Wellington College, is a state-run boys

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

Wellington Wellington 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 third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, New Zealand. It is situated on 12 hectares of

green belt A green belt or greenbelt is a policy, and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wilderness, wild, or agricultural landscape, land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts ...

land in the suburb of Mount Victoria, in the vicinity of the

Basin Reserve The Basin Reserve, also known as the Cello Basin Reserve for sponsorship reasons, and commonly referred to as the Basin, is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand. It is used for Test cricket, Test matches, and is the main home ground of t ...

and

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

. The school was founded in 1867 through a deed of endowment from

Sir George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...

, the then

Governor of New Zealand A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

. Wellington College is one of the oldest boys' secondary schools in New Zealand. The history and influence of Wellington College have made it notable in the history of New Zealand, with prominent alumni such as Arthur Coningham,

Bernard Freyberg Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, (21 March 1889 – 4 July 1963) was a United Kingdom, British-born New Zealand soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, who served as the List of g ...

and William Pickering. The school is known nationally for both its academic success, as well as a large number of sporting activities. The school has an enrolment of about 1750 boys.

Glen Denham Glen Ivan Denham (born 1963 or 1964) is a New Zealand educationalist and former basketball player. He is of Māori descent. Early life Denham was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, the son of a teacher and butcher. His father was Australian and his ...

is the current

Headmaster A headmaster/headmistress, head teacher, head, school administrator, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. Role While s ...

History

Wellington College opened in 1867 as Wellington Grammar School in Woodward Street, though

gave the school a deed of endowment in 1853. In 1869 the school moved to a new, spired, wooden building on the hills above the central city in Clifton Terrace from where it could be seen from many places in Wellington. In 1874 the college opened in a much larger building at its present location. The former boarding establishment at the College, Firth House, was named after

Joseph Firth Joseph "Pentland" Firth (25 March 1859 – 13 April 1931) was a New Zealand educationalist and teacher. He was the headmaster of Wellington College from 1892 to 1920. He was born and died in Wellington, and played first-class cricket for Welli ...

, the headmaster from 1892 to 1921. Wellington College's Pavilion, Firth House, and the Gifford Observatory were opened on 1 December, 1924. The War Memorial Hall was opened on 2 March, 1928, financially supported by £6000 from the Old Boys' Association. The War Memorial Hall and classroom wings were demolished by the Ministry of Works and replaced in the 1960s with a new hall and seven-storey Tower classroom block due to its lack of earthquake reinforcements. The stained glass window from the front of the War Memorial Hall is now in the front of the existing hall. In the 1960s the Old Boys Gymnasium was built on the eastern boundary of the campus replacing the swimming pool and during the 1970s the Maths, Library, and Technology blocks were opened, replacing the last of the War Memorial Hall building and classroom wings that opened in 1928. In 1980 Firth House was demolished to make way for a new gymnasium which opened in 1982. 1988 saw the opening of the Arts and Music block, and the Brierley Theatre, named after old boy

Ron Brierley Ronald Alfred Brierley (born 2 August 1937) is a New Zealand investor and corporate raider, chairman and director of a number of companies in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. He founded Brierley Investments, R.A. Brierley Investments Ltd (BIL ...

. The first dedicated computer rooms in the College opened in 1994 in a new building behind the school hall. 2001 saw the Science block's opening on the western boundary of the campus. In 2008 the Languages block opened, also located on the west boundary. The campus also has many prefabricated buildings, some functioning as offices or classrooms. The only "historical" buildings remaining on campus to this day are Firth Hall, the Pavilion, and the Gifford Observatory. Wellington college

In 2016, the College Hall was demolished to make way for a larger Assembly Hall and Performing Arts Centre, which would be able to hold the entire school with its growing population. In preparation for this, the staffroom was moved to Firth Hall, the Uniform Shop opened a new premise next to the Archives, and the Computer Block was opened on the first floor of Tower Block. Construction on the new hall commenced in September 2016 and was opened in 2018 by

Jacinda Ardern Dame Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician and activist who was the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, leader of the Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. She was ...

