (Year 9): first Novice.

Preparatory School Music

The following Preparatory School students were selected into representative groups in the Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival.

• Orchestra: Yuxin (Alice) Chen (Year 8) – trumpet, Chloe Sha (Year 5) – cello, Anthony Song (Year 7) – violin, Jacob Wang (Year 5) – double bass, Hao Bo (Terence) Yang (Year 7) – flute, Ethan Zhao (Year 6) – violin, and Lucas Zhong (Year 8) – violin;

• Concert Band: Yutian (Tianna) Chen (Year 7) – trumpet;

• Senior Choir: Eden Taylor (Year 8) and Matilda Atkins (Year 7).

Songwriting

Year 11 students Chantelle Xiong and Hayden Lam have both had their songs selected as finalists in the Play It Strange Youthtown Songwriting Competition, which is open to Year 9–11 students around the country. Play It Strange will now fund as their prize a professional recording session for Chantelle’s song Rain In My Soul and Hayden’s Remember

Rock Band performances

St Andrew’s student bands, Black Wired and Afterglows, and solo performer Cindy Xiong (Year 13), performed at the Dark Room in May.

Rockquest

Eight St Andrew’s College bands and two solo acts competed at Rockquest, with two, Black Wired and Afterglows, going through to the regional finals. The audience appreciated the bands’ original songs and energetic performances. Cindy Xiong (Year 13) won the ‘Best use of electronic assist’ award for her clever use of electronic instruments during her performance.

Black Wired and Afterglows have since recorded songs for their video submission to the regional finals, with the help of Grant Robertson from The Light Site, and expert videoing by Hung Lam, father of Hayden (Year 11) and Ethan (Year 9), both members of Black Wired. Head of Music, Duncan Ferguson, mixed the tracks in the College’s recording studio.

Boysin Ballet

Positive media commentary about Boys in Ballet, a Royal New Zealand Ballet programme specifically for boys, and television shows like Dancing with the Stars, are some of the contributors to boys joining the St Andrew’s College Ballet Academy, says Artistic Director, Dr Carolyn Cairns. “Boys are integral to ballet as they add strength and power, and are vital to pas de deux work. We encourage and welcome them into the programme.”

The Ballet Academy’s syllabus covers both boys’ and girls’ work, and boys can study right through to their final pre-professional qualifications if they wish.

The boys in the Ballet Academy don’t need to look too far for positive role models. Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson (OC 2012) studied at The Juilliard School in New York, was later snapped up by the Houston Ballet Company, and is now a Principal Soloist with the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company. He recently became patron of the St Andrew’s Ballet Academy.

“Joshua is a true role model of excellence, and we are delighted he agreed to become our patron. Joshua studied dance outside of school as our programme hadn’t commenced but when he was home from his international studies, he took classes and worked alongside me as a Tutor Assistant in the newly formed Ballet Academy. The younger boys especially looked up to him from those early days, and he has come back many

times over the years to work with our dancers, and choreograph pieces for our company.”

Joshua says the Ballet Academy offers a fantastic programme, that nurtures and cultivates a love of dance, while pushing younger dancers to be their very best. “I think Ballet is a great option for boys, as it helps them to become well-rounded men. The art form is focused and disciplined, and you can only be rewarded through hard work and willpower. It celebrates beauty and athleticism in tandem. I am fortunate to be the Academy’s first patron and hope to show to the students that as an Old Collegian myself, a career in the arts is both possible and sustainable.”

Harrison Bradley (OC 2019) is another

Rodgerson. “I would definitely tell boys to do ballet. It’s hard to do it professionally, but it's well worth it. If you give it the chance it's the type of profession that's extremely rewarding. You also get pretty fit and travel all over the world, dancing in different countries.”

Year 12 student Alistair Gorton is another promising male ballet student, who has already been chosen as a New Zealand School of Dance Classical Associate and is hoping to launch a professional career.

“We are incredibly lucky to have young men like Joshua, Harrison and Alistair inspiring the next generation of boys, whether they want to join the Ballet Academy as a fun activity, a great form of exercise, or have aspirations of a

Sports round up

Adventure Racing

The Senior Mixed adventure racing team of Jenna Hirschfeld, Toby Harvie, Corin Simcock (all Y13) and Payton Kimber-Reynolds (Y12) finished second in the Mixed Team category in the Senior 12-hour event at the South Island Secondary Schools’ Adventure Racing Championships held in the Kaikoura district. The event consisted of a beach run and sea swim, a mountain bike stage, a foot rogaine, a second mountain bike stage, a second foot rogaine, a third mountain bike stage, and an orienteering course to finish. The team finished eighth overall from 18 school teams.

finals in Tongariro in October. Only six of the 19 South Island teams in the race qualified to go to the national event.

Artistic Gymnastics

Solara Burrows (Y7) was second overall in a Step 5 (overs) artistic gymnastics competition in Dunedin, and won two gold and three bronze medals at a Christchurch School of Gymnastics competition.

Badminton

Yirui (Elly) Li (Y12) was part of the Canterbury team competing in the prestigious Wisden and Slazenger Badminton Cup. She played exceptionally well, winning all but one of her singles games, which she lost to the current women’s single title holder from the Oceania Junior Championships.

