Aquinas College is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

co-educational school that combines intermediate and college (years 7–13). It was founded in 2003 with

St. Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest, the foremost Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the Western tradition. A Doctor of the Church, he wa ...

as its patron saint. The proprietor of the school, which is a

State-integrated school In New Zealand, a state-integrated school is a former private school which has integrated into the state education system under the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act 1975, becoming a state school while retaining its special character. ...

, is the Bishop of Hamilton. The school's founding principal was Brendon Schollum (2003–2010).

Principals

* Brendon Schollum: 2003–2010 * Ray Scott: 2010–2017 * Matthew Dalton: 2018–present

House system

The school has four houses. They are: *

Browne Browne is a variant of the English surname Brown, meaning "brown-haired" or "brown-skinned". It may sometimes be derived from French ''le Brun'' with similar meaning. The ''Mac an Bhreitheamhnaigh'' clan of County Donegal have anglicized as Browne ...

(purple) *

Cluny Cluny () is a commune in the eastern French department of Saône-et-Loire, in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is northwest of Mâcon. The town grew up around the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in ...

(blue) * Foy (gold) * Heni Pore (red) Each house is represented by a different colour (as seen above). Each represents a well known Catholic figure/s. These are prominent individuals in the Catholic church who have demonstrated the school's touchstones throughout their lives. Browne House is named after Bishop Denis Browne, Heni Pore House is named after Heni Pore Karamu, Cluny House is named after The Cluny Sisters, and Foy House is named after Father Pat Foy. Each house is split into seven tutor classes (one for each year level). A house championship is fiercely contested for throughout the school year, with several annual events for students to gain points for their house. These events consist of schoolwide athletics day, swimming sports, cross country, sing/dance competition and haka/waiata competition. Students compete to earn points for their house by (participation/placing) in these events. A house championship winner is announced at the end of the school year, house leaders are awarded the coveted 'Interhouse cup' for earning the most points.

Sport

Aquinas fields numerous teams across a wide range of sports, with many teams and individuals representing the College regionally and nationally, including: basketball, rugby, hockey, rock climbing, sailing, surf lifesaving, touch rugby, windsurfing, badminton, cross country, water polo, netball, football, gymnastics, squash, rippa, cricket, golf, multi-sports, swimming, snow sports, track running, volleyball, tennis, rowing and air-pistol shooting.

Curriculum

NCEA levels 1, 2 and 3 are offered for years ten to thirteen. An accelerate year 10 class in the subjects of science and math undergo NCEA level 1 work similar to year 11 students. Religious Education is compulsory as a subject for all students.

Touchstones

Aquinas College has six touchstones, which are values shown by students, staff and the wider college community: Family, Scholarship, Service, Truth, Prayer, and Joy. The school's 'Touchstone Award' is awarded to a Year 13 student who displays the school's touchstones at the end of the school year.

Notable alumni

* Eliana Hulsebosch (born 2007) - downhill mountain biker * Adam Ling (born 1991) –

rower Rowing, often called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars (called blades in the United Kingdom) are attached to the boat using rowlocks, while paddles are ...

; won a gold medal at the

2015 World Rowing Championships The 2015 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 30 August to 6 September 2015 at the Lac d'Aiguebelette, Aiguebelette-le-Lac in France. Description The annual week-long rowing regatta was organized by ...

in the lightweight single sculls. * Justin Sangster (born 1996) – professional

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.

References

External links

Aquinas College Website

Catholic-Hierarchy {{Authority control Educational institutions established in 2003 Catholic secondary schools in New Zealand Intermediate schools in New Zealand Schools in Tauranga Secondary schools in the Bay of Plenty Region 2003 establishments in New Zealand