King's College (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Collegium Regis''; ), often informally referred to simply as Kings, is an independent secondary boarding and day school in New Zealand. It educates over 1000 pupils, aged 13 to 18 years. King's was originally a single sex boys school but has admitted girls in the Sixth and Seventh forms (Years 12 and 13) since 1980, and in the Fifth form (Year 11) since 2016. King's was founded in 1896 by Graham Bruce. King's was originally situated in

Remuera Remuera is an affluent suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located four kilometres southeast of the city centre. Remuera is characterised by many large houses, often Edwardian era, Edwardian or mid 20th century. A prime example of a "leafy ...

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, on the site now occupied by King's School, Remuera, in 1922 the school moved to its present site in the

South Auckland South Auckland ( or ) is one of the major geographical regions of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. The area is south of the Auckland isthmus, and on the eastern shores of the Manukau Harbour. The area has been populated by Tāmaki M� ...

suburb of

Ōtāhuhu Ōtāhuhu is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand – to the southeast of the CBD, on a narrow isthmus between an arm of the Manukau Harbour to the west and the Tāmaki River estuary to the east. The Auckland isthmus is the narrowest connect ...

. The school has strong links to the Anglican church; the

Anglican Bishop of Auckland The Diocese of Auckland is one of the thirteen dioceses and ''hui amorangi'' (Māori bishoprics) of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The Diocese covers the area stretching from North Cape down to the Waikato River, acr ...

and the Dean of Auckland are permanent members of the school's board of governors. The college is a member of the

Round Square Round Square is an international network of schools, based on the educational concepts of Kurt Hahn, and named after a distinctive building at Gordonstoun. Founded by a group of seven schools in the late 1960s, by 1996 it had grown to 20 member ...

group. King's celebrated its 125-year anniversary in 2021, while the 40 year anniversary of girls attending King's was celebrated in 2020.

Senior leadership

King's is governed by the King's College Board of Governors, which is made of 13 members and chaired by Shan Wilson.

Enrolment

As a New Zealand private school, King's receives around $2000 per student from the government and charges parents of students tuition fees to cover costs. At a May 2017

Education Review Office The Education Review Office (ERO; ) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with reviewing and publicly reporting on the quality of education and care of students in all New Zealand schools and early childhood services. Leader ...

(ERO) review, King's College had 1004 students including 50 international students. The school's gender composition was 81% male and 19% female. At the same review King's students identified as 63% New Zealand European (Pākehā), 11% Chinese, 10% Māori (including 2% Cook Islands Māori), 3% Indian, 3% Samoan, and 10% other.

Sports

King's College competes in the 1A Rugby Competition and has won 16 times, most recently in 2019. The annual King's College v

Auckland Grammar School Auckland Grammar School (often simplified to Auckland Grammar, or Grammar), established in 1869, is a State school, state, Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding secondary school for Single-sex education, boys in Auckland, New Zealand. ...

rugby game is one of the oldest rivalries in New Zealand schoolboy rugby. The King's 1st XI Cricket team won the Gillette Cup in consecutive years between 2009 and 2011, producing notable cricketers with the most recent being

Tim Southee Timothy Grant Southee (born 11 December 1988), is a former New Zealand international cricketer who has captained New Zealand cricket team in all formats of the game. He is a right-arm medium-fast bowler and a hard-hitting lower order batsman. ...

Teaching and community activities

The school, like some others in New Zealand, offers students

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

A-Level, and

IGCSE The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an English language based secondary qualification similar to the GCSE and is recognised in the United Kingdom as being equivalent to the GCSE for the purposes of recognising ...

courses as well as those from New Zealand's national qualification, the

National Certificate of Educational Achievement The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is the official secondary-school qualification in New Zealand. Phased in between 2002 and 2004, it replaced three older secondary-school qualifications. The New Zealand Qualifications A ...

. The school co-ordinates a service programme which aids the

community.

Houses

All students are organised into Houses, which form separate communities within the College.

Traditions

School song

The

school song A school song, alma mater, school hymn or school anthem is the patronal song of a school. In England, this tradition is particularly strong in public schools and grammar schools. Australia * Somerville House — '' Our God, Our Help in Ages ...

of King's College is the ''Carmen Regale'', the melody of which was composed by Dutchman Eduard Kremser and the lyrics were authored by I G G Strachan. The school song is shared, among some other things, with King's School in

Heritage listings

Three locations within King's College are included on the

Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...

List. King's College Chapel, a late Gothic style brick chapel that opened in 1925, is listed as a category 1 historic place. King's College Main Block, and the statue dedicated to former principal Charles Thomas Major are both category 2 historic places.

Notable alumni

King's alumni or former pupils are traditionally named Old Boys or Collegians.

