Rotorua Boys' High School---An Historical Introduction

ROTORUA BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL

AN HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION

Kevin J. Lyall School Historian

Published by Rotorua Boys’ High School P.O. Box 10148 Rotorua 3046 New Zealand

Telephone: +64 7 348 6169 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.rbhs.school.nz

First published 1994 Second edition 1995 Third edition 2009 Fourth edition (first digital-only edition) 2018 Fifth edition (second digital-only edition) 2019 Sixth edition (third digital-only edition) 2020 Seventh edition (fourth digital-only edition) 2021 Eighth edition (fifth digital-only edition) 2022

This publication is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act 1994, no part may be reproduced by any process without the permission in writing of both the copyright owner and the above Publisher.

Kevin J. Lyall has asserted his right under the Copyright Act 1994 to be identified as the author of this work.

CONTENTS

Foreword…………………………………………….…………….……………5

School Names…………………………………………………………………...6 The New Zealand Flag………………………………………………………...... 7 The School Shield……………………………………………………………..8-9 School Mottos………………………………………………………………….10 Vision Statement, Principles and Values………….…...... 11-12 The Three Plumes – “Raukura”.…………………………………………….....13 The 1881 Endowment……………………...………………………………..…14 History of the School……………...…………...………………….………..15-20 Principals……………………………………...……………………………21-26 A Block………………………………………...…………………….……..27-29 The Entrance Hall………………………………...………………….……..30-31 School Buildings…………………………………..…………………...…..32-38

School Traditions The Head Prefect and Prefects…………………………………………..…39-40 The Houses……………………………………………………………..…..41-46 Annual Athletic and Swimming Sports………………………………..…...... 47 ANZAC Assembly………………………………….………………..…….…..48 The School Magazine – Raukura Rotorua……………………………….....…49 The Rugby First XV….…………………………………………………….50-52 Prize Giving…………………………………………………………….……...53 School Productions……………………………………………………...... 54-56 School Colours Awards and Honours…………………...………….….…...….57 Te Ropu Raukura…………………………………………………….………...58 The Year Nine Pōwhiri…………………………………………….…………..59 School Camps…………………………………………………….……………60 Celebration of Success and the Scholar’s Blazer…….………….……………..61

School Memorials War Memorial Hall……………….……………………….………………..62-63 The Roll of Honour..…………………………………………………………...64 Ryder Memorial Gates………………………………………….……………...65 W. Steele Memorial Tree………….……………………………….…………..66 Mitchell Memorials………………………………………………………...67-68 G.M. Hocking Memorial Tree…………………………………………….…...69 The Harwood Library……….…………………………………………………70

W.H. Evans Memorials……………………………………………….……71-72 T. O’Regan Memorial Tree……………………………………………….…...73 P.W. Hoyle Memorial Tree……………………………………………….…...74

Special Features The Trees….……………………………………………………..…………75-77 Raukura Sculpture……………………………………………..…..…….…….78 Te Hokinga Sculpture…………………………………………………...……..79 Nesbitt Grandfather Clock…...……………………………………………...…80 Memorial Assemblies……………………………………………………….....81 The Year Frames, Rotorua Young Achievers, Hall of Fame and School Museum...... 82-84 School Song………………………………………………………...……….....85 School Haka……………………………………………………………...…….86 School Waiata…………………………………………………………..……...87 School Ties……………………………………………………….…………....88 School Medallions……………………………………………….……….……89 Cadet Battalion Honours Board and Trophy Cabinet………..…………...... 90 The New Zealand Cadets Ladies’ Challenge Cup……………………………..91 Prominent Staff……………………………………………………………..92-93 The Bullmore Commemoration………………………………………………..94 Te Waharoa “The Gateway”…………………………………………………...95 Ngā Paea a Kahukura – the Terraces………………………………………………96 Tane Raukura…………………………………………………….……….……97

FOREWORD

Welcome to this eighth edition of my Rotorua Boys’ High School: An Historical Introduction. I wrote the first edition of this publication twenty-eight years ago, and it has been regularly updated since then as Rotorua Boys’ High School continues to evolve. This publication is intended to provide readers with an introduction to the history, traditions and all of the special features that make Rotorua Boys’ High School, as the direct successor of Rotorua’s first high school established in 1914, unique amongst the five secondary schools of Rotorua. I hope that you will enjoy looking through the pages ahead and will learn some interesting things about the School. It is a place where our boys really do “walk the corridors of history” every day.

Ad Astra Per Aspera Whaia Te Iti Kahurangi

Kevin J. Lyall, SCHOOL HISTORIAN.

SCHOOL NAMES

The School has been known as Rotorua Boys’ High School since 1959. This is in fact the fifth name that it has had since 1914. Secondary education in Rotorua first began 108 years ago. This was when a Secondary Department was, in 1914, added to the Rotorua Public School – the first State school to be established in Rotorua in 1886 – and it officially became the Rotorua District High School. This was the School’s original name from 1914 until the end of 1926. In 1927, the Secondary Department of the Rotorua District High School was given full high school status and re-established as the Rotorua High School. It had this title until the end of 1958. The Rotorua High School was also known by one other name from 1927 until 1953, Rotorua High and Grammar School. This title appeared on the School’s letterhead and stationery, was the name inscribed on the oldest of the sports cups and trophies, and it was also the original sub-title of the school magazine Raukura Rotorua – The Magazine of the Rotorua High and Grammar School. The word ‘Grammar’ was dropped from the name of the School in 1953. Also in 1927, an entirely new school was established. The Rotorua Junior High School was opened for intermediate-aged pupils in Years 7 and 8. However, it was only a short-lived school. It was merged with the Rotorua High School at the end of 1933 and became its Intermediate Department from 1934 until 1956. In 1957, the intermediate pupils of the Rotorua High School formed the new Rotorua Intermediate School in 1957, and, at the end of 1958, the Rotorua High School was divided into separate Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools and closed at the end of that year. In 1959, Rotorua Boys’ High School opened on the site of the former Rotorua High school.

THE NEW ZEALAND FLAG

The New Zealand Flag is flown every day from the flagpole above the main entrance of A Block. Our nation’s flag, which has been flown daily at the School since 1989, is flown for a number reasons. It signifies that the School is open for business and, more importantly, it is the most important symbol of our nation and of the people of New Zealand. The flag’s blue background is symbolic of the blue seas and sky surrounding us. The four stars of the Southern Cross emphasize the country’s location in the Southern Hemisphere. The Union Flag, which is also known as the “Union Jack”, in the top right-hand corner of the flag acknowledges New Zealand’s British heritage as a colony and then dominion of the British Empire. The flying of the New Zealand Flag at Rotorua Boys’ High School shows patriotism, pride in our country, and for the School. It is a symbol of who we are as New Zealanders, and of our place in the world as a proud and independent sovereign nation.

THE SCHOOL SHIELD Designed 1915 Modified 1927

A very real symbol of our school is the School Shield. This is present on our uniform, letterhead and stationery, vehicles and buildings. It is the visual representation of our school, and most who live in Rotorua and the Bay of Plenty recognize it as the key image that has been associated with our school for well over a century. Our School Shield, however, is not only a visual symbol, it also reflects very clearly a set of values, beliefs and relationships which we as a school stand for. Our School Shield represents much to do with the philosophy of the School, and our commitment to the young men of the city since 1914. Our School Shield represents our desire to aim high and reach for the stars. It is compatible with our vision “To become the outstanding Boys’ High School in New Zealand.” The School Shield, as it appears today, was fully developed by 1927. That was the year that the Māori Head, known as “Tane Raukura”, atop the central shield and the Motto Scroll beneath it, were the final features to be added. The central shield with its four symbols and the Motto Scroll were coloured in 1927. The colours for Tane Raukura, however, were not finally determined until 2018. There are six key elements to our School Shield as follows:

The Open Book – This refers to learning and education.

The White Rose of York – This is a traditional heraldic symbol and demonstrates the historical relationship of our school to Great Britain.

The Lion – Again this is a traditional heraldic symbol particularly common to Grammar Schools, demonstrating the relationship of the School to British traditions. Furthermore, the Lion stands for strength, courage, honour, and the determination to never to give up, and to overcome adversity.

The Crown – This demonstrates the relationship of the School to the Sovereign and the Crown. The Crown is also a symbol of authority and leadership. It is about setting in place, a pathway for success in life and working towards realizing one’s ambitions with determination and enthusiasm.

The Māori Head, Tane Raukura – This symbolizes the relationship of the School with Ngati Whakaue, and acknowledges the 1880 endowment by them of the land for the establishment of the new Town of Rotorua in 1881. Its position atop the central shield is indicative of the value given to this relationship. In 2020, this symbol was given the name “Tane Raukura”.

The Latin Motto – This Motto was selected by A.R. Ryder (principal from 1927- 1931) from a public competition that was held in Rotorua for this purpose in 1927.

Since its inception in 1915, our School Shield has been worn with pride and it has been our own special and particular symbol of identity. More than that, it is a statement of what is important to our school community. Our School Shield tells the story of our school and that story is as appropriate today as it was when it was first designed, and then modified as the School developed in its early years. The result is the defining symbol of our school today. The School Shield has been officially trademarked since 2008. This means that it belongs exclusively to Rotorua Boys’ High School and it cannot be used or reproduced without the School’s authorization.

SCHOOL MOTTOS Adopted 1927 and 1990

The School has two Mottos. The original Latin Motto, which translates as “To the stars through the rough” was adopted in 1927. The Māori Motto, “Whaia Te Iti Kahurangi”, was adopted in 1990.

Ad Astra Per Aspera

Ad – To Astra – The Stars Per – Through Aspera – The Rough (Asper meaning ‘rough’; Aspera ‘The rough’)

Whaia Te Iti Kahurangi

This derives from the old Māori proverb Whaia te iti kahurangi. Ke te tuohu koe me he maunga teitei. This means, “Search for great things” and “if one has to bow, let it be to a lofty mountain.”

VISION STATEMENT

The School’s Vision Statement is: “To be the outstanding Boys’ High School in New Zealand.”

PRICIPLES

The School’s guiding Principles are: “Rotorua Boys’ High School provides an environment for boys to mature into outstanding young men to prepare them for them for the future important role they must play in the community.”

VALUES

The Values, which all boys of Rotorua Boys’ High School are expected to develop, uphold, model and to display at all times, are:

Pūmau – Be Strong of Character Being strong of character means you show respect for both yourself and others, have personal integrity, take responsibility for the consequences of your actions and be a good citizen. Be a good man.

Whakaatu ngārahuntanga – Demonstrate Leadership Leadership can be taught and learned. You will have many opportunities to demonstrate leadership and be a good role model as well as encouraging appropriate behaviour in others. Be a good leader.

Ūpoko pakaru – Display Commitment Commitment means never giving up just because something is difficult. It encompasses a work ethic, time management and sacrifice in achieving your goals. Be a good worker.

Kapu huanga – Take Opportunities Taking opportunities is about embracing new challenges. You will be presented with a myriad of new opportunities in your time at Rotorua Boys’ High School. Enjoy the challenge.

Hiratanga – Strive for Excellence Striving for excellence means that you will always do your best, learn from your mistakes and seek continual improvement. Reach for the stars.

Whakaute – Show Respect Show respect to family, school, friends, team mates and especially yourself.

THE THREE PLUMES – RAUKURA Designed by Old Boy T. Hale, 1991

A very special, greatly esteemed, and now a deeply treasured concept and ethos – and also an important symbol – that has long been associated with the School is the feather or plume, the Raukura. The symbol of the three plumes is proudly displayed around the School. It is most prominently displayed in the War Memorial Hall at the back of the stage flanking the School Shield, and on the Raukura Sculpture in the roundabout in front of A Block. It also appears on the Prefect’s Badge, the School’s website, various school publications, stationery, garments and vehicles. The association of the Raukura with our school dates back to 1929. This was when this word was chosen by Taiporutu (Tai) Mitchell to be the first part of the name for the school magazine or year-book Raukura Rotorua, which was first published at the end of that year. In historical terms, Raukura is the name given by Māori to the highly esteemed black and white-tipped tail feathers of the now extinct Huia bird, Heteralocha acutirostris. The last official sighting of a Huia was in 1907, and it was officially declared to be extinct in 1909. Its tail feathers were very highly prized and coveted by Māori, and they were worn on the head as mark of great mana or status. The symbol of the three plumes was designed by Old Boy and staff member, T. Hale, in 1991. It gives emblematic expression to the concept of “Raukura” and celebrates the fact that the warrior’s power is no longer the taiaha, but the brain and knowledge. This is where the real power now is. According to Hale, the three plumes represent the warrior as a leader and only high-ranking warriors were honoured with three plumes. When Mitchell chose Raukura Rotorua to be the name for the magazine, he was literally referring to the Rotorua High School as being the “Raukura of Rotorua” – the “Pride of Rotorua” – “Rotorua’s Plume”. Today, Rotorua Boys’ High School is Raukura. The symbol of the three plumes has been officially trademarked since 2008. This means that it belongs exclusively to Rotorua Boys’ High School and it cannot be used or reproduced without the School’s authorization.