Karereatua Wiliams (Y13)

Six St Andrew’s players attended national basketball camps:

• Madeline-Rose Morrow (Y13) attended the U18 Junior Tall Ferns Basketball Camp in Auckland;

• Karereatua Williams (Y13) and Lauren Whittaker (Y12) attended the U17 National Team Camp in preparation for the FIBA tournament in Jordan;

• Benjamin Ashman, Ophelia Powell and Rafferty Powell (all Y11) attended the U15 National Selection Camp in Auckland.

Madeline-Rose Morrow (Y13), along with Old Collegians, Te Rina Cooper (OC 2021) and Lose Faingaanuku (OC 2021), were selected for the Canterbury Women’s team, (coached by Years 7–11 Skills Coach, Nicole Gleason) which finished second at the AON U10 National Tournament. Karereatua Williams (Y13) and Lauren Whittaker (Y12) were also selected but were unable to participate due to injuries.

Madeline-Rose Morrow (Y13) was the only South Island player named in the New Zealand U18 Women's National Team which will attend the FIBA Asia Championships in India in early September.

Alumni Basketball Game

The Junior team of Matt Hirschfeld, Ethan Griffin, Isabella Cody (all Y10) and Abigail Scott-Douglas (Y9) competed in the Intermediate 6-hour event. They completed two mountain bike stages and two rogaines, finishing with the orienteering course with a total time of 8 hrs, 4 mins. The team finished third in the Mixed team category and ninth overall from 20 teams.

The St Andrew’s adventure racing team comprising Toby Harvie, Corin Simcock, Jenna Hirschfeld, Lucy Hamilton, Charli Watts (all Y13), Payton KimberReynolds, Joseph Connolly (Y12) and Ethan Griffin (Y10) finished fourth in the Hillary Challenge Adventure Race, which saw them qualify for the national

Basketball

Karereatua Williams (Y13) played for the New Zealand U17 team at the FIBA World Cup Asia Qualifying in Jordan. As a starter for all four games, Karereatua contributed across the board, with a third-place finish in pool play securing the team a spot in the FIBA World Championships in Hungary.

Our graduating senior players put forth a great effort in the second annual Alumni Basketball Game against Old Collegians. The Year 13 students built an early lead that they maintained for most of the first three quarters. With a late rally led by Flynn McGuinness (OC 2020) and eventual game MVP Sam Jenkins (OC 2020), the ‘golden’ ball remained in the hands of the Old Collegians for another year.

Cricket

Charlie Bisphan (Y9) was selected for the Canterbury 13 and Under indoor cricket team, which played at the national tournament in Wellington during the July school holidays.

CrossFit

Alys Scott (Y13) participated in the CrossFit Games quarter-final over the term break against 156 other competitors and placed 17th in the world. She went on to compete in an intense and exciting three days of CrossFit Games Teen semi-finals, where she placed in the top 10 fittest teens in the world, securing her place to represent New Zealand at the CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin, USA in early August.

Cross Country

Canterbury Schools’ Cross Country

A group of students represented St Andrew’s at the Canterbury Schools’ Cross Country Championships, at Ascot Park. There were a record number of entries this year, which made for some big fields and tough racing around a 1km lap. St Andrew’s had seven top 10 finishes:

• Year 9 Boys: Samuel Cook fourth;

• Year 9 Girls: Abigail Scott-Douglas seventh, Sasha McIntyre eighth;

• Under 16 Girls: Amber de Wit (Y10) second, Sophia Voice (Y10) eighth;

• Senior Girls: Hannah Hughes (Y11) fifth, Lily Twyford (Y13) eighth.

regional rather than school teams. Two St Andrew’s students reached the podium in relays – Amber de Wit, representing the Canterbury Junior A Girls’ team which finished first, and Sam Cook who represented the Canterbury A Year 9 Boys’ team which finished third.

ISSA Cross Country

A group of 47 Preparatory School students competed at the ISSA Zone Cross Country at Roto Kohatu Reserve. There were a few steep hills and the students coped extremely well on the challenging course. Those who placed in the top six and qualified for the CPSSA event were:

• Year 5: Kobe Ford fourth;

• Year 6: Aurelia Ashman second and Riley Pringle fourth;

• Year 7: Hayley Stowell second, Theo Smith second and Oliver Julius fifth;

• Year 8: Finn Bruwer second.

CPSSA Cross Country

Six Preparatory School students competed in this event and did well against large fields. Those to place in the top 20 were:

• Year 5 Boys: Kobe Ford –10th (out of 120);

• Year 6 Boys: Riley Pringle –13th (out of 118);

• Year 7 Boys: Theo Smith –13th (out of 180).

Equestrian

Lily Ellis (Y10) and her pony Whisper won Champion Level 2 Graded Pony at the Mainland Coachworks Ashburton Dressage Kiwi Rakes Premier League.

won gold in the Men’s Junior Epee at the National Fencing Easter Carnival in Auckland. He competed in the Australian Junior Fencing Competition in May, and has been selected to compete in the Commonwealth Fencing Championships 2022 in London in August.

Amber de Wit (Y10) has been in great cross country form this season.

New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Cross Country

St Andrew’s had seven students competing at the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ (NZSS) Cross Country Championships in Nelson, in both individual races, and relay events, which were conducted in

Fencing

Ryan Stewart (Y13) represented New Zealand in fencing at the World Junior and Cadet Championships in Dubai in April 2022, where he was thrilled to get the opportunity to fence against the world’s number one fencer from Egypt. The New Zealand fencing team had a superb win against Austria, placing the team in the top 32 on the Junior world stage. Ryan also

Football

Megan Simpson (Y11) was invited for a third time to be a part of the New Zealand U17 Football Camp in Auckland over the July holidays. The U17 Women’s World Cup is in India in October 2022.

