29 August 2026
Welcome from the Rector
It is a pleasure to welcome you to this edition of our Foundation newsletter, and to reflect on some of the things that continue to shape and strengthen our school community.
Recently, we gathered to mark an important milestone with the opening of the Taiaroa Room in the newly refurbished Shand Building. The naming of the room after Teone Wiwi Taiaroa, an Old Boy from the Class of 1877 and one of our early All Blacks, provides a meaningful connection between our past and our future. Teone's story is one of achievement, character and contribution, and his name will now be part of the daily life of generations of boys who follow him.
Since 3 August 1863, this school has been built on the belief that education can change lives. While our world continues to move rapidly, those connections to our history remain important. They give our boys a sense of where they have come from, and a foundation from which to look forward.
The Taiaroa Room is the first of several planned dedications across our renewed school environment, ensuring the stories of those who came before us continue to be visible and relevant.
I also want to acknowledge the work underway through SIBS, the South Island Boys' Schools network. While the new rugby competition has attracted attention, the ambition of SIBS is much broader: creating more opportunities for boys to connect, participate and belong, while working together to improve outcomes for young men.
Recently Nic Sullivan (Deputy Rector), Lance Taylor (Director of Boarding), and two of our House Deans and Old Boys, Kelvin McCrone and Mark Alderton, travelled to St Bede’s College to meet with pastoral leaders from the SIBS network.
The sharing of best practice, professional development around neurodiversity, and time spent together reinforced that this network is about far more than sport. For us in Dunedin, it provides valuable access to up-to-date thinking and practices in boys’ education.
I encourage you to read the full SIBS update in this newsletter.
Finally, I’d like to thank outgoing Foundation Board member and former Presiding member of the Board of Trustees Lawrence Alloo. Lawrence is a great man, and his support for me and for the school over the years has been pivotal. His contribution has been significant, and I thank him sincerely.
Richard Hall
Rector