Waitaki Boys' High School is a secondary school for boys located in the northern part of the town of Oamaru, Otago, New Zealand, with day and boarding facilities, and was founded in 1883. , it has a school roll of approximately 400 students. The school has a house system with four houses, Don, Forrester, Lee and Sutherland. It organises some cultural activities together with its nearby sister school,

Waitaki Girls' High School "Satisfaction from hard work" , established = 1887; years ago , principal = Elizabeth Koni , address = Trent Street, Oamaru, New Zealand , coordinates = , type = State, Girls, Secondary years 9-13 , roll = () , decile ...

. The school is notable for its British colonial architecture, encompassing such historic buildings such as the Hall of Memories, an assembly hall, built to honour its former pupils who died in various wars. Most of the blocks of classrooms at Waitaki Boys High School are named after famous past students, also known as Waitakians or Old Boys. The main, and oldest block of the school is named after

Denis Blundell Sir Edward Denis Blundell, (29 May 1907 – 24 September 1984) was a New Zealand lawyer, cricketer and diplomat who served as the 12th Governor-General of New Zealand from 1972 to 1977. Early life and family Denis Blundell was born in W ...

Founding the School

The idea of establishing a boys' high school originated with Mr. S. E. Shrimski, who was one of the two members of parliament representing the Waitaki electorate.

Rectors

The following is a complete list of the rectors of Waitaki Boys' High School:

Notable alumni

* Peter Arnett – journalist * Fraser Barron – bomber pilot during World War II * James Bertram – professor, journalist *

– lawyer, governor-general * Dean Hall – video game designer, mountaineer *

Charles Brasch Charles Orwell Brasch (27 July 1909 – 20 May 1973) was a New Zealand poet, literary editor and arts patron. He was the founding editor of the literary journal ''Landfall'', and through his 20 years of editing the journal, had a significant im ...

– poet * Douglas Carter – former National MP for the Raglan electorate *

Gonville ffrench-Beytagh The Very Revd Gonville Aubie ffrench-Beytagh (26 January 1913 – 10 May 1991) was an Anglican priest who served as the Dean of Johannesburg. He was also an anti-apartheid activist and was held in solitary confinement before going on trial for ...

(1912–1991), Dean of Johannesburg and an anti- apartheid activist. * Sir

Malcolm Grant Sir Malcolm John Grant, , (born 29 November 1947) is a barrister, academic lawyer, and former law professor. Born and educated in New Zealand, he was the ninth President and Provost of University College London – the head as well as principa ...

- chairman of

NHS England NHS England, officially the NHS Commissioning Board, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care. It oversees the budget, planning, delivery and day-to-day operation of the commissioning side of the ...

and Chancellor,

University of York , mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £8.0 million , budget = £403.6 million , chancellor = Heather Melville , vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery , students ...

(former Provost and President of University College London (2003–2013) *

Ron Guthrey Albert Ronald Guthrey (15 January 1916 – 8 September 2008) was a New Zealand local politician. He served as a Christchurch City Councillor for 22 years before being elected Mayor of Christchurch. He was a World War II veteran and he and his ...

– Mayor of Christchurch (1968–1971) * A. M. Hamilton – engineer * Brian Henderson – newsreader in Australia *

Lindsay Merritt Inglis Major-General Lindsay Merritt Inglis, (16 May 1894 – 17 March 1966) was a New Zealand military leader, lawyer and magistrate. Born in Mosgiel, Inglis volunteered for service in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force during the First World War ...

(1894–1966), a senior officer in the New Zealand Military Forces *

Donald Gilbert Kennedy Donald Gilbert Kennedy (March 1898 – 1976) was a teacher, then an administrator in the British colonial service in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony and the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. For his services as a Coastwatcher during t ...

, DSO, Navy Cross (U.S.) (1898–1976) teacher, colonial administrator and

Coastwatcher The Coastwatchers, also known as the Coast Watch Organisation, Combined Field Intelligence Service or Section C, Allied Intelligence Bureau, were Allied military intelligence operatives stationed on remote Pacific islands during World War II t ...

during the Solomon Islands campaign (World War II). *

Douglas Lilburn Douglas Gordon Lilburn (2 November 19156 June 2001) was a New Zealand composer. Early life Lilburn was born in Whanganui and spent his early years on the family sheep farm in the upper Turakina River valley at Drysdale. He attended Waitaki Bo ...

– Professor, composer *

Robert Macintosh Sir Robert Reynolds Macintosh (17 October 1897, Timaru, New Zealand – 28 August 1989, Oxford, England) was a New Zealand-born British anaesthetist. He was the first professor of anaesthetics outside the United States. Early life Macintosh w ...

(1897–1989), first Nuffield Professor of Anaesthetics, Oxford *

Terry McCombs Sir Terence Henderson McCombs (5 September 1905 – 6 November 1982) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party, a High Commissioner, and the first principal of Cashmere High School. Biography Early life McCombs was born in 1905 and rec ...

– politician, headmaster * Ian McLean – politician, economist * Arnold Nordmeyer (1901–1989), politician, Labour Party Minister of Finance 1957–1960 * Foss Shanahan – diplomat *

Angus Tait Sir Angus McMillan Tait (22 July 1919 – 7 August 2007) was a New Zealand electronics innovator and businessman. Tait had a childhood fascination for electronics and during and after high school at Waitaki Boys' High School, he worked in a fri ...

– electronics innovator and businessman *

Des Wilson Des Wilson (born 5 March 1941) is a New Zealand-born British campaigner, political activist, businessman, sports administrator, author and poker player. He was one of the founders of the British homelessness charity Shelter and was for a while an ...

– campaigner in Britain *

David Sewell David Graham Sewell (born 20 October 1977) is a former New Zealand cricketer. He played one Test match for New Zealand against Zimbabwe in 1997. Sewell was born in Christchurch. He was a right-handed batsman and a left-arm fast-medium bowler. ...

– New Zealand and Otago cricketer

Footnotes

External links

School Website

Ministry of Education website page

New Zealand Qualifications Authority website page
Boarding schools in New Zealand Boys' schools in New Zealand Educational institutions established in 1883 Secondary schools in Otago Buildings and structures in Oamaru 1883 establishments in New Zealand {{NewZealand-school-stub