Zachary Hoshek (Y8) was selected for the Canterbury Junior Flag football team, with triallists up to Year 10.

Futsal

Both the Boys’ Junior futsal team and Girls’ Senior A futsal team were unbeaten during their season in Term 2.

Golf

Jessie Mercer (Y10) qualified for the 2022 National Māori Golf Tournament (Men and Women) which will be held in January 2023.

Jessie also made the Canterbury Women’s and Canterbury U19 Girls’ teams in 2021 and has been selected for the Canterbury Development U19 programme 2021/2022 and Canterbury Development programme for 2022/2023.

Grass Karting

Josh Silcock (Y11) competed in the New Zealand Grass Kart Championships, and after six rounds of close racing, finished second overall in the Junior open class.

Hockey

The following students were selected as Canterbury representatives to play at the national tournaments in July:

• U18A Men’s team: Luke Slee (Y12), Jonty Foote, Jakarta Klebert, Hugh Nixon, Jonathon Rollinson and Harry Withers (all Y13);

• U18A Women’s team: Penelope Taulafo (Y12);

• U18B Men’s team: Joel Rogers (Y12), Rico Gamble, Harry O’Brien, Adam Redway and Corin Simcock (all Y13);

• U18B Women’s team: Natalia Geneblaza, Holly Gilray, Nikkita McIntyre and Alissa Tamaki (all Y12).

The following St Andrew’s students were selected for Canterbury Development teams:

• Canterbury Development Boys’ U18 team: Finnian Bierwirth, Alex Rippin, Noah Mellish-Temple (all Y12), Rhys Marshall (Y13), Jackson Hodgkinson, Benjamin Harford and Shaun Cooper (all Y11);

• Canterbury Development U18 Girls’ team: Eloise Sluis (Y13) and Kaylee McDonald (Y12).

Rhys Marshall (Y13) and Jackson Hodgkinson (Y11) were invited to play in the Central Otago U18 team in the nationals in Palmerston North.

Ice Hockey

Quentin Lovatt (Y12) was selected as goalie for the Canterbury U18 representative ice hockey team.

Jet Skiing

Jonte Butterfield (Y11) and Jake Wilson (Y9) competed at the Australian Jet Ski Championships, held in Queensland, where Jonte placed first overall, and Jake finished second. This was an outstanding achievement in a large field from around Australasia.

Judo

Samuel Hall (Y9) is the current Canterbury and South Island champion for his age group. He competed at the Wellington Open Judo Championship and achieved the following results, competing against people up to three years older than him:

• Senior Boys (ages 11–14) under 50kg division – gold;

• Cadet Men (ages 14–17) under 50kg division – gold;

• Cadet Men (ages 14–17) under 55kg division – silver.

Karate

Scarlett Gray (Y10) was selected to represent New Zealand in the Female Cadet Individual Kumite division at the Oceania Karate Championships in New Caledonia, where she won a silver medal in the individual kumite U14/15 division, a bronze medal in the individual kumite open division, and a bronze medal in the kumite team competition.

Maia Columbus (Y13) attained her Shodan (first-degree black belt promotion) after completing 40 1.5-minute fights, following a 2.5-hour physical test.

At the Canterbury Westland Karate Championships, Gemma Thomas (Y9) won a silver medal in Kata (Display) 12–13 years Premier category. At the South Island Schools’ Competition, she won silver medals in Kata (Display) U14 Premier category and Kumite (Fighting) U14 Premier category.

Netball

The following Year 11

St Andrew’s College players were named in the Christchurch Netball Centre U16 representative teams:

• Under 16A: Holly Maraki, Molly-Belle Morrow, Ruby Beynon;

• Under 16 Red: Savannah Caulfield;

• Under 16 Black: Lucia Croft, Ella Sharpe;

• Holly Frost (Y10) was also named in a Christchurch Netball Centre U16 representative team.

Race Walk

Jonah Cropp (Y12) competed in the Oceania Track and Field Championships held in Mackay, Queensland, Australia, as a member of the New Zealand athletics team. He had a successful trip, winning bronze in the U18 5000m race walk with a fast time of 22:00.07, knocking nearly 90 seconds off his previous personal best. It was a great experience for Jonah, which saw him racing alongside Olympians and Commonwealth Games representatives.

Rhythmic Gymnastics

Kalisa Zhang (Y7) was first in Stage 4 at the Delta Invitational competition. She had excellent results at the South Island Rhythmic Gymnastics in the Stage 4 category, finishing first in Free, Ball, Hoop and Club, placing first overall in individual and group Ball and Club, and second in Free and Hoop. She was also second overall and first for Group.

Road Race

The Canterbury Secondary Schools’ Road Race Championship was held at North Hagley Park on Tuesday in great conditions. All the grades ran 3km around a 1.5km loop, except for the senior boys who ran 4km. The competition was very high, and the St Andrew’s students performed well with nine top 10 finishes:

• Year 9 Girls: Abigail Scott-Douglas sixth;

• Year 9 Boys: Findley Curtis sixth, Samuel Cook seventh;

• U15 Girls: Amber de Wit (Y10) third, Sophia Voice (Y10) seventh;

• U16 Boys: Ethan Griffin (Y10) ninth;

• Senior Girls: Hannah Hughes (Y11) fifth, Lily Twyford (Y13) sixth;

• Senior Boys: Elliot Graves (Y11) tenth.

