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The Douglas Cup recipient: the Premier Yachting team

2024 Douglas Cup recipient, the Premier Yachting team

The Douglas Cup is for the best sporting performance of the year – for the best individual performance in any sport whilst representing the School, and the 2024 recipient is the Premier Yachting team, consisting of M. X. M Porteous, T. G. E. Pilkington, G. R. J. Turner, O. J. Stone, A. B. Cooke, H. G. Smith, and 2024 captain S. W. Kensington.

It has been an impressive year for the Premier Yachting team with multiple achievements, concluding with winning the Interdominion as the New Zealand representative in October.

The year started with strong performances to win the New Zealand Harken Schools title, the Auckland Fleet regatta in April, closely followed by the winning of the Auckland Cup for teams racing. This win secured their position at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships held in New Plymouth in the Term 1 holidays. 

At the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships, the team dominated the first-round robin without a single defeat and secured a commanding two-win lead amidst brisk conditions. Despite facing challenges in the subsequent round robin with lighter and more variable breezes, the Grammar team maintained their lead, conceding only two races. Entering the decisive round robin, they required just four wins out of seven to secure victory, which they accomplished with two races to spare to be crowned the National Champions for 2024.

Racing against the top Australian crews at the Interdominion regatta, the team won 17 of their 20 races to secure the trophy for the first time since 2002. This concluded a perfect season, unmatched in the team’s history, where they have won every title they contested.

These performances from the Premier Yachting team make them worthy winners of the Douglas Cup, received by captain Sean Kensington (pictured above with guest presenter, Old Boy Hamish Kerr ’10).

The Turner Cup recipient: H. C. Stewart

2024 Turner Cup recipient Harrison Stewart

The Turner Cup is for all-round participation in School activities, including sound academic progress, participation in extracurricular activities, (especially in sport) and a manly, responsible approach to life, and the 2024 recipient is Prefect H. C. Stewart.

Harrison Stewart is an outstanding young man of high character whose actions through service and drive for personal excellence has seen him maximise his years at Auckland Grammar School.

Harrison’s involvement throughout the school is an example of a true Grammar man involving himself in groups such as the Interact group alongside Football, Hockey and Swimming.

This year saw Harrison take on the captaincy of the 1st XI Hockey team, a role he completed with great pride and determination. He is a member of the Auckland Under 18 National Championship team and was further rewarded with selection into the National Under 18 Squad. This success has seen him awarded Colours in 2023 and again in 2024.

Harrison’s approach to his academic, sporting and school endeavours coupled with the maturity he exhibits when challenged, further reinforces the balance with which he lives his life.

Harrison was also named as a School Prefect in 2024, again showing his strength as a leader and contributor to his time at Auckland Grammar School.

Annual Sports Colours Assembly

Prefect Liam Dodunski receives Colours for Water Polo

Auckland Grammar School has a proud sporting heritage and the 2024 sporting year has added some impressive performances to this legacy.

This includes 33 students named as New Zealand Representatives, five National Championships alongside several National Podium finishes and Auckland titles.

We acknowledge to perform at the highest level requires a dedication and commitment to excellence which many of our sportsman exhibit on a daily basis.

We are also fortunate to have a committed staff who give up personal time to support our students. Without this support it would not allow for the same level of opportunities for you as students within the school.

A Sporting Colour is the highest award the school can give a sportsman. Students are assessed by a committee against individual code criteria alongside needing to meet effort standards consistently in the classroom.

