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Dear Parents and Caregivers
Kia ora koutou.
With the sunshine out it was lovely to see summer sports underway last weekend. Playing here at home, our talented Year 10 Colts cricket team had a close game and thrilling win against Christ’s College. Congratulations to our boys claiming the last wicket to win this close game by 16 runs. A great team effort, although a “shout out” to Felix O’Byrne (Year 10) for his 63 runs and five wickets for 37. Well done also to our Year 9 A cricket team, winning by 110 runs over St Bede’s College, with Marshall Shore (Year 9) scoring an impressive 70 runs and Kade Clearwater (Year 9) taking five wickets for just six runs. Our 1st XI Boys’ team went down to Christchurch Boys’ High School, with notable contribution from Aarkin Kesar (Year 13) with five wickets.
Weather wise, it was a shame Thursday’s school day was cancelled across our region by the extreme weather warnings. Thank you for everyone’s positive responses.
This week we saw stunning performances of our Middle School Production of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. This show humorously celebrates the importance of friendship and personal growth, and to value loyalty and kindness over popularity through the ups and downs of adolescence. Many thanks to our amazing Director, Ginnie Thorner, and Musical Director, Duncan Ferguson, and their outstanding team for delivering such an entertaining and high-quality production. Another simply extraordinary performing arts experience to grow our performers and thoroughly entertain our community.
This October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, a time to celebrate the strengths and talents of our diverse learners and to deepen our understanding of how we all learn in unique and different ways. At our College, we are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where every student is supported to thrive, no matter how they learn. I would like to thank in particular our specialist learning support staff, including our Heads of Learning Support and their teams, Irene Cronan (Preparatory School) and Amiria Rule (Secondary School), and specialist teachers, such as Brett Clark.
Dyslexia is a different way of processing language, yet such people can often excel in areas like problem-solving, storytelling, art, design, and innovation. There are many individuals with dyslexia who have made extraordinary contributions to our world. For example:
In terms of celebrating our diverse and talented people, Friday’s Secondary School End of School Assembly was a wonderful opportunity to gather and acknowledge a wide range of students. I particularly note the presentation of the prestigious Rector’s Medal to the remarkable Maggie McConnochie (Year 11) in recognition of her outstanding achievements, leadership, and contribution to the cultural life of the College, through her bagpiping excellence. Her bagpiping achievements include her being named U18 (World) Champion Piper at the Northern Meeting (competition) in Inverness, Scotland; 2024 New Zealand U21 Overall champion, and as Runner-up in the 2025 New Zealand Young Piper of the Year (U21).
Assembly Flickr>
Assembly Awards>
Rector’s Address>
Academic Captains' Morning Comment>
Well done to everyone who works hard, understands mistakes are part of learning, recognises that challenges can be times for our biggest growth – and those who continually seek to learn, grow and flourish.
Ngā mihi
Mark Wilson
Rector
Now in its sixth year, Gallery 347 remains a highlight of the academic calendar at St Andrew’s, showcasing the work of Year 11–13 Design and Visual Communication (DVC) students. This year’s exhibition was a celebration of creativity, supported by parents and whānau. Students presented a diverse mix of Product and Spatial Design outcomes, each year level tackling unique challenges:
Congratulations to all students for their outstanding work. Special thanks to Head of Technology, Allyson Duncan, and the Year 10 Food Technology students for catering, the library staff for hosting, and the IT Crowd for technical support. We hope you enjoy this year’s photos and look forward to welcoming you back to Gallery 347 next year.
Flickr>World Rowing Champion Ben Taylor (OC 2017) returned to the College last week to talk to rowing students. Ben shared with the rowers how his disappointment in missing the Pairs selection to compete at the last Olympics motivated him to return to rowing, and have his best season yet. Ben teamed up with Oliver Welch this year and have a superb season, winning the Men’s Pair by a significant margin at the recent World Rowing Championships. The rowers were excited to ask Ben a number of questions, including “what is your best 2km Erg score?” “How do you manage your mental skills on race day?” and “What do you eat and drink before and after training.” Head of Values and Culture, Hamish Bell, was able to inform the rowers of how Ben started his rowing in 2013 alongside 10 others who became great friends and went on to win the Springbok Four and Maadi Cup in their final year in 2017. The following day, Ben joined the rowers at training and was able to bike along and watch our crews at training. He even took the time to get back in the boat and row with our Senior girls, which was greatly appreciated. The rowing team would like to thank Ben for his time and highlight how very proud we are of him and his achievements.