THE 1881 ENDOWMENT

The Rotorua College and Grammar School Endowment of 1881, which is now known as the Ngati Whakaue Education Endowment, has a long and very complicated history. The Endowment consists of five blocks of prime commercial real estate in the CBD of Rotorua. Although Ngati Whakaue gave the land for the Endowment under the terms of Rotorua’s founding document, the “Fenton Agreement” of 25 November, 1880, it was actually created by the Government. It was established when the site for the new Town of Rotorua was first surveyed and laid out by the Crown Lands Department in May, 1881. Five blocks of land were designated on the original Town Plan as “Local College and Grammar School Endowments”. They were intended to generate income for a future College and Grammar School in Rotorua. The rents from the lease-holds (Ngati Whakaue retained ownership of the land) established on these five blocks were intended for two beneficiaries, a College and a Grammar School in Rotorua. In the terminology of the 1880s, a ‘College’ implied education at tertiary-level; a ‘Grammar School’ at secondary-level. From 1881 until June, 1914, there was no secondary school in Rotorua to receive the Endowment’s income and a tertiary institute was not established in the city until 1978. From the mid-1880s onward when the first lease-holds on the Endowment were granted, the revenue from them was diverted by the Government to the Auckland Education Board. In the early 1910s the people of Rotorua started asking for a high school to be established and they wanted the Endowment’s revenue returned to Rotorua for its use. Although the School was established in 1914, the Endowment’s revenue was retained by the Auckland Education Board. This prompted inquiry to be made locally about the Endowment’s legal status, which resulted in a long and complex legal battle to get the (by then) valuable revenue from the Endowment returned to Rotorua. In 1926, the Government finally agreed to return the Endowment’s revenue to Rotorua. It also agreed to refund all of the money that had been disbursed by the Auckland Education Board since the mid-1880s. In November, 1926, the Rotorua High School Board of Governors was established to control the Endowment and to govern the Rotorua High School. The Endowment’s accumulated revenue at that time amounted to £11,000 (just over $1 million in modern money) and the bulk of this was used to erect the original part of A Block in 1927. In October, 1995, the Endowment’s original purpose was changed by the Government through legislation to “general education purposes” and it was also vested in a new Endowment Board directly controlled and managed by Ngati Whakaue.

HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL

The Victoria Institute (left) and the Native Land Court, 1918. Rotorua Boys’ High School was originally established as the Secondary Department of the Primer 1 to Form 6 (Years 1 to 12) Rotorua District High School. It was officially opened by the first School Chairman, J.R. Reynolds, on Monday, 8 June, 1914. When the School was first opened, it started its life in one of Rotorua’s most historic and important – though now long forgotten – early buildings, the Victoria Institute on Arawa Street. Pictured above, the Victoria Institute was a Neo-Classical style building. It existed from 1898 until 1962, and it stood next to the Native Land Court on the site of what is now the Family Court wing of the Rotorua Court House building. The Victoria Institute originally housed the town’s local government offices, public library and museum and it had a meeting room available for general usage. It was named the “Victoria Institute” in honour of Queen-Empress Victoria of Great Britain, and it was built to commemorate her Diamond Jubilee of 1897. The School’s twenty-one Foundation Pupils – 11 boys and 10 girls – and their sole teacher, F.W. Greenwood, who was the first secondary teacher to be appointed in Rotorua, commenced their work a few weeks before the start of World War I. They began in what had been the public meeting room at the back of the Victoria Institute. One of the earliest tasks that the pupils were given by Greenwood was to design a symbol to identify the new school. What the pupils developed was the design for the original part – the central shield – of what is now the School Shield, in 1915. By 1923, the School had outgrown its back room at the Victoria Institute. In August, 1924, the School was re-located to the former Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) building on Pukeroa Hill. It stood next to King George V

Hospital on the site of what is now the Rotorua Public Hospital, and the School was housed there until the end of 1926. In 1927, the School moved from the YMCA building into the hospital itself for that year. The YMCA building, which had been built during World War I, was later brought to the Pukuatua Street site, where it continued to be used for classes until it was demolished in 1963. At the end of 1926, the Rotorua High School Board of Governors was established by the Government to control the Rotorua College and Grammar School Endowment and to govern the School when full High School status was effective from the start of 1927. This was when it officially became the Rotorua High School (also known as Rotorua High and Grammar School). The entirely new Rotorua Junior High School for Forms 1 and 2 or Years 7-8 pupils was also established at the same time. Both schools operated under the same principal but with separate staffs. The two schools commenced with a combined roll of 209 pupils. For 1927, the Rotorua High School and the Rotorua Junior High School operated in the Lowry Ward of King George V Hospital while the permanent new school building on Pukuatua Street (A Block) was being built. The Foundation Stone for the permanent Rotorua High School building was laid by the Minister of Education, the Hon. R.A. Wright, at a public ceremony held at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 12 April, 1927. Its construction was funded from the accumulated revenues of the Endowment, which dated back to the mid-1880s. Construction started immediately after the Foundation Stone was laid and it was completed that August. However, the internal fit-out of the building carried on until the first few weeks of 1928. 1927 was a very busy year for our school. Many crucial things happened that year, apart from the construction of the new school building. The first was a public competition held in Rotorua early that year to find a suitable motto for the School. The winning entry for this was “Ad Astra Per Aspera”. It was submitted by Miss C.E. Carter (later Mrs. Gilmore). She had seen this phrase in her father’s Webster’s dictionary, liked it and submitted it to the competition. The School Shield was also completed with the addition of the new Latin Motto in the Motto Scroll beneath the central shield, and Tane Raukura was added on top of it in 1927. These additions to the original 1915 shield created the most defining and iconic symbol of the School today. The original Prefect’s Badge, the original eight Houses and the Annual Athletics and Swimming Sports were also established and first held in 1927. Bronze Sports Medallions bearing the School Shield were first struck and awarded to mark the setting of sports records that year, and the School Colours of red, blue, and gold were also officially adopted in 1927. The first of the

16 impressive Sterling silver (silver mixed with copper) sports cups and trophies were also presented to the School that year by the people of Rotorua. The internal fit-out work for the new school building was finally completed in early 1928. The School was officially re-opened at the Pukuatua Street site by Minister Wright in the afternoon of Thursday, 9 February, 1928. A few months later, the Rotorua High and Grammar School Old Pupils’ Association, Inc., was founded by a very keen group of Old Pupils. It survived for fifty years until 1978. At the end of 1929, the school magazine Raukura Rotorua – The Magazine of the Rotorua High and Grammar School was published to record all of the various events and happenings at the School. The 1929 first edition also recorded some of the events that had happened dating back to 1927, and before that to the District High School. The 1930s were a period of further growth, consolidation and much new development for the School. The start of the decade coincided with the Great Depression of 1930-1935. Fortunately, this did not have too much of an effect on the School thanks to the extra money it received from the Board of Governors from the Endowment. The Old Pupils’ Association established Old Boys’ Ruby and Cricket Clubs, and also an Old Girls’ Basketball (now known as Netball) Club in 1931. The Cricket Club survived until the 1950s, and the Rugby Club until 1997. The Napier Earthquake struck on 3 February, 1931, and it caused a large crack on the front wall of the original A Block. The major events of the 1930s were the merging of the Rotorua Junior High School with the Rotorua High School to become its Intermediate Department in 1934, the addition of a second-storey to A Block in 1938 (the 1931 earthquake crack was fixed at the same time) and the opening of T Block in 1939. One of the School’s real hopes from 1927 onward, was to establish a boarding hostel. This facility would have enabled boys and girls from throughout the Bay of Plenty and beyond to attend the School. A broad strip of railways reserve land adjoining the School’s eastern boundary was acquired for this purpose in 1934, and, in 1939, plans were drawn up for a hostel and a principal’s house on this land. Mitchell also made efforts to establish boarding bursaries to enable Māori pupils from throughout the region to attend the School. However, the hostel plans were disrupted by World War II. The first half of the 1940s was marked with World War II. Over 500 Old Pupils served our country in that war, and the School was extremely proud of the services and contributions that they made. Sixty-two Old Boys and one staff member were killed, and seventeen Old Boys were decorated for their heroic deeds in World War II. The highest decoration, which was awarded twice to an Old Boy, was the Distinguished Service Order.

The War Memorial Hall, which was built in 1959, serves as the School’s War Memorial to our sixty-six men who have lost their lives in war: two in World War I; sixty-three in World War II; and one in the Vietnam War. After the war, the school roll grew very rapidly as a result of the post-war “Baby Boom”. It also had to contend with the poliomyelitis epidemic that swept through New Zealand at the end of the 1940s. By the early 1950s, there were 1,250 pupils attending the School – the highest roll in its history thus far. This was a direct result of the post-war baby boom and it caused serious accommodation problems. Although the original gymnasium and S Block were built in 1952 and 1953, respectively, no new general purpose classrooms were approved by the Government to accommodate this extra growth. By 1955, the School was seriously overcrowded. The Government instead decided that groups of pupils would be separated off to form new schools of their own. The first group of pupils to leave were the Years 7 and 8 Intermediate Department boys and girls to form Rotorua Intermediate School in 1957. The next to go were the girls, who left at the end of 1958. They formed the new Rotorua Girls’ High School in 1959. With their departure, 582 boys remained on the site of the Rotorua High School to form the new Rotorua Boys’ High School in 1959. The 1960s were a decade of rapid social change and of “pushing the boundaries”. The main developments at the School in this decade were the construction of B Block in 1963, the establishment of Form 7 or Year 13 (secondary education had previously stopped at Form 6 or Year 12) by the Department of Education and the introduction of the “Levels System”. This very innovative system, which was considered to be quite a bold change in school management at the time, introduced the groupings of a cross-section of boys drawn from Years 9 through to 13 into separate House Groups. The main idea behind this was that the boys and their teacher in each House Group would remain together throughout their time at the School. The Levels System also greatly changed the organization of the School’s timetable and teaching of the curriculum, but these features of it did not survive the 1960s. The 1970s saw the School play the major role in the development of a tertiary education institute for Rotorua. As the first step towards this in February, 1972, the Technical Institute Division (TID) was opened. This brought together all of the night classes which had been running for adult students at the School since the opening of T Block in 1939. The purpose of the TID was to build up the number of post-secondary students in Rotorua to qualify for the establishment of a full Government-funded tertiary education institution. This was achieved on 1 April, 1978, when the former Waiariki Community College (later re-named Waiariki Polytechnic and then Waiariki Institute of

Technology) was established. It served the Bay of Plenty’s tertiary education needs until 2016 when it was disestablished and merged with the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic at Tauranga to form Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology. On 1 April, 2020, Toi Ohomai became a subsidiary of Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology. The 1980s were a more settled period for the School after the social and educational changes of the 1960s and 1970s. Most of the buildings were refurbished for the first time since they were built, and computer education was introduced with the first “Poly” computers. The major change for the education system in New Zealand came at the end of the decade when the “Tomorrow’s Schools” and “Learning for Life” educational reforms were implemented in 1989. The 1990s were decade of rapid growth and re-development for the School. The re-introduction of Forms 1 and 2 or Years 8 and 9 was considered in the mid- 1990s, but it was not proceeded with. Major new building developments took place at a level not seen since the 1950s. The first hostel boarding facility named “Raukura House” was opened in early 1994 on Pukeroa Hill next to the Hospital. In mid-1994, the hostel moved to the former Department of Labour Māori Apprentices Hostel building on Ranolf Street opposite Kuirau Park and was re- named “Mitchell House”. In early 2001 a separate hostel was established on Malfroy Road and it was named “Malfroy House”. When the two new hostel buildings were built at the School (on the land that had been purchased for this purpose in 1934), the two hostels were merged and re-established as “Tai Mitchell Boarding Hostel” in 2005. The School also expanded into the international student education market during the 1990s, and a major re-discovery – and celebration – of the School’s history and heritage occurred during this decade. The new millennium began with the opening of the Millennium Centre by the Governor-General of New Zealand in 2000. The first major book on the history of the School was published in 2003, and many new innovations based on the traditional boys’ school model with a particular focus on lifting achievement for Māori boys and fully embracing new digital technologies in learning were the major focuses of 2000s and 2010s. This led to Rotorua Boys’ High School being one of New Zealand’s most innovative and leading boys’ schools in terms of its academic, sporting and cultural achievements. In 2019, the School won the Prime Minister’s Excellence in Leading Award and also the Prime Minister’s Supreme Education Excellence Award, in part, for the success of its Tai Mitchell Hostel operation. In 2020, the School was identified as one of the most innovative schools in the world in terms of its use of technology in the classroom. It became the first mainstream State high school in New Zealand to be awarded “Apple Distinguished School” status by the Apple Computing Company in the United

States of America. This three-year accreditation is given to schools recognized by Apple as being leaders in providing educational excellence in learning with technology. This award was made in recognition of the School’s continuous innovation in its learning, teaching, and the school environment. Also in 2020, the “Black Lives Matter” movement provided the School with the impetus to re-name the original Houses for the first time in ninety-three years. Frobisher, Drake, Raleigh and Nelson, which had been the names of the boys’ Houses since 1927, were “retired” and farewelled at the Junior Prize Giving Ceremony held on 8 December, 2020. The new House names: Te Akitu a Raukura; Ngongotahā; Utuhina; and Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe were chosen and they came into effect from the beginning of 2021. Rotorua Boys’ High School is today – as it has always been – “Rotorua’s Plume”. It is proud of its past and confidently looks ahead “To be the outstanding Boys’ High School in New Zealand.”