Rugby Thomas Ruwhiu (Y13) and Lucas Te Rangi (Y12) were selected to attend the NZR National Māori U18 Development Camp in Rotorua.

Rugby Club Day

St Andrew’s College Rugby Club Day was celebrated on Saturday 28 May with great attendance by players, families, friends, and supporters. The festive day included pipers, coffee vans, barbecues, and refreshments, with St Andrew’s teams playing at home across the entire day. The 1st XV players supported the up-andcoming younger players by presenting the Player of the Day awards. The day was capped off with a competitive clash between the 1st XV and St Bede’s 1st XV. St Andrew’s led for most of the duration of the match, however St Bede’s scored a try in extra time to take a last minute 22–19 win.

Swimming

Rylee McBride (Y10) won two national titles, two bronze medals, and set a new Canterbury record at the New Zealand Swimming National Age Group Championships. Her results were:

• 14 years: gold in 100m butterfly and 50m butterfly (setting a new Canterbury record previously held since 2010 by Sophia Batchelor (OC 2012));

• bronze medals in 14 years 50m backstroke, Girls 15 and Under 4×100m medley relay.

She qualified for the New Zealand Short Course and National Age Group Championships (NAG).

Canterbury Secondary Schools’ Swimming Championships

St Andrew’s College had a team of 22 swimmers competing at the Canterbury Secondary Schools’ Swimming Championships. The results were impressive especially from the swimmers in the 15-year-old grade. The team achieved 10 top three placings in individual events and one top three placing in the relays. Top three placegetters were:

15 Year Old Category

• Sophia Molnar (Y11): first 50m breaststroke;

• Caitlin Roberts (Y12) third 100m freestyle;

• Holly McCarthy (Y11) third 50m freestyle;

• Caitlin Roberts (Y12), Maddison Bar (Y12), Holly McCarthy (Y11), Sophia Molar (Y11): second 15 Year Old Girls freestyle relay.

14 Year Old Category

• William McConchie (Y10): first 50m breaststroke;

• Rylee McBride (Y10): first 50m butterfly;

• Joe Mundy (Y11): first 50m freestyle;

Squash

The Boys’ A team finished fifth and the Boys’ B team eighth at the South Island Squash Championships. Brooke Hughes (Y11) played in a team with girls from Middleton Grange School and Cashmere High School, which made them ineligible for an official placing, however, they finished second in the tournament.

Rylee McBride (Y10)

Sophia Molnar (Y11) attended the 2022 Apollo Projects Division II New Zealand Championship Swimming Competition, winning gold in 100m individual medley, 50m butterfly and 200m breaststroke, and silver in 200m individual medley in the 15 year old age group.

• Jaden Hu (Y11): second 50m backstroke;

• Noah Fanene (Y10): third 50m freestyle;

• Holly McCarthy (Y11): third 50m butterfly.

South Island Secondary Schools’ Swimming Championships

St Andrew’s College had a team of 11 swimmers in Dunedin for the South Island Secondary Schools’ Swimming Championships, against 150 swimmers from schools across the South Island. It was a very successful meet from the team, with a total of 35 medals won. The team was placed second overall in the competition from 43 schools. This is a well-deserved set of results from a disciplined and dedicated group of athletes. Individual results:

• Callum Lockhart (Y13): gold in Men’s 17–18 years 50m backstroke, 100m backstroke, silver in 100m individual medley, 100m breaststroke, 50m breaststroke, two gold, one silver and one bronze medal in relays;

• Jaden Hu (Y11): silver Boys 15 years 100m individual medley, 50m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, bronze in 50m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, one gold, three silver and one bronze medal in relays;

• Caitlin Roberts (Y12): bronze Girls

16 Years 50m backstroke, 100m backstroke, one gold, two silver and one bronze medal in relays;

• Isabella McConchie (Y12): silver Girls

16 years 50m breaststroke, bronze 100m individual medley, two gold, three silver and one bronze in relays;

• Maddison Barr (Y12): gold Girls

16 years 100m backstroke, silver 50m backstroke, one gold, three silver and one bronze medal in relays;

• Sophia Molnar (Y11): gold Girls

15 years 50m breaststroke, 100m breaststroke, two gold, two silver and one bronze medal in relays;

• Sam McAlister (Y10): silver Boys

14 years 50m breaststroke, 100m breaststroke, two gold and one silver medal in relays;

• William McConchie (Y10): gold Boys 14 years 100m breaststroke, 50m breaststroke, silver 50m freestyle, bronze 50m butterfly, one gold, two silver and one bronze in relays;

• Joe Mundy (Y11): bronze Boys 14 years 50m freestyle, one gold, two silver and one bronze medal in relays;

• Joshua Exon (Y9): one gold and one silver medal in relays.

Trap Shooting

A group of 17 students took part in the Canterbury Secondary Schools’ Circuit, which involves eight shoots held at different clay target clubs around the area.

