A remarkable Giving Day – thank you for helping us raise $380,000 for scholarships
Last week, our College community came together in a profound display of generosity and unity for Giving Day. Together, we have raised $380,000 in support of scholarships that will directly transform the lives of boys who will now have the opportunity to attend Christ’s College and benefit from everything we have to offer.
These contributions are more than financial gifts; they are acts of faith and belief in the future. They represent opportunities for boys who may not have otherwise been able to walk through our gates, boys who will be empowered to grow, to learn, and to become young men of character, leadership, and purpose.
At Christ’s College, our Anglican faith calls us to follow the example of Christ, to think and act with compassion, justice, and service. This Giving Day was a powerful reminder of our shared responsibility to live these virtues and to shape a better future for our communities. By opening our doors wider, we embrace our calling to be a school for all, and to be part of something greater than ourselves.
My thanks to the incredible Advancement team, whose tireless work brought this campaign to life with energy and vision. I also thank the boys who participated in the campaign. They have inspired us all with their enthusiasm, leadership, and belief in what we stand for.
As a community, we should be proud, not only of the funds we raised, but of the values we demonstrated. We are stronger because of this collective effort, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have.
Darrell Thatcher
Deputy Principal – Planning & Co-curricular
House Music Festival and Quadrangular Tournament
We have several significant events happening in the final two weeks of Term 2, including the Parents’ Association House Music Festival at the Town Hall and the annual Rugby Quadrangular Tournament. You can find the changes to school routines below.
Please note that College classes will finish early on Monday 23 June to allow for Year 9 parent/teacher/student meetings.
On Monday 16 June, the ticketing details for the House Music Festival were emailed to all families who had registered for tickets. At present, all seats have been allocated. However, if you would like to be put on a waitlist for any tickets that were returned, please email Gill Blackler at gill.blackler@christscollege.com.
Rugby Quadrangular Tournament (please note that for the Tuesday game, school finishes at 1.25pm. If boys do not want to watch the game, they can go home)
We have welcomed a new member to our College boarding community. Kylie Marsh has been appointed School House Day Matron and Assistant to the Housemaster after relocating from Nelson to Christchurch.
She brings a wealth of educational experience to the role, having worked at the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, and Nelson College for Girls Boarding Hostel. Kylie was also a return to work officer at the Alliance Processing Plant. She has two adult sons.
Matariki weekend
A reminder that our Boarding Houses will be open during the Matariki weekend.
Vehicle use permission
We understand that as students move to their restricted and full licences and often live some distance away, that they want to travel by car to school. It is handy and, ultimately, we believe that decision is one for you to make at home.
However, when the student arrives at College with their vehicle, we do have a vested interest as we want to ensure that your son is safe in, and around, Christchurch. While dayboys are rather independent, we ask that boarding students hand in their keys to the staff member on duty when they arrive at the House. The keys are then placed in a lockbox. The student can ask a staff member for access to their car keys so that they can use the vehicle.
If you want certain conditions placed on the vehicle use, please inform your son’s Boarding Housemaster. For example, some families only want the cars used to travel between home and the school and not around Christchurch.
Please fill in the 2025 Vehicle Permission Forms for dayboys and boarders so that we have all vehicle details. If your son uses more than one vehicle, please include the full details of both vehicles, along with the licence your son currently holds.
If a student breaches the road rules and we are notified or is seen to be breaching the rules – such as having passengers when not legally able to do so – we will contact you and ask that the vehicle be picked up and not brought back to College for at least a term. It is important to ensure that a student drives safely while under our care.
Dinner swap for boarders
Our Year 9 boarders have met their St Margaret’s College counterparts for dinner.
Next week, Christ’s College hosts the annual Quadrangular Rugby Tournament, one of the most prestigious and historical school sport events in New Zealand.
Held from Tuesday 24 June to Thursday 26 June, the tournament brings together the 1st XV teams from Whanganui Collegiate School, Wellington College, Nelson College, and Christ’s College for a highly competitive and memorable few days of rugby.
It is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together in support of our 1st XV as they take on some of the country’s top schoolboy teams. We encourage all students, staff, families, and Old Boys to come along to the games and be part of the atmosphere. Fixtures and kick-off times will be shared on Schoolbox and social media.
Supporters’ Function – Wednesday 25 June
A Combined Quad Tournament Supporters’ Function will be held in the Chapman Room at College at 5.30pm on Wednesday 25 June. Parents and supporters from all four schools are warmly invited to attend. This is a chance to catch up with fellow rugby supporters, meet visiting families, and share in the spirit of the Quad Tournament. Light refreshments will be served, and everyone is welcome. To RSVP, please click here.
