You are logged in as
Logout
You are logged in as
Logout
Dear Parents and Caregivers
Kia ora koutou.
This week kicked off on Monday with the annual Cross Country, with piper Jacob Wang (Year 8) opening the event for the Preparatory School students in the morning, with the Secondary School runners then competing later in the day. The event is around the College campus and is compulsory for Year 4–11 students, and is an opportunity to compete for House points, as well as get some healthy exercise. Thank you to the strong group of Preparatory School parents who attended, and helped cheer on the young runners.
It was great news this week for St Andrew’s College to be presented with the CBA Rose Bowl and certificate from the Christchurch Beautifying Association, as the winners of the Schools and Learning Centres Summer Garden Competition for 2025. Three judges visited our campus back in January and the award is a wonderful acknowledgement of the consistently professional and high-quality work by our Grounds team, led by Mike Seaward. For more details, please click here. Many thanks to Jan McFedries who nominated St Andrew’s College for this. Jan is an active member of our Ladies Circle; her husband, now deceased, and their two sons all attended St Andrew’s, and her granddaughter is currently in Year 11.
Winter sports competitions are all now well underway across a wide range of codes. It has been good to see the smiles on the faces of students doing their training through the week. Good preparation can produce good outcomes, and there have been some impressive results to the start of this season. For example, our Girls’ Senior A netball team have already had two wins from two games in their Saturday Premium 2 Grade, and this Wednesday beat Ashburton College in their first round of their Supernet Competition. In addition, our Boys’ 1st XI hockey had a solid 3–0 win against St Bede’s College, and then a dominant 5–1 win against Christchurch Boys’ High School; and our Girls’ 1st XI lost 0–2 in a closely fought game against St Margaret’s College, then bounced back strongly to win 4–0 against Villa Maria College. I would also like to acknowledge the very impressive list of our hockey players who have been selected for Canterbury and Tasman representative teams to play in tournaments this upcoming King’s Birthday Weekend.
We concluded this week with our annual Pink Shirt Day, a national initiative in support of the Mental Health Foundation and focused on reducing bullying and celebrating our human diversity. This was also the focus in our Secondary School assembly today. I am looking forward to the Boarder’s Assembly in Term 3 which will build on this mental health focus with our support of Gumboot Friday.
Rector’s Address > Assembly Awards > Morning Comment >Assembly Flickr >
On the mental health topic, our Preparatory School and Counselling team are currently working on how we can further better protect our young people in the digital age. This includes planning for a StAC Talk on Tuesday 3 June in the Centennial Chapel for Pre-school and Preparatory School parents, to start conversations on understanding the issues and positive actions we can put in place. For parents interested in this challenging area of managing access and impacts of social media and digital technologies, I recommend the book The Anxious Generation (2024) by Jonathan Haidt, and also please check out the Wait Until 8th website for information on delaying and managing your child accessing digital technology.
Ngā mihi mahana
Mark Wilson
Rector
Today we celebrate Pink Shirt Day – a powerful reminder to stand together against bullying and to value inclusivity and kindness as the cornerstones of our community. In this blog post, our Head of Well-being, Kerry Larby, shares St Andrew’s approach to fostering a safe and respectful environment. Kerry also offers practical advice for parents on how to proactively support their children in standing up to bullying.
Read the Well-being Blog >
Congratulations to everyone involved in the recent musical production of Twelfth Night. This was a spectacular achievement. The cast and musicians demonstrated passion, talent, and lit up the stage to bring Shakespeare’s timeless tale to life with music, laughter, and heart. The backstage student and parent crew were a fantastic team, helping bring everything to the stage smoothly. This production was a great example of the creativity and collaboration at St Andrew’s. Thank you to the staff who supported this event and to the supportive audiences.
Twelfth Night highlights video >
Flickr >Many of our community recently experienced the wonderful entertainment of our 2025 Senior College production, Twelfth Night. We would like to acknowledge this year’s group of Year 13 students who have been in five or more productions as cast, crew, or musicians – Rory Forsythe, Noah Fanene, Emily Edwards, Nicholas Wylie, Sean Liddiard, Miu Kim, Sarah Heffernan, Mookmanee (Mookee) Lee and James Anthony.
