From the Board

As I write this, St Andrew’s has just celebrated Founders’ Day with a superb assembly in the Centennial Chapel followed by the Highland Games. It is a highlight for many, as it is one of the few times in a year that the entire student body from Pre-school through to Year 13 gather. Students, staff, and Old Collegians enjoyed a fun afternoon of House competitions in singing, chanting, Highland dancing, and traditional Scottish tests of skill and strength.

Founders’ Day is also a timely reminder that we are all guardians of the College. The students sung, cheered, laughed, and competed, just like the thousands of students who have come before them.

As Board members, we consider it to be a privilege to be the current caretakers of this special place. We honour the work each person at the College does to ensure we are preserving traditions and building the future. As a community we are focused on ensuring that the current students and the thousands of students yet to come will also thrive at St Andrew’s.

We are mindful of this dynamic as we recruit our next Rector. A Board sub-committee was formed for this purpose late last year and is working closely with EQI Global in a global search for the best possible candidates. EQI Global have a longstanding reputation for delivering high-quality senior appointments in a range of organisations, including in the education sector. Advertising and candidate identification for the role over March and April will be followed by a thorough and robust interview and selection process.

This recruitment process has presented a great opportunity to showcase the College and everything it has to offer. It is also an occasion where we can reflect on the strength of the team at St Andrew’s. We have outstanding depth and talent in our teachers, tutors, support staff, and management. They consistently deliver the quality education, continuous improvement, strong leadership, financial management, and pastoral care which are hallmarks of St Andrew’s College. The inclusive and supportive environment we enjoy fosters stability, connection, and unity of purpose.

Our team’s strength contributed in no small part to our students’ strong academic results and cultural and sporting achievements in 2023. We achieved a pass rate in excess of 98 per cent across all three NCEA levels. These results were complemented by 64 NZQA Scholarships achieved across a wide range of subjects, with six at Outstanding level. Two of our students received an Outstanding Scholar Award from NZQA, given to the top 60 scholarship students in New Zealand.

The stunning Ngā Toi, our Performing Arts Centre which includes the Gough Family Theatre, will open shortly with the Senior Production, Legally Blonde. Kamo Marsh Landscape Architects have been assisting the College to develop a cultural integration plan to acknowledge mana whenua on our campus. The first stage of implementing this plan has been to incorporate some of the design features into Ngā Toi.

We look forward to seeing the Performing Arts continue to flourish in their new home.

He waka eke noa.

Felicity Odlin
Board Chair
On behalf of the Board of Governors