In 2024, 36 students received Colours for a myriad of different sports:

  • Form 7 student C. R. Carter, awarded Colours for Orienteering
  • Form 5 student E. Chuang, awarded Colours for Badminton
  • Form 7 student L. K. Dodunski, awarded Colours for Water Polo (pictured above)
  • Form 7 student S. W. L. Fisher, awarded Colours for Rowing
  • Form 7 student R. W. Fitzpatrick, awarded Colours for Athletics and Distance Squad
  • Form 7 student F. L. Goodson, awarded Colours for Squash
  • Form 7 student J. B. M. Hair, awarded Colours for Hockey
  • Form 7 student O. L. Hannaford, awarded Colours for Fencing
  • Form 7 student F. P. Houghton, awarded Colours for Rowing
  • Form 6 student C. G. Howlett, awarded Colours for Athletics
  • Form 6 student T. X. Huang, awarded Colours for Badminton
  • Form 7 student R. S. Hunt, awarded Colours for Basketball
  • Form 6 student P. Jajal, awarded Colours for Table Tennis
  • Form 7 student T. C. Jones, awarded Colours for Cricket
  • Form 7 student S. W. Kensington, awarded Colours for Yachting
  • Form 6 student L. C. Klouwens, awarded Colours for Hockey
  • Form 7 student H. P. Klouwens, awarded Colours for Swimming
  • Form 7 student B. L. O. Krone, awarded Colours for Rugby
  • Form 6 student J. Kwon, awarded Colours for Cycling
  • Form 7 student S. N. R. Lyne, awarded Colours for Skiing
  • Form 7 student F. C. Mather, awarded Colours for Rugby
  • Form 7 student A. M. Patel, awarded Colours for Hockey
  • Form 6 student R. A. Patel, awarded Colours for Hockey
  • Form 7 student B. C. Pawson, awarded Colours for Cycling
  • Form 6 student L. J. Platt, awarded Colours for Rugby
  • Form 7 student S. R. Pratt, awarded Colours for Skiing
  • Form 6 student S. A. Randerson, awarded Colours for Orienteering
  • Form 7 student H. D. J. Sixton, awarded Colours for Cricket
  • Form 5 student N. J. Stanley, awarded Colours for Rugby
  • Form 7 student H. C. Stewart, awarded Colours for Hockey
  • Form 7 student R. J. Tasmania, awarded Colours for Rugby
  • Form 7 student M. Y. Z. Tew, awarded Colours for Badminton
  • Form 7 student J. A. Thomson, awarded Colours for Athletics
  • Form 6 student C. P. Wagener, awarded Colours for Athletics, Distance Squad and Multisport
  • Form 7 student C. J. D. Wallis, awarded Colours for Rugby
  • Form 7 student Z. F. Wyllie, awarded Colours for Cycling

Congratulations to all students who were awarded Colours this year and to all the managers and Masters in Charge of the sports represented. For more information on the students’ individual achievements, please click here.

Annual Performing Arts Colours Assembly

Prefect Mithun Ramassh receives the Performing Arts Excellence Award

Auckland Grammar School has a proud history of excellence within the Performing Arts. The School offers a variety of pathways within the arts for boys to develop and showcase their skills and talents. From Theatre to Drama, Cultural to Music groups, Debating and more, the Performing Arts are a fundamental component of our school and allow boys to reach the pinnacle in their chosen field. It was a privilege that last year we could institute the Performing Colour and that tradition can continue with recognising individual excellence from within the Performing Arts.

Each year, students perform on a variety of Performing Arts stages and contexts both within the School and externally. To individually excel at the highest level of their chosen field requires considerable dedication, commitment, practice and rehearsal.

On Tuesday 3 December, a number of students were recognised as having exhibited these strengths. Congratulations to:

  • Form 6 student C. H. S. Cheung, awarded Colours for Violin
  • Form 7 student W. Lee, awarded Colours for Viola
  • Senior Prefect S. H. A. S. Peita, awarded Colours for Public Speaking (Ngā Manu Kōrero)
  • Prefect C. R. Wedde, awarded Colours for Bass Guitar
  • Prefect R. V. Williams, awarded Colours for Choral

In addition, three special awards were presented:

  • The Performing Arts Excellence Award was presented to Prefect M. A Ramassh (pictured above)
  • The Performing Arts Contribution Award was presented to Prefect J. B. Qi
  • The Performing Arts Outstanding Performance of the Year Award was presented to Form 7 student P. C. J. Lu

Congratulations to all students who crossed stage. More information about each of the recipient’s individual contributions can be found here.