Today, our Secondary School came together to celebrate Pink Shirt Day, a powerful reminder of the importance of standing up against bullying and fostering a culture of kindness, respect, and inclusivity.
At our Secondary School assembly, students and staff proudly wore pink accessories to show their support. Prefects Milla Smith and Jonty Lang (both Year 13) delivered a moving and impactful address, sharing sobering statistics about bullying in New Zealand. To bring these numbers to life, they invited students to stand in symbolic representation – creating a visual and emotional moment of unity. The address concluded with a call to action: to be upstanders, not bystanders. In a powerful show of solidarity, the entire student body stood together, reinforcing our shared commitment to a bully-free environment. Throughout the week, tutors and Deans have continued the conversation, engaging students in meaningful discussions about empathy, inclusion, and the importance of speaking up. Together, we work towards building a school culture where everyone feels safe, valued, and supported.
Flickr >The Preparatory School has been bursting with creativity and compassion as every class joined in to celebrate Pink Shirt Day. In a vibrant show of support, students transformed their classroom doors into powerful messages of kindness, each one uniquely expressing what it means to be an upstander.
The energy and enthusiasm have been incredible – the corridors are a joyful sea of pink, filled with thoughtful, imaginative displays that reflect our StAC-Up value of ‘Be Kind.’ It has been inspiring to see the practical and heartfelt ideas students have produced to promote inclusion and how to stand up for others. Adding to the spirit of the day, students proudly wore pink accessories with their uniforms, showing their support in style. What a fantastic way to bring our values to life and stand together for a kinder, more inclusive community.
FLICKR >
As part of the Kāhui Ako (community of learners) programme, Pre-school was fortunate to be visited by Haley Taylor, a teacher at Breens Intermediate School, and Cain Cunningham, a teacher at Fendalton School, who taught the children how to use a digital animation app, ChatterPix. Linking to learning about the upcoming celebration of Matariki, Haley and Cain helped bring the children’s drawings of Matariki stars to life by using the ChatterPix app, adding a moving mouth and a voiceover track.
FLICKR >This week the Pre-school celebrated Road Safety Week, an annual event designed to spread awareness of how to keep ourselves and others safe on the road. The theme for Road Safety Week 2025 is: ‘Be a road safety hero’, recognising everyone who helps to make our roads safer and support people after a crash, and explaining how we can all play a part in making journeys safer for everyone. Over the week, the children have talked about the many different people who are road safety heroes, including police, fire fighters, and ambulance officers. They have constructed roads, crafted traffic lights, and had some very informative visits from our Health and Safety Manager, Art Preuss, and from members of the Preparatory School Road Patrol.
Members of the Preparatory School’s Road Patrol, Alice, Ruby and Jeffrey, visited the Pre-school on Wednesday as part of the Pre-school’s celebration of Road Safety Week. After explaining their role, they gave a demonstration of how the students on Road Patrol support pedestrians who need to cross the busy Normans Road. Lots of the Pre-school tamariki are now looking forward to being able to join Road Patrol when they are in Year 7.
The students in 8T experienced a variety of different outdoor activities on their camp at the Kura Tawhiti Castle Hill Outdoor Education Centre. The sun shone for them, and on their overnight camp under the stars it was a mild night. The purpose of the Year 8 camp is to develop whanaungatanga, build relationships, establish a positive group culture, experience challenges, encourage resilience, build empathy, provide opportunities for students to participate and contribute, identify leadership skills, learn to interact with their peers and teachers in a different context, and have a bit of fun.
Flickr >
HOCKEY
The Boys’ 1st XI continued their strong start to the season with a commanding 5–1 win over Christchurch Boys’ High School, securing the Burt-Maister Trophy for the first time. Despite wet and challenging conditions, the team delivered a composed passing performance, with Connor Sharp (Year 13) leading the way with a superb hat trick. It was a proud night for the group, displaying moments of quality and control.
