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Whanganui Collegiate School

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Coordinates: 39°55′44.51″S 175°2′15.48″E / 39.9290306°S 175.0376333°E / -39.9290306; 175.0376333
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Whanganui Collegiate School
The school and chapel in 1912
Address
Map
Liverpool Street, Whanganui, New Zealand
Coordinates39°55′44.51″S 175°2′15.48″E / 39.9290306°S 175.0376333°E / -39.9290306; 175.0376333
Information
TypeState integrated
Day & Boarding
MottoVestigia Nulla Retrorsum (Never A Footstep Back)
DenominationAnglican
Established1854; 171 years ago (1854)
Ministry of Education Institution no.192
HeadmasterWayne Brown[1]
Years9–13
GenderCoeducational
School roll446[2] (November 2024)
Socio-economic decile9Q[3]
Websitewww.collegiate.school.nz

Whanganui Collegiate School is a state-integrated, coeducational, day and boarding secondary school located in Whanganui, in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. Affiliated with the Anglican Church, it is the third oldest school in New Zealand. The school’s campus is officially registered as a category 1 historic place with Heritage New Zealand.

History

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Whanganui Collegiate School was established in 1854 as the Native Industrial School by the Anglican Church, following a land endowment from Sir George Grey.[4] The school initially struggled with low enrolments, having only 30 students in the early 1870s. In 1878, the school became a boys' school, discontinuing female enrolments. In the 1880s, Reverend Bache Wright Harvey from Cambridge was appointed headmaster. Under Harvey's leadership, the school adopted the English public school model. Although the school was originally founded to educate children of all races and socio-economic backgrounds, the shift to a boys' school was widely supported, including by Sir George Grey. In 1882, the school was renamed Wanganui Collegiate College under Harvey's leadership.[5][a]

Until 1901, the school was the only secondary education option for boys in Whanganui. Wanganui Collegiate was exempt from the 1903 Secondary Schools Act due to its Anglican affiliation, and it became a private school funded by endowment. During this period, the school attracted boarders from outside the region. In 1906, the Education Trust Commission investigated whether the school adhered to the terms of its land grant. This led to plans for the school's relocation from its original site on Victoria Avenue to a more remote location on Liverpool Street. In 1908, the firm Atkins and Bacon was contracted to design a new campus at the Liverpool Street site, and the Supreme Court approved a loan of up to £50,000 for the project. Construction began in 1908, with the foundation stone laid by Governor Lord Plunket in 1909. The campus was officially opened in Easter 1911 by Governor Lord Islington, although some buildings were still under construction, and some structures from the old campus were relocated to the new site.[5]

The chapel at the new campus was not included in the loan agreement, so it was funded by headmaster Walter Empson and contributions from old boys. Empson's responsibility for the chapel project led to the hiring of architect William Gray Young for its design. The chapel was dedicated in Easter 1912, and it was later extended due to increasing enrolment, with a re-dedication ceremony in September 1986.[5]

In the 1960s, the school reached a new peak enrolment of 342 students. To accommodate the growth, additional facilities were built, allowing the school to house 545 students by 1976. However, during the late 1980s, the number of boarders declined, following global trends and the 1987 stock market crash. In 1989, the school began enrolling senior girls in an effort to boost enrolment and finances. Despite this, the school's financial situation remained challenging, and in 1999, Marris and Porritt Houses were repurposed as technology blocks.[5]

In 2009, the school board applied to the Ministry of Education for integration within the state system, a process that was completed by November 2012.[5]

In 1984, the school opened a new auditorium, named after Prince Edward, who had served as a tutor at the school for two years. The auditorium also hosts private functions and events for the New Zealand Opera School. In 1994, the Izard Sports Centre was opened, funded by Richard Izard, an old boy who made a significant contribution to its construction.[5]

Since 2019, Whanganui Collegiate has been one of three Round Square schools in New Zealand, alongside King's College and Christ's College.[6]

In January 2019, the Whanganui Collegiate School Board of Trustees and Whanganui College Board of Trustees unanimously voted to add an "h" to the spelling of "Wanganui," following the renaming of the Whanganui District in November 2015.[7][8]

In 2019, Whanganui Collegiate School opened the McKinnon Administration Building and the H.G. Carver Memorial Library. These new facilities were added to support the school's administrative functions and provide students with a modern space for study and research.[9]

In mid-2023, Whanganui Collegiate School announced that it would replace NCEA Level 1 with Cambridge IGCSE starting in 2024.[10]

Houses

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Following the establishment of the new campus a house system was established, the houses were: Grey, Selwyn, and Hadfield. Each house had its own building, courtyard, and ablution block. A fourth house, dedicated to the Headmaster Reverend Harvey was planned but was not completed until 1920 due to the costs, the same architectural firm and contractor were responsible for the building alongside a day facility, residence for the chaplain and steward, and a music room. Harvey's was constantly closed and reopened due to fluctuating enrolment numbers. In the 1960s Empson House was opened for junior boarders. A house for day students were later added as day student numbers grew and started to rival boarding students (in 1925 there were 222 boards versus 31 day students). In 1971, Governor-General Arthur Porritt opened Porritt House for day students. Godwin House was constructed in 1990 to accommodate newly accepted female students.[5]

Sport

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The school grounds also host numerous sporting facilities, including the Izard Gymnasium, High Performance Cricket Centre, a water surface hockey turf, a full-sized Cross Country Course and many team sports fields. The nearby Whanganui River is used by students for rowing training and competitions; rowing being one of the sports in which Collegiate has traditionally excelled, having won the Maadi Cup 17 times, a national record. The Collegiate women's squad had a particularly strong year in 2006 when it won the most prestigious women's race in the lower north Island, the Levin Jubilee Trophy, for the first time.[11] Unfortunately, such success could not be replicated on the national stage, with the u18 girls eight only managing bronze in the penultimate race of the 2007 Maadi Cup.[12] The school also hosts the nationally popular Whanganui Cricket Festival each year which sees over 1000 cricketers display their skills throughout the month of January.