Report: College Sport Young Sportsperson of the Year Awards

Squash winner Finn Goodson

On Thursday 28 November, the annual College Sport Young Sportsperson of the Year Awards were held at Eden Park. Auckland Grammar School was well represented with 15 students being named finalists across 18 different sporting categories:

  • Prefect L. K. Dodunski (Water Polo)
  • Prefect S. W. L. Fisher (Rowing)
  • Form 7 student R. W. Fitzpatrick (Distance Running)
  • Prefect F. L. Goodson (Squash)
  • Prefect F. P. Houghton (Rowing)
  • Form 6 student P. Jajal (Table Tennis)
  • Head Prefect T. C. Jones (Cricket)
  • Prefect S. W. Kensington (Yachting)
  • Form 6 student J. A. Kiss (Basketball)
  • Deputy Head Prefect H. P. Klouwens (swimming)
  • Prefect S. N. R. Lyne (Snowsports)
  • Form 7 student B. C. Pawson (Cycling)
  • Form 7 student S. R. Pratt (Snowsports)
  • Form 6 student M. Y. Z. Tew (Badminton)
  • Form 6 student C. P. Wagener (Athletics / Distance Running / Triathlon / All-Rounder)

Congratulations to the following students who won their respective codes:

  • L. K. Dodunski for Water Polo
  • F. L. Goodson for Squash (pictured above)
  • P. Jajal for Table Tennis
  • T. C. Jones for Cricket
  • J. A. Kiss for Basketball
  • S. N. R. Lyne for Snowsports
  • C. P. Wagner for Triathlon and Distance Running

L. K. Dodunski, T. C. Jones and J. A. Kiss were also named as finalist in the Overall Sportsman of the Year category.

Train to be a teacher at Auckland Grammar School

A New Teacher Training Scheme

Auckland Grammar School offers prospective teachers a route into the profession by training in school for an academic year, in partnership with The Teachers’ Institute and a group of other Auckland schools.

By spending a year immersed in the culture and working in the classroom at the School, mentored by experienced subject-expert teachers every day, and working with the expert team at TTI, in-school trainees gain invaluable insights into teaching and learning.

This opportunity would suit a recent graduate or someone seeking a career change. Auckland Grammar School welcomes applications for potential teachers in Te reo Māori, Mathematics, English, Sciences, History, Geography and Technology.

More information about the application process can be found on The Teachers’ Institute website.

Important Notices from the Headmaster – November 2024

Prizegiving on Thursday 5 December

End of Year Procedures

To assist with your family’s organisation, the information below outlines School activities and the timing of the School day throughout the last month of the School year.

We highlight these with you as there is a lot on in the coming weeks and we appreciate all families will want advance notice of the range of activities occurring as the School year draws quickly to a close.

Week 5 (Monday 11 – Friday 15 November)

Form 3 and 4 students will be completing their end-of year examinations.

Form 5 students are only required to attend on Friday 15 November, they do not attend Monday – Thursday. Form 5 students will have scheduled timetabled classes on Friday 15 November only, as part of the Pre-Q Examination Paper Review Day. This day will be the only opportunity for Form 5 Pre-Q students to review and confirm the marking of their examination scripts. All Form 5 students who study one or more Pre-Q courses are expected to attend timetabled lessons for the entirety of the School day. They will be required to meet the School’s uniform and grooming standards. Form 5 students are not required to attend School after this day, except for NCEA assessments, until Tuesday 3 December.

Form 6 and 7 students will be on study leave and/or completing their external assessments. Parents of senior students should note that Cambridge examinations continue until Thursday 14 November. NZQA examinations (NCEA and Scholarship) start on Tuesday 5 November and continue through until Friday 29 November.

Students without an examination on a particular morning and/or afternoon are on formal study leave and are expected to be studying at home, or in Te Ara, where they will be supervised.

Week 6 (Monday 18 – Friday 22 November)

Form 3 and 4 students will have scheduled classes Monday – Thursday, where they will receive examination marks back from their subject teachers. Each day will conclude at 3.15pm.