The Girls’ 1st XI put in a dominant performance last Friday, securing a 4–0 win over Villa Maria College. The girls played with great structure and moved the ball well across the pitch. Sophie Roberts (Year 13) opened the scoring in the second quarter with a deflection from a penalty corner sweep by co-captain Kate Simcock (Year 13). Lila Waghorn (Year 12) extended the lead with a strong strike from the top of the circle in a second penalty corner. In the third quarter, co-captain Rylee McBride (Year 13) added a classy field goal with a pass from Lila for a one-time shot, and newcomer Tillulah Dodd (Year 13) sealed the result with a composed finish in the fourth quarter. It was a confident team effort with smart passing and clinical finishing.
RUGBY
The opening round of the 2025 Miles Toyota Cup kicked off on Saturday. The 1st XV played a strong St Bede’s College at their home ground in sunny, firm conditions. A good crowd assembled for this traditional encounter, which is contested for the Wyllie-Earl Shield, celebrating legendary All Blacks who attended both schools. In a tight first half, both teams traded blows, with St Bede’s going up early with a well-constructed driving manual from a line out. St Andrew’s showed resolve to strike back just on half-time when star mid fielders Seymour Stowers-Smith (Year 12) and Azaniah Roebeck (Year 13) combined well-running hard lines to penetrate the St Bede’s backline, making it 10–7 going into the break. The game was an arm wrestle with both sides scoring again. St Andrew’s was building good momentum to go ahead 15–10 with another excellent try from Azaniah, who beat three defenders to score in the corner after a strong platform provided by the forward pack. St Bede’s then took advantage of a few small errors, scoring twice in quick succession to win the encounter 25–20. St Andrew’s had their moments in this game and all-round effort was excellent. There were many positives and promising signs to build on moving forward.
FOOTBALL
The Boys’ 1st XI walked away from their match against St Thomas of Canterbury College with a valuable lesson rather than the result they were aiming for. Despite the 0–7 scoreline, the game offered a chance to reflect, grow, and come together as a team. Sport often teaches us more in moments of challenge than in victory.
The Girls’ 1st XI put in a spirited performance against Villa Maria College, despite falling 1–3. The game was evenly contested for much of the first half, with St Andrew’s creating some good chances and maintaining discipline in defence. Villa Maria broke the deadlock just before half-time and added two more goals in the second half. St Andrew’s showed strong resolve and managed to pull one goal back with a well-taken finish late in the game. There were plenty of positives to take – particularly the team’s attitude, pressing, and combination play in midfield.
NETBALL
The Senior A team has made a promising start to the season, showing good form across their first three Saturday games. They opened with a hard-fought 38–34 win over St Margaret’s College, followed by a competitive match against University of Canterbury A, narrowly losing 37–43. Most recently, the team bounced back with an impressive 56–46 victory over Technical B. Despite facing several injuries, the team has remained competitive thanks to players from the B team who have stepped up to fill in. Trainings are well underway, and it is great to see the skills developed during the week being applied on game day.
The SuperNet games started on Wednesday with a strong and promising start, a 43–26 win against Ashburton College.
TRAP SHOOTING
Last Sunday, the trap shooting team competed in the first round of the Canterbury Secondary Schools Trap Shooting Programme held at Ellesmere Clay Target Gun Club. St Andrew’s entered 10 shooters competing against approximately 65 other Secondary School shooters across three ‘Down the Line’ (DTL) disciplines, plus Skeet. With Skeet first up, conditions were ideal apart from the sun glare on some of the shooting positions. Kurt Lilly (Year 12) 22/25 gained third place overall and paired up with Ethan Higgs (Year 13) for second place in the Pairs competition (40/50). In ‘Down the Line’ the team made a solid start to the season, with Marcus Ferguson (Year 12) having an outstanding first up performance, scoring 87/90 points across the three DTL disciplines to place second equal high overall, and winning the Points score event outright with an impressive 60/60. Strong first up performances for Samuel Jones (Year 11) 82/90, Jonathan Rogers 78/90, and Ethan Higgs (both Year 13) 77/90 are also worth noting. The team now prepares for round two at Canterbury Clay Target Club, McLeans Island, in a fortnight’s time.
