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Dear Parents and Caregivers
Kia ora koutou.
This week has been one of celebration, as we recognise some remarkable and outstanding achievements by our young people across a wide range of fields.
In addition, at the Aotearoa Spelling Bee, our English teacher Logan Rae (OC 2014) received a 2025 Teacher Award for his passion and commitment to spelling and language. Our congratulations and thanks to Logan for his ongoing dedication to developing our students’ skills.
I am also delighted to announce that four students have been awarded an ICAS Gold Medal this year. This prestigious academic award is presented to students who achieve the highest score in New Zealand for their year level and subject in the International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS). These national achievements will be recognised at Prizegiving.
On Monday afternoon, the amazingly creative and visually impressive work of our Senior Art students was on display at the annual Senior Art Exhibition (Years 11–13), featuring Art, Design, Painting, and Photography. Thank you to our Head of Art, Mallory Swadel, and Art teacher Michelle Lawrence, for developing the wide range of creative thinking, clever design, and inspiring delivery from our young artists.
On the sporting front, Monday also saw our rescheduled Preparatory School Athletic Sports Day, hosted at St Andrew’s. Our young athletes enjoyed a fantastic day of competition under sunny skies. Congratulations to Thompson House for winning this event. Meanwhile, at Hagley Park, our Senior Boys’ 1st XI cricket team fought hard but lost to Christchurch Boys’ High School in the regional final for a place in the Gilette Cup national finals.
This week we held our Year 11 Middle School Graduation, as students transition into Senior College for 2026. It was wonderful to hear six of the cohort speak so eloquently, with humour and gratitude, as they reflected on their Middle School years. Many thanks to their Dean, Liz Gormack, for successfully guiding this cohort through the past three important years.
Last night, the final Board of Governors meeting for this year was held, with a wide-ranging agenda. A key focus was confirming the budget for 2026 and our new Strategic Plan for 2026–2030. Details of these will be communicated to our wider community in the coming weeks.
Finally, we wish our Pipe Band all the very best for the annual Hororata Highland Games this weekend. This iconic event attracts over 10,000 people and is New Zealand’s largest Scottish festival, blending traditional Scottish culture with a Kiwi twist through competitions, cultural displays, and community activities.
Ngā mihi
Mark Wilson
Rector
NCEA examinations can be a stressful time for students, and their well-being plays a crucial role in how effectively they revise and perform. In the latest Well-being Blog post, Head of Well-being, Kerry Larby, shares practical, research-based strategies to help students manage stress, revise effectively, and build resilience during revision.
Read the Well-being Blog>On Monday afternoon, our Years 11–13 Art Folio Exhibition brought together students, families, and staff to celebrate the incredible creative talent across our Senior Visual Arts programmes. The exhibition in the Centennial Chapel Foyer featured a mix of Year 11 Art, alongside Years 12–13 Painting, Photography, and Design. The quality and diversity of work on display was truly inspiring, each piece a reflection of the students’ imagination, skill, and dedication.
Flickr>
Yesterday, the Year 10 cohort travelled to the Christchurch Adventure Park as part of our Year 10 Te Waka Challenge Day. Activities included team problem-solving in an outdoor education setting and a 5km uphill walk to the top of the Christchurch Adventure Park, where the students enjoyed stunning views Ōtautahi before descending on the chairlift. The purpose of the day was to encourage problem-solving, resilience, collaboration, and stepping outside comfort zones. It was a fabulous day enjoyed by all. Thank you to our students for embracing the challenge and giving it their best effort, and to staff for ensuring the day ran smoothly.
fLICKR>On Saturday night, Sam Foote, Ryley Medland (both Year 12) and Charlie Gregg (Year 10) joined Pipe Band Manager Graeme Bryce for an unforgettable performance at the Wolfbrook Arena as part of the Full Metal Orchestra event. Sharing the stage with rock legends such as Phil Rudd, Jon Toogood, EJ Barnes, Jennie Skulander, alongside the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and the Full Metal Band, was an incredible experience for our young musicians.