On Tuesday, Year 6 students had the unique opportunity to engage with a new educational resource developed by E-learning teacher, Wilj Dekkers. In collaboration with the Education team from the Antarctic Heritage Trust, students explored a companion app designed to enrich the Discovery Hut Virtual Reality experience. Discovery Hut is a historic explorer base built by Captain Robert Falcon Scott in 1902. The session included hands-on learning activities delivered through Minecraft Education, allowing students to immerse themselves in a virtual recreation of the historic site. This innovative resource deepened their understanding of Antarctic exploration, and also showcased the power of digital tools in enhancing curriculum delivery.
Who said safety isn’t cute? The pre-schoolers at the College love learning both in and around the campus, with so much to see and explore. When the Pre-school team approached Health and Safety Manager, Arthur Preuss, about organising special high-visibility vests for the tamariki, he didn’t hesitate to support the initiative. “Being seen is just as important as all the other controls we implement to keep our students safe,” Arthur said. “I’m sure our pre-schoolers will make good use of these high visibility vests when out and about on their excursions.”
The wāhine rugby sevens teams took to the field this week at the Condor Qualifiers regional Canterbury competition, delivering outstanding performances across the board. Kahurangi – Senior Girls’ team faced a challenging day, playing with only 8.5 players. Despite the odds, they showed grit and teamwork, making it through to the semi-finals. Although they were defeated by Craighead Diocesan School, they secured third place overall after Avonside Girls’ High School defaulted their semi-final match to Christchurch Girls’ High School. Māwhero – the Junior Girls’ team, impressed with their skill and composure, delivering a strong win over Girls’ High in the semi-final, despite picking up a few injuries. In the final against Avonside, the match ended in a draw, leading to four minutes of overtime. Māwhero dug deep and scored the winning try, earning first place and the title of Canterbury Junior champions. He rawe koutou – we are so proud of our wāhine toa!
The 1st XI had a catch-up game against Timaru Boys’ High School on Wednesday in Timaru. Batting first, Timaru amassed 262 in a very competitive total on a very good wicket. Jock Sidey (Year 12) picked up four wickets. The boys were in a strong position after 17 overs at 89/1 but some rather indifferent shot selections put Timaru back in the game, losing wickets at crucial stages and falling 15 runs short of the target. Spencer Hair (Year 12) 64 Joshua Nicolson (Year 13) 45 and Austin Earl (Year 13) 49 all contributed but unfortunately did not kick on to close the game out.
The 1st XI hosted Christchurch Boys’s High School on Saturday. St Andrew’s won the toss and elected to bowl. Two early wickets saw them take some control, but aggressive batting by Boys’ High saw our bowling attack taken to and they eventually ended up with 322. Aarkin Kesar (Year 13) 5/32 and Ryan Bond (Year 12) 3/66 were the pick of our bowlers. Set a daunting challenge, the boys lost an early wicket, and the run chase got to a tough ask of about nine per over. Austin Earl 58 and Liam Costeloe (Year 12) 58 did their best to pull it back, but St Andrew’s was eventually bowled out for 236. Other key performances:
Felix O’Byrne (Year 10) Colts 63 and 5/37 vs Christ’s College
Kade Clearwater (Year 9) 5/6 vs St Bede’s College
Marshall Shore (Year 9) 70n.o vs St Bede’s College
Jack Christie (Year 13) 2nd XI 4/35 vs Christ’s College
Matthew Graham (Year 12) 3rd XI 4/23 vs Riccarton High School
Hanxi (Cicy) Chen (Year 11), Luke Manson, and Alex Manson (both Year 12) sat the prestigious Chemistry Olympiad Exam. They achieved outstanding results, earning Silver Certificates. This places them in the top 30% nationally. As a result of their strong performance, they have been invited to join a national training group. This programme offers a series of enrichment modules to be completed over the summer. It is designed to extend their Chemistry knowledge and prepare them for the April 2026 training camp.
On Saturday night, Baizhen (Tony) Chen (Year 9) performed a solo with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra at The Last Night of the Proms. His performance was a significant achievement and represented St Andrew’s College at a major public event. Also featured was vocal tutor, Debbie Wai Kapohe, who performed several original songs along with selections from opera and musical theatre. Additional St Andrew’s College tutors performing with the orchestra included: Jennie Goldstein – Violin, Margo Askin – Flute, Jonathan Prior – Clarinet, and Roanna Funke – Percussion.
