Hamilton Boys' High School is a boys' secondary school in Hamilton,

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 ...

and is the largest secondary school in the

Waikato Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, t ...

region. The school was established as Hamilton High School in 1911 but was later split into separate boys' and girls' schools, with the current school opened in February 1955. Its sister school is

Hamilton Girls' High School Hamilton Girls' High School is a state single sex secondary school located in central Hamilton, New Zealand. The school caters for students in Years 9 to 13 (ages 12 to 18). History Hamilton High School was opened to students on 10 July 1911, ...

. The school crest features a lion, sash and star, and bears the motto "Sapiens Fortunam Fingit Sibi" which translates to "a wise man carves his own fortune". The school colours are black and red. Most of the school's approximately 2100 students are day boys from Hamilton and surrounding townships such as

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...

Te Awamutu Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipa District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some south of Hamilto ...

, and

Morrinsville Morrinsville is a provincial town in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island, with an estimated population of as of The town is located at the northern base of the Pakaroa Range, and on the south-western fringe of the Hauraki Plains ...

. Around 170 boys are housed in an onsite boarding hostel, Argyle House, which forms one of the six houses into which the school is divided. The boarding house is located on the school grounds, but is essentially a private institution, with students paying approximately $14,000 per year to attend. In 1999, the school appointed Susan Hassall to head the school. In doing so the school became one of the first boys' schools in New Zealand to appoint a female headmaster.

Academic

The school offers both the state run NCEA and external

Cambridge International Examinations Cambridge Assessment International Education (informally known as Cambridge International or simply Cambridge and formerly known as CIE, Cambridge International Examinations) is a provider of international qualifications, offering examinations ...

for students to undertake.

Sport

In rugby, Hamilton Boys’ High School has the best record in New Zealand at the National 1st XV. It has also won the international

Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational Tournament The Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational Tournament is an international rugby union tournament for 15-a-side youth teams which is held every year during the Golden Week holidays (29 April – 5/6 May) in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan. Participation ...

more than any other school. Hamilton Boys’ High School has won the

Maadi Cup The Maadi Cup is the prize for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Boys' Under 18 Rowing Eights. More colloquially, it is the name given to the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Regatta, at which the Maadi Cup is raced. The regatta is the large ...

for rowing eights 11 times (and holds the record for the fastest time), and the Springbok Shield for fours 16 times. Hamilton Boys' High School competes as part of the Super Eight group of boys' high schools from eight provincial cities in the central

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-larges ...

of New Zealand. Their 1st XV Rugby team has won the Super Eight Rugby 1st XV competition twelve times, as of 2019. HBHS panorama

Houses

Hamilton Boys' High School currently has six houses. All of the day boy houses (all houses except Argyle House) are named after former headmasters of the school. * Tait - Red * Taylor - Green * Wilson - Blue * Steel - Grey * Baigent - Yellow * Argyle - Black After every House competition, the new scores will be added to the previous scores. The House with the highest number of points at the end of the year gets to have its House name on the yearly House win list. No House has won in a row more than twice.

Enrolment

Like all previously selective state schools, Hamilton Boys' High School operates an enrolment scheme. Enrolment was traditionally by academic examination followed by an interview. Alternatively a student might be enrolled if he had a family connection to the school. The school still examines new students but only for the purposes of streaming students.

Notable alumni

As well as a number of

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 ...

s and

All Whites The New Zealand men's national football team ( mi, Tīma hoka a-motu o Aotearoa) represents New Zealand in men's international football competitions. The team is governed by the governing body for football in New Zealand, New Zealand Footbal ...

, the following people are Old Boys of Hamilton Boys' High School:

The Arts

Vincent Burke Vincent Patrick Burke CBE (August 3, 1878 – December 19, 1953) was a Newfoundland educator and administrator and a member of the Senate of Canada. He was born in St. Jacques, Newfoundland, to a Roman Catholic family of Irish descent. He was e ...