Watch videos of the performance by clicking here>
On Thursday evening, our Year 11–13 French students enjoyed a senior French dinner at Sign of the Kiwi with Madame Radcliffe and Madame Taylor. Restaurateur Éric Devos hosted the group in true French style, beginning with an amuse-bouche – escargot garlic butter with baguette. The pièce de resistance was boeuf bourguignon, a hearty beef casserole, and blanquette de poulet, chicken in a creamy tarragon sauce, served with rice. Dessert was a crêpe with chocolate sauce, berry coulis, or sugar and ice cream. The evening provided a wonderful opportunity for students to practise their French with Éric and Louis, the chef, while enjoying time together outside the classroom.
On Monday, the Preparatory School held its annual Athletics Sports Day on the top field. Ideal weather and a positive attitude created vibrant and inclusive atmosphere. Students adapted well to the change in location following last week’s postponement and competed enthusiastically throughout the day. The event concluded with exciting class relays.
Congratulations to our age group champions:
See all individual event results by clicking here >
fLICKR>
On Monday evening, Jo Robertson presented a StACTalk session for Year 0–10 parents/caregivers, offering practical advice on keeping children safe online. Jo, an expert in sex education and digital safety, highlighted that excessive screen time (over two hours daily) can negatively impact children’s physical health. New Zealand’s average screen time is 42 hours weekly, well above the global average.
Key online risks discussed included:
Jo recommended the following tips for parents:
For detailed information about this session, links to the parent resources, and to sign the 'Hold the Line ‘til Year 9' Parent Pledge, visit StACTalks on StACNet.
Cong (Zilong) Chen (Year 9) won the Aotearoa New Zealand Spelling Bee in Wellington, earning a $5000 prize. Benjamin Yu (Year 9) also competed and was one of the runners-up. Our English teacher Logan Rae was one of four teachers nationwide awarded a 2025 Teacher Award for his passion and commitment to spelling and language.
The regional Zonta Secondary School Sport Awards, held at the Hornby Club, featured eight St Andrew’s College finalists. Each year, the standard of achievement rises, with many students representing New Zealand at World Cups and even becoming world champions.
This year, St Andrew’s celebrated one overall winner and two Highly Commended awards.
Two of our Ballet Academy dancers, Femke McLean (Year 11) and Cameron Lyons (Year 10), advanced into the finals of the NZAMD National Ballet Scholarship Awards in Auckland, with Cameron winning first place and Femke third. This marks the second consecutive year a St Andrew’s College dancer has won this prestigious event.
Several French students sat the Diplôme d'Études en Langue Française (DELF) examination this year, which is an internationally recognised diploma certifying French language proficiency for non-native speakers. Students completed listening, reading, writing and speaking assessments entirely in French. Congratulations to the following students for their dedication and outstanding results.
Last weekend, 39 Year 9–10 rowers attended a two-day camp in Twizel, followed by the two-day Aoraki 1000m Rowing Regatta, enjoying near-perfect water conditions. This was the first time St Andrew’s competed at this regatta, which provided an excellent introduction to racing for our novice rowers. Conditions were near-perfect, and the event featured shorter 1000m races and special entries such as 50% Novice and Mixed crews. Our Year 10 returning rowers demonstrated excellent leadership, passing on their rowing knowledge and providing a stable boat while racing with our Year 9–10 novices.
The squad produced a promising set of results, with 14 crews making A-finals and two crews making B- finals, which resulted in five top three finishes. A special mention to both the Novice Boys’ and Girls’ eights for placing third in their first novice race together
Our Senior and Junior Girls’ Sevens teams travelled to Geraldine last week to compete in the South Island Secondary Schools Tournament.
The Senior team faced a tough challenge, fielding only seven players. Despite this, they secured a hard-fought win in pool-play against Craighead Diocesan School, earning a thrilling semi-final spot against St Hilda’s Collegiate. In a dramatic finish, Orla Motley (Year 13) scored a try while being tackled, losing her boot in the process. Attempting the conversion in just a sock, the kick narrowly missed. In a twist, the referee extended play for three minutes, during which St Hilda’s scored a full-length try to take the win. Despite the heartbreak, our Senior team should be proud of their third-place finish.
The Junior team also impressed, reaching the final against Southland Girls’ High School. After a strong second-half comeback, they fell just short, losing 21–22. The Junior team now turns its focus to the Condor Sevens at the end of November.