Billet hosts urgently needed
To enable the success of the tournament, we rely on the generosity of our parent community to host visiting players. At this stage, we are well short of the number of billets required. If you are able to host one or more boys for the duration of the tournament (Monday evening to Thursday morning), please contact Assistant Director of Sport and Rugby Convenor Simon Mulholland at simon.mulholland@christscollege.com. Your support plays a vital role in delivering this tournament and is greatly appreciated by both College and our visiting teams.
Let us come together to make this year’s Quad Tournament one to remember – for our team, our visitors, and our entire College community.
Ngā Miha Mātauranga – Christ’s College Diploma update
College Diploma submissions are coming in thick and fast, with many Year 11 students successfully bidding for both Silver and Gold awards in every frond (element). To date, 20 students have achieved the criteria of four Silver awards or more (and, as a result, have reached the Diploma Silver standard overall). A further 15 students are just one frond away and four students are close to achieving four fronds at the Gold level.
To check on your son’s progress, look for the badges for successful submissions in the achievement tab on your son’s Schoolbox profile page. Click on his picture to start.
Each student in both Years 10 and 11 will also be given an update on their Academic Engagement level by the end of the term so that they can see if they are on track for their Diploma target. The upcoming holidays offer an opportunity for parents to speak to their Year 11 sons about their Diploma journey and discuss whether they are on track or need to do extra work.
I continue to meet each of the Year 10 Immerse & Inspire groups to detail the Diploma submission process and answer any questions. I will also meet the Year 11 students in their Houses in the first few weeks of next term to deal with any issues as the submission deadline (at the end of Term 3) nears.
If your son has any questions regarding the Diploma, encourage him to talk to a ‘Diploma Champion’ from his House or his mentor, Housemaster or myself. Just as a reminder, the cut-off for bids for Year 11 students is the final day of Term 3 – Friday 12 September.
We are looking for more reader/writers to support those boys who require special assistance during tests and exams. It is a crucial role with The Learning Centre and valued by our College community.
Perhaps you can read, write or type for a student. With the number of online exams increasing, we very much appreciate people who can type. However, you do not have to be a touch typist.
The role is available on a casual basis, so it can easily work within a busy schedule. While it is a paid position, most of our reader/writers take on the role to support students and give back to the community. It is very rewarding, with our reader/writers empathetic to a student’s needs. They are also confident in their ability to support students during periods of pressure and very accurate in their written and verbal skills.
If you are interested in helping our boys, please contact Special Assistance Coordinator Kate Barber at kbarber@christscollege.com. All applicants must complete an employment application form to comply with our student safety requirements. Please read the job description , check out our Child Protection Policy, and apply for a role as a reader/writer at College to support our boys.
Dearly beloved, there is plenty of news to disturb us in the media at present. Are we more troubled than in past generations? Probably not. However, we are more globally connected than ever before. My phone pinged with news of missile attacks in the Middle East just moments after they happened. There was a time that we were shielded from this kind of immediacy. There was also a time when algorithms did not deliberately stir outrage or target our emotions just to get a click or a scroll.
However, there remains a constant hope – found in the belief that God is with us; a hope as needed and longed for today as ever.
Hope is more than wishful thinking; it is an expectation. In the Christian worldview, it is carried by faith and perfected in love.
I remember a T-shirt I picked up in Africa about a decade ago. It had a Land Rover on the front and played on a popular meme at the time: ‘Keep calm – and consult your Swahili dictionary.’ The word for ‘hope’ in Swahili is ‘temba’.
Monday 16 June was National Youth Day in South Africa. On that day, 49 years ago, police opened fire on a protest led by about 20,000 mostly black South African school students. At least 176 were killed, and hundreds more were injured in, and around, Soweto.
The protest was against the forced introduction of Afrikaans in black schools. While many African students spoke different tribal dialects, including Swahili, most schooling in Soweto was done in English. In white schools, families had a choice – Afrikaans, English, or a mixture. However, under new legislation, black students would be required to learn in both English and Afrikaans, even though Afrikaans was a language many in Soweto did not speak. They were expected to be taught in a language they could not understand.
Apartheid-era South Africa was something I studied at school.
And there is a link to New Zealand – a sporting one. Less than a month after the Soweto shootings – photographed, filmed, and circulated widely in global media – the New Zealand Rugby Union sent an All Blacks team on a six-week tour of South Africa. It included four test matches against the Springboks. Five Māori players, including Cantabrians Billy Bush and Tane Norton, were only permitted to play by being labelled ‘honorary whites’ to get around South Africa’s segregation laws.
A UN resolution calling for a boycott of sporting contact with Apartheid South Africa – passed before the Soweto protests – was ignored. The New Zealand Rugby Union, with wide public support, went ahead with the tour, arguing that “politics and sport do not mix”.
However, clearly, they do. And New Zealand was a slow learner. Because of New Zealand’s tour – this small country, defying the UN – 25 nations boycotted the 1976 Montreal Olympics, including hundreds of millions of people across the globe.
