A marvellous mystery trip for boarders

College boarders have made the most of a recent ‘Mystery Trip’, with a group of boys travelling to the Christchurch Adventure Park for an action-packed ziplining session in the Port Hills.

Hazlett Tutoring Centre

The Hazlett Tutoring Centre offers tutoring services to Christ’s College boarders. An independent company, the Hazlett Tutoring Centre offers private, one-on-one, in-House and online tutoring, with students able to choose from one-hour or one-and-a-half-hour sessions. These can cover one subject or several subjects, with tutors assigned based on the individual student’s needs. To enrol or rebook your child with the Hazlett Tutoring Centre or to learn more about the programme, please contact South Island Manager Wendy McPhail on +64 27 271 4427 or email wendy@hazletttutorincentre.co.nz.

Checking in on Term 1 progress

As the term draws to a close, it is the ideal time to check your son’s academic and achievement progress in preparation for Term 2.

Diploma students
For students embarking on their Diploma journey, considering what they currently do and how that can be incorporated in their Diploma achievement is a perfect task for the holidays, if not completed already. Boys also need to sign up for the Duke of Edinburgh Award programme. Hopefully, they have already done so.

Year 11 students need to submit their bids for silver and gold aspects of the Ngā Miha. Many have completed their bids this term, and I encourage all boys to avoid a last-minute rush.

For parents who missed the recent College Diploma evening, you can watch the presentation here.

Years 12–13 NCEA students
During the school holidays, each student’s NCEA entries will be uploaded to NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Authority). When students log into the website with their personal login details, they can see the standards they will complete in the next year. Additionally, any grades that have been achieved will start to appear, and the data will sync with ‘analytics’. Both students and parents have access to ‘analytics’ through Schoolbox. They can be found under the profile for students, and on the main parent portal page.

You can find further NCEA information, including the information evening video, through the NCEA tab in the parent portal or student services pages. These pages will continue to be regularly updated throughout the year.

I also want to remind parents that NCEA parent/teacher Interviews will be held online on Thursday 8 May from 3–7pm in Term 2 Week 2.

The challenges of Adolescence

Tēnā koutou katoa.

Peace to you all in the name of God.

Dearly beloved, as the term draws to a close, we look forward to the promise of Easter.

I am a slow learner, and it took me some time to trust the Spirit’s prompting when I wake in the early hours and cannot get back to sleep. So, at 4am on Sunday, I found myself ironing the communion linen from this term while watching some Netflix in the background.

My choice of viewing was influenced by a conversation with a colleague on Friday about the series Adolescence. By 9.30am on Sunday, with the linen pressed, house plants watered, and two loads of washing on the line, I had successfully binged the entire series.

There is considerable online discussion about the show, and I can understand why. However, it is precisely this online hype that prompts my reflection.

Growing up in a conservative, ‘no talk of sex, we’re British’ kind of family, I am deeply grateful to the teachers and peers at my secondary school who helped me understand what it means to be a man – how men interact with one another and with women. One of the units we cover in Year 11 Religious Education explores CS Lewis’s The Four Loves. Year after year, our boys are most drawn to the section on Eros – romantic and/or sexual desire. While this is always framed as not sex education, the focus of the unit is on fidelity, promise, covenant, and obligation – topics you might not expect 21st century teenagers to be interested in. And yet, I assure you, they are.

Though I am not a parent myself, I was once a boy. And I, for one, am grateful for the trusted adults who were willing to talk and help me reflect on matters of masculinity and relationships. While Adolescence presents an extreme view of the potential dangers of leaving boys to navigate these topics alone – through the manosphere or the unfiltered spaces of the internet – I cannot help but think, from both experience and observation, that if we do not create spaces for open, face-to-face conversations, they will seek answers elsewhere. And sometimes, those alternative sources are not only unhelpful but actively harmful.

In that very Anglican way, we must keep talking – however awkward or difficult it may seem. If we do not provide a space for these conversations, our boys may turn instead to echo chambers that reinforce the very things we hope to guide them away from.

Wishing you all a reflective end to Lent and the assurance of Easter’s hope.

The Reverend Canon Cameron Pickering

Love knows nothing of rank or riverbank in Shakespeare in Love

A wildly playful, funny, and romantic work of historical fiction, the premiere New Zealand school season of Shakespeare in Love opens at Christ’s College on Tuesday 20 May and wraps up on Saturday 24 May.

A joint senior production of Christ’s College and Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, Shakespeare in Love is a passionate and fun celebration of the playwright and the art of theatre. An exceptionally talented cast of 60 performers – along with 30 crew members working hard behind the scenes – will bring this entertaining play to life.