About

Wellington College's enrolment zone mainly covers the central and western suburbs of Wellington (

Rongotai College Rongotai College is a state single-sex boys' secondary school in the southeastern suburb of Rongotai, Wellington, New Zealand. Serving Years 9 to 13 (ages 12 to 18), the school has students as of . About 55 percent of the students are of Eu ...

serves the southeastern suburbs, and

Onslow College Onslow College is a state co-educational secondary school located in Johnsonville, a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. In 2022 it had 1405 students. The current principal is Sheena Millar. History Onslow College opened in 1956 to serve Welling ...

the northern suburbs). The school also competes in a local athletics competition known as "McEvedy Shield" along with St. Patrick's College (Town), St. Patrick's College (Silverstream) and

. Historically, Wellington College has won the shield more than any other school. It is next to Wellington East Girls' College, also in Mount Victoria, and shares with that college the Gifford Observatory. Although Wellington College is situated next to Wellington East Girls' College, its sister college is

Wellington Girls' College Wellington Girls' College was founded in 1883 in Wellington, New Zealand. At that time it was called Wellington Girls' High School. Wellington Girls' College is a year 9 to 13 state secondary school, located in Thorndon in central Wellington. ...

located in Thorndon. In 2011, 2012, and 2013, Wellington College earned the highest number of scholarships in the New Zealand scholarship exams.

Board of trustees

The Wellington College Board of Trustees consists of twelve elected and appointed members. Currently the Board Chair is Cameron Harland, who is also the Chief Executive at

NZ On Air NZ On Air (NZOA; ), formally the Broadcasting Commission, is an Crown entity, autonomous Crown entity and commission of the New Zealand Government responsible for providing funding for broadcasting and creative works. The commission operates l ...

Notable alumni

The Arts

John Beaglehole John Cawte Beaglehole (13 June 1901 – 10 October 1971) was a New Zealand historian whose greatest scholastic achievement was the editing of James Cook's three journals of exploration, together with the writing of an acclaimed biography of Coo ...

– historian * Colin Beyer – lawyer and businessman * Roy Cowan – potter, illustrator, and printmaker * Maxwell Fernie – organist, conductor and music teacher * Alexander Grant – ballet dancer, teacher, and company director *

W. Gray Young William Gray Young (21 June 1885 – 21 April 1962) was a New Zealand architect in the early 20th century, designing buildings such as Knox College, Otago, Knox College in Dunedin, the Wellington railway station and Wellington, Wellington's Elli ...

– architect * Jonathan Harlen – author *

Dai Henwood Dafydd Morgan "Dai" Henwood (born 7 February 1978) is a New Zealand stand-up comedian and television host. Henwood first performed comedy when he was studying Theatre and Film at Victoria University of Wellington. His career in television bega ...

– comedian *

Raybon Kan Raybon Kan (born 1966) is a New Zealand comedian and newspaper columnist. Early life and family Kan's family moved to Wellington, New Zealand soon after his birth in Masterton. He began his education at St Mark's Church School. He showed an early ...

– writer and comedian *

Bret McKenzie Bret Peter Tarrant McKenzie (born 29 June 1976) is a New Zealand musician, comedian, music supervisor, and actor. He is best known as one half of musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords along with Jemaine Clement. In the 2000s, the duo's com ...

–

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning songwriter and member of

Flight of the Conchords Flight of the Conchords are a New Zealand musical comedy duo formed in Wellington in 1998. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Beginning as a popular live comedy act in the early 2000s, the duo's c ...

* Gordon McLauchlan – writer *

John Mulgan John Alan Edward Mulgan (31 December 1911 – 26 April 1945) was a New Zealand writer, journalist and editor, and the elder son of journalist and writer Alan Mulgan. His influence on New Zealand literature and identity grew in the years aft ...

– editor, writer, journalist and Army officer *

Clive Matthew-Wilson Clive Matthew-Wilson (born 24 July 1956 in Wellington) is a New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and Li ...

– writer * David Mitchell – poet *

Don Peebles Donald Clendon Peebles (5 March 1922 – 27 March 2010) was a New Zealand artist. He is regarded as a pioneer of abstract art in New Zealand, and his works are held in the collections of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, the Museum of New Ze ...

