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Dilworth School, often referred to simply as Dilworth, is an independent full boarding school for boys in
Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
,
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 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. It is the largest full boarding school in both the country and Australasia. Owned and operated by a charitable trust, boys selected to attend do so on scholarships covering education and boarding costs.


History

Dilworth School was founded under the terms of the will of an Auckland farmer and businessman, Irish born
James Dilworth James Dilworth (15 August 1815 – 23 December 1894) was a New Zealand farmer, investor, speculator and philanthropist. He was born in Donaghmore, County Tyrone, Ireland, on 15 August 1815 and attended the nearby Royal School, Dungannon, where ...
who died in 1894. He and his wife Isabella had no children of their own and left their wealth to establish a school with a goal of educating sons of people from the top two-thirds of the North Island who had suffered some family misfortune and were unable to afford the education they wanted their children to have. The school opened in 1906 with eight boys and for the first 21 years offered primary education only. Secondary boys at that time boarded at the school but attended
Auckland Grammar School Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...
during the day. The original school buildings were Dilworth's old farm homestead and outbuildings. Classrooms and other buildings were added later. A secondary department was built in 1931. A major expansion started in 1956, the 50th anniversary, with the foundation stone being laid for St Patrick's Chapel. The total roll when that phase of the expansion was completed some five years later, was 300. The next major jump in numbers was in 1993 when the present Junior Campus was built to accommodate 192 boys. This brought the total roll of both campuses to 510 covering Year 5 to Year 13. In December 2019, Dilworth presented a vision to create a girls' boarding school to open in 2025. Dilworth has four houses representing places and counties in Ireland – Tyrone, Dungannon, Donegal and Armagh. The school also maintains a close relationship with the Royal School Dungannon, James Dilworth's alma mater. Each year, four pupils (called 'Kiwis') go to Dungannon as tutors on scholarship. Likewise, four pupils from Dungannon travel to
Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
to work at Dilworth. This is part of a long-standing exchange programme between the two schools.


Operation Beverly

On 14 September 2020, six men were arrested and charged for historic sex and drug offences alleged to have taken place at the school from the 1970s to the early 2000s. These defendants included the school's former chaplain, Ross Douglas Browne, and two teachers. The police investigation was codenamed "Operation Beverly." On 16 September, a seventh man was charged with indecent assault in 1990 at the Auckland District Court. On 10 October 2020, Stuff reported that the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was looking into historical abuse that had occurred at Dilworth School and other Anglican institutions in New Zealand. Several former students registered to make submissions to the Royal Commission. On 7 December, a former Dilworth pupil testified to the Royal Commission, alleging that students were beaten by staff and senior students and likening the school's environment to the novel ''
Lord of the Flies ''Lord of the Flies'' is a 1954 novel by the Nobel Prize-winning British author William Golding. The plot concerns a group of British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves. Themes ...
''. On 11 November 2020, former Assistant Principal Ian Wilson pleaded guilty to two charges involving indecent acts while working at Dilworth. Wilson had earlier been convicted of doing an indecent act with a boy under 12 years in 1996 while serving as Senior School Assistant Principal at MacMurray Boarding House. In late November, it was reported that a former 69-year old
Scout Master A Scout leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit. Roles There are many different roles a leader can fulfill depending on ...
, whose named was suppressed, facing charges of indecently assaulting a boy in the 1970s had died from cancer. On 9 December, name suppression for one of the defendants, Rex McIntosh, was lifted. McIntosh faces three charges of indecent assault. On 22 December, Detective Senior Sergeant Geoff Baber reported that an additional 80 victims had been identified and that 33 charges had been filed against five men aged between 68 and 78 as part of Operation Beverly. Baber confirmed that these new charges included allegations of indecency with boys under 16 years old, inducing a boy under 12 to do an indecent act, unlawful sexual connection, and indecent assault. That same day, Ian Wilson pleaded guilty to five charges of indecent assault including against two boys aged under 16 in the 1970s and a boy under 14 in 1992. Two other men facing charges include Ross Browne and Rex McIntosh. On 10 February 2021, Police identified a former scout master who died before he could face two separate trials for historical sexual offending as Richard Charles Galloway. On 23 March 2021, former assistant principal Ian Robert Wilson was sentenced by Judge Russell Collins at the Auckland District Court to three years and seven months in prison. Wilson had pleaded guilty to six charges of indecent assault and one of inducing a boy to do an indecent act. On 14 May 2021, Police confirmed that a third man facing historical sexual abuse charges at Dilworth School had died. As a consequence, any charges the man faces will be withdrawn. Name suppression was subsequently lifted and the man was identified as former school tutor Keith William Dixon. On 9 June 2021, Graeme Charles Lindsay admitted two counts of indecent assault against two complainants. Lindsay is one of eleven men who have so far been charged. On 6 October 2021, former school chaplain Ross Douglas Browne pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting 16 boys under his care. On 31 March 2022, former tutor Jonathan Peter Stephens was sentenced to six months' home detention, having earlier pleaded guilty to two charges of indecently assaulting a boy. On 1 June 2022, former head of music Leonard Cave was found guilty of sexually abusing 4 boys in his care. Charges relating to a fifth boy were dismissed during the trial. On 1 July 2022, former housemaster Alister Harlow was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison for sexually abusing students. On 7 September 2022, name suppression was lifted on Robert Howard Gladwin Wynyard, former teacher and housemaster. He earlier pleaded guilty to 11 indecent assault charges.