Form 4 students will also attend a mixture of timetabled classes and workshops, where Health teachers will facilitate presentations and associated learning on the impact of pornography on the adolescent brain. Relevant information regarding these important workshops will be communicated to Form 4 parents separately.

Beginning on Friday 22 November Form 3 and 4 students will participate in the Junior School Activities Week programme, on campus, which will operate over five School days.

Form 3 Students will participate in a bespoke Form 3 leadership programme on Friday 22 November.

Form 4 students will also participate in a bespoke Form 4 leadership programme on Friday 22 November.

During the Activities Week programme the School day will begin with assembly at 9am and students are expected to maintain the usual standards of uniform, grooming and behaviour. They are required to bring PE uniform each day. The day will conclude at 3pm throughout the 5 days of the activities week.

Week 7 (Monday 25 – Friday 29 November)

Monday 25 November – Thursday 28 November
The Junior School activities week continues on Monday 25 November with Form 3 and 4 students will participating in a range of activities, which operate over the next four School days.

During the Activities Week programme, the School day will begin with assembly at 9am and students are expected to maintain the usual standards of uniform, grooming and behaviour. They are required to bring PE uniform each day. The day will conclude at 3pm throughout the five days of the Activities Week programme.

Form 3 students will participate in Te Reo Maori workshops held on campus, led by Head of Te Reo Māori Mr Shaw, ably assisted by a network of tutors on Monday 25 November.

Form 4 students will participate in a Careers Experience Day with AUT staff onsite at School on Monday 25 November.

Friday 29 November
Form 3 and 4 students will attend School as normal, junior classes will participate in a Form Class Sports Day held on campus. The School day will conclude at 3pm.

Week 8 (Monday 2 December – Thursday 5 December)

Monday 2 December
On Monday 2 December, all Form 3 and 4 classes will attend final timetabled lessons in each subject to complete course-related formalities. ID photographs for 2024 will also be taken of all Form 3 and 4 students on this day. The School day will conclude at 1.15pm.

Please note the School bus service will run at its normal timetabled intervals throughout the final three weeks of the School year. Departure times will not be brought forward earlier as the service accommodates students from other schools.

Tuesday 3 December
All Form 3 – 7 students return to School for the final three days of the School year meeting the normal standards. The School Day will commence at 9am with Assembly, followed by a form time where young men will have the opportunity to return all textbooks, library books and School materials to the appropriate place.

After the scheduled Form Time, all students will return to the Great Hall for the 2024 Colours and Performing Arts Assembly, which will commence at 10.10am. This special assembly will be livestreamed for parents to recognise and celebrate the successes of our top performing arts’ students.

The School day should conclude at 11.30am for all who have met their commitments.

Wednesday 4 December
All Form 3 – 7 students are expected to attend School. The School day will commence at 9am and should conclude at 10.30am, after our last formal assembly of the year and Prizegiving rehearsals.

The Leavers’ Dinner begins for Form 7 students at 6pm at Eden Park.

Thursday 5 December
The 2024 School Prizegiving will begin at 9am in the Great Hall. This is a celebration of achievement and is a compulsory event for all students.

All young men are again expected to attend in school uniform, wearing shoes and socks. As is the norm, we remind students to ensure they are appropriately groomed before arriving at School for this important occasion.

Prizewinners who fail to meet basic standards or fail to attend School on Wednesday, and Thursday will not be issued prizes and awards at the Prizegiving ceremony.

We encourage parents and friends of the School to join with us for this celebration of the 2024 academic, sporting and performing arts’ student achievements. Seating is available for parents on the B Floor of the Great Hall. Parents are encouraged to arrive early.

Prizegiving should conclude by 11.40am. For parents and friends of the School who cannot attend Prizegiving, the occasion will be livestreamed, the link will be shared with all parents in the final week of Term 4.

The School year concludes for all young men at the end of a further Form Time that will follow Prizegiving. Form teachers will issue all students with their end of year report at this second Form Time.

Students who sat Cambridge examinations will also receive a notice with personalised log-in and password details so that they can access their results online on Thursday 9 January 2025 for AS and A Level.