Penniless and indebted to two demanding producers, struggling young playwright William Shakespeare is tormented by writer’s block until he meets the beautiful Viola de Lesseps, daughter of a wealthy merchant, whose fiery passion for poetry and drama leaves her secretly longing to be an actor. Both are despondent when they learn that Viola’s father has promised her to the stuffy Lord Wessex in order to gain a title for their family. Under the veil of secrecy, Will and Viola’s passionate love affair becomes the basis of the very play he is writing – Romeo and Juliet. With opening night – and the wedding day – fast approaching, the plots race toward a parallel conclusion. Will it all work out in the end or are the star-crossed lovers destined for tragedy?

You can book tickets for the 7pm performances, plus a 2pm performance on 24 May. It is a rare opportunity to attend a New Zealand schools premiere. We look forward to sharing our wonderful Shakespearean stage with you in May.

House Reading honours and spy series author visit

At College, the start of the Easter holidays also signals the start of the House Reading Competition. For families new to College, the participation-based competition encourages boys to read the most pages to win the top House prize.

Each time a student finishes a book, he brings it to library staff, who ask a few questions about the book and then add the number of pages read to the House tally. Novels are worth more points than comics, and audiobooks are also eligible.

The House that reads the most wins the House pizza prize. The competition runs from the end of Term 1 to the end of Term 2. In the past, junior students have been the most impressive in striving to win the event for their Houses, literally bringing home the pizza.

If your son wants to be a points scorer for his House, but does not know where to start, perhaps suggest a book by our next visiting author, Brian Falkner. Brian, who is best known for a teenage-focused World War II espionage trilogy, Katipo Joe, will take writing workshops and hold a lunchtime Q&A for students in Week 4 of Term 2.

We have unlimited copies of three of Brian’s titles, including the first Katipo Joe book, Blitzkrieg, available through our ebook and audiobook platform, Sora. Students can access Sora via their Schoolbox login details. By encouraging your son to read, we utilise a powerful tool for building empathy, concentration, and improving wellbeing.

A culture of unity amid diversity

It has been a busy final three weeks in Term 1, packed with multiple events – including three special ones organised by the Senior Round Square committee at Christ’s College.

First up, the boys have celebrated diversity at a Cultural Festival, organised in conjunction with the St Margaret's College Global Relations committee. You can read more about this entertaining evening, showcasing student and community performances from a range of cultures.

Our Round Square boys also have coordinated a wonderful Circle of Unity. An annual event, the Circle of Unity highlights the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The circle signifies unity, with each boy in the circle illustrating that we all have a part to play in raising awareness of, and eliminating, racism. This year, Medbury School has also been inspired to create its own circle. You can see more here.

To raise awareness of Ramadan and its importance to Muslims worldwide, the Senior Round Square committee has organised a Ramadan learning experience. Student Ali Mann has delivered an informative presentation, covering fasting, communal prayer, reflection, and community during Ramadan. In response, there have been many questions from the boys. Following the presentation and an insightful discussion, a light suhoor (the pre-dawn meal before fasting) has been provided for boys opting to do a shortened fast during the day.

Meanwhile, students Jack Gorrie and Alfie McLean have been teaching te reo Māori online to students in India. Both Jack and Alfie have made the most of the international connections of Round Square to introduce students from the British Co-Ed High School in India to te reo Māori following the success of the online Māori Language Lab sessions by College in 2024.

Student exchanges

Five College boys are making the most of student exchange opportunities, with Alex Johnstone (Year 11) heading to Bridge House in South Africa, Lucas Zhong and Sasha Young (Year 11) visiting St Paul's Co-educational College in Hong Kong, and Teddy Hailey and James McNeill spending time at the Montgomery Bell Academy in Tennessee. We look forward to hearing about their adventures and welcoming their exchange hosts to College.

Home for the holidays

On the international front, most of our international students are returning home for the April school holidays and looking forward to catching up with families and friends.

Influenza season

With the winter months fast approaching and the upcoming school holidays, it is the perfect time for your sons to get the ‘Fluvax’ vaccination. The flu, or influenza, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus spread quickly from person to person through respiratory droplets from coughs and sneezes. The virus can affect the nose, throat and, sometimes, the lungs, often leading to a fever, cough, sore throat, and body aches. The flu can spread quickly within a school environment, and result in significant absences, affecting academic and co-curricular activities.

Please remind your sons about the importance of washing their hands frequently, especially after coughing and sneezing, and to use tissues. We want our boys to stay fit and well so they can be at their best.

