I write this as I reflect on the recent Winter Tournament Week and look ahead to the last days of Term 3.
Representing one’s school at national competitions and spending a week living and breathing your sport in the team environment is an enriching and memorable experience for our young men. For many in Year 13, this is the last time they will play for Christ’s College. They should be proud of what they have given to their school and their responsibility as role models to those boys behind them. Thank you to the many staff and parents who, as the coaches, managers, and support crew, have enabled the boys to have this opportunity.
The younger boys and performing arts staff are working hard rehearsing for the upcoming Year 9 & 10 production of Puffs with St Margaret’s College. I encourage you to purchase tickets here. It will be a hilarious parody, perfect for the entire family.
Thank you all for completing the MMG survey. The Board and staff will soon receive the results for analysis and feedback.
The senior boys have completed their examinations and look forward to the Senior Ball this Saturday.
We all look forward to welcoming Joe Eccleton at the start of Term 4.
This is my last message for In Black & White. It has been a privilege to care for, and support, our staff and boys during this period of transition. I will return to the Board in Term 4 and work closely with the staff, Board, and Joe over the next month.
It has been a treasured time in my life to work alongside the wonderful young men of Christ’s College and to see that our country’s future is in good hands.
A copy of Christ’s College Register 2023 will be given to each Years 10–13 student before the end of Term 3. Housemasters will give out copies in their Houses and we ask that parents remind their sons to bring their Register home by the holidays.
A copy of Register 2023 will be sent to last year’s Year 13 students via post.
Christ’s College Community Business Directory
Our Community Business Directory supports our wider school community by providing the opportunity for those with connections to Christ’s College to share their business details as we encourage our whole community to ‘think local’.
If you would like your business added to the directory, please click here.
The Amazing Raise Adventure Race – movie fundraiser for Māia Health
Join Christ’s College in supporting The Amazing Raise Adventure Race, funding the Māia Health Foundation’s new youth mental health outpatient facility, Kahurangi. A four-strong team of College ‘athletes’ – led by new Executive Principal Joe Eccleton – will complete a series of tasks across the city to raise funds for this special place.
In tandem, College is hosting a dedicated movie session for the College community to add to the fundraising pool as the school strives to win The Amazing Raise as the leading fundraiser. You can be part of The Amazing Raise by buying tickets to see Runt, a lovely film for all ages. Runt tells the tale of young Annie Shearer and her best friend, Runt, an adopted stray dog. In a mix of heart-warming and humorous scenes, the pair attempt to win the Agility Course Championship at the Krumpets Dog Show in London, in order to save the family’s drought-hit farm.
Please join us in raising funds for Māia Health’s wonderful youth facility by buying tickets to see Runt at the special College session at Hoyts EntX in Colombo Street on Wednesday 16 October at 6.30pm. Tickets cost $20pp. Our Year 9 and Year 10 boarders will attend as part of the Boarding programme.
Darrell Thatcher
Deputy Principal – Planning & Co-curricular
After-school pick-up by parents
We have received several complaints from the public regarding parent parking around College, particularly in Gloucester Street. While acknowledging it can be busy during the after-school pick-up period, please do not double park or park across driveways. We have also received complaints regarding parents parking in the disability car park spots in Rolleston Avenue. To avoid these issues, please ask your son to walk to where you are appropriately parked.
Absence process
A reminder that if your son is away from College for any reason, you need to notify the school before 8.15am. Please fill in the absence form on Schoolbox, as shown below. You can also call the absence line – 03 364 8676 – or contact your son’s Housemaster. If you follow this process, our Attendance Officer will not have to contact you directly regarding your absent son.
At the recent Independent Schools of New Zealand conference in Christchurch, one of the main points of discussion has been the growing role of AI and its impacts on education. While we are well aware of AI and its use in the professional world, it is important to consider the significant impact it has – and will continue to have – on the world of our teenagers.
At this early stage in the development of AI platforms, we need to highlight the vital role of the responsible adult in working alongside our ākonga. In education, each student needs to walk – and work – with their teachers and parents during this AI journey.
This is equally important in the pastoral space and the classroom, creating the best outcomes through teaching and learning. In a world where misinformation and deep fakes are already embedded, we have a responsibility to guide our ākonga and remind our tamariki of their vulnerability in the area of AI. We must guide each to make good decisions as they have such a powerful medium at their disposal.