PRINCIPALS

J.M. Warn Foundation Principal 1914 – 1915

F.D. Wood 1915 – 1919

T.B. Tanner Acting Principal during F.D. Wood’s absence on war service 1916 – 1918

W. Lewins, B.Sc. (London) 1919 – 1925

G. Barber 1926

A.R. Ryder, M.A., B.Sc. (N.Z.) 1927 – 1931

W.G. Harwood, Cert. Tchg., B.A., M.Sc. Hons (N.Z.) 1932 – 1959

N.H. Thornton, E.D., M.A. (N.Z.) 1960 – 1962

E.F. Hamill, E.D., B.A., M.A. (N.Z.) 1963 – 1979

G.R. Cramond, M.A. Hons (Otago), Dip. Ed.St., Dip. Tchg. 1980 – 1991

A.C. Grinter, B.A. Hons. (Victoria), Dip.Tchg. 1991 –

A BLOCK Foundation Stone laid by the Hon. R.A. Wright, Minister of Education, 12 April, 1927 Built April-August, 1927 Officially Opened by the Hon. R.A. Wright, 9 February, 1928 Extended 1929, 1930, 1938, 1952 and 1959

E. La Trobe Hill Architect of A Block

The historic Main Building of the School, known as A Block, is one of the very few remaining historic – and truly iconic – buildings of Rotorua. It was commissioned by the Rotorua High School Board of Governors and was designed by the early Rotorua architect, Edward La Trobe Hill (1887-1966), in November, 1926. The building was erected on Pukuatua Street by Gleany and Clark, builders and contractors of Rotorua, to house the Rotorua High School and also the newly established Rotorua Junior High School. The building’s Foundation Stone was laid by the Minister of Education, the Hon R.A. Wright, on 12 April, 1927. Construction started immediately after the stone was laid, and it was completed in August that year although the internal fit- out of the building carried on until early 1928.

Te Naera Houkotuku, c. 1890

The School was officially re-opened by Minister Wright at the Pukuatua Street site on 9 February, 1928. At that ceremony, Te Naera Houkotuku of Ohinemutu performed an old Māori rite. Standing before the building at the front steps, he drove away through the saying of incantations any evil spirits that may have been

28 lurking in the carved Entrance Hall. He did this so that all who passed through it could do so safely and leave evil behind them. Within a year of its completion, the building was already too small for the School. The South Wing, which originally terminated at classroom A3 in 1927, was extended with two further classrooms (A4 and A5) in 1929. Another classroom, A6, was added in 1930. The rooms beyond that were added in 1952. The most significant changes to the building, however, was the addition of the second-storey over the central block in 1938. This was to have been carried on over both the wings, but World War II disrupted those plans from being carried out. The War Memorial Hall was the last major addition to be made to the building in 1959. The buildings behind A Block were erected in 1994, 1997 and most recently in 2021. A Block’s most distinctive architectural features are its classical entrance portico with its Doric order columns, the architrave and the fanlight window above the Latin School Motto. The building’s original and very distinctive “Marseilles” terra-cotta tile roof was removed in 1967. From 2005-2006, the central part of A Block was earthquake strengthened, re- configured internally and refurbished at a cost of over $1.5 million.

The original A Block at the time of its Official Opening in 1928.

THE ENTRANCE HALL Carved and Decorated between 1927 and 1928

Generations of pupils, staff and visitors to the School have passed through the historic Entrance Hall of A Block. It is a very special place at the heart of the School, and it has a wairua (spirit) all of its own. Like the School Shield, it makes a statement about the School and what we stand for. The Entrance Hall is also the only interior part of A Block that has survived completely intact (only the window above the main doors and the lighting has changed) in terms of its original decorations from its construction and fit-out between mid-1927 and early 1928. The Māori carvings and decorations for the Entrance Hall were Mitchell’s idea. They were commissioned and paid for by the Te Arawa Māori Trust Board (now known as the Te Arawa Lakes Trust) of which Mitchell was the first Board Chairman. He had three main intentions in mind for the decorations: first, that the Māori pupils of the School should always remember that their tipuna (ancestors) gave the land for the establishment of new Town of Rotorua in 1880; second, that it would serve as a permanent tribute to Ngati Whakaue for that generosity; and third, so that the Māori pupils of the School would always be reminded of, be proud of, and inspired by their culture and heritage.

Kowhaiwhai Tukutuku

In terms of the Māori decorations in the Entrance Hall, there are three elements of this: Kowhaiwhai; Tukutuku; and carvings. The Kowhaiwhai patterns (the painted patterns on the ceiling rafters) are of the traditional Mangapore or Hammerhead shark design. The woven latticework or Tukutuku around the walls, which are made of dried kakaho (the steams of toetoe grass) are woven panels and feature the traditional “roimata toroa” or “tears of the albatross” design. The carvings are, in fact, reproductions of very old Māori carvings based on photographs taken of the originals in the early 1900s. They were carved by Pineamine (Pine) Taiapa and his younger brother, Hone (John) Taiapa, M.B.E., Wiremu (Piri) Poutapu and Waka Kereama at the first national Māori Carving School (now part of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, known as Te Puia), which was originally established by the Hon. Sir Apriana Ngata, M.P. for Eastern Māori and Minister of Native Affairs, at Ohinemutu, in 1927. Hone Taiapa went on to become a master carver and was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to traditional carving. He later worked on the carvings and the Roll of Honour panels for the War Memorial Hall in 1959. The Kowhaiwhai, Tukutuku and carvings for the Entrance Hall formed the first commission – and also the apprentices’ first practice carvings – for the newly established national Māori Carving School in 1927, so they are of national significance. The prominent Teko Teko or head-shaped carving at the apex of the Entrance Hall leading into the foyer was, in fact, the inspiration for the depiction of Tane Raukura on the School Shield. In early 1992, the Entrance Hall’s original window above the main doors was replaced with a clear pane of glass emblazoned with the School Shield. The spot lights were also installed. These are the only significant changes that have been made to the Entrance Hall since 1927. At the beginning of 2018 Old Boy Roi Toia’s carving called “Tane Raukura” was moved from his original position at the Millennium Centre and into the Entrance Hall, where he would be more prominently displayed. He was commissioned from Toia by the School’s former Parent-Teachers’ Association, and was their gift to commemorate the opening of the Millennium Centre in 2000. Tane Raukura originally stood there in the stairwell.

SCHOOL BUILDINGS

Introduction

The School has been located at its Pukuatua Street site since the beginning of 1928. Prior to then, it was originally based in the Victoria Institute on Arawa Street. In August, 1924, it re-located to the YMCA building Pukeroa Hill. From there, it moved into the Lowry Ward of King George V Hospital and it remained there until the end of 1927. The history of the Pukuatua Street site can be traced back to 1885. This was when the surveying work for the old railway line that formerly went past the School and carried on in to the Rotorua Railway Station (where the Rotorua Central Mall is now) was being done. The surveyors and builders of the railway line used the then bare site of the School as their camp and they planted the first trees in 1885, most of which are still here today. They are the Douglas firs along the Pukuatua Street boundary and the one tall Douglas fir that stands directly opposite A Block. When the School was officially re-opened at its 25-acre (10.11 hectare) Pukuatua Street on 9 February, 1928, it was actually quite some way out in the country. Across the other side of Old Taupo Road, which was then little more than a dirt track, was farmland and the old Rotorua A&P (Agriculture and Pastoral Association) Show Grounds. The first houses were not built opposite the School until after World War II. Since A Block was built in 1927, a number of buildings have been added around and behind it. The buildings that are located on its northern, eastern and southern-sides have formed a traditional quadrangle in the north-eastern part of the site. We shall now visit each of these buildings.

THE HARWOOD LIBRARY Est. 1922

Built 1979 Officially Dedicated to W.G. and E.W.J. Harwood on 10 October, 1992 Extended 1996 Modified 2016

The first school library was established, with just a handful of books, at the Victoria Institute, in 1922. By the mid-1930s, the library had grown to over 500 hundred books. This was mainly due to the donations of E. Earl Vaile, D.S.O., O.B.E. (1869-1956), a very

32 wealthy Auckland businessman who owned and developed the 53,000-acre Broadlands Estate at Reporoa. When the second-storey was added to A Block in 1938, the largest room in the centre of it (now the staff room) was originally the library and Vaile officially opened it. With only a few exceptions, which are now kept in the School Archives, most of Vaile’s books were presented by the School to the Rotorua Public Library in 1961. In 1979, the original block of the present-day library building was built on part of what were some of the best grass tennis courts in Rotorua. It was extended with two classrooms on the eastern-side in 1996, and the main library was modified internally when the central office area was reduced in size in 2016. On 10 October, 1992, the library building was officially named the “Harwood Library” in honour of the School’s seventh principal, W.G. Harwood, and his wife, Mrs. E.W.J. Harwood, M.B.E., a teacher at the School from 1932-1977. Photographs of them at the times of their graduations were later presented to the School by their daughter, Old Girl Mrs. J.M. Smale, and they are now displayed in the library’s foyer. Behind the Harwood Library is the Golf Driving Range. It was opened on 24 April, 2002, by Sam Hunt, a former Head Prefect and World Secondary Schools’ Golf Champion from 2000-2001.

GYMNASIA BLOCK Built 1952 Officially Opened by D.M. Rae, M.P. for Rotorua, 26 September, 1952 Extended 1970 and 1996 Modified 1986

Opposite the Harwood Library is the Gymnasia block. It consists of the original gymnasium (now the Weights Training Centre), which was designed by La Trobe Hill and was built in 1952. The large gymnasium was added onto it in 1970, and the mezzanine between the large and small gyms was built in 1986. The classroom in front of the two gyms was built in 1996.

B BLOCK Built 1963 Re-developed 1994 and 2007

The two-storey, H-shaped “Nelson Block” next to the gymnasia is known as B Block. It is a multi-purpose classroom block, and it was built in 1963. On 1 August, 1994, a fire – the only major fire in the School’s history – gutted the rear part of the south-eastern side of the block facing C Block. Fortunately, a

33 policeman on his way to work early that morning saw the fire and alerted the Fire Service. They were able to get to the School very quickly and prevented the fire from spreading throughout the rest of the block. B Block was extended with a new frontage, modernized and completely upgraded in 2007. T BLOCK Built 1938-1939 Officially Opened by the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, Minister of Education, 24 February, 1939 Extended 1960s Extended and Refurbished 1988 Re-developed 2002

The Technical Block, known a T Block, was La Trobe Hill’s second major building on the Pukuatua Street site after A Block. Construction commenced on 2 November, 1938. The building was officially opened by the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, Minister of Education (later Prime Minister), on 24 February, 1939. Unlike the Foundation Stone for A Block, which was laid before its construction started, T Block’s Foundation Stone was unveiled by the Minister when the building was officially opened. T Block was designed and built to accommodate the School’s engineering, woodwork, home science and adult student night classes. It was fitted-out with the latest technical and engineering equipment imported from Great Britain, and some of that equipment is still in use there today. The building originally had two large workshops: one for woodwork, and one metalwork for the boys; and two rooms of equal size for cookery and arts and crafts for the girls. The building was extended on its north and south sides in the 1960s. It was completely refurbished, modernized and extended again in 1988. That was also when its original Doric columned entrance portico was removed to create a spray painting booth. T Block was extensively upgraded and again extended in 2002. At that time, the original main entrance was again re-opened. However, the Doric columns were not restored.

C BLOCK Built 1971 Extended 1985 Refurbished 2010

Behind T Block and next to B Block is C Block. Like its “big brother” B Block, C Block is a multi-purpose classroom block and it was built in 1971. It was originally called the “Half-Nelson Block”, being the slightly more modern single-storey version of the two-storey Nelson Block. C Block was extended in 1985, and it was fully refurbished in 2010. The Tuck Shop was built next to it, where a pottery firing kiln originally stood, in 2003.

THE BARN Built 1975

Behind C Block there is an interesting building in the School’s and also Rotorua’s history. To look at it you would probably wonder why! This barn-like building, which now houses the Grounds and Maintenance Department, was one of three identical such buildings at the School. All three of them were the first purpose-built buildings in Rotorua erected for tertiary education. They were built, in 1975, to accommodate the TID – the ancestral forerunner of the former Waiariki Institute of Technology (1978-2016). Two of the three barns served as the TID’s engineering workshops for apprentice mechanics and engineers, and the other one (now M Block) was the carpentry workshop for apprentice carpenters. The two engineering workshops originally stood on what is now the site of the staff car park on Pukuatua Street. They were transferred to the Mokoia Drive campus of Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology in 1978. They are still in use there, as engineering workshops, today.

S BLOCK Built 1953 Officially Opened by the Hon. Sir R.M. Algie, Minister of Education, 30 April, 1954 Refurbished 1984 Extended 1997

The original Science Block, known as S Block, was designed by La Trobe Hill. It forms the third side of the quadrangle, and it was purpose built to accommodate the Science Faculty. It was officially opened by the Minister of Education, the

Hon. Sir Ronald Algie, on 30 April, 1954. Sir Ronald, who later became Speaker of the House of Representatives, was one of the younger brothers of the School’s first Deputy Principal, Colvin Algie, who was killed in World War I and is listed on our Roll of Honour. S Block was fully upgraded and refurbished in 1984, and two additional classrooms were added to it in 1997. The Science Faculty will move to a new Science Block which is to be erected on the site of the former Jubilee Quad in 2021. S. Block will then be refurbished for use as class rooms.