- film producer * Daniel Gillies - actor * Tony Martin - Australian-based comedian and writer *

Frank Sargeson Frank Sargeson () (born Norris Frank Davey; 23 March 1903 – 1 March 1982) was a New Zealand short story writer and novelist. Born in Hamilton, Sargeson had a middle-class and puritanical upbringing, and initially worked as a lawyer. Afte ...

- author *

Stan Walker Stan Walker (born 23 October 1990) is an Australian-born New Zealand singer, actor, and television personality. In 2009, Walker was the winner of the seventh and last season of ''Australian Idol''. He subsequently signed a recording contract ...

- winner of

Australian Idol ''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program '' Pop Ido ...

Public Service

* Sir Colin Allan - former Governor of

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...

* Air Vice-Marshal Graham Lintott - Chief of the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeal ...

* The Hon. John Luxton - Cabinet Minister 1990-1999 * Dr

Shane Reti Shane Raymond Reti (born 5 June 1963) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, first elected at the 2014 general election. He is a member of the New Zealand National Party and served as its deputy le ...

MP - MP and deputy leader, NZ National Party

Sport

Craig Baird Craig George Baird (born 22 July 1970) is a New Zealand former racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has e ...

- multiple New Zealand and Australian motorsport champion * Aled de Malmanche - former

Chiefs (rugby union) The Chiefs (formerly known as the Waikato Chiefs and officially called the Gallagher Chiefs for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Hamilton, Waikato. The team competes in the Super Rugby competitio ...

Waikato Rugby Union The Waikato Rugby Union (WRU) is the official governing body of rugby union in the Waikato area in the North Island of New Zealand. Headquartered in Hamilton, WRU was founded in 1921. Its senior representative team, nicknamed the ''Mooloos ...

and NZ All Black, now playing for

Stade Français Stade Français Paris Rugby () is a French professional rugby union club based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The club plays in the Top 14 domestic league in France and is one of the most successful French clubs of the modern era. The ...

in France. *

Warren Gatland Warren David Gatland (born 17 September 1963) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player who is currently in his second spell as the head coach of the Wales national team. As head coach of Wales from 2007 to 2019, he won four Six N ...

- former

player and coach, coached the

Wales national rugby union team The Wales national rugby union team ( cy, Tîm rygbi'r undeb cenedlaethol Cymru) represents Wales in men's international rugby union. Its governing body, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), was established in 1881, the same year that Wales played the ...

from 2008 to 2019, former NZ

* Daryl Halligan - ARL football player and TV commentator *

Ron Hemi Ronald Courtney Hemi (15 May 1933 – 13 September 2000) was a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played 46 matches for the All Blacks including 16 tests from 1953 to 1959. He also played first-class cricket for Auckland. See also * List o ...

- head boy at HBHS, former NZ All Black * Tawera Kerr-Barlow - former

New Zealand national under-20 rugby union team The New Zealand Under 20's Rugby Team are the representative Rugby Union team from New Zealand. They replace the two former age grade teams Under 19s and Under 21s. Their first tournament was the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship, which they wo ...

and

player * Josh Lord - current New Zealand All Black * Scott McLeod - former NZ

Sean Maitland Sean Daniel Maitland (born 14 September 1988) is a New Zealand-born Scottish rugby union player. He plays for Saracens in the RFU Premiership. He previously played for London Irish and before that for Glasgow Warriors in the PRO12, Crusaders i ...

- former

Canterbury Rugby Football Union The Canterbury Rugby Football Union (also referred to as "Canterbury" or "CRFU") is the governing body for rugby union in a portion of the Canterbury region of New Zealand. Its colours are red and black in a hooped design. The CRFU govern the ...

Crusaders (rugby union) The Crusaders (formerly Canterbury Crusaders and BNZ Crusaders due to sponsorship by the Bank of New Zealand) are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch, who compete in the Super Rugby competition. They are the mos ...

Glasgow Warriors Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...

and current

Saracens upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

and

Scottish Rugby Union The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU; gd, Aonadh Rugbaidh na h-Alba) is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. Styled as Scottish Rugby, it is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873. The SRU oversees the national league ...

player. Also played in the

2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia The 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia was a rugby union tour during June and July 2013. The British & Irish Lions played ten matches - a three-test series against Australia, and matches against the five Australian Super Rugby sides, ...