Academic

George Cawkwell George Law Cawkwell (25 October 1919 – 18 February 2019) was a classical scholar who specialised in the ancient history of Greece in the 4th century BC. Life and career Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Cawkwell was educated at King's College, ...

– ancient historian * Richard F. Thomas — classicist

Arts

Jack Body John Stanley Body (7 October 1944 – 10 May 2015) was a New Zealand composer, ethnomusicologist, photographer, teacher, and arts producer. As a composer, his work comprised concert music, music theatre, electronic music, music for film and d ...

– composer *

Marton Csokas Marton Paul Csokas (, ; born 30 June 1966) is a New Zealand actor of film, stage, and television. A graduate of the Toi Whakaari drama school, he has worked extensively in Australia and Hollywood, along with his native country, and often portr ...

– actor *

David de Lautour David Hugh de Lautour (born 28 November 1982) is a New Zealand television actor, producer and director. He was born in Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand and attended King's College, then The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) to w ...

– actor * Miles Gregory – founder of

Pop-up Globe Pop-up Globe was a New Zealand theatre production company, based in Auckland, New Zealand. It produced Jacobean theatre, particularly the works of Shakespeare, in specially-built temporary replicas of the second Globe, the theatre Shakespeare a ...

* Laura Hill – actor *

Elizabeth Marvelly Elizabeth Lillian Marvelly (born 5 July 1989) is a singer, songwriter and social commentator from Rotorua, New Zealand. She first achieved success as a classical crossover vocalist before switching to pop music. She ran the website ''Villainesse' ...

– singer *

Jamie McDell Jamie McDell (born 3 November 1992) is a New Zealand musician and singer-songwriter. She was discovered at the age of 16 by EMI Music New Zealand after sending them a demo tape of her acoustic original music. Prior to being signed by a major re ...

– singer * James Wallace – businessman, arts patron, and convicted sex offender *

KJ Apa Keneti James Fitzgerald Apa (born 17 June 1997), known by his stage name KJ Apa, is a New Zealand actor. He gained recognition for playing Kane Jenkins in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street'' (2013–2015) and Archie Andrews in the C ...

– actor

Business

* Jamie Beaton - founder of Crimson Education *

Sam Chisholm Samuel Hewlings Chisholm AO (8 October 1939 – 9 July 2018) was a New Zealand-born Australian media executive who was a significant figure in the Australian media. Career Chisholm attended King's College, Auckland. Chisholm had been ...

– former chief executive

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

and

British Sky Broadcasting Sky UK Limited (formerly British Sky Broadcasting Limited (BSkyB)), trading as Sky, is a British broadcaster and telecommunications company that provides television, broadband internet, fixed line and mobile telephone services to consumers a ...

* Rob Fenwick – Sustainable Advisory Panel * Hugh Fletcher – chief executive of Fletcher Challenge * Douglas Myers – brewer, philanthropist * David Richwhite – merchant banker (of Fay, Richwhite)

Public service

* John Manchester Allen (1901–1941), MP for the National Party * Douglas Rivers Bagnall, DSO DFC (1918–2001), RAF Wing Commander, notable WWII Wellington bomber pilot and commander * John Percy Bayly, Member of the

Legislative Council of Fiji The Legislative Council of Fiji was the British Empire, colonial precursor to the present-day Parliament of Fiji, Parliament, which came into existence when Fiji became independent on 10 October 1970. The first Legislative Council Immediate ...

* Sir Peter Blanchard, KNZM, PC – Justice of the

Supreme Court of New Zealand The Supreme Court of New Zealand () is the highest court and the court of last resort of New Zealand. It formally came into being on 1 January 2004 and sat for the first time on 1 July 2004. It replaced the right of appeal to the Judicial Co ...

, Member of the British Privy Council *

Roy Calvert Roy Oldfield Calvert, (31 October 1913 – 26 March 2002) was an officer of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) during the Second World War. He is one of only four New Zealand-born airmen to receive two Bars to his Distinguished Flying ...

, DFC (1913–2002), WWII pilot *

Brian Carbury Brian Carbury, (27 February 1918 – 31 July 1961) was a New Zealand fighter ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was officially credited with destroying German aircraft. Born in Wellington, Carbury joined the RAF ...

, DFC (1918–1962), leading

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

of the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

* Sir Robert Chambers, KNZM, QC - Justice of the Supreme Court of New Zealand *

Andrew Coster Andrew David Coster (born ) is a New Zealand senior public servant and former police officer. Currently the Secretary for Social Investment and chief executive of the Social Investment Agency, he served as Commissioner of Police from 3 April 20 ...

Police Commissioner A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...

Paul East Paul Clayton East (4 August 1946 – 27 February 2023) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Early life and family East was born in Ōpōtiki on 4 August 1946, and was educated at King's College, Auckland. He studied at the Un ...