TE WHARE-O-RAUKURA Built 1979 Officially Opened as the Golden Jubilee Cafeteria by E.F. Hamill, 20 March, 1980 Re-developed and Officially Re-Opened as Te Whare-O-Raukura, 4 March, 1994

In front of the Millennium Centre and opposite the South Wing of A Block is the School’s wharenui, “Te Whare-O-Raukura.” The second-storey Lockwood part of this building was originally built in 1979. It was paid for and gifted to the School by the former Rotorua High School Old Pupils’ Association, Inc., to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the School’s attainment of full high school status in 1927. This Lockwood building originally served as a cafeteria. This part of the building was raised and re-developed as Te Whare-O-Raukura and new ground-level rooms were built beneath it in 1994. The re-developed building was officially re-opened on 4 March, 1994. At that occasion, Old Girl Mrs. M.A. Bird, Q.S.M. (1917-2001), who was the last surviving child of Mitchell, cut the ribbon across the threshold.

THE MILLENNIUM CENTRE Built 2000 Officially Opened by the Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Hardie Boys, Governor-General of New Zealand, 28 October, 2000

Behind Te Whare-O-Raukura is the Millennium Centre. The planning for this major building commenced in the mid-1990s, and most of the funds for its construction were raised by Old Pupils with additional grants made towards it by the Ministry of Education and the Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust.

The Millennium Centre was officially opened by the Governor-General of New Zealand, the Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Hardie Boys, a former Judge of the Court of Appeal, on 28 October, 2000, to mark the new millennium. The building originally contained a number of classrooms, offices, a cricket projectile hall (now used for other purposes), a self-contained flat, the Colman Theatre for performances, sports changing and washing facilities, a commercial kitchen to cater for school and other public functions and also the Tai Mitchell Boarding Hostel, and a large cafeteria on the western-side with an outdoor deck opening off it. The cafeteria part occupies the whole western-side of the second storey and features floor-to-ceiling windows which give superb views over the playing fields and the surrounding landscape. A special feature of the carpets in the Millennium Centre is the Raukura symbol woven into its design. The building’s roof was replaced in 2021.

TAI MITCHELL BOARDING HOSTEL Hostel Boarding Est. 1994

Hostels Built and Officially Opened 2005 Hostels Named Tūtauru and Hahauterangi 2020

The Tai Mitchell Boarding Hostel adjacent to the south entrance was officially opened on 19 August, 2005. The hostel block that is closest to C Block was opened by Whakarato Waetford, who was the eldest granddaughter of Mitchell; the second block was opened by Old Girl and former staff member, Mrs. D.M. Moore, in honour of her (then) 39 years’ teaching service. The hostel blocks stand on the strip of land that was originally purchased, at Mitchell’s suggestion, by the Board of Governors for a boarding hostel in 1934. It had been the School’s intention from 1927 onward to establish a boarding hostel, and plans were drawn up to this effect by La Trobe Hill in 1939. However, it would not be for another 55 years that a boarding hostel for the School would be established. Hostel boarding at Rotorua Boys’ High School officially began in early 1994 when the School’s first boarding hostel, “Raukura House”, was opened in the old Nurses’ Home (it was demolished in the early 2000s) located next to the Hospital on the eastern-side of Pukeroa Hill. Raukura House’s time there was, however, only to be a short one. A few months later, the hostel was re-located to the former Department of Labour Māori Apprentices Hostel located on the western-side of Pukeroa Hill on Ranolf Street opposite Kuirau Park. It was refurbished and officially opened on

1 July, 1994, as “Mitchell House” in honour of Mitchell’s early efforts to establish a boarding hostel for the School. In 2001, a second hostel was established next to Malfroy Primary School on Malfroy Road and it was named “Malfroy House”. Mitchell House and Malfroy House were merged to form the present-day Tai Mitchell Boarding Hostel in 2005. This was when the two hostel blocks were erected at the School on the land that had been purchased for this purpose in 1934. In mid-2020, the two hostels, which had until then been known as the “North” and “South” Hostels, were given their own names. The North Hostel was named Tūtauru; the South Hostel Hahauterangi. These are the names of the adzes (an ancient tool similar to an axe) used to construct the Te Arawa canoe that brought Te Arawa from their homeland at Hawaiki on their long journey to Aotearoa New Zealand.

SCHOOL TRADITIONS

THE HEAD PREFECT AND PREFECTS Head Prefect Est. 1914 Prefects Est. 1927

The first Head Prefect of the School, Cecil H. Goodson, who was the only Old Boy to be killed in World War I, was appointed to that role on the day of the School’s official opening on 8 June, 1914. Originally called “Class Monitor”, the title of this position was changed to Head Boy and Head Girl Prefect in 1927. The first Prefects were not appointed until 1927. No Head Prefects – Boy or Girl – were appointed from 1937-1959. During these years Harwood preferred to rotate the Head Prefect positions amongst the Prefects so that they could each have a turn at being the Head Boy or Head Girl for a week during their last year at school.

The original 1927 Prefect’s Badge (left) and a 1990s version.

The updated Prefect’s Badge, 2018.

The unique, very distinctive, and certainly very handsome Prefect’s Badge, which denotes the office of Prefect (the Head Prefect wears the same badge) at Rotorua Boys’ High School was first introduced and worn in 1927. It remained unchanged for the next ninety-one years! In 2018, it was decided to significantly update and also modify the Prefect’s Badge. The School’s name on the badge was updated, Tane Raukura was inserted atop at his customary place atop the School Shield, the word Raukura replaced the date on the badge, and two plumes were added where the two stars had formerly been. The duties of the Head Prefect and Prefects of the School have not changed since 1914 and 1927, respectively. Their duties are: to represent the School in Rotorua and nationally, lead their fellow boys; maintain discipline, standards, conduct, and loyalty to the School; to set examples in their personal conduct and behaviour; and, most importantly of all, to serve as good, strong, and responsible role models for the younger boys. Photographs of all Head Prefects from 1914-1936, and then from 1960 onward are displayed in the north corridor of A Block.

THE HOUSES Est. 1927 Re-Named 2020 (Effective from 2021)

The House Captains, 1936.

In 1927, the Houses were established to promote and foster good-natured competition and rivalry amongst the boys in education and sport. There were originally eight Houses: four for the boys; and four for the girls. The boys’ Houses were first named after Vice-Admiral Sir Martin Frobisher (1535-1594), Vice-Admiral Sir Francis Drake (c.1543-1596), Sir Walter Raleigh (c.1552-1618) and Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, the First Viscount Nelson (1785-1805). The former girls’ Houses were named after the battles of Blenheim (1704), Crėcy (1346), Agincourt (1415) and Trafalgar (1805). In 2013, copies of the portraits of Frobisher, Drake, Raleigh and Nelson held in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London were obtained and hung in pride of place on the main staircase of A Block. This was the first time that portraits of these men were displayed at the School. Since their establishment, the Houses have been led by a House Captain. Each House has a House Flag in its own House Colours. Frobisher’s colour was yellow; Drake’s was red; Nelson’s was blue; and Raleigh’s was green, and these colours have carried on with the new Houses. In 2016, the House Flag of the House with the most points on an event-by- event basis during the year started to be flown from the flagpole on the roof the Gymnasia Block’s front classroom.

The “Black Lives Matter” movement of 2020 provided the School with the opportunity to re-name the Houses for the first time in ninety-three years. It was also felt that the names of the Houses could be made more meaningful and relevant for the boys of today. The decision was therefore made to re-name the Houses and this was officially announced at the Senior Prize Giving Ceremony held on 12 November, 2020. The original House names were “retired” by the School through whakamoea (meaning “put to sleep”) and karakia (prayers) said at the Junior Prize Giving Ceremony held in the War Memorial Hall on 8 December, 2020. On this occasion, the old House Flags were presented to the School Archivist and Historian for preservation in the School Archives and the new House Flags were paraded into the Hall by the 2020 House Captains. They presented the new House Flags to the incoming House Captains for 2021. The new House names, which came into effect from the start of 2021, and their colours are:

Te Akitu a Raukura – Yellow

Ngongotahā – Red

Utuhina – Green

Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe – Blue

-Insert the new House graphics here-

THE HOUSE PORTRAITS First Displayed 2013

Vice-Admiral Sir Martin Frobisher 1535 – 1594

Namesake of Frobisher House 1927 – 2020

Vice-Admiral Sir Francis Drake c. 1543 – 1596

Namesake of Drake House 1927 – 2020

Sir Walter Raleigh c. 1552 – 1618

Namesake of Raleigh House 1927 – 2020

Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, the First Viscount Nelson 1785 – 1805

Namesake of Nelson House 1927 – 2020

ANNUAL ATHLETIC AND SWIMMING SPORTS Est. 1927

Athletic Sports, 1930. The first Swimming Sports was held off a pier at the Lake Front on 2 March, 1927. The first Athletic Sports was held later that same year on 9 November on the original playing fields next to King George V Hospital on Pukeroa Hill. When the Art Deco-style Blue Baths building in the Government Gardens was opened in 1932, the Swimming Sports were held there. When the school’s own former geothermal swimming pool was opened in 1954, the Swimming Sports were held there. When that became too small for them in the early 1990s, the Swimming Sports were moved to the Aquatic Centre. They have been held there each year since then. The Athletics Sports have been held at the Pukuatua Street site of the School since we moved here in 1928. Commencing with the first two Sports Days held in 1927 and up to the mid- 1990s, impressive bronze Sports Medallions (see the section on these below) were awarded to the winning athletes in each of the various sports categories. The Sports Medallion originally featured the School Shield on the obverse (the front side), and the traditional victor’s laurel leaves on the reverse side. A space was left vacant in the centre of the reverse side of the medallion for the record-setter’s name and the record set to be engraved in. An impressive collection of cups and trophies has been presented to the School since 1914. These serve as the prizes in the Swimming and Athletic Sports’ Junior, Intermediate and Senior Championship categories. The original boys’ cups are displayed in the trophy cabinet in the foyer of A Block. The original girls’ cups and trophies are now at Rotorua Girls’ High School, where they continue to be used.

ANZAC ASSEMBLY Est. 1916

ANZAC Assembly, 1944.

The School commemorates ANZAC Day each year with an ANZAC Assembly. At this assembly we remember and honour the sixty-six men who are listed on the two Roll of Honour panels flanking the stage. As the original High School for Rotorua, Rotorua Boys’ High School is the only secondary school in the city that has Old Boys and former staff members who were killed in the two World Wars. The School is also represented by the Head Prefect and Prefects at the annual Rotorua ANZAC Day Service held on 25 April. On that occasion, they lay a wreath in honour of our own men and also for all of the men who are listed on Rotorua’s Roll of Honour. The first ANZAC Assembly to be held at the School and in Rotorua took place in 1916. That was the first year after the soldiers of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps landed at Gallipoli in Turkey on the morning of 25 April, 1915. During World War II, ANZAC Assemblies were held at the School in the quadrangle. These wartime assemblies included four Cadet Battalion boys standing as a guard of honour with their heads bowed and rifles reversed, and a march-past of the temporary Roll of Honour by all of the pupils, who were grouped into their Houses, and led by the eight House Captains holding their House Flag out in front of them as they all proudly marched past the Roll of Honour. As they did so, the House Captains dipped their flags as a mark of respect for the School’s fallen men. Since 1960, ANZAC Assemblies have been held in the War Memorial Hall. Commencing from 2014 an address on one of the men listed on the Roll of Honour is given by the School Archivist and Historian each year. Wreathes are then laid by the four House Captains below the Roll of Honour panels after which the names of the sixty-six men on the Roll of Honour are read out.

THE SCHOOL MAGAZINE – RAUKURA ROTORUA Founded 1929

The first edition of Raukura Rotorua, 1929.

Every year since 1929 the School has published its own in-house magazine or year-book Raukura Rotorua – The Magazine of the Rotorua Boys’ High School which is its full title. The magazine records all of the various events, happenings and activities which have taken place throughout the year and it includes a selection of photographs, artwork and original stories by the boys. Raukura Rotorua is now the oldest continuously produced publication in Rotorua. It forms a valuable historical record, not only for the School but also for the boys in the years ahead long after they have left. From 1929 until 1980, the magazine was published in a fixed format and in a formal literary style. During World War II, it was published in abridged (shortened) editions with only a few photographs due to the shortage of paper. Today, it is a colourful magazine-style publication full of photographs. The name for the magazine was chosen by Mitchell. It refers to the School being “Raukura Rotorua” – the “Pride of Rotorua” – “Rotorua’s Plume.”

THE RUGBY FIRST XV First played 1914

First XV, 1928.