Izard Gymnasium

Since 1925, the school's 'First XV' rugby team has played Christ's College, Wellington College and Nelson College in an annual quadrangular rugby tournament, this Tournament is played at a different school every year playing at Collegiate once every four years. In recent times, this tournament has been dominated by Wellington College. Whanganui Collegiate last won in 1991.[citation needed]

Since 1994, The New Zealand Opera School has been hosted at Collegiate by Donald Trott.[13]

Notable alumni

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Main category: People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School

Headmasters

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  • Charles Henry Sinderby Nicholls (1854–1865)
  • Henry H Godwin (1865–1877)
  • George Richard Saunders (1878–1882)
  • Bache Wright Harvey (1882–1887)
  • Walter Empson (1888–1909)
  • Julian Llewellyn Dove (1909–1914)
  • Hugh Latter (1914–1916)
  • Patrick Marshall (1917–1922)
  • Robert Guy Wilson (1922)
  • Charles Frederick Pierce (1922–1931)
  • John Allen (1932–1935)
  • Frank Gilligan (1936–1954)[32]
  • Rab Bruce Lockhart (1954–1960)
  • Thomas Wells (1960–1980)
  • Ian McKinnon (1980–1988)[33]
  • Trevor Stanton McKinlay (1988–1995)
  • Johnathan Rae Hensman (1995–2003)[34]
  • Craig Considine (2003–2008)
  • Tim Wilbur (2008–2013)
  • Chris Moller (2013–2017)[35]
  • Ross Brown (2017–2017) (acting) [36]
  • Wayne Brown (2018–present)

Notes

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  1. ^ Whanganui was spelt as Wanganui throughout most of the 19th and 20th centuries

References

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  1. ^ "Headmaster's Newsletter" (PDF). Wanganui Collegiate. 20 September 2017.
  2. ^ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  3. ^ "Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools". Ministry of Education. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  4. ^ Stephenson, Sharon (Autumn 2025). Dunlop, Anna (ed.). "Track Record". Heritage New Zealand. No. 176. Heritage New Zealand. pp. 18–21. ISSN 1175-9615.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Astwood, Karen (6 June 2015). "Wanganui Collegiate School". Heritage New Zealand.
  6. ^ WhangaChron, Staff Reporter news@whanganuichronicle co nz (19 June 2019). "Whanganui Collegiate School accepted as a Round Square School". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  7. ^ "'H' to be added to Wanganui District name". Land Information New Zealand (LINZ). 17 November 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  8. ^ "Wanganui Collegiate School changes to Whanganui Collegiate School". Whanganui Chronicle. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  9. ^ RTA Studio. "Whanganui Collegiate Administration Building". Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  10. ^ Carle, Steve (8 August 2023). "Whanganui Collegiate School set to introduce Cambridge IGCSE from 2024". Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Magnificent final day at the Maadi Cup".
  12. ^ "We did ok, says rowing coach – NZ Herald".
  13. ^ Davidson, Doug (5 December 2019). "Donald Trott: A Lifetime of Achievement" (PDF). River City Press.
  14. ^ "Ceremony for war vet at Collegiate". NZ Herald. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Collegiate honours tie for driver". NZ Herald. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  16. ^ "Council, MP should be 'screaming madly' - National spokesman". NZ Herald. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  17. ^ "A glance at Whanganui sport". NZ Herald. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Stuff". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Collegiate mourn the loss of Olympic old boy". NZ Herald. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Eminent surgeon's grandson at opening". NZ Herald. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  21. ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 315.
  22. ^ "WHS eyes netball nationals". NZ Herald. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  23. ^ "K-pop is going to Hollywood as Nichkhun stars in Hong Kong Love Story". South China Morning Post. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  24. ^ "Talking Rugby with John B Phillips". NZ Herald. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  25. ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 313.
  26. ^ "Winner of Booker Prize awarded Collegiate's highest honour". NZ Herald. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  27. ^ "Stuff". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  28. ^ "Whanganui reacts to Prince Philip's death". NZ Herald. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  29. ^ "Public v private: The old school tie network - and why faith matters". NZ Herald. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  30. ^ "NZ identity Lloyd Morrison: 1957-2012". NZ Herald. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  31. ^ "Arthur Porritt legacy: 'National treasures' won in online auction". NZ Herald. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  32. ^ "Eminent Old Alleynians : Sport". Dulwich College. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
  33. ^ "Their Brilliant Careers" (PDF). Ingenio. University of Auckland: 24. Autumn 2005. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
  34. ^ Full list with biographies in The Register of the Wanganui Collegiate School, 1854–2003, 7th edition, 2003, ed. P. N Irvine, ISBN 0-473-09863-6, pp 21–23
  35. ^ "Headmaster of Wanganui Collegiate sentenced for drink-driving". New Zealand Herald. 13 December 2016.
  36. ^ "New head for Wanganui Collegiate". Whanganui Chronicle. 28 July 2017.
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