Whanganui Collegiate School

History

Whanganui Collegiate School was established in 1854 as the Native Industrial School by the Anglican Church, following a land endowment from Sir George Grey. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Houses

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.

Sport

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. 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. 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.

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.

The 100th Quadrangular Rugby Tournament was held from 18 to 20 June 2026 at Whanganui Collegiate School in Whanganui, New Zealand. The tournament featured four schools: Whanganui Collegiate School, Wellington College, Nelson College and Christ's College. The 2026 tournament marked the 100th playing of the Quadrangular, which began in 1925 and is one of New Zealand's oldest school rugby tournaments. Whanganui Collegiate hosted the centenary tournament, with matches played throughout the three-day event.

Culture

Whanganui Collegiate School offers a range of music, drama and debating opportunities. Its music programme includes junior and senior rock bands, a weekly jazz band, individual music lessons, choir and vocal groups, chamber music, and the annual C.N. Maclean Music Contest. Students can perform at school and external events, enter competitions such as Smokefree Rockquest and The Big Sing, and participate in the New Zealand Schools Chamber Music Contest.

Drama is offered from Year 9 through IGCSE and NCEA Levels 2 and 3, covering acting, theatre design and directing. Musicals are held every two years, with students able to participate as cast, musicians or crew. In the off- years, a play is performed.

Debating is also an established activity at the school, developing analytical thinking, argument, public speaking and listening skills. Students can take part in Inter-House competitions and regional debating events at junior, intermediate and senior levels.

Productions:

2015: Jesus Christ Superstar

2016: Oliver!

2017: Grease

2018: Noises Off

2019: Bugsy Malone

2020: -House Drama-

2021: Cabaret

2022: Lord of The Flies

2023: Footloose

2024: Noughts and Crosses

2025: Disney's Aladdin Jr

2026: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

2027: TBC

Notable alumni

Brigadier Leslie Andrew, WW1 Victoria Cross & DSO recipient

Chris Amon, Formula One racing driver, 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans champion

Harriet Austin, rower

Earl Bamber, professional racing driver, 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans and 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans champion

Andrew Bayly, National Party MP

Geordie Beamish, 2025 World Champion 3000m steeplechase

Cameron Brewer, Auckland Councillor

Tom Bruce, New Zealand international cricketer

Robin Cooke, Baron Cooke of Thorndon, Law Lord

Mark Cooper, President of New Zealand Court of Appeal

Professor Michael Corballis, professor of psychology

Wyatt Creech, Deputy Prime Minister

Simon Dickie, Olympic gold medalist in rowing

Sir Harold Gillies, father of plastic surgery

Leon Götz, National Party MP

Sir Richard Harrison, National Party MP and Speaker of the House

Volker Heine, physicist

Joline Henry, Silver Fern netballer

Headmasters

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)

Rab Bruce Lockhart (1954–1960)

Thomas Wells (1960–1980)

Ian McKinnon (1980–1988)

Trevor Stanton McKinlay (1988–1995)

Johnathan Rae Hensman (1995–2003)

Craig Considine (2003–2008)

Tim Wilbur (2008–2013)

Chris Moller (2013–2017)

Ross Brown (2017–2017) (acting)

Wayne Brown (2018–2025)

Tash Bullock (2026-2026) (acting)