Rugby has occupied a central and important role in the life and times of the School since its establishment in 1914. Ten Old Boys have been selected to the national rugby team, the New Zealand All Blacks. Fourteen Old Boys have been selected as Māori All Blacks, and two as All Black Rugby Sevens. There have also been numerous Old Boy rugby representatives at the provincial-level, three Old Boys have played for other countries’ national rugby teams and the School’s eighth principal, N.H. Thornton, was an All Black. The former Rotorua High School Old Boys’ Ruby Club, Inc. (1933-1997) also had two of its members selected to play for the All Blacks. Although they were not Old Boys, we can also claim them as having played for our school’s former Old Boys’ Rugby Club. Rugby was first played at the School on the day of its official opening on 8 June, 1914. The first game took place on the two vacant sections next to the Victoria Institute, which are now occupied by the Rotorua Public Library building and Jean Batten Square. Rugby was also the first game to be played at the first

50 inter-school sports fixture with the Secondary Department of Tauranga District High School (now Tauranga Boys’ College) held in Rotorua in April, 1915. It was not until 1927, however, that the first official First XV team was formed. That was also the year in which a woollen jersey in the School Colours of red, blue and gold was worn by the First XV members. The First XV also began the first of their annual rugby fixtures against other high schools in 1927. Their first fixture was with Takapuna Grammar School, which is located on the North Shore in Auckland. That first game was played in Rotorua at Arawa Park and it was won by the School 42-3. Regular games were also played from 1927 onward with: Hamilton High School (now Hamilton Boys’ High School); Morrinsville District High School (now Morrinsville College); Auckland Grammar School; King’s College; and Te Aute College in the Hawke’s Bay. When the “Super Eight” rugby association of boys’ high schools was founded by A.C. Grinter in 1997, the First XV began playing annually with the other member schools: Hamilton Boys’ High School; Gisborne Boys’ High School; Napier Boys’ High School; New Plymouth Boys’ High School; Hastings Boys’ High School; Palmerston North Boys’ High School; and Tauranga Boys’ College. The first overseas tour made by the First XV was to New South Wales and Queensland in Australia in 1962. Each game they played on that tour was won by the First XV. Since then, the First XV have played in Argentina, France and Italy. In 1998, the First XV won, for the first time – jointly with Otago Boys’ High School in Dunedin – the National Secondary Schools’ Rugby Championship title. The School won this title for the second time, again jointly but on that occasion with Napier Boys’ High School, in 2002. In 2003, the School finally won this title in its own right. The First XV also won that year the prestigious Moascar Cup for the first time. The Moascar Cup, which is a sliver cup mounted on a World War I bi-plane propeller blade, dates from 1904. It has been played for by New Zealand high schools since 1920, and it is considered to be the equivalent of the Ranfurly Shield for secondary school boys’ rugby. The First XV were the National Secondary Schools’ Rugby Champions again in 2015, and they also won the Moarscar Cup again for the second time that year as well. They again won the National Secondary Schools’ Rugby Championship title for the fourth time in 2020. As a result of being the National Secondary Schools’ Rugby Champions in 2003, the First XV gained automatic entry to the Sanix World Under-18 Secondary Schools’ Rugby Championship held in Japan that year. The School was the first New Zealand high school to win that championship.

Old Boy All Blacks

1938 T. Berghan 1949 N. Black 1966 P. Scott 1971 A. McNaughton 1981 A. Stone 2004 C. Newby 2008 L. Messam 2009 T. Donnelly 2009 M. Delany 2018 T. Tahuriorangi

Old Boy Māori All Blacks

1938 H. Steele 1954 P. Tapsell (Vice-Captain) 1954 R. Keepa 1954 J. Wilson 1964 D. Mohi 1966 J. Aratema 1969 A. James 1989 R. Stone 1991 D. Stone 2006 L. Messam 2010 R. Tipuna 2010 W. Ripia 2017 T. Tahuriorangi 2020 K. Trask

Rotorua High School Old Boys’ Rugby Club, Inc. All Blacks

1955 W. Gray 1960 E. Anderson

All Blacks Principal

1947 N.H. Thornton

PRIZE GIVING Est. 1928

The first official Prize Giving Ceremony was held at the Lyric Theatre in Rotorua in the evening of 13 December, 1928. This was also the first occasion at which the Principal delivered his Annual Report and the boys’ and girls’ sports cups and trophies were first presented to their respective winners. In 1927, a “Complimentary Dinner” had been held in place of a Prize Giving Ceremony. It took place on 9 December that year, and it was held at The Mansions Hotel to honour the First XV and Cricket First XI, the Sports Champions and the Form (Year) Prize Winners. Two Prize Giving ceremonies are now held each year. The Senior Prize Giving Ceremony for Years 11-13 boys takes place at the beginning of November before the end-of-year external examinations commence, and the Junior Prize Giving Ceremony is held for Years 9-10 boys and takes place on the last day of school in December. Both ceremonies are held in the War Memorial Hall. At the Prize Givings, boys are acknowledged and awarded for their academic, sporting, cultural achievements and other successes achieved and contributions made during the year. The School’s four premier awards are Dux (Top Scholar) of the School, Dux Ludorum (Top Sportsman), the Evans Memorial Trophy for General Excellence and the Barnett Award for Head Prefect. All of these awards are made at the Senior Prize Giving. The sports and other cups and trophies are also formally awarded at the two Prize Givings. Up until the mid-1990s, these awards were able to be taken home by their winners and kept there for the following year. They are now presented at the Prize Givings, are retained by their winners for the duration of the ceremony and then immediately handed back at the end of the ceremonies. A number of the School’s cups and trophies have been presented as memorials to people, so they are of special significance.

SCHOOL PRODUCTIONS Est. 1928

A scene from the 2014 School Production of “Aida”.

A highlight of most years since 1928 has been the staging of the annual School Production. The first School Production was staged at the King’s Theatre in Rotorua in the evening of Friday, 7 December, 1928. It was originally called the “Annual Concert in Aid of the School Sports and Prize Fund.” From 1928 until 1939, School Productions were staged at either the Lyric Theatre, the King’s Theatre, or at the Majestic Theatre (all long since demolished). From 1940 until 1959, they were staged at the Regent Theatre (now known as the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre) and from 1960 until the early 2000s they were staged in the War Memorial Hall. School Productions then moved back to the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre until it was closed in early 2017. School Productions have since 2018 been staged in the War Memorial Hall. During the World War II and for the immediate post-war years, it was not felt appropriate to spend money on lavish School Productions. New Zealand was at war, resources were limited, and most goods and products were reserved for the war effort. After the war, the returned servicemen and the country were getting back to normal life again. In place of the School Production during this period a “Patriotic Fair” was held instead. For the Patriotic Fairs, vegetables grown in the School’s own vegetable garden (it was located on the site now occupied by the basketball court on the eastern-

54 side of B Block) were sold. The pupils’ school-grown vegetables were supplemented with those from the staff and parents grown in their gardens at home. Home-made preserves, jams, cakes, sweets, and woodwork and metalwork items made by the boys in T Block were also sold. All of the funds raised from the Patriotic Fairs was sent to the Government as part of the School’s contribution to the war effort. Since 1960, the School has combined with Rotorua Girls’ High School to produce the School Production held in alternate years at each school.

School Productions since 1928

1928 Station YYY 1929 A Christmas Carol 1930 The Merchant of Venice 1931 The Lost Wing 1932 Mrs. Nickleby’s Garden 1933 H.M.S. Pinafore 1934 The Pirates of Penzance 1935 Trial by Jury 1936 Princess Ju – The Emperor’s Daughter 1937 The Nautical Knot 1938 A Kiss for Cinderella 1939 Will Tell

1940-1947 Patriotic Fairs held in place of a Production

1956 Macbeth 1957 Three One-Act Items 1958 Very Extravaganza! 1960 The Toxic Toxicologist 1961 Hiss The Villain 1962 H.M.S. Pinafore 1963 The Ghost Train 1964 Mikado 1965 The Gondoliers 1966 Life with Father 1967 The Boyfriend 1968 The Pirates of Penzance 1970 Yeoman of the Guard 1971 No, No Nanette

1972 H.M.S. Pinafore 1973 Summer Song 1974 Rudigore 1977 The Way of the Lord 1978 Vampirella 1981 A Man for All Seasons 1984 Stiff Luck for the Undertaker 1985 Dracula Spectacular 1986 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum 1987 Bugsy Malone 1988 Oliver 1989 One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest 1990 The Pirates of Penzance 1991 Hurricane Smith 1992 Little Shop of Horrors 1993 Grease 1994 Savages 1995 Big River 1996 Annie 1998 Fiddler on the Roof 1999 The King and I 2000 Jesus Christ Superstar 2001 The Boyfriend 2002 West Side Story 2003 Hunchback of Nostradamus 2004 Footloose 2005 Mystery of Edwin Drood 2007 Fame: The Musical 2008 Showboat Aotearoa: The Musical 2009 Grease 2010 The Wedding Singer 2011 Jesus Christ Super Star 2013 Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story 2014 Aida 2016 The Wiz 2017 Hairspray 2018 Footloose 2019 A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2020 Saturday Night Fever

SCHOOL COLOURS Est. 1927 SCHOOL COLOURS AWARD AND SCHOOL HONOURS Est. 1965 and 1984

The School Colours of red, blue and gold were chosen in 1927. The red and blue of these were first worn on the original Rugby First XV jersey, and all of the School Colours were first worn on the Rotorua High School Old Pupils’ Association Member’s Blazer of 1928. The School Colours Award were first introduced in 1965, and they are originally awarded for sports achievements. In the 1990s, this award was broadened to also recognize achievements made in the leadership and cultural fields. School Honours were introduced, as an additional and higher-level to the School Colours Award, in 1984.

TE ROPU O RAUKURA Founded as the Raukura Māori Club 1954

The National Secondary Schools’ Kapa Haka Champions, 2017.

Amazing as this now seems, but up until 1954 the only association of the word Raukura with the School was with the name of the school magazine Raukura Rotorua. This changed when the Raukura Māori Club (now known as Te Ropu O Raukura) was established in 1954. This club was developed so that the Māori boys and girls of the School could get together, learn and practice their traditional arts. Non-Māori pupils were also originally able to join it as well. When the Rotorua High School was divided into separate Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools at the end of 1958, the Raukura Māori Club continued on jointly between the two new schools. The Raukura Māori Club was re-named Te Ropu O Raukura in the early 2000s. Te Ropu O Raukura were the National New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Kapa Haka Champions in 2017, and then again in 2018.

THE YEAR NINE PŌWHIRI Est. 2000s

At the beginning of each year, the new Year 9 boys and their families or supporters along with new staff members are formally welcomed to the School with a traditional Māori pōwhiri. This ceremony, which was originally held in the quadrangle until 2017, takes place on the rugby field behind the A Block. On their first morning at the School, all Year 9 boys gather with their families or supporters in the large gymnasium. They are greeted there by the Year 9 Dean and one of the Deputy Principals. From there, they are then led out onto the main drive where they are joined by the new staff members. All then walk together past the Harwood Library and down along to end of A Block, where they, as the manuhiri (visitors), gather. A wero (challenge) is made by one of the senior Māori boys. After that, the karanga (welcome calls) are made first by the tangata whenua (the people of the land) and replied to by the manuhiri before they are seated. The manuhiri sits opposite the tangata whenua and face to the south; the tangata whenua, the Principal, and members of the staff face to the north. The current boys of the School are all seated on the grandstand in between the manuhiri and the tangata whenua. Whaikorero (speeches), in Māori, are then made by both sides, after which the Principal speaks and formally welcomes the new boys, their parents, supporters and the new staff members to the School. The new boys and staff members are now considered to be officially recognized as tangata whenua at Raukura. The Head Prefect then delivers his inaugural speech for the year after which the manuhiri and tangata whenua come together and hongi (press noses). At the conclusion of the pōwhiri, the families or supporters of the new boys and the new staff members join the Principal and senior staff for refreshments in the Millennium Centre.

SCHOOL CAMPS

From the 1960s onward, school camps have been held at various locations around the Bay of Plenty and beyond for educational, nature conversation, leadership training, social and recreational purposes. Since 1984, specific camps have been developed to assist boys to get to know each other when they first arrive at the School and for the senior boys preparing for their roles, such as Head Prefect, Prefect, House Captain and other leadership positions in their final year of school. They all spend time together and prepare for the New Year and their responsibilities ahead. School Camps are now held for all year levels – a feature of our school.

THE YEAR 9 “TANE RAUKURA” CAMP Est. 2000s

This three-day camp is held at the Lake Okataina Educational Centre. It is held for all new boys, and it prepares them for their time ahead at the School. It was first developed in the early 2000s and all new boys are expected to attend it. At this camp, the boys learn all about the history and traditions of the School, they get to know each other and do all sorts of fun physical and other activities together. Presentations are also given by various members of the staff, the Prefects and others to enable the new boys to learn how the School operates, what is expected of them in terms of their behaviour and conduct towards each other, to the School and to provide them with motivation and support.

THE YEAR 13 “TE WERO” LEADERSHIP CAMP Est. 1984

This senior leadership camp held over two days for boys who are in their final year at school and it is called “Te Wero” (the challenge). It is held so that the senior boys can get know each other better and also spend time together in an informal setting. At this camp, they undertake various physical and team building activities, chill out and prepare for the leadership roles they will fulfil in the year ahead. A prominent Old Boy or other guest is usually invited to speak and motivate the boys. If the guest speaker is an Old Boy, he will share his memories of his own time at the School and will also tell the boys about his subsequent life and career after leaving school.

CELEBRATION OF SUCCESS AND THE SCHOLAR’S BLAZER

CELEBRATION OF SUCCESS Est. 2007

The first Celebration of Success evening was held on 17 April, 2007. Held annually in the War Memorial Hall, it is all about celebrating and recognizing the leadership and outstanding academic, sporting, cultural and other achievements and success made by the boys. At this ceremony, senior boys who have been appointed to leadership positions, such as Head Prefect, Prefects, House Captains and to other roles are introduced. They are acknowledged for the important roles and duties that they will hold and carry out during the year.

THE SCHOLAR’S BLAZER Est. 2012

At the 2012 Celebration of Success, the Scholar’s Blazer was introduced and awarded to its first ten recipients. The Scholar’s Blazer especially recognizes the School’s top academic achievers in Years 11-13. It is awarded annually, and it is physically placed onto each recipient by either the Principal or an invited guest. The design of this blazer is based on the original Rotorua High School Old Pupils’ Association’s Member’s Blazer. That blazer was worn by its members from 1928 until the Association’s demise in 1978. The criteria for the award of the Scholar’s Blazer are as follows:

1. The Dux (Top Scholar) of Year 11 plus any Year 11 boy who gets an A or A* in the Cambridge examinations. 2. The Dux of Year 12 plus any boy who gets Excellence in NCEA Level 2 or an A or A* in Cambridge examinations.