– artist *

Robert J. Pope Robert James Pope (24 March 1865 – 12 April 1949) was a New Zealand poet, songwriter, violinist, cricketer, teacher, and headmaster. He became well known in Wellington between 1910 and 1945 for his contributions to the ''New Zealand Free Lance' ...

– songwriter, poet, cricketer * Jack Shallcrass – author, educator, and humanist *

Burton Silver Burton Silver (born 1945) is a New Zealand cartoonist, parodist, and writer, known for his comic strip ''Bogor'' and the best-selling book '' Why Paint Cats''. He lives in South Wairarapa, New Zealand. Biography Silver was born in 1945 and atte ...

– cartoonist, parodist, and writer * Charles Treadwell – lawyer, soldier, author and politician *

Karl Urban Karl-Heinz Urban (born 7 June 1972) is a New Zealand actor. His career began with appearances in New Zealand films and television series such as '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. His first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror film ''Ghost Ship''. ...

– actor * Clement Gordon Watson – editor, journalist, soldier,

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

activist * Kenneth Athol Webster – collector and dealer of manuscripts, fine art, and ethnographic artifacts associated with Oceanic peoples.

Broadcasting & journalism

Edward George Honey Edward George Honey (18 September 1885 – 25 August 1922) was an Australian journalist who suggested the idea of five minutes of silence in a letter to a London newspaper in May 1919, about 6 months before the first observance of the Two-minut ...

– Australian journalist credited by some as the originator of the Two-minute silence tradition * John Campbell – journalist, radio and television personality * Graeme Moody – sports broadcaster * Keith Quinn – TV and radio sports presenter * Chris Spence – journalist * Selwyn Toogood – radio and television personality. * Bryan Waddle – cricket commentator & radio presenter

Business

– businessman * George Burnes – businessman and

first-class cricketer First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

* Stewart Duff – businessman, civic advocate and politician *

Alan Gibbs Alan Timothy Gibbs (born 1939) is a New Zealand-born businessman, entrepreneur and former public servant. During the 1960s and 1970s, Gibbs was involved in manufacturing and investment banking, before overseeing the corporatisation of New Zeal ...

– businessman * Saul Goldsmith – importer and merchant * Michael Hirschfeld – businessman, and was President of the

New Zealand Labour Party The New Zealand Labour Party, also known simply as Labour (), is a Centre-left politics, centre-left political party in New Zealand. The party's platform programme describes its founding principle as democratic socialism, while observers descri ...

from 1995 to 1999. *

Arthur Myers Sir Arthur Mielziner Myers (19 May 1868 – 9 October 1926) was a New Zealand politician. He was Mayor of Auckland City from 1905 to 1909, Member of the House of Representatives from 1910 to 1921, and a Cabinet Minister. Today he is remembered ...

– businessman and politician * Steve Outtrim – businessman * Frank Renouf – businessman *

Stephen Town Stephen Town (born ) is a chief executive in New Zealand. Formerly the chief executive of Auckland Council, Town was the inaugural chief executive for vocational education provider Te Pūkenga–New Zealand Institute of Skills & Technology ...

– chief executive

Public service

Henry Avery Henry Every, also known as Henry Avery (20 August 1659Disappeared: June 1696), sometimes erroneously given as Jack Avery or John Avery, was an English people, English pirate who operated in the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic and Indian Ocean, Indian ...

– New Zealand's Quartermaster General during World War Two and former All Black * Grafton Francis Bothamley –

Clerk of the New Zealand House of Representatives The clerk of the New Zealand House of Representatives is an officer of the New Zealand House of Representatives and is the principal officer (chief executive) of the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Role The clerk of the ...

* George T. Bolt – public servant, served as chairman of the

Public Service Commission Public Service Commission may refer to: * Public utilities commission ** Alabama Public Service Commission ** Public Service Commission (Indiana) ** Public Service Commission of Utah ** Public Utilities Commission of Ohio ** Public Utilities Com ...

* Alfred Brandon (mayor) –

Mayor of Wellington The mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of Wellington, the city of Wellington. The mayor presides over the Wellington City Council. The mayor is directly elected using the Single Transferable Vote method of proportional ...