The 1st XI hosted Sydenham on Saturday, posting 324/8 with standout performances from Spencer Hair (Year 12) 103 and Jack O’Rourke (Year 13) 73. The introduction of spin saw Hugo Fairweather-Logie (Year 12) taking 4/11 and Harrison Horsley (Year 11) 2/30 restricting Sydenham to 149.
On Monday, the team faced Christchurch Boys’ High School in a New Zealand Schools Cup regional final at the Nursery Ground in Hagley Park, on a very good wicket. Boys’ High won the toss and elected to bat. They started well and maintained pressure. It was looking like they may post 340, but our bowlers managed to restrict them to 291, with Liam Hall (Year 13) 3/40. At the 17-over mark, St Andrew’s was 82/1 and in a solid position. However, wickets fell at regular intervals, and the team was unable to build any meaningful partnerships. Spencer Hair 47 and Ryan Bond (Year 12) 40 were the main contributors in a score of 208.
Other key performances over the weekend included:
The Preparatory School NFL Flag team travelled to Wellington for the 2025 NFL Flag National Championships, finishing an impressive sixth place among more than 70 teams nationwide. After placing runners-up at the Canterbury Regionals, the team carried that momentum into Nationals, securing two wins and two narrow losses, including a one-touchdown defeat to eventual champions Hutt Intermediate. Despite being one of the youngest and smallest squads in the competition, the players showed exceptional teamwork, resilience, and sportsmanship throughout the tournament. Congratulations to Indi Haydon-Uren (Year 7), who was recognised as one of the standout players of the tournament for her all-round performance.
Millie Rosewarne (Year 7) competed at the John Jones Steel FEI South Island Three Day Event Championships held at McLeans Island. At just 11 years old, Millie was the youngest in her U21 category. She competed in the 80cm class in Dressage, Cross Country and Show jumping, going double clear in the jumping (no stops or rails) and finished on her dressage score. Millie finished ninth out of 35, just four points behind first place.
Year 2–4 Speech and Drama students had a wonderful day performing their pieces for the annual Speech New Zealand Oral Communication Assessments. The children were excited to share their prepared talks, plays, and choral verses with the visiting assessor. Their enthusiasm, creativity, and confidence shone through every performance. Many parents who were in the audience remarked on the notable development in confidence they have seen since their child began Speech and Drama lessons at St Andrew's.
Watson (Year 2) and Violet Winterbourn (Year 5) enjoyed Highland dancing success at the Ashburton A&P Show. Watson won the U8 Jig and a trophy for winning the Restricted U10 Jig, while Violet received a trophy for winning the U14 Waltz Clog.
Georgia Gregg (Year 8) competed at the Amberley A&P Show, winning Most Points U14 and the trophy for Most Points of the Day.
Good luck to all students who are representing the College over the weekend in sports and cultural activities, including:
Future Problem Solving Nationals;
Canterbury Secondary Schools Junior Volleyball Championship;
Hororata Highland Games;
Vex Robotics.
We are excited to invite the St Andrew’s College community to join us at the Royal A&P Show of New Zealand from Thursday 13 – Saturday 15 November. You will find us at Site M33, where we will be reconnecting with Old Collegians and welcoming new families. Whether you are stopping by for a chat, to learn more about what is happening at St Andrew’s, or just to say hello – we would love to see you there.
PTA meetings start at 6.30pm and are held in the Preparatory School staffroom. Please see below meeting dates for 2026. To learn more about the PTA on StACNet, click here.
NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship examinations began on Tuesday 4 November and run through until Friday 28 November. Quite a few examinations are online, and students must check that their laptop is in good, sound, working condition and will last for the full length of the 3-hour examinations.
View the examination timetable by clicking here.
Students sitting online examinations must provide the details of their NZQA Learner Login username and password for logging in to their examination/s themselves. Results of the NCEA 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. Scholarship examination results are timed for release in early February.
Please view the following resources on StACNet for additional information:
We wish our students well with these upcoming examinations.
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)
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)
The College Shop, Thistles, will be open in December from Monday 1 December – Friday 19 December 2025, 8.00am–4.30pm. Thistles will re-open in 2026 with the following hours:
The final operating day for the Second-Hand Uniform Shop in 2025 will be Friday 19 December. In January 2026, the Second-hand Uniform Shop will be open with the following hours:
All 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.