Today, we get news instantly. And live broadcasts from around the world are a norm.
As a cricket tragic, I tuned into the World Test Championship live from Lord’s last week. Spoiler alert: South Africa defeated Australia.
Forty-nine years on from the Soweto shootings, I wonder how South Africa remembered this National Youth Day. The nation still faces significant challenges.
However, perhaps this week, they will look with pride to its national cricket team, captained for the past four years by its first black Test skipper – the first black South African to score a Test century, the captain who lifted the World Championship Mace. His name is Temba Bavuma.
This week, I pray that hope – ‘Temba’ – is on the lips, and in the hearts of South Africans. May you carry that hope into the next two weeks and school holidays beyond.
Imagine there was a new treatment that would rewire your brain. It would provide an improved attention span and memory, and a better understanding of complex and abstract ideas. It would improve sleep quality and mood, and reduce anxiety. It would even make you more empathetic and understanding of other’s lives. It would be a miracle treatment, right? In our busy, ever-changing and increasingly stressed and anxious world, who would not want all those things for themselves and their children.
Strong research findings show that reading does all those things. However, it is a 20-minute treatment. It takes 20 minutes of reading on a regular basis for your brain to start developing those new, more efficient neural pathways that help to provide many of those benefits.
I am concerned by the number of students who believe that they cannot sit and read for 20 minutes. They tell me that they do not have the attention span. For some, this is understandable. For example, for dyslexic students, the cognitive load involved in reading for 20 minutes can be exhausting. However, I also hear the same statement from students without learning differences, which is concerning. I suspect time spent on short-form video content and fast-moving video games is a contributing factor. However, I do not have real evidence to prove this suspicion. Still, I want to support all our students to gain from the myriad benefits of regularly reading for 20 minutes.
I encourage you to talk to your son about their reading attention span. If they are struggling, please reach out to me for support at librarian@christscollege.com. I can schedule one-on-one meetings with students and their parents after school – as needed – to help our boys build a reading habit that sets each student up for the future.
Sarah Davidson
International Student Manager & Round Square Representative
Making a difference in a Round Square world
It has been a busy week for both our Junior and Senior Round Square committees.
Year 9 boarders from Christ’s College and St Margaret’s College have blended their skills for a boba-making (bubble tea) evening. Hosted by College’s Junior Round Square committee and BobaLab Addington's Hannah Chen, the students have discovered more about boba via a very competitive Kahoot!, rolled some tapioca balls, and made their own bubble tea.
It was a timely event, being held on International Round Square Day on 5 June, marking the birthday of Kurt Hahn. The German educator’s ideas inspired the creation of Round Square. Hahn believed that given the opportunities and encouragement, everyone could dig deeper and achieve more than expected. When we put our minds to it, we can be kinder, listen more, study harder, be braver, speak up, climb higher, be better friends to one another, travel further, volunteer more, be happier, challenge ourselves, and achieve greater goals. And, in doing so, we discover a greater strength of character.
In line with these values, the Senior Round Square committee has marked the International Day for Dialogue Among Civilisations. The day promotes understanding, tolerance, and peaceful communication between cultures, religions, and worldviews. In a world that is increasingly divided, dialogue is one of the few tools for building connections. A whiteboard has been placed outside the Chapman Room so that students and staff can share a Post-it note that signifies – or encourages – unity.
Meanwhile, the College Environment committee has led the joint Christ's College–St Margaret’s College river clean-up. Their commitment followed a ‘Bead and Proceed’ activity last year, when our senior boys identified the top United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as Life Below Water and Life On Land. About 40 students picked up rubbish along the banks of the Avon River.
We are seeing more boys with serious Lime e-scooter-related injuries within our school community. These include a variety of injuries, such as wounds, fractures, and concussions, often resulting in months-long recovery periods. These injuries can have a lasting impact on a boy’s education, including an inability to focus and time away from the classroom, along with missing out on sport, and co-curricular activities. In tandem, a student’s mental wellbeing may suffer as a result of these accidents.
There are multiple accident risk factors, including:
Risky behaviour, such as speeding and being influenced by their peer group, with reports of boys weaving in and out of traffic
A lack of experience and limited supervision. Legally, a boy must be aged 18 to ride a Lime e-scooter. However, many boys are bypassing the age restriction
Riding without helmets, with boys deeming the protective headgear ‘not cool’
Multiple boys travelling on one e-scooter.
Please talk to your sons about when, where, and how scooters are being used, and encourage them to stay safe. You can learn more about Lime e-scooter use in Christchurch.
You need to consider the following if your son is underage and sustains an e-scooter-related injury:
Support sport at College by snapping up a stadium cushion featuring the school logo. Ideal for your spot on the sidelines at any event, a College cushion – costing just $30 – is also a great gift. Featuring heavy-duty zips, a carry handle, a handy side pocket with a zip, and a removable foam inner, this cushion also boosts College sport. Click here to secure your stadium cushion now.