The team had excellent results at Waihora with Maggie Hood (Y12) shooting 25/25 in Skeet and winning a shoot-off against Christ’s College to take the overall win, Jonty Pye (Y11) finishing third in Senior Points Score, Ethan Higgs (Y10) finishing third in the Junior Single Rise, Konnor Chamberlain (Y10) finishing third in the Junior Points Score, and St Andrew’s winning the Open Team contest.

Connor Higgs (Y12) and Ethan Higgs (Y10) competed in the two-day Nelson Marlborough Provincials , where Ethan won the C Grade Minis, the Junior Minis, and the Junior Points Score, also finishing second in Junior events including Skeet, Double Rise, Single Rise, Triples and Single Barrel to finish second in the Junior High Gun.Connor beat Ethan to be awarded Junior High Gun with a score of 185, having won several of the Junior events including Skeet, Double Rise, Single Rise, Triples, and Single Barrel. Connor also came second in B Grade Single Rise, Junior Minis, and Junior Points Score.

Triathlon

Max Blockley (Y12) was selected for the New Zealand Triathlon Development Squad for 2022. Triathlon New Zealand will support Max in all aspects of his development including training, coaching, nutrition, and analysis to maximise his development over the next couple of years.

Tennis

Billie Feaver-Banks (Y7) won the U11 Canterbury Junior Championships in both singles and doubles, the U12 Canterbury Championships in doubles and came third in the U12 singles.

Volleyball

Cross Country

Preparatory School Cross Country

The Preparatory School Cross Country was held in perfect conditions onsite. Students all ran with enthusiasm, and it was obvious that many had been training over the holiday period for this event. Top three placegetters were:

Year 4 Boys: Harrison Julius, Max Yandle, Hunter Lane

Year 4 Girls: Sophie Jacobs, Isabelle Crawford, Annabelle Laurenson

Year 5 Boys: Kobe Ford, Max Schouten, James Laurenson

Year 5 Girls: Isabelle Harrison, Georgia Minson, Chloe O’Donnell

Year 6 Boys: Riley Pringle, Artem Kutovoy, Hudson Blyde

Year 6 Girls: Aurelia Ashman, Isla Marshall, Tayla Ford

Year 7 Boys: Theo Smith, Oliver Julius, Toby Lang

Year 7 Girls: Hayley Stowell, Sophie Schouten, Eva Crawford

Year 8 Boys: Finn Bruwer, Zachary Hoshek, George Suter

Year 8 Girls: Chloe Evans, Eden Taylor, Allegra Voice

Secondary School Cross Country

It was another perfect day for the Secondary School Cross Country. This was a whole school event, and the races were very competitive. During the day each of the runners also earned valuable House points. The Champion House was MacGibbon with 277 points, followed closely by Thompson with 270 then Rutherford with 257 and Erwin with 220.

Top three placegetters:

Year 9 Boys: Sam Cook, Ollie Jackways, Findley Curtis

Year 9 Girls: Sasha McIntyre, Abigail Scott-Douglas, Olivia Ratcliffe

Year 10 Boys: Adam Macfarlane, Ethan Griffin, Ricky Kotepong

Year 10 Girls: Amber de Wit, Sophia Voice, Madison Wallace

Year 11 Boys: Elliot Graves, Alexander Kinney, Shaun Cooper

Year 11 Girls: Alexandra Hirschfeld, Miah Taylor, Cherry Zhou

Year 12 Boys: Max Blockley, Jonah Cropp, Connor Rocket

Year 12 Girls: Friederica Todhunter, Payton Kimber-Reynolds

Year 13 Boys: Matthew Patterson, Adam Redway, Gabriel Spenner

Year 13 Girls: Lily Twyford, Scarlett Kirby, Lucy Hamilton

Georgia

World Champs off to Junior

After a stellar two seasons on the water for St Andrew’s College, Year 13 student, Georgia (Gigi) Thomson, is getting a taste of what it is like to be an elite rower, following her selection for the New Zealand’s Women’s U19 Quad to compete at the Junior World Championships, in Varese, Italy. “It is a new experience to go to a World Championships. I’m excited to compete against the other countries and see how we go.”

Gigi’s selection came after an intense six days of trials. The fact she is still an U17 rower makes her achievement even more impressive. In late June, she headed into a three week training camp with the New Zealand team at Lake Karapiro, before embarking for Italy.

Gigi has shone at the last two Aon Maadi Cup Secondary Schools’ Rowing Championships, winning two gold and one silver medal. In 2021, she put on a powerhouse display to win the Girls’ U16 single sculls, and this year, she and Friederica Todhunter (Year 12) delivered an outstanding performance on the final day of the regatta to win a gold medal in the Girls’ U17 double. The double celebrations continued for Georgia and Friederica, as they also picked up silver in the Girls’ U17 quad, along with Sophie McNee (Year 13), Amy Hughes (Year 12) and coxswain, Isobel Forsey (Year 11).

Gigi started rowing in Year 9 at Wakatipu High School and came to St Andrew’s on a rowing scholarship in Year 12. She is full of praise for the rowing programme at St Andrew’s.

“It gives novices a taste in their first year and builds them up over time. The coaches understand your strengths and challenges and support you to be the best you can be. The results prove what they are doing really does work.”

Being part of the rowing programme is a big commitment, with regular morning trainings and rowing sessions at Kerrs Reach around three days a week and on Saturdays during the season.