Shakespeare in Love tickets now on sale, plus advertising opportunities

Tickets are on sale for this year's senior joint production with Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, Shakespeare in Love. It is the New Zealand secondary school debut season for this popular play. You can snap up your tickets early here. The season runs from Tuesday 20 May to Saturday 24 May, and includes a Saturday matinee.

We also invite our business community to purchase advertising space in the Shakespeare in Love programme, which will be distributed to hundreds of people at each performance. If you would like to support our boys as well as promote your business to both the Christ’s College and Rangi Ruru Girls’ School communities, please contact Senior Development Manager Shelley Keach on 027 8070539 or email skeach@christscollege.com.

Call for rugby sponsors

We are looking for rugby sponsors for the upcoming season. Christ’s College sponsorship offers you a wonderful opportunity to join our business community, with networking and branding opportunities to support your business. This year, we will return to our restored Upper for the rugby season after a three-year hiatus and also host the annual Christ’s College vs CBHS game, so it is the ideal time to join our sponsor community.

Please contact Senior Development Manager Shelley Keach on 027 8070539 or email skeach@christscollege.com for more information and to secure your sponsorship.

UPCOMING CAREERS DATES

UC School of Product Design Exhibition 5–10 April

How does an idea become a product that people use? Students can find the answer at the School of Product Design Exhibition from 5–10 April in the TSB Space, Level 1, Tūranga (Central Library). Students can learn about the design process, from concept to execution. At the School of Product Design, design, marketing, engineering, and business are united.

Otago Open Days

Otago Open Days will be held from Sunday 4 May–Monday 5 May. This is earlier than 2024, so it is recommended that travel and accommodation are booked as soon as possible. Families can also contact individual residential colleges for tours at other times.

NZ College of Chiropractic – career talk

Learn more about a chiropractic career on Wednesday 18 June at 7pm at the Distinction Hotel in Cathedral Square. The NZ College of Chiropractic is also hosting Open Days on Saturday 14 June and Saturday 4 October at its Auckland site.

University of Canterbury updates

Minor in Community Music
The Bachelor of Arts has a new minor in Community Music for students passionate about bringing communities together through music to support health and wellbeing, social justice, and community cohesion.

Minor in Pacific Studies
Students can navigate the history of the Pacific Ocean and contemporary issues of politics, climate change, and sustainability across the region, including the transnational nature of Pacific communities.

Engineering conjoint degrees
Engineering conjoint degrees have been designed to create ‘super engineers’. Employers require future engineers to have a broad perspective and a range of skills outside – but related to – traditional engineering. UC will continue to develop new combinations based on evolving industry needs and student interests.

Bachelor of Psychological Science
The Bachelor of Psychological Science offers study in all disciplines within psychology, including the field of human thought, growth, and capability. Students examine how brains function, and how and why changes in the environment, culture, and relationships can influence behaviour and overall wellbeing. They can choose from minors including Forensic Psychology, Māori and Indigenous Perspectives, Neuroscience and Cognition, Psychological Wellbeing, Psychology for Common Good, and Workplace Psychology.

Changes in UC majors
For new students in 2026, the following majors will not be available:

• Applied Immersive Game Design – students are better served in the Bachelor of Digital Screen (Hons) with a major in Game Arts and/or Game Development OR a Bachelor of Science with a major in Computer Science and minor in Game Development OR a Bachelor of Product Design with a major in Digital Product Design and a minor in Game Development.
• Sport Science – employment in the area of sport science generally requires postgraduate study. The UC Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate, and Master of Sport Science remain, and any major in the Bachelor of Sport is appropriate prior learning for that postgraduate study.

New UC residential accommodation – Tupuārangi

New UC student accommodation is on track for completion this year, ready for 2026. Tupuārangi will add 283 fully catered rooms with en suites to the current accommodation.

LETZ LIVE – overseas GAP year and working holidays in 2026

LETZ LIVE specialises in GAP programmes in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. The LETZ LIVE programmes offer school leavers an opportunity to gain international experience, develop life skills, and immerse themselves in a new culture, including school assistant and activity assistant roles in the UK.

Get ready for winter with a College jersey or vest

Our very popular merino-blend, black College jersey is in stock at the Uniform Shop. A merino-blend vest is also available. The V-neck jersey costs $140 while the V-neck vest is $130. You can call in to our Uniform Shop during term time on Mondays 10am–4pm, Tuesdays 10.30am–4pm, or Wednesdays 10am–4pm to view the full range or email the Uniform Shop at uniformshop@christscollege.com. 