* Alfred Brandon (RAF officer) – lawyer and military aviator who served in the First World War * Edmund Percy Bunny –

Mayor of Lower Hutt The city of Lower Hutt, New Zealand, was first proclaimed a borough on 1 February 1891. Prior to this it had been part of Hutt County, initially as a Roads Board and from 1881 as a Town Board. Since 2019, the mayor has been Campbell Barry. Hist ...

* John Gibbs Churchill – trade unionist and local politician * Arthur Coningham – World War II commander and World War I Air Ace. Portrayed in the film '' Patton'' *

Ken Douglas Kenneth George Douglas (15 November 1935 – 14 September 2022) was a New Zealand trade union leader. Early life Douglas was born in Wellington in 1935. His parents were Marjorie "Maj" Alice ( Farrow) and John Atholwood "Atty" Douglas. He wa ...

– trade union leader and politician *

James Lloyd Findlay Air Commodore James Lloyd Findlay (6 October 1895 – 17 March 1983) was a New Zealand soldier and air force officer who served in both World Wars. Early life and family Findlay was born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1895, the second son of Si ...

– soldier and air force officer who served in both

World Wars A world war is an international conflict that involves most or all of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World War I (19 ...

. *

– Governor-General, World War I VC Winner and World War II commander *

Les Gandar Leslie Walter Gandar (26 January 1919 – 16 December 1994) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Biography Early life and career Gandar was born in 1919. He received his education from Kelburn Normal, Wellington College, and V ...

– politician of the

National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...

. * William Gaudin – politician * Thomas Gault – Justice of the Supreme Court of New Zealand *

William Gentry Major General Sir William George Gentry, (20 February 1899 – 13 October 1991) was a professional soldier in the New Zealand Military Forces who served during the Second World War. He was Chief of the General Staff of the New Zealand Military ...

– World War II commander * Thomas Goddard – jurist * Lord Grey of Naunton – last

Governor of Northern Ireland The governor of Northern Ireland was the principal officer and representative in Northern Ireland of the British monarch. The office was established on 9 December 1922 and abolished on 18 July 1973. Overview The office of Governor of Northern I ...

* Hamish Hancock – former

MP for

Horowhenua Horowhenua District is a territorial authority district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand, administered by Horowhenua District Council. Located north of Wellington and Kāpiti, it stretches from slightly north of the town of ...

and a lawyer * Frederick Hanson – World War II commander, subsequently Commissioner of Works at the Ministry of Works *

Michael Hardie Boys Sir Michael Hardie Boys, (6 October 1931 – 29 December 2023) was a New Zealand lawyer and jurist who served as the 17th governor-general of New Zealand from 1996 to 2001. Early life and family Hardie Boys was born in 1931 in Wellington, th ...

– former Governor-General of New Zealand * Thomas Hislop – Mayor of Wellington from 1931 to 1945 *

Don Hunn Donald Kent Hunn (born Wellington 26 December 1934) is a senior New Zealand diplomat and civil servant. Hunn is the son of Sir Jack Hunn, a former Secretary of Defence, Maori Affairs, and Justice. Education Hunn attended Wellington College ...

CNZM The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have re ...

– senior New Zealand diplomat, civil servant, and

State Services Commissioner The Public Service Commission (PSC; ), called the State Services Commission until 2020, is the central public service department of New Zealand charged with overseeing, managing, and improving the performance of the public sector organisations ...

* Thomas Jordan – was the

mayor of Masterton The mayor of Masterton is the head of the municipal government of Masterton, New Zealand, and presides over the Masterton District Council. The mayor is directly elected using First Past the Post. The mayor is assisted by the deputy mayor of Mas ...

from 1925 to 1944, and was a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

and then

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

. *

John Larkindale John Peter Larkindale (born 1946) is a former New Zealand public servant and diplomat, whose overseas postings including ambassador to the Russian Federation and high commissioner to Australia. Biography Larkindale was born in Wellington in ...