“It does take up a lot of time, but everyone gets on well, supports each other, and backs each other’s achievements. It is like being part of a big family, and it’s so exciting when the successes start happening during the season.”

Below top: In 2021, Georgia won gold in the Girls’ U16 single sculls at Maadi Cup. Below bottom: Georgia Thomson and Friederica Todhunter (Year 12) after winning gold at the 2022 Maadi Cup.

Maadi Cup is the pinnacle of secondary schools’ rowing, so to win one medal is an impressive achievement, let alone three. The medals mean a lot, says Gigi. “It’s a good feeling to go out there and have my best race, knowing all the work I’ve put in throughout the season has paid off.” Does she have a favourite? “They are all amazing achievements, but because the single

Gigi highly recommends rowing as a sport. “If you give rowing everything it really gives back. It opens up endless opportunities.”

Now she has her first taste of representing New Zealand, Gigi is open to whatever the future might hold in elite sport. “If I get the opportunity to represent New Zealand going forward,

President Message from the

Old Collegians 1st XV reunion Rugby

On Saturday 18 June, St Andrew’s hosted the annual 1st XV Rugby Reunion, celebrating the teams of 1952, 1962, 1972, 1982, 1992, 2002 and 2012. There was a fabulous turnout, with over 70 attendees coming to the Rugby Pavilion to enjoy an overdue catch up with their old teammates, including two players celebrating 70 Years On, David Doak (1952) and John Gunn (1953). The room reverberated with the retelling of the best tries ever scored and whose team was the most successful, but as usual, rugby was the winner at the end of the day with our 1st XV triumphantly beating the Shirley Boys’ High School team 32–19.

It’s been a joy to reflect on the Old Collegian events I’ve been able to attend in the last few months that we’ve finally been able to hold as planned.

Our annual ANZAC Service was very special with a great turnout of Old Collegians from all ages. Thanks to the College’s technology, more people than ever were able to attend the service as it was livestreamed. It was a particular privilege to read the Roll of Honour alongside Board Chair, Felicity Odlin. Seeing the faces of those young men on the screen as their names were read out really does make you appreciate how young they were when they made the ultimate sacrifice.

On Thursday 2 June, Rector, Christine Leighton, Alumni and Community Relations Co - ordinator, Lisa Clark, and I attended our first regional event for the year in Auckland. We were fortunate to have Michael Woods (1966) host our Old Collegians at the beautiful Northern Club. There was a fabulous turnout with Old Collegians ranging from 1956 to 2016. It was lovely to meet some new faces, as well as catch up with several friends from my 2010 cohort.

Lisa organised another fantastic Rugby Reunion on Saturday 18 June. While the 1st XV played Shirley Boys’ High School, the teams of 1952, 1962, 1972, 1982,1992, 2002 and 2012 watched and reminisced about their own 1st XV days. Special mention to Chris Le Lievre (1993) who travelled all the way from Sydney to celebrate with his 1992 team, as well as Andrew North (1992), who was highly entertaining with his poem about fellow teammate Daniel Kamo. The current 1st XV beating Shirley Boy’s High School really finished the day perfectly!

I look forward to seeing many more Old Collegians at our many upcoming reunions.

David Doak (1952), Peter Sturge (1963), Paul Johnston (1972), John Lane (1982) and Chris Le Lievre (1993) presented the jerseys to the players before the game and shared some words of advice and encouragement. The College was excited to welcome the 2002 Girls’ 1st XV team, with Monique Gargiulo (2005), Jemma Abrams (2002) and their coach, Neville Myers, attending.

There were also some special family connections, with Paul Le Lievre (1963) representing the 1962 1st XV and his son Chris, who had travelled from Sydney, celebrating with his 1992 team. Chris Abbott (1972) and his son George (2003) were also representing their respective teams, and Hamish Hill (1992) watched his son, Angus Hill (Year 13) play for the current 1st XV.

Auckland Cocktail Party

On Thursday 2 June, a group of around 50 Old Collegians gathered at The Northern Club, a stunning venue in Auckland’s CBD. Our most senior guest attended the College from 1952 and our youngest left in 2016, so there were a lot of years represented. It was great to see many old faces again, but also some who hadn’t attended a St Andrew’s reunion since they left the College many years ago. Meg Black (2010, OCA President) spoke about the role of the OCA across the College and Rector, Christine Leighton, took questions from the floor about the College’s recent academic and sporting successes. Thank you to Michael Woods (1966) for organising the venue.

40 Reunion Years On

Classes of 1981–1985 and 1982–1986

In early July, St Andrew’s hosted the Class of 1981 and Class of 1982 for their 40 Years On Reunion. It was fourth time lucky for the Class of 1981, thanks to COVID-19.

Around 50 Old Collegians returned to the campus on Friday 1 July, with raucous laughter filling the Strowan House staff room as memories came flooding back, and hilarious stories of antics were regaled. Some attended from afar, with Kelvin Gin (1986) flying in from Dublin and Michael Hanning (1986) from California. Jill and John Irving, Wayne Milligan, Roland Burrows, Bill Hall and Rex Livingstone were some of the other special guests.