On Monday, the annual House Cross Country event took place under ideal conditions. The weather was perfect, and the track was firm, creating excellent conditions for the race. All the competitors were enthusiastic and enjoyed themselves, whether they were racing to win or simply aiming to finish. The following are the top 3 placings in each year group:
Year 9 Boys: 1st Ashton Harris, 2nd Ashton Cody, 3rd Haolin (Harley) Xiong
Year 9 Girls: 1st Tayla Ford, 2nd Tabitha Ferreira, 3rd Penny Scarlett
Year 10 Boys: 1st Kai Sloane, 2nd Oliver Julius, 3rd Willim Fowler
Year 10 Girls: 1st Hayley Stowell, 2nd Alyssa Blackman, 3rd Mia McHarg
Year 11 Boys: 1st Hugo Lewis, 2nd Izaak Keen, 3rd Sam Wilton
Year 11 Girls: 1st Sophie Lampe, 2nd Rosie Gaffaney, 3rd Marija Filipovic
Year 12 Boys: 1st Cohnor Walsh
Year 12 Girls: 1st Abigail Scott-Douglas
Year 13 Boys: 1st James Walker, 2nd Noah Cole, 3rd Alexander Black
Year 13 Girls: 1st Sophia Voice
The Years 4–8 Cross Country took place on Monday morning. The students performed and participated to a high level, and teachers were extremely proud of the effort shown by all students who ran on the day. Congratulations to the winners for each age group.
First Place Winners:
We extend our sincere gratitude to all the staff, including our dedicated starters, marshals, and the Maintenance team for their invaluable support in setting up the course, and ensuring the event's success. There were only three electronic timing errors, which will not affect zone selection. Students that have qualified for Zone selection will be notified.
fLICKR >
Eight athletes competed in the Canterbury Secondary Schools Road Race Championships in Hagley Park on Tuesday. Tayla Ford (Year 9) in the Year 9 Girls’ category, and Sophie Lampe (Year 11) in the Senior Girls’ competition both finished second in their races.
Other top 10 results:
Sofia Lagias (Year 11) and Theodore Lagias (Year 13) competed in The Saint Clair Vineyard Half Marathon, running 12km at the event held in Marlborough on Saturday 10 May. In the U18 male category, Theo placed seventh, and Sofia placed fourth in U18 female.
Many of our 1st XI hockey players have been selected for Canterbury and Tasman representative teams to play in tournaments this upcoming King’s Birthday Weekend.
Rory Forsythe (Year 13) has been selected for the U18 Canterbury ice hockey team.
Daisy Thake (Year 12) has been selected into both the Canterbury U22 Women’s and the Canterbury U18 Girls’ indoor cricket teams and will compete at Nationals in June–July for both teams.
Principal of Preparatory School, Jonathan Bierwirth, is currently representing New Zealand in the prestigious Hockey Masters Trans-Tasman Series, taking place in Cairns, Australia. The team’s opening match on Tuesday concluded in a 1–1 draw. Given that most other New Zealand teams experienced losses that day, this result was a commendable start. The Australian side equalised in the final quarter with a well-executed goal that was virtually unstoppable. Despite the heat, with temperatures reaching 29°C, the team remains focused and determined.
Last Friday, Head of Music, Duncan Ferguson, supported by one of our College rock bands and the Media team, participated in the Music Ednet DayTime conference. Unable to attend in person due to the production, Duncan conducted a practical session on recording and mixing a band, condensing a typical 10-hour process into a 45-minute demonstration. Music teachers from New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asia attended the well-received presentation, highlighting the Music Department's talents and resources.
James Kennedy (OC 2006) has been selected for the New Zealand 35’s Men’s hockey team competing in Cairns in a three-match Trans-Tasman series against Australia.
Good luck to all students who are representing the College over the weekend in sports and cultural activities including:
Classes for all Secondary School students will now start on Tuesday 15 July, rather than on Wednesday 16 July as previously advertised. Parent-Tutor conferences will now take place on Monday 14 July, and you will be sent information on how to book your time slot nearer the time.
For parents of boarders, please note that the boarding houses will be open from 1.00pm on Monday 14 July.