Whether dealing with AI-generated fake images or being left vulnerable through fake news or misleading media, they need guidance. Our best response is enabled by critical thinking, a greater understanding of ethics, and recognising the importance of upholding the right values.
While this may seem to be a daunting task, we must not be afraid of stepping into this space alongside our ākonga and helping them to make good, ethical decisions.
In one sense, this is a continuation of what we have learnt while navigating the digital world and social media, and facing a proliferation of pornography on the internet.
However, with AI, we must take the opportunity to begin the journey with our tamariki together so that we are always at their side.
Puffs – Christ’s College & St Margaret’s College Year 9 & 10 production
We hope you will join us for our hilarious new Christ’s College & St Margaret’s College Year 9 & 10 production, Puffs.
A highly entertaining parody, Puffs is for all those not destined to save the world. Puffs features a trio of potential heroes sorted into Puff house as they navigate a school of magic that can be very dangerous for children. Alongside the heroes are the Puffs, loyal outsiders who love badgers. Their epic quest takes the story into a parallel Potter place packed with witty wordplay and crazy characters, amid the halls of wacky wizardry.
Opening in the Old Boys’ Theatre at Christ’s College, Puffs runs from Tuesday 5 November–Saturday 9 November. We invite you to be part of the magic of Puffs by booking your seats here.
Christ’s College has a new e-book/audiobook provider, Sora, and it comes with some amazing features. Students can now access both College’s and Christchurch City Libraries’ e-book collections – via Sora – using their regular school login. They do not need a public library card to do so. And multiple copies of the same book can be issued at once.
Using this great feature, the library has created a Shared School Read event for the upcoming holidays, with everyone able to read the same book together. The series title will be announced at Assembly on Thursday. It is a very popular, modern, sci-fi/dystopian trilogy and we believe that many boys will be excited to have easy access to the whole series at once, with no need to wait for the next copy. Students just need to go to the Sora website from the College Library Schoolbox page, or download the app and log in with their normal school access. All three books will be there – with plenty of copies available. I hope that many boys will join the Shared School Read. Not only will they enjoy a great series, but also be part of the student discussions.
Dearly beloved, Winter Tournament Week has concluded and seniors now turn their attention to their final few weeks of lessons. The ‘final times’ now start to ramp up. The final Congers, final Sunday Chapel service – the list will go on. Preparing to leave and leaving well are lessons in themselves. Ultimately, many years from now I do pray, we all prepare for the final leave. Death and taxes, as they say.
Living, as we have, so close to Hagley Park for these past three years, and the annual blossoms of Harper Avenue, has reminded me of a poem from school. I do not think I got it then, and perhaps I still do not, but it might speak to this sense of soaking up and enjoying what may never, or by diminishing frequency, come again.
As the leaving students approach their own ‘final times’, I hope they can find the time to be in the moment, mindful of what it means, and all the efforts made by so many in preparing them for leaving. For those dear readers long since having left school, if able, you might get out for a prayerful walk under the boughs of Harper Avenue.
Now, of my threescore years and ten, Twenty will not come again, And take from seventy springs a score, It only leaves me fifty more.
And since to look at things in bloom Fifty springs are little room, About the woodlands I will go To see the cherry hung with snow.
Tamai Sports ‘Be the Difference’ Fundraiser – Sunday 13 October 2024
It takes a community to raise a child and Christchurch-based Tamai Sports believes that every child should have the opportunity to be involved in sport. Tamai Sports enables, equips, encourages, and empowers children and families to participate by providing opportunities, uniforms, equipment, coaches and mentors, transport, and food.
To support its full-service programme, tickets are now on sale for the Tamai Sports 'Be the Difference’ Fundraiser at Fat Eddie’s on Sunday 13 October 2024. Kick-off is at 2.30pm.
College band Off Track will be playing and there are some incredible auction items on offer. This is your chance to ‘Be the Difference’ for Tamai youngsters. Tickets are only $40pp.
Help support the community and get your ‘Be the Difference’ Fundraiser tickets here.
You can also make a donation here if you are unable to attend.
