Bishop Viard College, also known as Viard College or BVC, is a coeducational, integrated, secondary school (years 7–13) located in Kenepuru,

Porirua Porirua, ( mi, Pari-ā-Rua) a city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Porirua' is a corruption of 'Pari-rua', meaning "the tide swee ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

History

The college was founded in 1968 by Cardinal Peter McKeefry, Archbishop of

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by m ...

, and was staffed by the Assumptionist Fathers and the Brigidine Sisters. The school was named after Philippe Viard, the first Catholic Bishop of Wellington. Originally the school consisted of two institutions (for boys and girls) on the same site, however it became a single co-educational unit in 1975. The school celebrated its 50th Jubilee on Labour weekend, 19–21 October 2018.

Notable alumni

* Brent Anderson –

All Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

rugby union player (1986–1987) *

Izzy Ford Izzy I. Ford (née Gray; born 19 January 1974) is a New Zealand local-body politician and former rugby union player. She served as deputy mayor of Porirua from 2016 to 2022. Early life and family Ford was born in Porirua on 19 January 1974, a ...

– local-body politician and former

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...

player * Faifili Levave – rugby union player * Vince Mellars –

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

and rugby union player * Anthony Perenise – rugby union player * John Schwalger –

rugby union player (2007–2008)

References

;General * Lillian G. Keys, ''Philip Viard, Bishop of Wellington'', Pegasus Press, Christchurch, 1968. * Ernest Richard Simmons, ''Brief history of the Catholic Church in New Zealand'', Catholic Publications Centre, Auckland, 1978. * Michael King, ''God's farthest outpost : a history of Catholics in New Zealand'', Viking, Auckland 1997. * Michael O'Meeghan S.M., ''Steadfast in hope : the story of the Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington 1850–2000'', Dunmore press, Palmerston North, 2003. *
Te Kete Ipurangi
;Specific

External links

School website
{{Schools in Wellington Educational institutions established in 1968 Catholic secondary schools in the Wellington Region Schools in Porirua 1968 establishments in New Zealand