– former New Zealand public servant and diplomat *

Ngātata Love Sir Ralph Heberley Love (7 September 1937 – 17 October 2018), known as Ngātata Love, was a New Zealand Waitangi Tribunal negotiator, academic and Māori people, Māori leader. Love was a Professor Emeritus of Business Development at Victori ...

– academic and Treaty negotiator * John Levy MacDuff – lawyer and magistrate *

Aussie Malcolm Anthony George "Aussie" Malcolm (11 December 1940 – 11 September 2024) was a New Zealand National Party politician. He served three terms in parliament (1975–1984) and was a cabinet minister in Robert Muldoon's government. After politics ...

– former

politician * Peter Malone –

veterinary surgeon Veterinary surgery is surgery performed on non-human animals by veterinarians, whereby the procedures fall into three broad categories: orthopaedics (bones, joints, muscles), soft tissue surgery (skin, body cavities, cardiovascular system, GI/u ...

and politician *

Rex Mason Henry Greathead Rex Mason (3 June 1885 – 2 April 1975) was a New Zealand politician. He served as Attorney General, Minister of Justice, Minister of Education, and Minister of Native Affairs, and had a significant influence on the directio ...

– politician * Colin McLeod – civil engineer, who served as the Commissioner of Works between 1973 and 1981. * Frank Moore – political activist *

Norman Harold Moss Norman Harold Moss (1896–1974) was Mayor of Stratford, New Zealand from 1947 to 1957. Early years He was born in Dunedin in 1896 and educated at Wellington College. After leaving college he was the first New Zealander to be employed in the C ...

–

Mayor of Stratford, New Zealand The mayor of Stratford officiates over the Stratford District Council. The mayor is elected directly using the first-past-the-post First-past-the-post (FPTP)—also called choose-one, first-preference plurality (FPP), or simply plurality� ...

from 1947 to 1957. * Michael Myers – judge *

Humphrey O'Leary Sir Humphrey Francis O'Leary (12 February 1886 – 16 October 1953) was the seventh Chief Justice of New Zealand, from 1946 to 1953. Early life and family Born in Redwoodtown in the Wairau Valley, Marlborough, in 1886, his father, an Irish i ...

– Chief Justice of New Zealand, from 1946 to 1953. *

Matthew Oram Sir Matthew Henry Oram (2 June 1885 – 22 January 1969) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He was the 13th Speaker of the House of Representatives, from 1950 to 1957. Early life Oram was born in 1885 at Christchurch. His mot ...

– lawyer, politician, Speaker of Parliament *

Graham Beresford Parkinson Major General Graham Beresford Parkinson, (5 November 1896 – 10 July 1979) was a professional soldier in the New Zealand Military Forces who served during the First and Second World Wars. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Parkinson was ...

– World War II commander *

Paul Reeves Sir Paul Alfred Reeves (6 December 1932 – 14 August 2011) was a New Zealand clergyman who served as the 15th governor-general of New Zealand from 1985 to 1990 and as Archbishop and Primate of New Zealand from 1980 to 1985. He was the first ...

– former Governor-General of New Zealand * Adrian G. Rodda – senior civil servant and Chairman of the State Services Commission * Eric Roussell –

Rino Tirikatene Rino Tirikatene (born 1972) is a New Zealand Labour Party politician and a former member of the House of Representatives. He comes from a family with a strong political history. Tirikatene represented the Te Tai Tonga Māori electorate from th ...

– Labour Party politician and a former MP * Alastair Scott – politician *

Tom Seddon Thomas Edward Youd Seddon (2 July 1884 – 22 January 1972) was a New Zealand politician of the New Zealand Liberal Party, Liberal Party, and a lawyer in Greymouth. He was the son of New Zealand's longest-serving Prime Minister Richard Seddon, ...

– politician of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

, and a lawyer in

Greymouth Greymouth () (Māori language, Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast List of regions in New Zealand, region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The populat ...

Charles Skerrett Sir Charles Perrin Skerrett (2 September 1863 – 13 February 1929) was the fifth Chief Justice of New Zealand, from 1926 to 1929. He was born in India. His father Peter Perrin Skerrett was born in Ireland and descended from the Skerretts of F ...