Uniform Shop hours and clothing alterations
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 of College clothing available or email the Uniform Shop at uniformshop@christscollege.com.
College also offers an alteration and repair service. Open on Thursdays during term time from 11.25am until 2.10pm, the alteration space is below the Uniform Shop. Please email pdye@christscollege.com if you have any clothing alteration or repair needs.
Victoria University of Wellington, School Leaver Scholarships open
June
UC Scholarships open, close Thursday 7 August
18 June
University of Otago Information Evening, Addington Events Centre, 6.30pm
18 June
Chiropractic career talk, Distinction Hotel, 7pm
19 June
UC scholarship presentation, 8.15am
20 June
Victoria University of Wellington, Year 12 Day
26 June
UC scholarship presentation, 8.15am
1 July
University of Otago scholarships open, close 15 August
18 July
Lincoln University Open Day
30 July
UC Year 13 Law & Criminal Justice Day
1 August
Victoria University, accommodation applications open
6 August
Massey University (Palmerston North) Open Day
15 August
Massey University (Auckland) Open Day
17 August
University of Melbourne Open Day
22 August
Massey University (Wellington) Open Day
22 August
Victoria University of Wellington Open Day
30 August
University of Auckland Open Day
30 August
AUT (Auckland University of Technology) Open Day
1 September
Victoria University, school-leaver scholarship applications due
4 October
Chiropractic Open Day, Auckland
Christ’s College CareerWise
The Christ's College careers website, CareerWise, is a rich source of information about all things related to careers. Parents and students cansubscribe to our careers platform to stay up to date with the many options and opportunities open to the boys. Various providers provide a wealth of information and we then share the most relevant updates with our College community via CareerWise. These may cover career-related events, news, and jobs. For most events, there is also a link to register. I strongly encourage our Years 12–13 boys to subscribe to CareerWise.
University scholarships open
Check out the scholarships on offer at the following universities:
MoneyHub has compiled a comprehensive guide to scholarships for students planning to start university in 2026. The MoneyHub Scholarship Guide lists scholarships from all universities, along with opportunities for Māori, Pacific, and international students.
CCRF – Term 3
The New Zealand Common Confidential Reference Form (CCRF) is an online university accommodation reference form. Boys can fill in the form now or at the same time as they apply to the halls of residence for their chosen university (or universities). They can register for accommodation at several universities on one form. Once they have completed and submitted the form, their Housemaster will complete the school section. Applications for halls of residence open on 1 August and close about 27 September.
Garden City Helicopters Open Day
Garden City Helicopters is hosting a Flight Training Open Day – for those interested in learning to fly helicopters – at 73 Grays Road, Yaldhurst, on Sunday 22 June from 12–5.30pm. Meet flight instructors, discover the path to becoming a helicopter pilot, and tour the training facilities.
Learn more about a chiropractic career onWednesday 18 June at 7pm at the Distinction Hotel in Cathedral Square.
University of Melbourne
A reminder that those who intend to study at the University of Melbourne need to take Level 3 English, and for those wanting to study either Biomedicine, or Science or Commerce, they must take Mathematics Calculus at Level 3. The university does not accept other English-rich subjects from Level 3.
University of Canterbury – Engineering
Those studying NCEA Level 3 Calculus – whether in Years 12 or 13 – need to understand the ramifications of entry into the Maths programme at UC for Engineering. EMTH118 Engineering Mathematics 1A requires the following: NCEA Level 3 Mathematics, 14 credits (18 strongly recommended), including the standards Differentiation (91578), and Integration Methods (91579). If they do not have these prerequisites, students must take MATH101 at university.
Charlie Wood – stepping up to conduct student-led choir
Christ’s College Year 12 student Charlie Wood has received the award for an Outstanding Performance from a First-time Big Sing Conductor after leading his new combined choir, Concordia Cantores, at the Christchurch Town Hall.
Wanting to find ways to share the path to better wellbeing with fellow Christ’s College students, Will Crawford has joined the ‘Balanced Blokes’ seminar for Year 12 students.
Entrepreneurial business matters at Christ’s College
A golf ball recycling approach that lands on the green, a deer velvet chew that dogs adore, and a ‘wheelie’ innovative idea for creating smoothies – the Christ’s College Years 10–11 Trade Fair has it all.
Year 9 College runners Henry Ridd and Taio Ferreira have taken the top two spots while Sam Moore has won the junior section at the Canterbury Cross Country Championships at Ascot Park.
Capturing the action of the Christ’s College vs CBHS game
See all the amazing images from the annual Christ’s College vs Christchurch Boys’ High School 1st XV match played on Upper in superb conditions. College has powered up in the second half to be within one point of CBHS with about 15 minutes to play before Boys’ High has landed late points to win, 48–38.