On Saturday 2 July, a group of 48 Old Collegians and partners attended a formal dinner. James Thomson (1986) dusted off his bagpipes for the Address to a Haggis performed by Jonathan Wells (1987). The evening was ably emceed by Richard Sidey (1986), the Toast to the College was delivered by David West (1986), and James Tapper (2010) spoke on behalf of the Old Collegians Association. Thank you to Richard, James McGuckin and Andrew Logie (all 1986), and Richard Rose, Stu Jensen and Dougal Cockram (all 1985) for helping bring everyone together for what was a truly special weekend.

to our ! 1992–2022

Calling all our old girls...

SATURDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2022

You are invited to a special celebration: 30 Years of Girls at St Andrew’s College

Gather your girls and join us for canapés, friendships and memories as we raise our glass to the past and celebrate 30 Years of Girls at St Andrew’s College

We are also opening the boarding house, so why not join us for one last sleepover… no matron present!

For further details and to register: stac.nz/30YearsGirls

Athol Earl – 50th anniversary of his rowing Olympic gold medal

Friday 2 September 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of one of the great days in New Zealand sporting history – when the Men’s rowing eight won the gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. This was the classic David versus Goliath contest, where a group of Kiwi amateur rowers defeated the professional Eastern bloc nations and the USA. Blasting off the start line in the final, the New Zealand eight led all the way down the Feldmoching course to record an emphatic victory.

The youngest member of the crew that day was Old Collegian, Athol Earl (1970), who at 19 years of age, still remains the second youngest New Zealander to win an Olympic gold medal. Athol, who began his rowing career at St Andrew’s, stood out at being 6 foot 5 inches tall and immensely powerful, also won a European championship in 1971 and a bronze medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, both in the eight oared boat. Athol also rowed for the Avon Club in

Class notes

Under his stage name of Ritchie Venus, Michael Brathwaite (1966) has released a new recording called Listen to the Angels, which is a track on American label Spacecase’s compilation LP We Live in Strange Times: a Spacecase Records Sampler

Paul McEwan (1971) was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, for services to neonatal care.

Paul has been chair of the Canterbury Neonatal Unit Trust for the last 30 years, following he and wife Julie’s personal experiences with their own children being born prematurely. Since 1992, the Trust has raised more than $600,000 for support services and equipment in Canterbury and Westland, including incubators, travelling costs, and funding New Zealand’s first human milk bank at Christchurch Women’s Hospital.

Christchurch and more recently became a national rowing selector, contributing to the remarkable success of New Zealand crews over the past two decades in international competition.

The St Andrew’s College community would like to congratulate Athol on his outstanding achievements in rowing over his lifetime.

Athol Earl (third from left) with the rest of the gold medal winning Men’s eight crew at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Mike ‘Scrump’ Johnston 1st XI coach and College Custodian, Mike ‘Scrump’ Johnston (1974), was selected for the New Zealand Over 60s cricket team.

Tainui Stephens (1975) is one of the producers of Whina, a feature film about the life of Dame Whina Cooper, the beloved Māori matriarch who worked tirelessly to improve the rights of her people, and whose legacy as the Te Whaea o te Motu (Mother of the Nation) was an inspiration to an entire country. Whina was released nationwide in June.

Bayley’s National Auction Manager, Conor Patton (2007), was named the LVD World Auctioneering Championship Winner and then the REINZ Auction Championship Winner, both for the second year running.

Dr Theresa Pankhurst (2011) was awarded a new fellowship to strengthen relationships between the Malaghan Institute and Māori. The Te Urungi Fellowship was established by the Malaghan Institute’s Māori advisory group, whose role is to guide the institute in its work towards equitable health outcomes for Māori. During the final two years of the fellowship, Dr Pankhurst, a Post Doctorate Research Fellow, will be seconded to the Babraham Institute at the University of Cambridge, working with a leading researcher in germinal centre B-cell biology and vaccination.

Tayler Hubber-Davis (2012) was nominated for the National Association of Women in Construction (NZ) 2022 Excellence Awards Rising Star. Tayler graduated with a Master of Building Science in Project Management from Wellington Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation. For the past three years she has been working at Beca as a Digital Engineering Advisor where she has found a passion for Digital Engineering and Building Information Modeling.

The newly formed Te Manu Tioriori Trust, which is dedicated to ‘creating and developing original musical theatre by, of and for the people of Aotearoa,’ has selected Isaac Shatford (2014) to develop his new musical, Ruth. Isaac is writing the book, music, and lyrics for this show.

Christina also visited a Year 13 Physics class as a member of the team from Taska Prosthetics to demonstrate their prosthetic Taska Hand.

Christina has been coding for the company since finishing her Bachelor of Science in 2019.

Saxon Morgan (2018) was named in the U19/23 Mixed Team Relay World Championship team, which competed at the Groupe Copley World Triathlon MR World Championships in Montreal.

Four Old Collegians have launched the flag version of American Football in Dunedin. Tom Rance, Laurence Arundell , Nash Forrester and George Gray (all 2018) had enjoyed playing the sport at lunchtime while at St Andrew’s College and are now committed to making the pigskin a popular pastime with their university fraternity.

Blake Morgan (2013) attended the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, as a Broadcast Engineer providing facilities for Sky Sport NZ at the International Broadcast Centre.

Charlotte Elley (2014) was selected for the Splice Construction Magic netball team for the ANZ Premiership in 2023.

Henry Shipley (2014) was named Canterbury Cricket’s Player of the Year.

