Rotorua Boys' High School
Rotorua Boys' High School is a state school educating boys from Year 9 to Year 13. It is situated just outside the Rotorua CBD at the intersection of Old Taupo Road and Pukuatua Street in Rotorua, New Zealand.
Rotorua Boys' High School | |
---|---|
Address | |
Pukuatua Street Rotorua New Zealand | |
Coordinates | 38°8′19.59″S 176°14′17.25″E |
Information | |
Type | State single-sex secondary, years 9–13 |
Motto | Latin: Ad Astra Per Aspera Māori: Whaia Te Iti Kahurangi |
Established | 1927 |
Ministry of Education Institution no. | 152 |
Principal | A. Chris Grinter |
Gender | Male |
Houses | Drake, Frobisher, Nelson and Raleigh |
Colour(s) | Red and Blue |
School roll | 1022[2] (March 2020) |
Socio-economic decile | 3G[3] |
Website | rbhs.school.nz |
History
Rotorua Boys' High School had its beginnings as the Rotorua High and Grammar School, founded in 1927[4] to replace the earlier Rotorua District High School (1914–1926).[5] By 1956 it had a roll in excess of 1200 students. The Intermediate Department was closed when Rotorua Intermediate School was established in 1957. The Rotorua High School was further split to make room for a growing population of the district and its educational needs when, in 1959 Rotorua Girls' High School was opened. Rotorua High School was then established as Rotorua Boys' High School and commenced to function as a state secondary school for boys with a roll of 640 pupils in February 1959.[6]
Principals
- Rotorua District High School
- John Warn (1914–1915)
- Francis Wood (1915–1919)
- Thomas Tanner (1916-1918) (While Wood was serving in World War I)
- William Lewins (1920–1926)
- George Barber (1926)
- Rotorua High and Grammar School
- Aby Ryder (1927–1931)
- Bill Harwood (1932–1959)
- Rotorua Boys' High School
- Neville Thornton (1960–1962)
- Ted Hamill (1963–1979)
- Geoffrey Cramond (1980–1991)
- Chris Grinter (1991 – present)
A book about Rotorua Boys' High School's history was published in 2007 and can be bought in bookstores around Rotorua.
Houses
Rotorua Boys' High School's four houses are named after British heroes:
- Drake (Admiral Sir Francis Drake) — red
- Frobisher (Sir Martin Frobisher) — yellow
- Nelson (Horatio Nelson) — blue
- Raleigh (Sir Walter Raleigh) — green
Hostel
Rotorua Boys' High School officially opened the Tai Mitchell Hostel, a new onsite boarding facility, in 2005 at a cost of $3.5 million. The facility is designed to accommodate 104 students which represents over 10 percent of the school roll.
The Ministry of Education appointed a limited statutory manager late in 2009 to investigate alleged mismanagement, inappropriate drug-testing and financial issues regarding the school hostel.[7][8] In June 2010 the limited statutory manager reported that, following his investigation, he had found that the school had no case to answer.
Families whose children have been excluded from the school's Tai Mitchell Hostel complained about unfair treatment. They believed their sons were targeted for inappropriate drug test procedures and inappropriate action taken after drug tests were performed.[7] The statutory manager appointed by the Ministry of Education to look into the school's procedures, Dennis Finn, told The Daily Post he has cleared Mr Grinter and Mr Whata and had full confidence in them. Mr Finn said the report and its findings were only a small part of the bigger picture. The real issue was the serious breach by students of the rules of the school or hostels, he said. "Drugs; whether use of, in possession of, or supply of, will not be tolerated or accepted." Mr Finn told The Daily Post he held a meeting between the mother and Mr Grinter and believed the issue had been resolved. The boys had since been reinstated at the school.[9]
Notable alumni
The Arts
- Alan Duff — author
- Sir Howard Morrison — musician
- Jordi Webber — member of boy band Titanium
Broadcasting
- Neil Waka — TVNZ presenter
Politics
- Percy Allen — National Party politician
Sport
- Israel Adesanya — mixed martial artist in the Ultimate Fighting Championship[10]
- Sam Bewley — cyclist, team pursuit (Beijing Olympics 2008)[11]
- Garrick Cowley — rugby union player (Manu Samoa)
- Mike Delany — rugby union player (All Blacks)
- Tom Donnelly — rugby union player (All Blacks)
- Robbie Eastham — shooter[11]
- Teimana Harrison — rugby union player (Northampton Saints and England)
- Dylan Hartley — rugby union player (Northampton Saints and England)
- Danny Lee — golfer[11]
- Adam McGeorge — footballer (All Whites, Oly-Whites 2012)
- Liam Messam — rugby union player (All Blacks, Waikato, Chiefs, captain of the Commonwealth Games winning sevens team)
- Sam Messam — footballer[11]
- Craig Newby — rugby union player (All Blacks, Otago, North Harbour, Highlanders, Leicester Tigers, 7’s World Cup winner, 7’s Manchester Commonwealth games Gold medal winner)
- Ben Sandford — skeleton sledder and Winter Olympian[12]
- Isaac Te Aute — rugby Union Player (Rotorua Boys' High School First XV Captain), New Zealand Sevens[13]
- Mike Walker — kayaker[11]
Notes
- School newsletter, September 2006
- "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- "Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools". Ministry of Education. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
- Stafford, Don. "Raukura". Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- Lyall, Kevin. "Rotorua's Plume: A History of Rotorua Boys' High School" (PDF).
- Rotorua High and Grammar School, Rotorua Boys' High School History and Register of Pupils by Kevin J Lyall
- Grunwell, Rachel (28 February 2010). "School's drug test 'torture'". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- Daily Post. "Manager appointed to Rotorua Boys' High".Daily Post Rotorua, 4 February 2010. Retrieved on 2010-07-07.
- Taipari, Greg (2 July 2010). "Mother wants 'heads to roll' over drug probe". Rotorua Daily Post.
- "The pain behind Israel Adesanya's rise to the UFC". Sporting News. 2018-02-09. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
- "The Olympic success story of Rotorua Boy's High School". Sunday Star Times. 29 August 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- "RBHS 'Old Boy" Ben Sandford makes the skeleton finals at the Sochi Winter Olympics" (PDF). Rotorua Boys' High School. February 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- "Isaac Te Aute latest addition to All Blacks Sevens squad". Māori Television. 8 September 2015.
External links
- rbhs.school.nz – Official website