SCHOOL MEMORIALS

THE WAR MEMORIAL ASSEMBLY HALL Built 1959 Roll of Honour Unveiled by Major-General R.B. Dawson, 28 February, 1960 Dedicated and Officially Opened by Lieutenant-General Sir L.W. Thornton, 3 December, 1960 The War Dead Portraits and the War Decorations Honours Board Unveiled and Dedicated, 16 April, 2013

The War Memorial Hall is the School’s War Memorial to the sixty-six men who are listed on the Roll of Honour. Along with the Fred Wylie Memorial (for the Second South African or Boer War of 1899-1902), the Cenotaph and the Arawa Soldiers’ War Memorial (both for World War I), which are all located in the Government Gardens, and the

World War II Memorial Gates at the entrance to the Lake Front, the School’s War Memorial is one of Rotorua’s principal war memorials and it is also the city’s largest built War Memorial. The two Roll of Honour panels flanking the stage; the War Dead Portraits displayed down both sides of each Roll of Honour panel; the Māori carvings surrounding the entrance doors in the foyer, which depict the warrior-chief Rangitihi and his eight children – the eight “beating hearts of Te Arawa”; and the carvings surrounding the stage are the Hall’s memorial features. The Roll of Honour panels, which are made of Totara, were the first of the memorial features to be completed and installed in the Hall. They were officially unveiled and dedicated at a special ceremony held for this purpose on 28 February, 1960. The School’s most highly decorated Old Boy in World War II, Major-General R.B. Dawson, C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O. & Bar, who, at that time held the rank of Brigadier, unveiled the Roll of Honour panels. The War Memorial Hall was officially opened on 3 December, 1960, by Lieutenant-General Sir Leonard Thornton, who was then Major-General and Chief of the Army. He was later promoted to Lieutenant-General and knighted when he became the Chief of Defence Force. The War Dead Portraits were the last of the memorial features originally envisaged for the Hall. They were unveiled by Old Boy Major Chris Gray at the ANZAC Assembly held on 16 April, 2013. On that occasion, the War Decorations Honours Board was unveiled by Old Boy J.H. Stafford, D.F.C. He was at that time the School’s last surviving decorated War Hero and World War II veteran. The Latin phrases inscribed at the top and the bottom of the Roll of Honour panels translate as follows:

Pro – For

Patria – Our Country

Non – Not

Omnis – Wholly

Moriar – Dead

THE ROLL OF HONOUR PRO PATRIA

World War I 1914 – 1918

Algie, C.S. Goodson, C.H.

World War II 1939 – 1945

Allen, K.R. Hinton N.L. Atkinson, D.K. Hulton, F. Balzer, O.K. Humphrey, J.F. Berghan,T. Ingram, J.H. Booklass, J.G. Keane, D. Brooker, R.S. Kingi, N. Brown, A.A. Leonard, E.W. Campbell, R.R. Lodge, T. Castleton, R.S. Maloney, L. Chapple, P. Martin, W. Clubb, F., M.C. Mason, R.T.K. Cottrell, F.R. Mikaere, W. Dansey, J.E. Mohi, J.R. Donaldson, O. Munro, P.S. Douglas, A.V. Naera, T.T. Douglas, H.E. Neilson, K.M. Douglas J. Parkinson, M.G.F. Douglas, W.J. Purnell, S.A. Ehau, H.T.R. Robinson, B.C. Evans, W.H. Rogers, E. Ewert, R.L. Rogers, J. Farren, P.J. Rogers, P.P. Fitzgerald, W.V. Rogers, R.T.V. French, T.H. Shooter, K. Galbraith, K.D. Skinner, M.H. Griffiths, G.N.R. Smith, B.D.B. Hall, C.J.T.A.W. Sumner, J.H Hall, G.T.A. Tahuiriorangi, R.K. Hayden, W.E.G. Tapsell, R. Hayward, J.R. Tunnicliffe, G.V. Herrold, J.D., D.S.C. Whareaitu, H.T.K. Wolfgramm, R.E.

Vietnam War 1968 – 1970 Kidd, S.J.

NON OMNIS MORIAR

RYDER MEMORIAL GATES

Erected 1991 Dedicated 1993 Signage Replaced 2020

The main entrance gates to the School on Pukuatua Street are a memorial to A.R. Ryder (1887-1961), the School’s sixth principal from 1927-1931. Ryder’s first memorial at the School was a Scarlet oak tree that originally stood at the end of the South Wing of A Block in the area between it and where Te Whare-O-Raukura is now. The oak had originally been planted in front of the Majestic Theatre on Tutanekai Street in 1914, and it was relocated to the Pukuatua Street site in 1929. It survived here until the early 1970s. After his death in 1961, aged 71, Ryder was cremated. His ashes were scattered privately by his children, both of whom were Old Pupils. It was decided to dedicate the oak to him and, in 1962, a small black granite plaque was unveiled at the base of the tree by the President of the Rotorua High School Old Pupils’ Association, I.F.H. Gainsford, and I.W. Kingi, both of whom were pupils in Ryder’s first year at the School in 1927. At the end of 1991, the Pukuatua Street entrance was re-designed and upgraded. As part of that work, the front wall and gates were erected. It was decided to dedicate the new gates to Ryder. The granite plaque from his original Memorial Oak had been saved, and it was inserted into the left-hand (as heading into Pukuatua Street) pier of the new gates. The gates were later dedicated in 1993. In mid-2020, the original signage on the front wall of the gates (visible in the photograph above) was replaced and a new feature, the name Raukura, was added to the front of the middle wall of the gates between the main drive and the staff car park.

W. STEELE MEMORIAL TREE Planted and Dedicated on Arbor Day, 1933

Californian Big Tree “Wellingtonia”

The magnificent Californian Big Tree or Wellingtonia inside the School’s south gate, is the sole survivor of two such trees that originally flanked the gates. They were both planted on Arbor Day, 1933, as a memorial to Walter Steele (1874- 1932), a Foundation Governor of the Rotorua High School Board of Governors from 1926-1932. The surviving tree was planted by R.B. Nesbitt, J.P., Foundation Chairman of the Board of Governors. The other tree, which died in the early 1980s, was planted by H.A. Goudie, Foundation Chairman of the Board of Governors Grounds Committee, who succeeded Steele in that position. Steele was one of Rotorua’s earliest European settlers in the 1870s. He was elected to the first Board of Governors, as a Parents’ Representative, and served as the Grounds Committee’s first Chairman until his death, which occurred as a result of an accident at his Mamaku Sawmill on 29 November, 1932. It is to Steele’s foresight in the laying out and first planting of the grounds that we owe the many magnificent trees at Rotorua Boys’ High School today. Californian Big Trees are also known as Wellingtonias. They were first introduced into the British Isles in 1853, and were named there in honour of General Sir Arthur Wellesley, the First Duke of Wellington (1796-1852).

TAI MITCHELL MEMORIALS

The Tai Mitchell Memorial Tree Planted by Mrs. J. Fraser, 12 September, 1944 Tai Mitchell Boarding Hostels Built 2005 Tai Mitchell Boarding Scholarships Est. 2005

Podocarpus totara “Weeping Totara”

In addition to the Weeping Totara, there are two other memorials to Mitchell at the School: the Tai Mitchell Boarding Hostel; and the Tai Mitchell Boarding Scholarships named after him. Henry Taiporutu Mitchell, who was known as Tai, was born at Ohinemutu on 5 May, 1877. He was the eldest of the two sons of the Scotsman Henry Walker Mitchell, one of Rotorua’s earliest European settlers, and his Māori wife, Te Whakarato Rangipahere Taiehu of Ngati Te Takinga, a hapu of Ngati Pikiao on her father’s side and of Ngati Whakaue of Ohinemutu on her mother’s side. Mitchell was educated at Wesley College in Pukekohe. After leaving school, he joined the Department of Lands and Survey and qualified as a survey cadet in 1894. He became a fully licensed surveyor in 1902. In 1915, he established his private surveying practice in Rotorua, where he spent the rest of his life dedicated to the service and advancement of his people. Some of his children attended the School.

Mitchell served on the Rotorua County Council from 1916-1923 and on the Rotorua Borough Council from 1931-1944. He also worked as an interpreter for the Native (now known as Māori) Land Court and, in 1924, he was appointed the first Chairman of the old Te Arawa Māori Trust Board. He was closely involved with the erection of the Te Arawa Soldiers’ War Memorial in the Government Gardens, and oversaw the arrangements for its unveiling by H.R.H. Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King-Emperor George VI). Mitchell also assisted with the arrangements for the visit to Rotorua of Prince Albert’s younger brother, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, in 1934. Outside of his professional work and wide community interests, Mitchell was a keen and passionate rugby man. He played rugby himself as a young man, and was heavily involved with the development of this sport in Rotorua. His establishment of the well-known Tai Mitchell Rugby Competition, for local primary school-aged children in the 1930s, continues to the present day. In November, 1926, Mitchell was appointed one of the Governor-General’s two representatives on the first Rotorua High School Board of Governors. In 1934, he was able to convince the Board of Governors to purchase from the Government a broad strip of Railways Reserve land adjoining the School’s eastern boundary. It was on part of this land that the two boarding hostels now named after him stand. Mitchell’s particular interest on the Board of Governors was to have a boarding hostel established for the School, and for Māori Boarding Bursaries funded by the Te Arawa Māori Trust Board to be established to enable Māori pupils from the Bay of Plenty and beyond to attend the School. These dreams of his were all finally fully realized in 2005. In recognition of his standing in Rotorua, Mitchell was made a Justice of the Peace in 1936. For services to Māori he was, in 1939, appointed a Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (C.M.G.). Mitchell died suddenly, on his birthday, on 5 May, 1944. His death came as a great shock to Rotorua and was described at the time as being like the “falling of a mighty Totara of the forest.” A Memorial Assembly for Mitchell was held at the School on 23 May, 1944, to acknowledge his services and the huge contribution that he had made since his appointment as a Foundation Governor in 1926. Later that same year, on 12 September, 1944, the wife of the Prime Minister, Mrs. Janet Fraser, visited the School and planted the Weeping Totara in his memory. At the Hall of Fame Ngā Raukura i te Ao Induction Ceremony held on 1 June, 2018, Mitchell was posthumously inducted into the School’s Hall of Fame as the only Honorary Member in recognition of his distinguished service.

G.M. HOCKING MEMORIAL TREE Planted and Dedicated 1993

Popcarpus totara “Aureal” Golden Totara

The tree third down from the Ryder Memorial Gates on the main drive is dedicated to G.M. Hocking. He was a staff member from 1988 until his death in a tramping accident on Mt. Tongariro in July, 1993. The Golden Totara was planted as a memorial to Hocking by the members of his former House Group, Raleigh 6. The Geoff Hocking Memorial Trophy, which was later presented to the School by his family, is awarded annually to the Dux of Year 12 at the Senior Prize Giving.

THE HARWOOD LIBRARY Dedicated 1992

W.G. Harwood Mrs. E.W.J. Harwood, M.B.E.

On Saturday, 10 October, 1992, during the Sixty-Fifth Anniversary Reunion celebrations held to mark the School’s attainment of full high school status in 1927, the library building was named and dedicated as the Harwood Library in honour of William G. Harwood (1895-1971) and his wife, Mrs. E. Winifred J. Harwood, M.B.E., M.Sc. Hons. (N.Z.) (1897-1986). Harwood, the School’s seventh principal since 1914 and the first principal of Rotorua Boys’ High School, served in that positon with distinction for twenty- eight years from 1932-1959. He was, until 29 July, 2019, the School’s longest- serving principal – a record that stood for sixty years. Mrs. Winifred Harwood was a superb and very gifted teacher of mathematics and physics. She taught at her husband’s school for forty-five years from 1932- 1977 – a record that stood for thirty-seven years until 2014. In the New Year’s Honours List for 1972, Mrs. Harwood was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to teaching.

W.H. EVANS MEMORIALS Presented 1941 and 1943

The Evans Memorial Trophy for General Excellence

William Herbert Evans, E.D., M.A. (Columbia), Dip.Ed. (1899-1941), was a member of the staff from 1927 and Deputy Principal until he was killed in World War II in 1941. Evans was appointed Senior English Master (Head of English) in 1927. He very quickly immersed himself into the School’s life and activities and became a highly respected and much-liked teacher. Killed at Galatos, Crete, on 24 May, 1941, his death was deeply mourned by the School and by his Old Pupils. Curiously, the School also lost one staff member in World War I and he, Colvin Algie, had also been the Deputy Principal. A Memorial Assembly for Evans was held at the School on 3 November, 1941. On that occasion, Brigadier Bell from the New Zealand Army presented to the School the first of the three memorials that we have to Evans, the Evans Memorial Portrait with an accompanying memorial brass plaque. They were given to the School on behalf the members of Evans’s former Hauraki Regiment in which he had served as an officer with the rank of Major. The Memorial Portrait shows Evans in his dress uniform just before his departure for the war, and the brass

71 plaque records the date of his death and the details of its presentation. These now hang above the entrance inside the War Memorial Hall. The School’s second memorial to Evans is the illustrated and framed Memorial Tribute that is displayed above the 1941 Year-Frame in the north corridor of A Block. The tribute is illustrated with contemporary scenes from the School before Evans left, and it is signed by the Prefects and the members of the First XV. It was his former pupils’ own special mark of tribute to him. The Evans Memorial Trophy for General Excellence is the third of the memorials to Evans at the School. It was given by the Rotorua High School Old Pupils’ Association and was formally presented by its President, Mrs. J. Lodge, M.B.E., at the ANZAC Assembly held on 22 April, 1943. The trophy is made of walnut and is in the form of the Prefect’s Badge. On its base, there is a small silver plaque recording the details of Evans’ service to the School and the date of his death. This trophy originally served as the Boys’ General Excellence Award (the girls had their own General Excellence Award). It was back-dated to 1927 to include the names of all previous winners. From 1934-1965, when the School did not award the Dux Prize, the General Excellence Award was the School’s premier award. The General Excellence Award was, from 1934-1958, the equivalent of Dux Boy of the School. The Evans Memorial Trophy has, since its presentation in 1943, been one of the School’s most historic and prestigious trophies.