Campuses

Dilworth is organised on three separate campuses. Senior Campus The Senior Campus is located in
Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...
,
Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
and accommodates up to 340 boys from Years 9 – 13. This is the school's flagship campus. Junior Campus The Junior Campus was opened in 1993 and is located in
Remuera Remuera is an affluent inner city suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located four kilometres southeast of the city centre. Remuera is characterised by many large houses, often Edwardian or mid 20th century. A prime example of a "leafy" sub ...
,
Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
. The campus accommodates 192 boys from Years 5 – 8. Rural Campus – Te Haerenga The new Rural Campus (sometimes called the 'Rural Campus – Te Haerenga (The Journey)') was officially opened in March 2012 after the Trust Board purchased the liquidated hotel and spa, Hotel du Vin. The campus – on 15 ha grounds in Mangatawhiri, south of Auckland – accommodates another 100 students in Year 9


Trust Board

The Dilworth Trust Board is one of New Zealand's largest charities and provides the funding to support the Dilworth School. The original endowment of 100,000 pounds left in 1894 by James Dilworth in his will has been invested wisely since then and now has grown to a diversified portfolio of investments. The Board still invests predominantly in property, and in particular, in the locality around the School but does hold a number of other investments including shares and bonds, both in New Zealand and overseas. The trust now holds approximately $957 million in assets and cash. The beneficiaries of this trust are the boys who attend the School. The Board are precluded from assisting any other cause, however worthy it may be, and so this leads to a very focused Board and staff. A duty of the Board is the granting and withdrawal of scholarships. Whilst staff provide significant input to the process, the final selection remains with the Trustees.


Curriculum

The school curriculum is to provide an academic education by offering subjects that satisfy the seven learning areas of the New Zealand Framework, and thus offers the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level One, Two & Three.


Sports

The school holds multiple National and Auckland wrestling titles and for a time were the undisputed national powerhouse wrestling school in New Zealand. The school have produced a significant number of New Zealand Junior Representatives and a Junior Olympian since the program's inception in 1997. Rugby is the most popular code at Dilworth. The school's 1st XV had been among the strongest teams in the Auckland 1B Championship for years, winning 49 out of their 52 games since 2011 and reaching 7 finals since 2000. They were finally crowned 1B Champions in 2012 and won the title again in 2013. In 2015, Dilworth made history by beating Onehunga High School, 12-10, in a 1A Championship promotion match and entered Auckland's top-flight for the first time in 109 years. In their debut 1A season, Dilworth finished 7th out of 12 teams, winning five of their 11 regular season games. In 2016, Dilworth lost much of their starting line-up, however, managed to win three crucial matches against Otahuhu 43-3,
Onehunga Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is south of the city centre, close to the volcanic cone of Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill. Onehunga is a ...
19-7 and Kelston Boys' 26-14 to secure an 8th-place finish and survival in the 1A. The 2017 season was a promising year for the college's 1st XV, with the team opening their account with a 27–13 away win against
Liston College Liston College is a school in Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand, for year seven to 13 boys and offers a Catholic education to its students. It was the second school opened by the Christian Brothers in Auckland. It was named after Archbishop Li ...
. The following weekend, Dilworth produced one of the biggest upsets in 1A history, beating 2016
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and 2017
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
silver medallists, Mount Albert Grammar, 20-15. The win brought national attention to the college and took Dilworth to the top of the 1A table for the first time in the school's history. After respectable 2017 and 2018 campaigns avoiding relegation, a noteworthy feat for the league's smallest school with a roll of just over 300, in 2019, Dilworth finished the season in the drop zone. However, in their relegation match, they won emphatically, downing
One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...
95-0 to secure a sixth consecutive berth in 1A rugby for 2020. The school's basketball program has also enjoyed success and defeated some of the country's powerhouse programs to be finalists in the Auckland Premier league in both 2007 and 2008.


Demographic

As of July 2019, the
Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
reported 68.9% of the school roll was Maori or Pasifika whilst 21.9% of pupils were
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and 6.7% of
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
descent.


Headmasters/principals

The school had their first headmaster in 1908. * C.F. Bourne 1908 * A. Plugge 1909–1914 * N.M.P. Gibson 1914–1945 * B.H. Wakelin 1946–1950 * J. Conolly 1950–1966 * R.G.P. Parr 1967–1979 * M.T. Wilton 1979–1997 * D. J. MacLean 1997–2018 * Dan Reddiex 2019–present


Notable alumni

*
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, 14th Governor-General of New Zealand *
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, 34th Prime Minister of New Zealand and 6th Director-General of the World Trade Organization *
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, Member of Parliament for Botany *
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, Cabinet Minister in the Parliament of New Zealand *
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, Japan international, professional rugby union player *
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, All Black and professional rugby union player * Riki Hoeata, professional rugby union player * Fin Hoeata, professional rugby union player *
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, film composer * Angus Ta'avao, All Black and professional rugby union player * Toni Pulu, professional rugby union player *
Jason Hoyte Jason Hoyte is a New Zealand screen and voice actor and radio DJ. He has at least 25 television shows to his credit and is best known for his roles as Steve Mudgeway in ''Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby'' and Malcolm "Smudge" in ''Nothing Trivial' ...
, actor and radio DJ * David Aloua, professional boxer *
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, Scotland international and professional rugby union player * Brendhan Lovegrove, comedian


References


External links


Dilworth School
official website

Sexual abuse claims {{Schools in Auckland Boarding schools in New Zealand Boys' schools in New Zealand Educational institutions established in 1906 Primary schools in Auckland Secondary schools in Auckland 1906 establishments in New Zealand