The final adventure race of the year took place in Kaiapoi, challenging competitors with a four-hour course that combined mountain biking, running, and navigation – all under blustery conditions. Despite the wind, St Andrew’s College teams showed impressive endurance. In the Schools Senior Team category, Abigail Scott-Douglas, Iona Garrett, and Amelia Blockley (all Year 12) delivered a standout performance, finishing third and claiming the title of first Female team. Their time was so impressive they would have taken out the Adult Female Grade! Meanwhile, our Schools Junior Team of Ashton Harris, Jackson Morrow, and Alice Glover (all Year 9) tackled the same demanding course. They successfully completed the full four-hour race, navigating through some particularly tricky checkpoints and showing great resilience throughout.
On Sunday, the Pipe Band hosted the Arthur Rodgers Memorial Solo Piping Competition. The event is an internal competition for St Andrew’s College pipers and was held onsite in the Senior College and Commerce Department. The competition is now in its second year.
Highland dancers have been busy performing in a number of recent events, with the following results:
Highland Dancing September Examinations: Grade 4: Honours – Sofia Sneddon (Year 8); Sailors Hornpipe Stage 1: Honours Practical and Theory – Georgia Gregg (Year 8); Evelyn Lowe (Year 9); Alice Glover (Year 9); Irish Jig Stage 1: Honours Practical and Theory – Sarah McCarthy (Year 10); Irish Jig Stage 2: Honours Practical and Theory – Charlotte Kyle (Year 12); Emily Brook (Year 12); Honours Practical Achieved Theory – Samantha Bilton (Year 11).
Highland Dancer of the Year Competitions, Nelson 27 – 28 September: Sarah McCarthy – Highland Dancer of the Year Champion U16; Winner of Championships for Highland Fling, Double time Irish Jig, and Sailors Hornpipe;
Samantha Bilton: Runner up Highland Dancer of the Year U18; Georgia Gregg (Year 8): 4th Ranking Highland Dancer of the Year age 12; Iaera Abrahamson (Year 5): Runner up Champion Dancer of the Year age 9; Winner of Championships for Sword Dance and Highland Fling age 9; Nayana Abrahamson (Year 3): Runner up Champion Dancer of the Year age 7; Winner of Championships for Highland Fling, Sword Dance and Sailors Hornpipe age 7.
Canterbury West Coast Centre Championships, 18 October: Evelyn Lowe: 3rd South Island Championship Double Time Jig U16; Sofia Sneddon: Winner Most points U14, Winner of Championship Highland Reel U13; Samantha Bilton: Winner South Island Sword Dance U18; Winner of Championship Reel O Tulloch Open.
Georgia Gregg (Year 8) danced at Ellesmere on the weekend and won Most Points of the competition.
Theodore Nortje (Year 5) competed in the 4 Paws Marathon. His dog, Bodhi (a Bernese Mountain Dog), was not able to run with him as after completing a course of chemotherapy, his lymphoma has recently returned. Theo gave it his all on behalf of Bodhi and came third overall in the kids dash 2.5km race.
Henry Nicholls (OC 2009) has been named captain for both the Ford Trophy and Plunket Shield formats. His first match as skipper kicks off Saturday at Hagley Oval against the Volts. He’ll be joined on the field by Rhys Mariu (OC 2019). In exciting national news, Zak Foulkes (OC 2020) has been named in the Blackcaps squad for the upcoming ODI series against England.
Good luck to all students who are representing the College over the weekend in sports and cultural activities, including:
We are very soon to be in exams season for most students! Years 9 and 10 will sit their Junior examinations in most of their core subjects on Tuesday 4 November (morning and afternoon) and the morning of Wednesday 5 November. Year 10 students sat their ‘end of year’ Science and Mathematics examinations in September, so will only sit English and Social Studies in November. Students are receiving the timetable information from their tutors early next week (Week 3) and need to be sure to note down the relevant details. We are hoping to have all students sit their examinations as scheduled, but have reserved Thursday 6 November as a ‘catch-up’ day should it be needed for students who were absent from one or more of their examinations. Teachers are currently outlining to students what they will be examined on and what they should do to prepare for them. All students will sit most of their examinations online, which will provide them with the opportunity to practise with this form of assessment that is increasingly used in NCEA exams. Results will be available soon after each examination.
NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship examinations begin for students on Tuesday 4 November and will run through until the end of the month. Students have received all the details that they need from NZQA, including the very important Candidate Admission slip that they will need to bring to each examination. As quite a number of these are online, now is the time for students to check that their laptop is in good, sound, working condition and will last for the full length of the 3-hour examinations. Students sitting online examinations need to have the details of their NZQA Learner Login username and password firmly in their heads, as those are essential for logging in to their exam/s. Results from the examinations are available in mid-January 2026 and are accessed by students through their Learner Login. Marked papers will be available a week or two after results release through the Login.
Academic Reporting: Year 9 and 10 students will receive full academic reports for all of their subjects at the end of the school year, in the week of 1 December. Year 11 and 12 students receive a Tutor Profile comment at the same time as Junior reports. The Academic Conferences that were held at the end of Term 3 for Years 11–13 took the place of written academic reports for students.
We warmly invite parents and whānau to join us at The Church pub on Manchester Street this Saturday, where our talented jazz bands will be performing between 12.30pm–2.00pm. This special event is part of the Christchurch Big Band Festival, which runs throughout the city over Labour Weekend. Come along to enjoy an afternoon of fantastic live music and support our students as they showcase their skills in a vibrant community setting.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical is a lively stage adaptation of Jeff Kinney's popular book series, bringing Greg Heffley's middle school mischief to life on stage. The musical explores Greg's attempts to navigate the social landscape of middle school, his quest for popularity, and the complexities of his friendship with Rowley, all while battling the dreaded "Cheese Touch." Featuring our talented Year 9 and 10 performers, this show is full of fantastic song and dance, heartfelt moments, and fun for the whole family.
Please note: Thursday's show has been postponed until Saturday 25 October, 7.00pm–9.30pm. All ticketholders for Thursday's show have been emailed information about the postponement, including how to self-refund their tickets if required.
When: Tuesday 21 – Saturday 25 October 2025 (four performances), all 7.00pm–9.30pm
Where: Gough Family Theatre – Ngā Toi Performing Arts Centre
Tickets: Adults $35.00 | Students $17.50 (student ID may be requested on entry)
Buy Tickets Online>Step into a world of enchantment, where fairies weave spells, a kingdom slumbers under a wicked curse, and true love awakens with a single kiss. Set to Tchaikovsky’s breathtaking score and brought to life through exquisite choreography, The Sleeping Beauty is a timeless ballet that blends grace, grandeur, and a touch of magic. Join Princess Aurora, the Lilac Fairy, and a cast of fairy tale characters in this radiant celebration of beauty, hope, and the triumph of love.
Dates and times:
Where: Gough Family Theatre – Ngā Toi Performing Arts Centre
Tickets: Adult $38.00 | Student $20.00 (student ID may be requested on entry)
Join us for a captivating screening of Maurice and I, a documentary celebrating the architectural legacy of Maurice Mahoney and Sir Miles Warren. Featuring rare archival footage and their final interview together, the film explores how their partnership transformed Christchurch’s cityscape. The event will feature a Q&A with the filmmakers, Rick Harvie (OC 1989) – Director/Producer, Belmont Productions, and Jane Mahoney – Director/Producer and daughter of Maurice Mahoney. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear from the creators and reflect on Christchurch’s architectural heritage.
Date: Wednesday 12 November 2025
Time: 6.00pm (6.30pm screening)
Location: Gough Family Theatre, St Andrew’s College
Tickets: $20.00 (includes a welcome drink and canapés)
Delicious Christmas goodies, locally made with the highest quality ingredients. The perfect gift for Christmas or to treat your own family! All proceeds will go towards the PTA 2025 fundraising drive, supporting the Pipe Band. More information about each of the PTA’s Christmas Goodies, including the ingredients list, can be found at the order link below. The products on offer this year are:
Closing date for orders: Monday 3 November 2025
Cake collection: Orders must be collected from the College Second-hand Uniform Shop (there is no delivery option) between 3.00pm–4.30pm on Tuesday 11 or Thursday 13 or Tuesday 18 or Thursday 20 or Tuesday or Thursday 27 November.
ORDER CHRISTMAS GOODIES>
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 >
For a full list of upcoming school events, please refer to the fixtures page on StACNet.