The Uniform Shop will be closed during the school holidays.

CHRIST'S COLLEGE & CCOBA EVENTS

Going into bat for Christ’s College’s Cricket Ground 140 years ago

Sometimes, it takes a passionate individual to get things moving, and in the case of Christ's College, it was cricket enthusiast Master/Chaplain Francis Augustus Hare, who got the ball rolling (or bowled) for the school’s own home cricket ground. 

Looking through the Board minutes, we can trace the different hurdles faced, followed by continuous submissions and planning, until 6 October 1885. On this day, Hare’s plan to take a portion of Hagley Park, adjacent to the Hagley Park Cricket Ground, was approved.

It was resolved: “That the Governing Body guarantee to advance the sum of £100 during the ensuing year towards the expenses of preparing a cricket ground for the boys, as outlined by Mr Hare, and also an annual grant of £50 for the upkeep of the ground in the following year.”ⁱ

Thus, Christ’s College secured the lease of a cricket ground at South Hagley Park – an arrangement that has endured for 140 years.

The first mention of the need for a cricket ground appears in the Board minutes from 24 June 1859. The Sub Warden proposed a partial rearrangement of the College grounds, with part of the land, currently occupied by the Sub Warden, being set aside as a playground. The boundaries of this area would be decided by the Building Committee. An application would be made to the government to use a section of Hagley Park, across the river, as a cricket ground.ⁱⁱ

This allowed College to use the grounds freely, with the caveat that the government could reclaim the land for public purposes in the future. In response, founding Fellow Reverend G Cotterill went into bat for College with a letter reminding the Government Office of the previous agreement for free use, but arguing that College should not have to pay for improvements unless it had a secure lease. 

On the reverse of the letter from Cotterill was the following note: “Action: State that at present, the Government is unwilling to give a lease to any portion of Hagley Park, as they may need to submit some portion for improvement. Until then, they do not wish to disturb the existing state of the property.” iii

About 25 years later, enter Hare, whose love for cricket was well-known. “Season after season found him daily at the nets.” 

His dedication to the sport and the school’s cricket team helped drive the eventual success in securing a dedicated cricket ground. “The XI played in the southwest corner of the Hagley Park Ground until, largely due to Mr Hare, they obtained their own ground.” ^iv

The ground initially covered eight acres (now nearly 10). By November 1887, the Bursar confirmed that, with the consent of several Fellows, a grant of £50 would be made towards the construction of a pavilion.^v This pavilion would be the property of College, though it could be removed if requested.

In June 1887, one of the Old Boys expressed optimism about the new ground: “Mr Hare tells me, with the air of a man oppressed with the embarras de richesse, that the only thing the ground now suffers from is ‘too much grass’. All I would wish is that the boys will value their new possession at its proper worth.”^vi

By 1888, a pavilion had been built, followed shortly by a groundsman’s cottage, which became the home of William Vagg. Before these developments, in 1882, WJ Pocock was employed as the first professional coach for the school, working two afternoons a week for £1 per week. “The main force was M Hare, and the boys were in no doubt as to the debt College cricket owed him.”^vii

In February 1888, the Register reported that the 1887–1888 season was the first to be played under the new auspices of the school’s own cricket ground: “We have at last a ground of our own…”^viii

The first mention of the ‘College Ground’ in relation to a cricket match was the reporting of a game between Christ’s College and the United Cricket Club on 22 and 29 October 1887.^ix Additionally, the Star newspaper in 1888 reported: “La Crosse – There will be a match tomorrow afternoon on the College cricket ground.”^x

Through perseverance, passion, and the unwavering dedication of individuals like Hare, Christ’s College now boasts a cricket ground that has stood the test of time, serving as the backdrop to many seasons of cricket over the past 140 years.

ⁱ Minutes of the Quarterly Meeting of the Governing Body of Christ’s College 1885
ⁱⁱ Minutes of the Quarterly Meeting of the Governing Body of Christ’s College 24 June 1859
ⁱⁱⁱ Teal, F J, 2019. Archives New Zealand, Christchurch Office. CAAR 19936 CH287  Item ID R22194094
^iv Hamilton, D College! 1996, pg. 110
^v Minutes of the Quarterly Meeting of the Governing Body of Christ’s College 1887, p. 307 
^vi Christ’s College Register, 1887 pg. 9-10
^vii Hamilton, D College! 1996, pg. 111
^viii Christ’s College Register, 1887 pg. 26-27
^ix Christ’s College Register, 1887 pg. 27
^x The Star Newspaper, 29 August 1888 pg. 3