– fifth

Chief Justice of New Zealand The chief justice of New Zealand () is the head of the New Zealand judiciary, and presides over the Supreme Court of New Zealand. The chief justice of New Zealand is also the chief justice of Tokelau. Before the establishment of the Supreme C ...

, from 1926 to 1929 * Ron Smith – public servant, communist and peace activist * Duncan Stout – medic, soldier and author * William Ball Sutch – New Zealand public servant, put on trial for espionage * Geoff Thompson – former New Zealand politician of the

. *

Ray Wallace Ray or Raymond Wallace may refer to: * Raymond L. Wallace (1918–2002), American Bigfoot researcher & hoaxer *Raymond Wallace, a pseudonym of English songwriter Huntley Trevor (1881–1943) * Ray Wallace (footballer) (born 1969), English footballe ...

– Mayor of Lower Hutt from 2010 to 2019 *

Thomas Wilford Sir Thomas Mason Wilford (20 June 1870 – 22 June 1939) was a New Zealand politician. He held the seats of Wellington Suburbs then Hutt continuously for thirty years, from 1899 to 1929. Wilford was leader of the New Zealand Liberal Party, an ...

– politician *

Hugh Williams Hugh Anthony Glanmor Williams (6 March 1904 – 7 December 1969) was a British actor and dramatist of Welsh descent. Early life and career Hugh Anthony Glanmor Williams (nicknamed "Tam") was born at Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex to Hugh Dafydd Antho ...

– former president of the New Zealand Electoral Commission and a retired judge of the

High Court of New Zealand The High Court of New Zealand () is the superior court of New Zealand. It has general jurisdiction and responsibility, under the Senior Courts Act 2016, as well as the High Court Rules 2016, for the administration of justice throughout New Zeala ...

. From 2016 to 2022 he was Chief Justice of the Cook Islands. *

Bill Young William, Will, Bill or Billy Young may refer to: Arts and entertainment * William Young (composer) (died 1662), English composer and viola da gambist * William Young (architect) (1843–1900), Scottish architect, designer of Glasgow City Chambe ...

– politician representing the

Science

* George Leslie Adkin – farmer, geologist, ethnologist, photographer, and environmentalist. *

Brian Barratt-Boyes Sir Brian Gerald Barratt-Boyes (born Brian Gerald Boyes, 13 January 1924 – 8 March 2006) was a pioneering New Zealand cardiothoracic surgeon. He was known for early development of cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, early implantation of a card ...

– New Zealand cardiothoracic surgeon *

David Beaglehole David Beaglehole (8 January 1938 – 21 March 2014) was a New Zealand physicist. Early life, family and education Beaglehole was born in Wellington in 1938 into an academic family. His parents were American-born linguist Pearl Beaglehole (née ...

– New Zealand

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

* David Benney – emeritus professor and former head of the Department of Mathematics at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

* Ian Foster – computer scientist * Murray Hill – seed technologist *

Diamond Jenness Diamond Jenness, (February 10, 1886, Wellington, New Zealand – November 29, 1969, Chelsea, Quebec, Canada) was one of Canada's greatest early scientists and a pioneer of Canadian anthropology. Early life (1886–1910) Family and childho ...

– anthropologist in Canada * William Pickering – former Head of the

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) in La Cañada Flintridge, California, Crescenta Valley, United States. Founded in 1936 by Cali ...

(space scientist) * Philip Robertson – chemist, university professor and writer * John Salmon – photographer, entomologist, academic, conservationist, and author. *

Jonathan Sarfati Jonathan David Sarfati (born 1 October 1964) is a young Earth creationist who writes articles for Creation Ministries International (CMI), a non-profit Christian apologetics ministry. Sarfati has a PhD in chemistry, and was New Zealand nation ...

–

creationist Creationism is the religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of divine creation, and is often pseudoscientific. Gunn 2004, p. 9, "The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary' ...

, scientist, and New Zealand Chess Champion * Fred White – New Zealand-born Australian physicist and ornithologist who was Chairman of

CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency that is responsible for scientific research and its commercial and industrial applications. CSIRO works with leading organisations arou ...