Wairoa dog triallist Ned George (2014) and his trusty Huntaway, Sprocket (second dog on the left), took out the New Zealand Straight Hunt title at the Tux Champs in Taumarunui. Ned and Sprocket finished third in the North Island Straight Hunt with a score of 97, and in the New Zealand run-off a 96.5 score gave them the title.

Britney-Lee Nicholson (2017) and Frankie Morrow (2019) were selected for the women’s squad for the FISU (International University Sports Federation) World University Championships in Portugal. This is the first time Aotearoa New Zealand has been represented at the FISU World University Futsal Championships since the 2018 edition of the tournament in Kazakhstan.

Christina Shepherd (2017) and younger sister Alexandra Shepherd (Year 13) were featured in an article about their involvement with CanTeen, a charity supporting young people living with cancer, and were invited to fly in an Air Force helicopter with 12 other past and current cancer patients.

David Chang (2018) completed his degree in Mathematics at the New Zealand Graduate School of Education, where he won a TeachNZ scholarship to train.

Ayrton Shadbolt (2019), Dougal Shepherd (2018) and Oliver Egan (2017) were named in the New Zealand team for the World University Orienteering Championships in Switzerland in August.

Olivia Brett (2019) was selected to represented New Zealand in Canoe Racing for World Cup 1 in Racice, Czech Republic and World Cup 2 in Poznan,

Poland, in May. Olivia won a silver medal in the Women’s L4 500m sprint.

Victoria Lee (2019) is the current concertmaster of the Dunedin Youth Orchestra. This is the premiere orchestra group for 18–25 year olds in the Otago region. Victoria is also returning to play viola in the St Andrew’s College Senior Production in Term 3.

Jack Wang (2020) and his partner Abhinav Manota, won the Oceania Men’s Doubles Badminton Championship in Melbourne.

Basketball

The Aon U19 National Tournament took place over Queen’s Birthday Weekend in Rangiora, with four Old Collegians involved. Te Rina Cooper (2021) and Lose Faingaanuku (2021) were on the Canterbury Women’s team, which finished in second place. Jackson Rhodes (2021) was selected to play for the Canterbury U19 Men’s team in June, but was unable to play due to injury. Benjamin Freeman (2021) was on the Taranaki team, which finished in third place, narrowly missing out on the final.

Jackson Rhodes (2021) and Jackson Stent (2012) have made the Canterbury Rams basketball team.

Rugby

• Joel Lam (2020) and Sebastian Calder (2019) were selected for the New Zealand U20 rugby squad;

Events for 2022

These dates are subject to change.

OCA Annual General Meeting

Wednesday 10 August

OCA Annual Dinner

Friday 12 August

Celebrating 30 Years of Girls

Saturday 24 September

Gentlemen's Luncheon and 70 Years On Reunion (Class of 1952-1956)

Friday 14 October

OCA Annual Golf Tournament

Friday 28 October

10 Years On Reunion (Class of 2008–2012)

Thursday 10 November

Lachlan Frazer (2021) was selected for the New Zealand Youth Men’s team for the FINA World Men’s Youth Water Polo Championships to be held in Belgrade, Serbia in August. Lachlan played for the St Andrew’s Senior A team from Year 9 to Year 13, and was the coach of the team this year. He currently plays for Canterbury Water Polo in the Suzuki National Water Polo League.

• Sebastian Calder (2019) earned his first cap off the bench for the Crusaders, thrashing The Force in Perth 53-15, in May;

• Isi Saumaki (2020) and Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula (2021) joined the Hurricanes U20 squad, Will Stodart (2021) was named in the Highlanders U20 squad, and Sebastian Calder (2019) and Joel Lam (2020) were selected for the Crusaders U20 squad, for the Bunnings Warehouse Super Rugby U20 Competition in Taupō;

• Sam Gilbert (2016) ran out in the No.10 jersey for the Highlanders against the Western Force in May.

Tennis

Samuel Jeon (2021) gave a stunning concert at the Ron Ball Studio in the Town Hall. Samuel is currently studying piano at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. His performance was outstanding and demonstrated a remarkable music maturity for someone so young.

The Elmwood Premier Men’s team, featuring six Old Collegians, defeated Cashmere Tennis Club 4–1 in the final of the Premier Canterbury competition. This was a massive achievement, defeating a team that has dominated the last decade of Canterbury tennis. The win capped off an unbeaten season for team members Elliot Darling (2013), Lawrence Darling (2015), Tom Batt (2012), Edward Batt (2017), Hayden Joblin (2009) and Benji McGillivray (2010).

For the full 2022 Old Collegian Events Calendar, please visit stac.nz/OldColsEvents

Brian Heath 1950

Trevor Adams 1952

Graham Fechney 1953

Bruce Williams 1953

Rob Ensor 1954

John Hamilton 1955

Barry Holland 1955

Vernon Norris 1955

Malcolm Gray 1958

Thomas Westwood 1959

Don Reid 1960

Don Wyllie 1961

Peter Ullrich 1962

Graeme Monk 1964

Jim Austin 1964

Chris Wilson 1964

John Fechney 1966

Donald Grant 1967

Michael Sellers 1967

Kaara Iererua 1972

Hamish Mitchell 1985

Suliasi Moala 1992

Tacey Millard 1993

Christian Glass 2017

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Sarah and David Shipton (2008) were married on 4 March 2022 in the Centennial Chapel. Bridesmaid in green is David’s sister, Ashleigh Shipton (2012 Head Girl and Dux).

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