Students who have completed Pre-Q courses will receive their Pre-Q Results Certificate at this time.

If applied for, senior form teachers will also issue Form 6 or 7 leavers with their Leavers’ Documentation at the end of Prizegiving.

All young men who have met all School commitments will also be issued with a copy of this year’s School magazine, the Chronicle, and a copy of the School List.

If a student does not attend Prizegiving, they will not be issued any documentation. Similarly, students who arrive to Prizegiving not meeting our uniform or grooming expectations will not be issued any documentation at the scheduled Form Time that follows Prizegiving.

Those who have had documents withdrawn due to being on the Defaulters’ List, or for not meeting our expectations, will be required to report to the Great Hall at 9am on Friday 6 December in uniform.

Key dates for Term 1 2025

  • Wednesday 15 January: Form 5-7 Option Changes (10am – 3pm)
  • Friday 17 January: Form 5-7 Option Changes (12pm – 3pm)
  • Friday 17 January: New Students’ Orientation (9am – 12pm)
  • Monday 20 January: School Closed (Staff Only Day)
  • Tuesday 21 January: Term 1 starts for all Form levels
  • Monday 27 January: School Closed (Auckland Anniversary Day)
  • Wednesday 5 February: Form 3 Parents’ Information Evening
  • Thursday 6 February: School Closed (Waitangi Day)
  • Friday 7 February: School Closed (Waitangi Day observed)
  • Friday 14 February: Scholars’ Assembly
  • Thursday 20 February: Athletics Sports Day
  • Wednesday 5 March: Swimming Sports Day
  • Friday 7 March: Staff Only Day
  • Friday 14 March: School Cross Country Day
  • Thursday 3 – Monday 7 April: Term 1 Examinations
  • Friday 11 April: End of Term 1

Message from the Headmaster – November 2024

Headmaster Tim O'Connor at the lectern

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As we prepare to pass the halfway mark of the final term of the year, examinations will be at the forefront of your sons’ minds. The Cambridge and NZQA external examination series are well underway, Form 5 Pre-Q examinations conclude at the end of this week and Form 3 and 4 end of year examinations begin next week.

We know that academic growth at all levels of the School is supported by a strong work ethic that includes effective study; a preparedness to make the sacrifices to do so and willingness to ask questions and take advice. This type of self-disciplined approach supports the development of a growth mindset. It is that mindset and the ability to apply it that will help your sons experience success in these final weeks of the year. 

Alongside having a growth mindset, we have also reminded your sons of Owen Eastwood’s formula: Performance = Capability + Behaviour.

At a critical time of the year, your sons’ chosen behaviours will bring out the best or worst of their current capabilities, and their behaviour exists primarily in two domains:

  • The Public Domain, where your sons are under the School protocols or family protocols – meeting external standards and expectations. Quality responses, application and proficiency are demanded of them here, by others
  • The Private Domain is the one in which they spend time alone. This is the time daily they have to confront their habits, limitations, temptations and fears

As your sons prepare for their examinations and are either on study leave or will soon be awarded such leave, this is a critical time in their private domain. This is where they need to create an environment of being accountable to themselves, if they are to experience success and reach new personal bests.

In their private domains, it is easy to shift into a fixed mindset, particularly when studying, and then because something looks too hard, they present themselves with an excuse to stop studying and to give up.

Those who are most successful start to identify this negativity and trigger a shift into a growth mindset. They use techniques to maximise their study time, they have a study plan on their wall and they remind themselves when they cross a day off their calendar, that it was another day of study achieved. They understand the marginal gains being made.

Performance = Capability + Behaviour

Your sons are growing their capability through daily study. They are growing their behavioural responses through being self-disciplined enough to follow their study plan and using techniques to maximise how they use study time. They are presenting themselves with every opportunity to produce personal best results.

We have a busy few weeks of the year left, to complete examinations, and conclude Term 4 extracurricular activities, before we join together for Prizegiving where we will celebrate student achievement, antifragility and personal growth.