Sport

Leni Apisai Leni Chris Anitoni Apisai (born 8 March 1996) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a hooker for in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the in the international Super Rugby competition. Early career Born in the tow ...

– rugby union player * Ernest Beechey – cricketer * Charles Benbow – cricketer *

Ernest Bezzant Ernest Frederic Bezzant (26 October 1916 – 1 October 2002) was a New Zealand cricketer who played four first-class matches in New Zealand in the 1940s. Bezzant was born in Wellington and educated at Wellington College. He served in the ...

– cricketer * James Blackwell – rugby union player * Perry Freshwater – rugby union player for

Leicester Tigers Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its home ...

and England Rugby *

Nelson Asofa-Solomona Nelson Asofa-Solomona (born 29 February 1996) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL) and New Zealand at international level. Asofa-Solomona won the 2017 ...

– rugby league player for

Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm is a rugby league football club based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia that participates in the National Rugby League (NRL). The club plays its home games at AAMI Park, and wears a purple and navy blu ...

* Trevor Barber –

cricketer Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

* Wally Barclay – cricketer *

Tom Blundell Sir Thomas Leon Blundell, (born 7 July 1942) is a British biochemist, structural biologist, and science administrator. He was a member of the team of Dorothy Hodgkin that solved in 1969 the first structure of a protein hormone, insulin. Blun ...

– professional cricketer for the

Wellington Firebirds The Wellington Firebirds are one of six New Zealand men's first-class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket. It is based in Wellington. It competes in the Plunket Shield first class (4-day) competition, The Ford Trophy domestic one d ...

and New Zealand

Black Caps The New Zealand national cricket team represents New Zealand in men's international cricket. Nicknamed the Black Caps (), they played their first Test in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. ...

Leo Bertos Leonida Christos Bertos (born 20 December 1981) is a New Zealand football coach and former player who is the head coach of Northern NSW NPL side Weston Bears. A winger, he was a New Zealand international from 2003 to 2013, representing his c ...

– former professional football player for the

Wellington Phoenix Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League Men, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the 2007–08 ...

Rochdale A.F.C. Rochdale Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. The team currently competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English league system. Nickn ...

Perth Glory FC Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in Perth, Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under Professional sports league organi ...

and the

All Whites The New Zealand men's national football team () represents New Zealand in men's international football competitions. The team is governed by the governing body for football in New Zealand, New Zealand Football (NZF), which is currently a memb ...

* Harry Boam – cricketer for the

Craig Bradshaw Craig Bradshaw may refer to: * Craig Bradshaw (basketball) (born 1983), New Zealand professional basketball player * Craig Bradshaw (American football) (born 1957), American football player {{hndis, Bradshaw, Craig ...

– Former Professional Basketballer, and member of New Zealand Tall Blacks *

George Bridgewater George Spencer Bridgewater (born 18 January 1983) is a former New Zealand rower who competed in the pair at international level with Nathan Twaddle. The pair began representing New Zealand together in 2004 and won bronze medals at the 2008 Summ ...

– New Zealand rower *

Tim Brown Timothy, Timmy, or Tim Brown may refer to: Music * Timothy Brown (bassist) (born 1969), bassist for the band The Boo Radleys * Timothy Brown (conductor) (born 1946), English choral conductor * Timothy Brown (hornist), English hornist Sports Gridir ...

– former professional footballer for the

and the

. Also co-founder of

Allbirds Allbirds is an American public benefit company originating in New Zealand that sells footwear and apparel, co-founded in 2015 by Tim Brown and Joey Zwillinger. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, and is known for their minimalist ...

* Ralph Caulton – All Black * Dane Coles – All Black *

David Collins David Collins may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * David Collins (''Dark Shadows''), character in the television series ''Dark Shadows'' * David Collins (''EastEnders''), character in the television series ''EastEnders'' P ...

– cricketer * Ambrose Curtis – rugby union player * Victor du Chateau – cricketer * Ernie Dodd – rugby union player * Quentin Donald – rugby union player *

Ross Durant Ross Durant is a former association football player who played as a defender. He represented the New Zealand national team at international level. Durant played four official internationals for the ''All Whites'' in the space of nine days, mak ...