T. O’REGAN MEMORIAL TREE Planted and Dedicated 2015

Kauri Agathis australis

The Kauri tree in the area between the Grandstand, Te Whare-O-Raukura and the Food Technology Centre behind A Block is a memorial to Old Boy T. O’Regan (1947-2008), who attended the School from 1961-1966. O’Regan wanted his ashes to be buried at his old school. His wish was granted, and his ashes were buried here by the members of his family in the presence of the Principal at a private family ceremony held in 2015. The memorial plaque for the tree records O’Regan’s name, the dates of his birth and death, and the years of his attendance at the School. There is also a quote on it from the American golfer Jack Nicklaus that reads: “Resolve never to quit, never give up, no matter what the situation.” O’Regan’s ashes are the only such remains (that we know of) officially buried at the School.

P.W. HOYLE MEMORIAL TREE Planted and Dedicated 2000

Ginkgo bibola

The Gingko second in a line of six trees on the northern-side of the driveway leading to the rear of Hahauterangi, is a 2000 Memorial Tree to Old Boy and former Head of Physical Education, Peter William Hoyle, who died on 7 March, 1995.

SPECIAL FEATURES

THE TREES

Douglas fir Pseudotsuga menziesii Planted 1885

Without any doubt one of the most striking features of Rotorua Boys’ High School is its many magnificent old exotic trees. They give the School its special character and they are greatly admired. Our grand old trees are also unmatched by any other school in Rotorua and, indeed, New Zealand. The oldest trees on the site are the large Douglas firs along the Pukuatua Street boundary and the one Douglas fir that stands directly opposite A Block on the corner of main drive. These trees were all planted, as tiny saplings, by the railway survey parties which camped on the then bare site of the School in 1885. We know this because, in 2015, one of these trees had to be removed. This allowed its annual growth rings to be counted. The Douglas fir that stands directly opposite A Block is the sole survivor of three such trees that originally stood on this site. When La Trobe Hill was preparing his plans for the new Rotorua High School building in late-1926, he chose to locate the building well inside the grounds and opposite the three Douglas fir trees on this particular site. In mid-1927, when A Block was being constructed, the trees were already forty-one years old and were fully grown. This last survivor of the three (the second one was removed in 1985) has stood tall and straight like a sentinel silently watching over the School since we moved to the Pukuatua Street site in 1928. In the garden between the main drive and the staff car park there are two grand old English oaks with an impressive pedigree. They were planted, separately, on Arbour Day in 1939, and on Arbour Day in 1940. Both trees are known as the “Coronation Oaks”. They were grown from acorns gathered from Windsor Great Park outside Windsor Castle in England at the time of the Coronation of Their Majesties King-Emperor George VI and his Queen-Empress Consort, Elizabeth, who was later (and best) known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, in 1937. These two Coronation Oaks were pointed out to their daughter, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, when she visited the School with her late husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as part of her Coronation Tour of New Zealand in early 1954. The three Rimu trees in the courtyard between A, S and T Blocks were raised as saplings in the garden of Mitchell’s home at Ohinemutu. They were planted at the School on Arbour Day, 1934. There were originally five of them, but two of them were removed when S Block was built in 1953. In front of Tūtauru (by the putting green) is a Pohutukawa, and beside the driveway leading down to the rear of Hahauterangi is a Gingko. The Pohutukawa was presented by Old Girl and former staff member, Mrs. D.M. Moore, to mark her retirement after 48 years’ teaching service in December, 2014. The Gingko (2017) commemorates the Twentieth Anniversary of the School’s association with Shiba High School in Japan. Both trees were originally planted in the former

Jubilee Quad. They were moved to their present positions to allow for the construction of the new Science Block in late 2021. Lining the south drive from the Millennium Centre up to the south gate is the quite stunning and widely admired avenue of Tulip trees. The trees which line both sides of the drive leading up to the gates, and then down along Pererika Street up to the corner of Old Taupo Road are English oaks. The Tulips were planted on Arbour Day, 1933, by the Governors of the Rotorua High School Board of Governors, the Mayor of Rotorua, T. Jackson, the Councillors of the Rotorua Borough Council and the eight House Captains. The first eight Tulips were planted by the House Captains and were, therefore, known as the “House Trees”. Two of them were removed when the Lockwood part of Te Whare-O- Raukura was built in 1979, and another one had to be removed in 2015. It was replaced with a new Tulip tree. On the small terrace between the upper and lower playing fields along from the Millennium Centre, there are a number of very prominent and stunning old trees. The largest of these are the Coastal Redwood, which is next to Old Taupo Road, and the Chinese Poplar, which is in the middle of the terrace. The Redwood is the most notable and outstanding example of this species in central Rotorua. The Chinese Polar is thought to be the largest of its species in New Zealand. All of the trees on the terrace were planted on Arbour Day, 1935. The Redwood was planted by Ryder during his first visit to the School after his departure at the end of 1931. There are three trees at the School which have been planted by former Prime Ministers of New Zealand, and one tree was planted by the wife of a Prime Minister. The Pohutukawa in between the Ryder Memorial Gates and the entrance to the staff car park was planted by New Zealand’s first elected woman Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Helen Clark, O.N.Z., in 2002. The Copper Beech, which is two along from the Harwood Library and opposite the roundabout, was planted by Clark’s predecessor – and New Zealand’s first woman Prime Minister – the Rt. Hon. Dame Jenny Shipley in 1998. The Kahikatea, next to the Redwood on the small terrace, was planted by Dame Jenny’s predecessor, the Rt. Hon. J.B. Bolger, O.N.Z., in 1997. The Tai Mitchell Memorial Tree was, of course, planted by Mrs. Janet Fraser, the wife of New Zealand’s wartime Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Peter Fraser, on 12 September, 1944.

THE RAUKURA SCULPTURE

Made 2014 Unveiled by A. Paea, Head Prefect, 22 August, 2016

The sculpture in the centre of the roundabout in front of A Block is called “Raukura”. It was commissioned from the Old Boy artist Trevor Nathan, who attended the School from 1978-1982. It is his second and most prominent artwork at the School. Raukura was unveiled by A. Paea, Head Prefect, at a special assembly held at the roundabout on 22 August, 2016. It is made of Taranaki andesite stone and, as its name indicates, features the three plumes of the Raukura.

TE HOKINGA SCULPTURE

Made 2014 Unveiled by W. Warbrick, Hostel Head Prefect, 25 October, 2015

The sculpture in the courtyard between Tūtauru and Hahauterangi is called “Te Hokinga”. It was purchased to commemorate the Twenty-First Anniversary of hostel boarding at Rotorua Boys’ High School in 2015. Te Hokinga is made of Takaka marble from the South Island. It was also sculpted by Nathan, and it was his first artwork acquired by the School. The sculpture was one of the seventeen original sculptures made at a sculpting workshop held in Rotorua in late 2014. All of the sculptures were originally placed at various positions around the small outflow lake from the Rachel Spring next to the Blue Baths in the Government Gardens. There, the carvings formed part of the Rotorua Lakes Council’s official Gallipoli Centenary commemorations held in 2015. Te Hokinga represents the waka or ships that took New Zealand’s soldiers on their long journey to World War I, and then brought the surviving men safely back home again to peace. It was unveiled by W. Warbrick, Hostel Head Prefect, on 24 October, 2015. Te Hokinga also commemorates the School’s two World War I soldiers, Captain C.S. Algie, and Driver C.H. Goodson, who went to the war but did not return home again to peace. Te Hokinga also symbolically joins Tūtauru and Hahauterangi together.

NESBITT GRANDFATHER CLOCK

Made in England about 1690 Presented to the School by Mr. and Mrs. R.B. Nesbitt, 1931

The long-case or “grandfather” clock in the foyer of A Block was presented to the School by Mr. and Mrs. R.B. Nesbitt in February, 1931. Robert B. Nesbitt, J.P. (1862-1942) was the Foundation Chairman of the Rotorua High School Board of Governors. He held that position from 1926 until 1941 when he stepped down as Chairman but remained on the Board of Governors until his death a year later. The clock itself is believed to date from about 1690, but its wooden case is of a much later date. It is not known why the clock’s original case did not survive. The clock had been in the Nesbitt family since it was made, and it was brought to New Zealand when they emigrated from England in the 1850s. On its presentation to the School, the clock was first placed in the Entrance Hall. It stood on the left of the door to what was originally the men’s staff common room (now the Principal’s Personal Assistant’s office). It remained there until 1980 when it was moved up to the staff room. After the earthquake strengthening and refurbishment work on the central part of A Block was completed in 2006, the clock was brought down from the staff room and was placed in the foyer. It chimes on the hour, the quarter-hour and on the half-hour.

MEMORIAL ASSEMBLIES Est. 1916

Memorial Assemblies are held at the School to mark the deaths of serving members of the staff, boys who are currently attending, and for people who have had a special connection with the School. The first Memorial Assembly was held on 1 August, 1916, for Captain C.S. Algie (1887-1916), the School’s Foundation Deputy Principal in 1914. He was killed in action on 21 July, 1916, at Armentières in the Battle of the Somme in France in World War I. Memorial Assemblies have been held about once every decade or so since then. The most recent Memorial Assembly was held on 18 March, 2011, for Bishop Thompson, a boy who was killed in a boating accident on Lake Okareka.

THE YEAR FRAMES, ROTORUA YOUNG ACHIEVERS’ AWARDS, HALL OF FAME PROFILES AND SCHOOL MUSUEM

Throughout the corridors of A Block, in the War Memorial Hall and its adjoining corridor, and at the Millennium Centre are displayed the Year-Frames, the Rotorua Young Achievers’ Awards Frames and the Hall of Fame Profiles.

THE YEAR FRAMES Est. 1964 Re-established 1985 and 1992

The first selections of school photographs displayed in frames in the corridors of A Block were prepared, in 1964, by L.H. Thomson, Deputy Principal from 1935- 1967. Thomson’s photographic displays remained in place until 1985. They were then taken down and re-presented by Mrs. Moore. Her displays remained in place until 1992. They were all taken down again and re-presented by the School Archivist and Historian between 1992 and 1998. This time, however, copies were displayed in place of the originals which are now preserved in the School Archives. The Year-Frames are updated each year and serve as a year-by-year visual history of the School.

THE ROTORUA YOUNG ACHIEVERS’ AWARDS Est. 1991

Originally called the “Lenz” Young Achiever Awards, the Rotorua Young Achiever Awards were founded by local photographer and Old Boy O.D. Howard (1948-2016) in 1991. They consist of a professionally-taken portrait photograph of each of the Young Achievers shown in a setting relating to his or her field of recognition or that is of special significance to them. The Young Achievers are all in their last year of school, and have been nominated by their respective schools for their Excellence and/or Achievement in the various fields of recognition. The Rotorua Young Achievers’ Awards Ceremony is held annually at which their individual portraits are presented to each of the Young Achievers. Copies of their portraits are also presented, in one composite frame, to their schools, where they are then permanently displayed. Since 1991, the School’s Young Achiever Frames have been hung together in the northern-end of the north corridor in A Block.

THE HALL OF FAME NGĀ RAUKURA I TE AO Est. 1991

The Hall of Fame Ngā Raukura i te Ao was founded by former staff member John Raphael in 1991. It recognizes and honours the School’s successful Old Pupils. The Hall of Fame consists of a framed portrait photograph of each member with brief details about him or her and the reason for their admission to the Hall of Fame. Their portraits are interspersed amongst the Year-Frames and are hung throughout A Block, in the War Memorial Hall, in its adjoining corridor and in the Success Room and at the Millennium Centre. New members are formally inducted into the Hall of Fame at an Induction Ceremony held in the War Memorial Hall every three years. The purpose of the Hall of Fame is for its Members to serve as role models and an inspiration for the current and future boys of the School. The most highly honoured Members of the Hall of Fame are:

Major-General R.B. Dawson, C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O. & Bar

The Hon. Justice Sir Trevor Henry Knight Bachelor

Dame Georgina Kirby, D.B.E., Q.S.O., J.P.

Dame Ruia Morrison, D.N.Z.M., M.B.E.

Sir Howard Morrison, K.B.E.

Sir Matiu Rei, K.N.Z.M.

The Hon. Sir Peter Tapsell, K.N.Z.M., M.B.E., J.P., M.P.

Sir Gordon Tietjens, K.N.Z.M.