Per Angusta Ad Augusta

Tim O’Connor
Headmaster

Report: Grass Track Cycling Race

Report: Norman Carter Challenge Cup 2 mile Grass Track Race

On Wednesday 16 October, the School’s Cycling squad competed in their last race of the season – the Norman Carter Challenge Cup 2mile Grass Track race, which was held on the No. 1 field in ideal conditions on a good surface.

The senior race was a two-horse battle with the lead regularly changing hands between captain of Cycling J. A. J. Barclay (pictured above in front) and Form 7 student Z. F. Wyllie. Wyllie pulled ahead during the second half of the race and completed the last three laps on his own to take the victory.

There was a large turnout of Form 3 and 4 students who had their first experience of racing on a grass track. They got lots of encouragement from the students who were seated on the terraces under the Old Boys’ Pavilion. With the inclusion of a number of mountain bikers, the race got off to a fantastic start with Form 4 student M. D. Allan building on his lead after each lap. There were various contests throughout the field with positions changing continually, with Allan the eventual victor.

Both races were held in a friendly and competitive spirit and served as a great ending to a good cycling season. Z. F. Wyllie and M. D. Allan will receive their respective trophies at Prizegiving during the last week of Term 4.

Special thanks to the Masters in Charge and the coaches for their ongoing support and guidance of the squad this year.

Obituary – Dr Nigel Thomas Evans, ONZM ’53

The flag at half-mast
Nigel Evans ONZM

Dr Nigel Thomas Evans, ONZM ’53 passed away on Wednesday 9 October.

Dr Evans attended Auckland Grammar School from 1955 to 1957. He was in the A-stream throughout his three years at the School, earning the Tibbs Memorial prize for Mathematics and the Eric Astley Prize for Mathematics and Science and the Hayes Prize for Chemistry and Physics in his Upper Sixth year.

Dr Evans earned a national scholarship in each of his final two years, and was first for New Zealand in his Upper Sixth year. He was awarded the Williamson Scholarship in 1957 and named an Auckland Grammar School University Entrance Scholar in 1956 and 1957, topping the Honours Board in both years.

Dr Evans’ commitment to academia and his academic prowess was also reflected in earning a national scholarship in each of his final two years of secondary schooling. In the 1957 scholarship examinations he was first in the country. He was named an Auckland Grammar School University Entrance Scholar in 1956 and 1957, topping the Honours Board in both years and was awarded the Williamson Scholarship in 1957.

In 1956, Dr Evans was a School Prefect and in 1957 was named Head Prefect. That year, he was a member of the 1st XI Cricket team and received the Torch of Tradition for devotion to the School, service and self-sacrifice, conduct, character, bearing and manner; attributes Dr Evans continued to exhibit throughout his life.

Dr Evans’ service to the School was extensive. He was a foundation member of the Headmaster’s Council, serving from 1992 until his recent passing. He was a member of the Board of Trustees from 1987-1994, serving as Deputy Chairman from 1992-1994. He was President of the Old Boys’ Association in 1992, and was recognised with an Honorary Life Membership for his service to the Association and the School. He was an Augusta Award recipient in 2014.

Dr Evans earned a Master of Science from the University of Auckland and a doctorate in Physics from the University of Cambridge. He returned to New Zealand in 1968 and was invited by Woolf Fisher to manage and develop the technology at the newly established company, New Zealand Steel. He also served as a director on several companies including Fisher and Paykel Healthcare and Buckley Systems.

Dr Evans’ service to the community extended to his role as Secretary of the Woolf Fisher Trust that supported the advancement of general education through awarding prestigious fellowships and scholarships. He was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2013 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to education and the steel industry (pictured with then Governor-General Sir Jerry Matapaere GNZM QSO KStJ).

The Auckland Grammar School community extends our sympathies to Mrs Evans and the extended Evans family. The flag on the Main Block will fly at half-mast on Monday 14 October (the first day of Term 4), as a sign of respect for the life of Dr Nigel Thomas Evans, ONZM ’53.

A service to celebrate Dr Evans’ life will be held on Saturday 19 October at 11am in the Great Hall at Auckland Grammar School.