David Nyika David Kieran Nyika (born 7 August 1995) is a New Zealand professional boxer. As an amateur, he won a gold medal at both the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games as well as competing at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships. Nyika and Sarah Hirini ...

- boxer * Richard Petherick - current New Zealand Black Stick *

Dick Quax Theodorus Jacobus Leonardus "Dick" Quax (1 January 1948 – 28 May 2018) was a Dutch-born New Zealand runner, one-time world record holder in the 5000 metres, and local-body politician. Quax stood for Parliament for the ACT Party in 1999 and ...

- Olympic Games silver medallist, 1976 5,000 metres and later world record holder 5,000m, Auckland City councillor * Sam Rapira - Former

New Zealand Warriors The New Zealand 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 ...

player and

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team ( Māori: Tīma rīki motu Aotearoa) has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird o ...

representative *

Trent Renata Trent Wiremu Kitahi Renata (born 13 May 1988) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently is playing for Wellington in the Mitre 10 Cup. Career He started his rugby career playing at fullback for in the ITM Cup. He made his Super Rugb ...

- Former

and

, current

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

and Highlanders player * Jake Robertson - Commonwealth games 5,000m and 10,000m finalist, 2014 *

Zane Robertson Zane Robertson (born 14 November 1989) is a New Zealand middle and long-distance runner. He lives in Iten, Kenya. At the age of 17 he and his twin brother Jake moved from New Zealand to Iten, Kenya, to further their running careers. Career H ...

- Olympic Games 10,000m finalist, 2016 * Mitchell Santner - current all-rounder for the

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

. * Aaron Scott - former All White NZ football player * Henry Speight - former

and current ACT

Brumbies The ACT Brumbies (known from 2005–2022 as simply the Brumbies) is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), The team competes in Super Rugby and named for the feral horses which inhab ...

player *

Scott Styris Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saskat ...

- former New Zealand

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

cricket player * Dwayne Sweeney - Former Waikato, Chiefs Player, now plays rugby in Japan. *

Quinn Tupaea Quinn Puketahinga Claude Tupaea (; born 10 May 1999) is a New Zealand professional rugby union player who plays as a centre for New Zealand province Waikato. In his youth career, he was selected to play in the 2019 World Rugby Under 20 Champi ...

- current New Zealand All Black * Chris van der Drift - former driver for New Zealand A1GP motor racing team *

BJ Watling Bradley-John Watling (born 9 July 1985), known as BJ Watling, is a South African-born former New Zealand international cricketer who has represented Northern Districts since December 2004. He made his Test debut in December 2009 and eight month ...

- current New Zealand

cricket player *

Jackson Willison Jackson Dan Kingi Willison (born ) is a New Zealand rugby union player. His regular playing position is as a centre. Willison played for the in Super Rugby from 2009 to 2012, and was part of the title winning Chiefs in 2012. He has also played ...

- Former

and Current

Blues (Super Rugby) The Blues (known as the Auckland Blues from 1996 to 2000) is a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Auckland, who play in the Super Rugby competition. Like New Zealand's four other Super Rugby teams, the Blues were established by ...

and

Māori All Blacks The Māori All Blacks, previously called the New Zealand Maori, New Zealand Maoris and New Zealand Natives, are a rugby union team from New Zealand. They are a representative team of the New Zealand Rugby Union, and a prerequisite for playing ...

player

Other

Peter James Bethune Captain Peter James Bethune (born 4 April 1965) is a New Zealand ship's captain with 500 ton master licence, published author, producer of ''The Operatives'' TV show, and public speaker. He is the founder of ''Earthrace Conservation''. He works ...

- anti-whaling activist

Headmasters

References

External links

hbhs.School.nz
– Official website * {{Authority control Boarding schools in New Zealand Boys' schools in New Zealand Cambridge schools in New Zealand Educational institutions established in 1911 Secondary schools in Hamilton, New Zealand 1911 establishments in New Zealand