The fundraiser supports the full-service Tamai Sports programme in removing barriers for tamariki, with more than 100 youngsters supported to play rugby, football, touch, netball, and cricket in 2024. You can discover more about the Tamai Sports programme here.
New Zealand Artists @ Christ's College exhibition
The countdown to the New Zealand Artists @ Christ’s College exhibition is under way, with this special art show opening next week. With a stunning array of works from more than 50 artists on display, anyone can find a favourite piece to purchase and take home.
The exhibition includes a work by renowned New Zealand artist – and College Head of Art – Darryn George. His artworks are held in notable public collections, including The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, and the Chartwell Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, and overseas. Titled Tribute I Wilson 2024, the oil and enamel on canvas is a new work, fusing Māori design and geometric abstraction.
Among the many other featured pieces are works by Stephanie Crisp, Shane Pocock, Livia Dias, Gwyn Hughes, Harriet Millar, Sheryl Briggs, Oli Aikawa, Georgette Thompson, Bryony Bedggood, Christine Maynard, Joel Hart, Svetlana Orinko, Leo Buckett, Anna Kathleen, Rebecca Herring, Mike Glover, Hannah Wilson, Ira Mitchell, and Jane Barry.
Held in the College Auditorium, the exhibition is open from 13–15 September, with 25% of each sale going towards the College basketball tour. Exhibition entry for children under 18 is free. Limited tickets are available for the opening night event, which includes a complimentary drink and canapés.
Thank you to our event sponsor, Ryan Recruitment Ltd.
Discover more about leading New Zealand artist Darryn George here.
Find out more here and to secure your exhibition tickets, click here.
Join us at the annual CCOBA Golf Tournament, held at the Christchurch Golf Club’s iconic Shirley Links Golf Course on Friday 27 September.
Whether you are an experienced golfer or just want to make the most of a fun day out, we have you covered. With both Stableford and Ambrose formats available, there is a game to suit all skill levels. You can register as an individual, and we will add you to a group, or you can bring along a team of four for an enjoyable afternoon on the greens. However, spaces arelimited, so secure your spot to tee off by registering here.
About 190 College sportsmen have made the most of Winter Tournament Week, relishing the opportunity to compete around New Zealand in a range of sports.
College cyclists Riley Crampton and Harrison Tapper have outridden all rivals, winning the overall U16 title and U15 title, respectively, at the Southern Tour in Marlborough.
ISNZ 2024 Honours Award for Eco-Action’s David Newton
Acclaimed as “an extraordinary leader in environmental education and community engagement through his creation and leadership of the Eco-Action Nursery Trust”, College teacher David Newton has been recognised by Independent Schools of New Zealand (ISNZ) with the prestigious Honours Award.
Secondary school students with a tangible connection to thoroughbred racing can apply for the $10,000 NZTR McKenzie Future Leaders Scholarship to support their pursuit of a Commerce or Law degree at a New Zealand university.
Jointly funded by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and former leading racing industry administrator Dean McKenzie, the scholarship aims to empower tomorrow’s thoroughbred racing leaders. Applicants must be enrolled for study in 2025, and all applications must be submitted by Friday 15 November 2024.
Ara – Bachelor of Nursing (March intake), applications close
27 September
Closing date for university halls
1 October
UC applications to enrol open
1 October
Lincoln University – halls offer day; first in, first served
2 October
University of Otago – scholarships announced
7 October
University of Otago – offers for halls/colleges
Late October
Lincoln University – notification of halls offer
15 December
Applications to enrol due
Christ's College CareerWise
The Christ's College careers website, CareerWise, is a rich source of information about all things related to career information. You can subscribe here.
Parents as passengers on their teen’s career journey
Understand your role so you can successfully guide your teen through the career exploration process.
The High 5 Career Development Principles
Learn about the career development principles detailing key considerations when making a career decision.
University study – having a ‘Plan B’
As boys leave College, they are generally confident about their future study or immediate career decisions. However, some may opt to change direction during their study. For example, we recommend that students who enrol in Health Sciences First Year have an alternative plan in place in case they do not get into their preferred degree programme. A change is understandable and acceptable.
Ara application evenings
Get help with an application to study at Ara. Register for the application evenings, with the first on-campus session held tonight, from 6–7pm.