On Thursday 22 and Friday 23 May, Year 10–11 students will be completing compulsory online assessments for NCEA in Literacy and Numeracy. Year 10 students will complete Reading on the morning of Thursday 22 May and Numeracy on the morning of Friday 23 May. Year 11 students, most of whom sat some assessments in Year 10, will sit Writing on the afternoon of Thursday 22 May and a few students will also complete Reading and/or Numeracy. Students are required to use their own laptop and will login to each assessment using the NZQA website and their NZQA Learner Login. Gaining an NCEA certificate requires students to pass the three assessments that are assessed in schools twice each year, with the first opportunity being in May. Each assessment is designed to be completed in about an hour, but students may take less time, or longer. Results will be available to students through their Learner Login within 6–8 weeks.
We are excited to invite you to a targeted information evening focusing on careers in Business and/or Law. Five experts from local companies will each deliver a 6–8 minute presentation, offering an overview of their operations and the opportunities that may be of interest to students. This event will provide valuable insights into various fields and potential student opportunities. Places are limited and all students and parents/caregivers are welcome.
Speakers:
When: Tuesday 27 May, 7.00–9.00pm
Where: Gough Family Theatre, followed by an Expo in the Senior College Common Room
Join us for an enchanting evening at the Ballet Winter Showcase. Our Secondary School Ballet Academy dancers will perform a captivating collection of their current pieces. This event includes Performance Awards, NCEA dances, and a special premiere of a collaborative new work with Neve Pierce (Royal New Zealand Ballet, Dance Educator). Our Junior and Intermediate Company dancers from the Preparatory School will also showcase their new repertoire.
The first planting of the year is Sunday 18 May, 3 Chimera Crescent and 25 Atlantis Street, Red Zone near QEII. Please join us, Eco Action, and help our students and their communities plant 5000 native trees and plants they have grown. It is a great atmosphere with heaps of fellow student and parent enthusiasts. Please bring drinking water, gloves, solid footwear, and your favourite spade if you have one. There will be 400 spades on site, so everyone can help. Help our community help itself by developing this community asset that will last for generations to come. The grown forest will provide habitat and food for native birds and lizards, as well as sequester carbon to help with global climate change. It is also quite fun to plant a few plants.
This is the first of four plantings that will see 20,000 locally sourced, student grown, native plants and trees in the ground at 3 Chimera and 25 Atlantis St. The 28 organisations/schools who have grown plants currently are St Michael’s Church School, Rawhiti School, Shirley Boys’ High School, Avonside Girls’ High School, St Andrew's College, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, Christchurch South Karamata Intermediate School, He Tīwai Mātauranga Heaton Normal Intermediate School, Christchurch Girls’ High School, Christchurch Boys’ High School, Tuia Burnside Primary School, St Margaret's College, The Cathedral Grammar School, Te Kura Mareko Casebrook Intermediate, St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, Christ's College, Medbury School, Riccarton High School, St Peters School Beckenham, Student Volunteer Army – The University of Canterbury, Charles Upham Retirement Village, Richmond Community Garden, St Martins School, Ouruhia Model School, The River Christian Church and Kevin Hickman Retirement Village have also joined us.
Eco Action Nursery Trust Social Media >
Eco Action Nursery Trust Website >
The following 2025 school photographs are now available to purchase online:
Details of how to order the photographs can be found on our website using the button below and you will need to log into StACNet using your St Andrew's College login.
If you have any questions relating to this service, please email photography@stac.school.nz
For any illness, students should stay home if unwell. Any student should also feel free to wear a mask if they wish to do so while at school.
For any absence, whether ill-health (including COVID-19) or otherwise, the College’s preferred platform for reporting this is via our online form which can be found at the button below:
If you are not able to report your child's absence using the online form, please report their absence via the relevant email address below. If you cannot get through to us via the form or email, please call our attendance line on +64 3 940 2031 (term time only).
The Community Business Directory is on our website and represents over 100 parent businesses. Please take a look at how many businesses you can support locally.
The St Andrew's College Community Business Directory >
If you would still like to register your business, complete the following form.
Community Business Directory Registration >