– football player for New Zealand

* Bill Dustin – cricketer *

Simon Elliott Simon John Elliott (born 10 June 1974) is a New Zealand football manager and former player who most recently served as head coach of USL Championship side Sacramento Republic FC. A defensive midfielder, he spent his professional career in the , ...

– former football player with the

Los Angeles Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...

and New Zealand All Whites * Ken Elliott – All black * Marc Ellis – former

All Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

, entertainer, businessman * James Franklin – cricketer, plays for

and

* Wilfred Findlay – cricketer, soldier and businessman * Henry Foley – cricketer * Perry Freshwater – English rugby union player * Wes Goosen – Rugby Union player for *

Reggie Goodes Norman Reginald Goodes (born 4 April 1991) is a former South African-born rugby union player who played as a prop for in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup from 2010 to 2016 and for the in the international Super Rugby competition from 2012 to ...

– former South African-born

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player * Frank Glasgow – rugby union player * Hāmi Grace – cricketer * Ken Gray – All Black * Bernard Griffiths – cricketer * Jack Griffiths (rugby union) – rugby union player * Charlie Gubb – former rugby league player for

New Zealand Warriors The Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as the Aucklan ...

* Everett Hales – cricketer * Brian Hastings – cricketer * Kemara Hauiti-Parapara –

player * TJ Ioane – rugby union player * Frank Joplin – cricketer * Joe Latta – rugby union player *

Tiny Leys Eric Tiki "Tiny" Leys (25 May 1907 – 21 January 1989) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A halfback, Leys represented at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks The New Zealand nation ...

– rugby union player *

Martin Luckie Martin Maxwell Fleming Luckie (30 January 1868 – 3 July 1951) was a New Zealand cricketer who played two matches of first-class cricket 29 years apart – one in 1891 and the other in 1920. He became a prominent cricket administrator and a c ...

– cricketer * Frank Luxford – cricketer * Brian Marris – cricketer *

Onny Parun Onny Parun (born 15 April 1947) is a former tennis player of Croatian descent from New Zealand, who was among the world's top 20 for five years and who reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 1971 and 1972. He made the final of the Australia ...

– tennis player * Dion Prewster – Professional Basketballer, and member of New Zealand Tall Blacks. *

Euan Robertson Euan James Robertson (14 June 1948 – 11 December 1995) was a New Zealand distance runner in the 1970s, one of the great periods of New Zealand distance running. Early life He was born in Lower Hutt near Wellington and educated at Scots Coll ...

– distance runner *

Lima Sopoaga Lima Zachariah Sopoaga (born 3 February 1991) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Japan Rugby League One club Shimizu Blue Sharks. Born in New Zealand, he represents Samoa at international level after qualifying o ...

– All Black *

Peter Taylor Peter Taylor may refer to: Arts * Peter Taylor (writer) (1917–1994), American author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction * Peter Taylor (film editor) (1922–1997), English film editor, winner of an Academy Award for Film Editing Politic ...

– New Zealand rower *

Neemia Tialata Neemia Stanley Tialata (born 15 July 1982 in Lower Hutt, New Zealand) is a New Zealand former rugby union footballer. He most recently played for RC Narbonne in the Pro D2. Tialata also previously played for Stade Toulousain in the Top 14. As wel ...

– All Black *

Filo Tiatia Filogia Ian "Filo" Tiatia (born 4 June 1971) is a New Zealand former international rugby union player and current coach. He is best known for his time as back-row forward and occasional lock for the Ospreys (rugby union), Ospreys. He is currently ...

– All Black * Ian Uttley – All Black *

Phillip Wilson Phillip Sanford Wilson (September 8, 1941 – March 25, 1992) was an American blues and jazz drummer, a founding member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Biography Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Un ...

– Olympic gold medallist rower

Headmasters

Coat of arms

References

External links

Official website

NZQA examination results

Wellington College and the First World War (from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage)
{{Schools in Wellington Boys' schools in New Zealand Educational institutions established in 1867 Secondary schools in the Wellington Region Schools in Wellington City Cricket grounds in New Zealand 1867 establishments in New Zealand Wellington College, Wellington