University of Otago – important dates
2 October – scholarships announced
7 October – offers for halls/colleges (boys have two weeks to accept and pay the deposit, ranging from $961–$1500)
November – external NCEA examinations (boys should sit all exams, regardless of having achieved UE or not)
10 December – papers/subjects for intended 2025 study due
1 February – further accommodation payment due, ranging from $5,000– $8,000
10 February – tuition fees due (see StudyLink regarding student loans)
15 February – halls open (if accompanying your son to Dunedin, parents need to book their own accommodation)
17 February – Orientation Week for students
21 February – first lecture
UC Thrive at Uni in 2025 – free event
Thrive at Uni in 2025 is a one-day event that aims to help students thrive in their first year at the University of Canterbury in 2025. It is only open to students attending UC in 2025, and deals with campus life, study habits, and much more. Eighty places are available, on a first come, first served basis.
School subject selection – Term 3
Boys have chosen their subjects for 2025. Your sons can check out these preparation links to aid their decisions regarding study.
Boys should have already applied – through StudyLink – for a student loan or allowance. As this can take time, it is best to apply now. StudyLink staff recently visited College.
University of Auckland – upcoming events and key dates
Accommodation – applications open in August, with offers made at the start of October
Exam preparation
Check out the NCEA resources to help attain the best grades and prepare for upcoming internals and externals.
Defence Forces – army officer course applications close soon
Students interested in army officer courses next year are advised to apply as soon as possible. This also applies to students planning to join the NZDF in 2025 summer intakes. An early application is the best opportunity to enter a chosen trade. Please check the upcoming intakes dates here.
MoneyHub – Student Jobs Directory
Students seeking apart-time job can check out MoneyHub’s updated Student Jobs Directory.
Air New Zealand – placement testing
Placement testing for 2025 Air New Zealand aircraft maintenance courses is now open at both the Auckland and Christchurch training facilities. Testing will be undertaken from September–December. It consists of assessments in English (comprehension), and Mathematics and Physics (based on NCEA Level 2), along with an interview. Boys can find out more and register here.
In the Christ’s College Archives, there is a book that records the borrowers from the Christ’s College library from 1865–1871.
It is a remnant from the days when the library was open to everyone who chose to pay a £1/1/- subscription. It is also a link to the time when Christ’s College was being established. Among the many and varied preparations of the Canterbury Association that included organising church plate, outfits for the clergy, bells, furniture, glass, and music, there was a call for books. Personal libraries were turned over, packaged, listed, and settled in sailing ship holds.
Following the initial unpacking in Lyttelton, there was a dispersal to other groups and locations, including the Mechanics Institute, the Canterbury Provincial Council, Resident Magistrates Court, Christchurch Reading Society, Lyttelton Reading Society (Colonists Society) and the Christchurch Book Club. Some packages remained unopened in Lyttelton.
By 1856, the Christ’s College Board of Governors had come to an agreement with Frederick Thompson to build and then house the books in a location in Cashel Street. The collection also grew from purchasing and individual and institutional donations.ii
Frederick Thompson’s site is second from the left in the middle row on the north side of Cashel Street. From Johannes Anderson, Old Christchurch in Picture and Story, 1949.
The library also became a meeting place for the Board, the Church Property Trustees, and other Christchurch organisations. At the end of the lease, Thompson indicated that he wished to rent out the building to others, but that he would arrange for any incoming tenant to care for the books. Running parallel to this was the gradual building on the Rolleston Avenue site, so the library moved to the south corner of Second Master George Cotterill’s house, built in 1860.
Cotterill’s House, Christ’s College Archives
There is a location for the books by the time the lending list exists.
So, what does the book tell us about the reading habits of the clergy? The book contains the names of 92 subscribers, men and women, clergy and laity. Some are familiar College names, including Dean Jacobs, George Cotterill, William Chambers Harris, Captain Simmons, Thomas De Renzy Condell (123), and James Wilson.
One of the borrowing pages for James Wilson.iii
Other pages indicate wider borrowers, including Mrs Vigers from Governors Bayiv, Mrs Palairet from Avonside, and Mrs John Hall, the wife of the Provincial Councillor, Sir John Hall, and the architectural firm Bury and Mountfort.