, CNZM, KC, PC – former Cabinet Minister and High Commissioner to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

* Sir

Leon Götz Sir Frank Leon Aroha Götz (12 September 1892 – 14 September 1970) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Noted as a colourful character, he was commonly referred to by parliamentary colleagues as "the pirate" as he wore a black ...

, KCVO, (1892–1970), MP for the National Party * Sir

John Henry John Henry most commonly refers to: *John Henry (folklore) John Henry may also refer to: People Artists and entertainers * John Henry (actor) (1738–1794), Irish and early American actor *Seán Ó hEinirí (1915–1998), known in English as John ...

, KNZM, KC – Justice of the

Court of Appeal of New Zealand The Court of Appeal of New Zealand () is the principal intermediate appellate court of New Zealand. It is also the final appellate court for a number of matters. In practice, most appeals are resolved at this intermediate appellate level, rathe ...

, Privy Councillor (see

Privy Council of the United Kingdom The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are curre ...

) *

Colin Kay Colin Milton Kay (30 October 1926 – 5 June 2008) was a New Zealand sportsman and politician. He was the 34th Mayor of Auckland City, elected for one term serving from 1980 to 1983, and chairman of the Auckland Regional Council from 1986 to 19 ...

, CBE – former Mayor of Auckland and New Zealand triple jump champion *

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

– former Headmaster, Eton College and

Geelong Grammar School Geelong Grammar School is a private Anglican co-educational boarding and day school. The school's main campus is located in Corio on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, overlooking Corio Bay and Limeburners Bay. Establ ...

* Sir

Jim McLay Sir James Kenneth McLay (born 21 February 1945) is a New Zealand diplomat and former politician. He served as the ninth deputy prime minister of New Zealand from 15 March to 26 July 1984. McLay was also Leader of the National Party and Leader ...

, KNZM, QSO – former

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

, former leader 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 ...

, former Permanent Representative to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

(New York) for New Zealand, and former Representative of New Zealand to the Palestinian Authority * Simon Moore, KC – Justice of the High Court * Sir

Keith Park Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park, (15 June 1892 – 6 February 1975) was a New Zealand-born officer of the Royal Air Force (RAF). During the Second World War, his leadership of the RAF's No. 11 Group RAF, No. 11 Group was pivotal to t ...

, GCB, KBE, MC & Bar, DFC, RAF – New Zealand soldier, World War I flying ace and World War II senior Royal Air Force commander, the key military figure in the

Geoffrey Sim Geoffrey Fantham Sim (2 April 1911 – 27 March 2002) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Biography Sim was born at Ngatapa near Gisborne in 1911. He received his education at Morrinsville, Pukekohe High School, and ...

, QSO, (1911–2002), Member of Parliament representing the National Party *

George Tupou V George Tupou V (Siaosi Tāufaʻāhau Manumataongo Tukuʻaho Tupou; 4 May 194818 March 2012) was King of Tonga from 2006 until his death in 2012. He was the eldest son of King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV. After ascending the throne, George Tupou ann ...

, (1948–2012), King of

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

from 2006 to 2012 *

Sam Uffindell Samuel Julian Uffindell (born September 1983) is a New Zealand politician and former international banking executive. He has been a Member of Parliament for , representing the National Party, since winning a by-election in June 2022. Uffindel ...

, Member of Parliament representing the National Party * T. M. Wilkes, CBE, MC (1888–1958), Controller of Civil Aviation, New Zealand, developer and regulator of civil aviation policy

Science

* Charles Fleming – scientist and environmentalist * Allan Wilson – evolutionary biologist

Sport

* Pita Alatini – All Blacks rugby player * Teariki Ben-Nicholas – Rugby player for the Highlanders * James Bevin – First-class cricketer *

Daniel Braid Daniel John Braid (born 23 February 1981) is a former rugby union player from New Zealand who captained Sale Sharks in the English Premiership. He played at open-side flanker. Previously, he played for the Blues in Super Rugby. He also won six ...

– 2002–03 All Blacks, 2002– Auckland NPC and Blues Super 14 rugby teams * Mark Chapman —

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. ...

cricketer *

Marcus Child Marcus Child (December 1792 – March 6, 1859) was a businessman and political figure in Lower Canada (now Quebec). An immigrant from the United States, he became a prosperous businessman. He was involved in improving local education in ...

– New Zealand hockey player *

Simon Child Simon James Law Child (born 16 April 1988) is a New Zealand field hockey player, who earned his first cap for the national team, ''The Black Sticks'', in 2005 against Malaysia. Personal life Simon Child was born and raised in Auckland, New Ze ...

– New Zealand hockey player *

Mark Craig Mark Donald Craig (born 23 March 1987) is a New Zealand former Test cricketer who played first-class cricket for Otago. A spin bowler, he bowled right-arm off spin, and batted left-handed. He fielded predominantly at second-slip. Domestic care ...