THE SCHOOL MUSEUM Est. 1993 Re-Established 2016

Directly opposite the main office in A Block is the School Museum case. In it are exhibited a permanent selection of old school memorabilia, including: the original 1914 school bell and the 1927 school bell; the original boys’ School Cap; documents; photographs; examples of Prefect’s Badges and Sports Medallions ranging in date from 1914-2018.

THE SCHOOL SONG Originally Composed 1928 Re-set to Music 1992 Re-arranged 2007

The original School Song was called “The Best School of All”. It was first sung by the members of the Rotorua High School Old Pupils’ Association at their foundation meeting in June, 1928. It was subsequently adopted for use by the School, and it became the official School Song in 1930. For the Sixty-fifth Anniversary Reunion of the School’s attainment of full high school status held in October, 1992, the School Song was set to music for the first time. Previously, it had been sung without any musical accompaniment. A re-arranged version of the song was written by former Head of Music, the late Dr. R.D. Paul, in 2007.

The School Song 2007

First Verse It’s good to feel secure and safe and treated with respect; to learn, to honour, and be a part of history time has kept. Ngati Whakaue, “Mana whenua!” You’ve helped us on our way; you’ve given us a place to grow, a place to know, and say

Chorus We sing the praises of our school Raukura stand supreme. We rejoice and lift our spirits high reaching for the dream; Ad Astra Per Aspera, Whaia Te Iti Kahurangi. To strive, achieve and be the best: Kia kaha, kia taea, Raukura e.

Second Verse We are guided by a friendly word of wisdom and of truth; encourage to pursue the path, building manhood out of youth with our Colours flying red and blue with our minds set straight and true together we share the joy, kotahitanga, ho tahi kura e.

Chorus

Third Verse The leaders of tomorrow are a part of our today; we share the House, the class and school fields on which we play. Through hard work and commitment and the passion to succeed we’ll reach the starts, achieve our goals and prepare ourselves to lead.

Chorus

THE SCHOOL HAKA “TE HAKA-O-RAUKURA” Composed 2010

There are various types of haka. They are usually performed to make a challenge or to express emotion. The haka that the All Blacks famously give before the start of their rugby matches is the most well-known example of this. Haka can also be given as a spontaneous reaction to a special or significant event, such as a tangi (funeral), after a speech, or in honour of someone or something special. The School’s haka “Te Haka-O-Raukura” was composed by Old Boy the late Fred Whata, Q.S.M. It is performed by the First XV at the start of their games and at the annual inter-House Haka Competition. It was developed to evoke the spirit and special concept of Raukura at Rotorua Boys’ High School.

Ko wai te kura? Raukura!

Te rangi kai runga Te whenua kai raro Te moana kai waho Taku au kai roto Ko te aitanga a Raukura I te rangi e. I a haha! Kat u te ihi, ka tut e wana Ka whao te puha o taku tupuna Ki roto I ahau, e tu ake nei. I a haha!

My strong attachment to Raukura, Moves me beyond the skies. My fierce inner power soars as I feel the presence of my ancestors.

Raukura A creed for Rotorua Boys’ High School. The universal identifier for Rotorua Boys’ High School and its students.

Raukura Our identity, our sense of belonging. The challenge laid before each student to aim for success. The source of pride and inspiration for all.

Raukura Our destiny. The foundation and footprint of this school. It establishes a set of values we believe in and aspire to. It commands the standards and expectations of what is required to succeed.

E air a titiro Ki nga marae tapu E takoto nei. I a haha! Kat u mai te toa Ka hupeke ki runga Ki te whenua e. I a haha!

THE SCHOOL WAIATA “Raukura e!” Composed 2018

The School’s waiata is “Raukura e!” It was composed by one our Deputy Principals, Rie Morris, in 2018. She composed it for use by the boys and staff, and also for use at any gathering, meeting, or occasion that requires a waiata to be said.

Raukura e!

Ko ngā rau o te Huia hai whakarākai mōu Let the feathers of the Huia bird adorn you, and be a treasure for you E hoka e! Fly, and soar Whāia Te Iti Kahurangi Follow your dreams, aspirations, desires, and pursue excellence Raukura e! All who are Raukura

SCHOOL TIES Est. 1927, 1940 and 2000

Left to Right: The original School Tie, 1927 The current School Tie, c. 1940 The Staff Tie, 2000 The Presentation (originally the Old Boys’) Tie, 2000 The Honours Tie, 2000

The original School Tie was designed and made especially for the Rotorua High School in 1927. It featured the School Colours of red, blue and gold in diagonal bands. Its design was unique to this school. During World War II when clothing materials were in short supply and reserved for war purposes, the original School Tie design was not able to be manufactured and it had to be discontinued. In its place, the current School Tie design was introduced and it has been worn since then. Unfortunately, this tie is a standard design worn by hundreds of millions of people all over the world. However, in 2000, three new ties were introduced based on the original 1927 School Tie design. These were: the Staff Tie (now discontinued); the Presentation Tie, which was originally intended to be the Old Boys’ Tie but is now worn generally; and the Honours Tie. The Honours Tie is the same design as the Presentation Tie, but it has the School Shield included in its bottom right-hand corner. The Honours Tie is only awarded to Year 12 and 13 boys who attain a high- level of success in the academic, cultural and sporting areas, and to five-year duration boarders at Tai Mitchell Boarding Hostel. An official register of the Honours Tie presentations has been kept since 2000.

SCHOOL MEDALLIONS Est. 1927 Re-designed 1995

The 1927 original Sports Medallion (left and centre) and the re-designed 1995 School Medallion

In 1927, a magnificent bronze medallion was commissioned by the School from the prestigious Auckland jewellers, Walker & Hall. It was made for presentation to the setters of school records in the various Athletics and Swimming Sports championship categories. The obverse side (the side of a medal or medallion that has the principal or main design on it) of the Sports Medallion featured the School Shield and the words “Rotorua High School A.D. 1927”. A.D. stands for the Latin words Anno Domini or in the “Year of our Lord”. The reverse side featured the traditional victor’s laurel leaves around the outside with the centre of the medallion left vacant for the recipient’s name, the record set, and the year it was set to be engraved in. The original Sports Medallion was awarded up until 1994. In 1995, the medallion was re-designed on its obverse side. The new School Medallion was also made with a loop at the top through which a ribbon or chain could be placed for hanging around the neck. In place of the School Shield, the obverse side now features a depiction of A Block based on a photograph that was taken by the School Archivist and Historian in 1998. That photograph features on the back cover of his book Rotorua’s Plume: A History of Rotorua Boys’ High School, 1880-2001. The School Medallion is no longer awarded to mark sports records. It is only now awarded to Year 13 academic prize winners and to all Prefects at the Senior Prize Giving.

THE CADET BATTALION HONOURS BOARD AND TROPHY CABINET

From 1914 until its disestablishment in 1969, the military Cadet Battalion was one of the School’s major institutions. It was first formed at the preceding Rotorua Public School in 1910, and was inherited by the Rotorua District High School on its establishment in 1914. Cadet battalions were a feature of the New Zealand education system from the 1860s until the 1960s. The first school cadet battalion to be established was at the Dunedin High School (now Otago Boys’ High School) in 1864. All of the country’s older high schools had them, and most of them were disbanded in the 1950s. However, some schools such as ours persisted with them well into the 1960s. The Cadet Battalion had a very proud history over the fifty-nine years of its existence. It produced seventeen Old Boys who were decorated for their heroic deeds in World War II, one Major-General, three Brigadiers (one rank blow Major-General) and one Air Commodore (equivalent in rank to Brigadier). It also built up a fine collection of cups and trophies, all of which are now permanently displayed in the Cadet Battalion Trophy Cabinet in the room next to the Success Room next to the War Memorial Hall. One of the cups displayed in the cabinet is the School’s first and oldest trophy, the New Zealand Cadets Ladies’ Challenge Cup. This handsome silver cup, which is mounted on a small oak plinth, was presented to the Rotorua Public School on 11 May, 1914 – just a few weeks before it became the Rotorua District High School on 8 June.

THE NEW ZEALAND CADETS LADIES’ CHALLENGE CUP 1914

Originally awarded to the Best Cadet 1914 - 1969

PROMINENT STAFF

Since 1914, five members of the staff have achieved prominence either before or after their service at the School.

R.V.D.R. Worker 1896 – 1989

Rupert Vivian de Renzy Worker, who was the third Head of the Secondary Department at the Rotorua District High School, was a staff member for the first half of 1917 before he was called up for service in World War I. A teacher by profession, Worker was also a first-class cricket player. He played, at the provincial-level, for: Auckland from 1914-1915; Canterbury from 1919-1920 and then again from 1922-1923; Otago from 1923-1926; and Wellington from 1926-1927 and then again from 1929-1930. From 1923-1926, Worker represented New Zealand in the National Cricket First XI, the equivalent of today’s Black Caps.

Mrs. H.M. Downer (née Donald), M.B.E., B.A., Dip. Journ. (N.Z.)

Miss Helen Donald, as she was known when she joined the staff in 1937, was a teacher in the Intermediate Department. She remained there until her resignation in 1948. In 1950, Mrs. Downer, as she had become after her marriage, established Rotorua’s first free kindergarten, Helen Downer Kindergarten, that is named after her, and she became very prominent in the early childhood education sector. In 1957, she was elected President of the New Zealand Free Kindergarten Union and she held this role until her retirement in 1966. She was then made Patroness of the New Zealand Kindergarten Association and held this honorary role until her death in 1989. Mrs. Downer was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to early childhood education.

N.H. Thornton, E.D., M.A. (N.Z.) 1919 – 1998

Neville Henry Thornton, the School’s eighth Principal from 1960-1962, was an All Black before he trained to be secondary teacher.

He was first selected as an All Black in 1947, and played for them until 1949. Thornton toured Australia with the All Blacks in 1947, and he was a member of the famous tour of South Africa in 1949.

Dame Fiona Kidman, D.N.Z.M., O.B.E.

The internationally acclaimed New Zealand author, Dame Fiona Kidman, was the Harwood Librarian in 1960. She was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1998, and had been appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1988. Both appointments were made for services to literature. Dame Fiona also holds two French knighthoods, of the Legion of Honour and of the Order of Arts and Letters, both of which she was appointed to in 2009. Dame Fiona has also received numerous other awards and prizes for her writing.

E.A.A. Bullmore, Dip. F.A. Hons. (N.Z.), P.G. Dip. Tchg. 1933 – 1978

Edward Aaron Alexander Bullmore’s special connection with the School is detailed below.

THE EDWARD BULLMORE COMMEMORATION

Self-Portrait, 1959. C. Marshall Collection

The School owns two fine paintings by the early Surrealist New Zealand artist, Edward Aaron Alexander Bullmore, Dip. F.A. Hons. (N.Z.), P.G. Dip. Tchg. (1933-1978), who was Head of Art at the School from 1970 until his death in 1987, aged 45. From 1990 until 2005, four large and very striking murals by Bullmore (some of which were two-dimensional) were displayed in the foyer of A Block. They had originally been painted as backdrops for an exhibition on wildlife at the Rotorua Museum of Art and History in the mid-1970s. When that exhibition was dismantled at the end of 1989, the murals were obtained for the School by former staff member and a close friend of Bullmore’s, John Raphael. They were slightly cut down in order to fit into the three vacant wall spaces of the upper south, west, and north-facing walls in the foyer. When the earthquake strengthening and refurbishment work took place on the central part of A Block from 2005-2006, it was decided not to reinstate the murals in the foyer and were stored. They were later given to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, where they are now displayed at its office building in Whakatane. In exchange for the murals, the School was able to obtain two framed paintings by Bullmore. The smaller of these paintings is in the Board Room adjoining the Principal’s office, and the larger painting is in the staff room. Bullmore’s son, Oliver (1961-2001) was Head Prefect in 1979.

TE WAHAROA “THE GATEWAY” Carved 2001

The impressive carving that stands outside the Millennium Centre is called “Te Waharoa” or “The Gateway”. It was carved by an Old Boy Robert Rika, and it faces the north-west towards Mt. Ngongotaha. It was carved from the wood of a tree that survived the eruption of Mt. Tarawera on 10 June, 1886. Burn marks from the eruption can still be seen at the top of the carving.

NGĀ PAEA a KAHUKURA “THE TERRACES” Built 2021

At a dawn ceremony held on Wednesday, 14 April, 2021, Ngā Paea a Kahukura – “The Terraces” or grandstand were officially opened. Kahukura is a deity associated with knowledge and Ngā Pae refers to the levels in reaching the pinnacle, thus evoking both the School’s Latin and Māori Mottos. The first metal and wooden plank grandstand was erected on this same site fronting the playing fields in 1993. It was then gradually extended over the next twenty-five years until it became unstable and unfit for purpose, as well being unable to seat the whole school. Construction work on the new terraces commenced in mid-2020, after investigations into the land beneath was carried out to ensure it could support their weight, and was completed in early 2021. The carvings on the top level of Ngā Paea a Kahukura were carved by Rika and they are full of symbolism, which is recorded on the informational plaque beneath the carvings on the top terrace. Ngā Paea a Kahukura provides some truly wonderful views over the playing fields and of the majestic trees on the small terrace between the upper and lower fields – the Redwood in particular – and along Pukutua Street.

TANE RAUKURA Carved 2000

The modern-day portrayal of Tane Raukura and a “Good Raukura Man”.

Rotorua Boys’ High School Est. 1914

P.O. Box 10148 Rotorua 3046 Rotorua New Zealand

Telephone: +64 7 348 6169 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.rbhs.school.nz