Page 3 of the borrowers’ list.
Clergy made up 19.56% of the borrowers, including 933 entries. Analysis showed that the clergy were great readers of novels, with three authors standing out – Anthony Trollope, Margaret Oliphant, and Charlotte Mary Yonge.
From left: Anthony Trollopev, Margaret Oliphantvi, and Charlotte Mary Yonge.vii
It would have been useful to have the borrowing books before and after this one. Had the clergy who borrowed Trollope’s standalone novels from 1860–65 read previous ones? And would they read the later ones? This question became more pertinent when the Barchester and Palliser novels appeared on the lists. William Wellington Willock, James Wilson, William Chambers Harris, and George Cotterill were the main culprits.
Further investigation suggests that the clergy were recommending the books to each other. For example, Trollope’s The Small House at Allington, when Wilson, Edward Atherton Lingard, and Willock read the book in subsequent months, and Trollope’s Rachel Ray, when Lingard, Croasdaile Bowen, and Willock followed each other in April and May 1865.
It was probably the depiction of the clergy, particularly in the Carlingford novels, that drew them to Oliphant, the Scottish author of 120 novels. Salem Chapel, in particular, has themes that echo evangelical/ritual church issues, with some scandal and gossip thrown in.
Perhaps the most well-known of Charlotte Mary Yonge’s books is her Life of John Coleridge Patteson, written in 1874, after this period of the borrowing book. She, too, wrote more than 100 books, and edited The Monthly Packet, a magazine for children. She was known as the novelist of the Oxford Movementviii. It is not surprising that James O’Bryen Hoare, of St John the Baptist, Latimer Square, who introduced a surpliced choir, and Willock, with his Tractarian leanings, were reading her books, but somewhat puzzling that the readers included Wilson, who was more evangelical in his outlook.
Yonge was a friend of Elizabeth Missing Sewell, brother of Henry Sewellix, who was sent to sort out the affairs of the Canterbury Association. Her book, The Journal of a Home Life, was read by both Bishop Harper and Willock.
Were the clergy reading any magazines? On the whole, the magazines were rather out of date by the time they appeared on the borrowing lists. It is unclear whether they were deliberately purchased, or were members of the clergy gifting their personal copies?
The Edinburgh Review was read by many clergy. It contained reviews of recently published books on politics, literature, philosophy, and science.
Were the clergy reading any books of theology and church history? Yes, but untangling clerical shorthand was somewhat daunting. Half the title of a novel can usually be unscrambled. However, when a book was known by only the author or as one in a series of lectures, it became quite challenging. Judging by the range of dates, sermons never grow old or can be mined for new ideas forever.x Many other books on either church history or theology were read by one person. In fact, the overall paucity of such books is surprising. Maybe it was because they all had their own full bookcases at home.
This account has focussed on the clergy, but there is much more to be gleaned from this volume about the reading habits of the wider list of subscribers. However, one piece of information is crucial to the understanding of the choice of books issued to each individual: Who was making the purchases that expanded the library from its initial foundation? To date, this information has been elusive.
i Much of the research for this article was completed in November 2023 and was presented at the Australian and New Zealand Theological Libraries Conference, held at College House, Christchurch. ii Examples of donations: The University of Oxford, James Edward FitzGerald and Christopher Calvert iii Image from 1875 Diocesan Synod College, Christchurch Anglican Diocesan Archives. iv William Vigers (29) attended Christ’s College from 1854–1858, Charles Henry Vigers (45) attended from 1856–1857 v Portrait by Napoleon Sarony, wikipedia vihttps://www.oliphantfiction.com/ viihttps://charlottemyounge.org.uk viii See a preview of The Oxford Movement 2012 ed by SJ Brown and P B Nockles, Cambridge University Press for a summary of the Oxford Movement https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/oxford movement/introduction/ ix The Christ’s College Sewell Society is named for Henry Sewell. x E.g. ‘Barrow’s Sermons’ was found to be Sermons Preached on Several Occasions by Isaac Barrow, 1679: ‘Arnold’s Sermons’ was found to be Christian Life; its courses; its hindrances and its helps; sermons preached mostly in the Chapel of Rugby School. Thomas Arnold, 1845.