–

cricketer *

Peter Dignan Peter Fraser Dignan (6 March 1955 – 20 June 2013) was a New Zealand rower. Biography Dignan was born in Gibraltar in 1955, to a former Berlin airlift pilot. His father later entered the diplomatic corps and, as a result, Dignan spent a ...

– Olympic bronze medallist: rowing *

Alistair Dryden Alistair Garth Dryden (born 18 December 1942) is a former New Zealand rower. Dryden was born in 1942 in Auckland, New Zealand. The wrestler Jim Dryden (1907–1974) was his father. He received his education at King's College. At the 1962 Br ...

– Commonwealth Games silver medallist: rowing *

Ryan Fox Ryan Fox (born 22 January 1987) is a New Zealand professional golfer who plays on the European Tour, PGA Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia. Professional career Fox turned professional in 2012, starting on the 2012 PGA Tour of Australasia. He had ...

– Professional Golfer *

Peter Hillary Peter Edmund Hillary (born 26 December 1954) is a New Zealand mountaineer and philanthropist. He is the son of Sir Edmund Hillary, who, along with mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, completed the first successful ascent of Mount Everest. When Peter H ...

– Son of Sir

Edmund Hillary Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineering, mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Sherpa people, Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the Timeline of M ...

, mountaineer and motivational speaker * Bill Hunt – Olympic skier *

Josh Ioane Joshua R. Ioane (born 11 July 1995) is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays for Connacht in the United Rugby Championship. His position of choice is fly-half. Early life Born in Auckland, Ioane also has family with the Taito's on his Sa ...

– All Blacks and Highlanders rugby player * Mitchell Karpik – Maori All Blacks and Chiefs rugby player *

Ian Kirkpatrick Ian Andrew Kirkpatrick (born 24 May 1946) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. Described as "supremely athletic, fast, fearless and with an uncanny sense of anticipation", Kirkpatrick is widely regarded as one of the greatest flankers ...

– All Blacks rugby player and captain * James Lay –

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

and

Bristol Bears Bristol Bears (officially Bristol Rugby Club or Bristol Rugby) are a professional rugby union club based in Bristol, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded as Bristol Football Club in 18 ...

rugby player * Jonah Lowe – Maori All Blacks and

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

rugby player *

Stefan Marinovic Stefan Tone Marinovic (, ) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for German Bayernliga club TSV Grünwald. Club career Born in New Zealand to Croatian parents,Marinovic attended Auckland private school, Kings Col ...

–

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 ...

and New Zealand football goalkeeper *

Hamish Marshall Hamish John Hamilton Marshall (born 15 February 1979) is a former New Zealand cricketer, who played all formats of the game for New Zealand. He is the identical twin brother of James Marshall. Hamish and James became the third pair of twins (af ...

– New Zealand Test/ODI cricketer * James Marshall – New Zealand Test/ODI cricketer * Peter Masfen – Olympic rower *

Anthony Mosse Anthony Robin Le Clerc Mosse (born 29 October 1964 in Hong Kong) is a former New Zealand swimmer who competed at two Summer Olympic Games and three Commonwealth Games. He won one Olympic bronze medal, as well as two gold medals, one silver an ...

– Olympic bronze medallist, Commonwealth Games double gold medallist, silver medallist and bronze medallist *

Jared Panchia Jared Kiran Panchia (born 18 October 1993) is a New Zealand field hockey player who plays as a forward or midfielder for the New Zealand national team. Life and career Panchia was born on 18 October 1993 in Auckland to Peter Panchia and Ramila ...

– New Zealand hockey player * James Parsons – All Blacks and North Harbour NPC and Blues Super 14 Rugby teams (Captain) * Marcel Renata – Maori All Blacks and

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

rugby player * Jamie Smith – New Zealand hockey player and captain * Kim Smith – Olympic long distance runner *

–

cricketer *

Rob Waddell Robert Norman Waddell (born 7 January 1975) is a New Zealand Olympic Gold Medalist and double World Champion Single sculler rower, and America's Cup yachtsman. He is a triple New Zealand Supreme 'Halberg Awards' Sportsperson of the year winner ...

– Olympic gold medallist: rowing; crew Member Emirates Team NZ *

Ali Williams Alexander James Williams (born 30 April 1981) is a retired New Zealand professional rugby union player who played as a lock most notably for Super Rugby club Blues and the New Zealand national team. Williams spent almost all of his playing car ...

– All Blacks and Auckland NPC and Blues Super 14 Rugby teams * Dan Williamson – Olympic gold medallist in rowing

Headmasters

The following individuals have served as headmaster of King's College.

Coat of arms

Notes

References

* * {{authority control Boarding schools in New Zealand Anglican schools in New Zealand Cambridge schools in New Zealand Educational institutions established in 1896 Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference Secondary schools in Auckland 1896 establishments in New Zealand