AUCKLAND GRAMMAR SCHOOL

'Auckland Grammar School' is a boys-only English medium state secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches from grade 9 to 13. The school also has a limited number of boarders, who live in a building adjacent to the school. It is one of the largest and most prestigious schools in New Zealand, and also known for its unusual architectural style.

Contents

History

Policies

Enrolment

NCEA controversy

Sister Schools

Notable alumni

References

External links

History

The school was created by the Auckland Grammar Appropriation Act 1868, but is predated by the school's charter given by Governor Sir George Grey's Trust Deed in 1850.^[1]
''Grammar Boys'', a 60 minute documentary about the school was shown on New Zealand television.^[2]
Auckland Grammar School is the location of two Category I historic places under the Historic Places Act 1993—the school's main block and a war memorial.^[3][4][5] An obelisk in front of the school commemorates former students of the school who fought in various wars. The school's main block, built in 1916 in the "Spanish Mission" style, contains a hall for school assemblies, classrooms and offices, with a vaulted ceiling covering the centre of the building.
It owns a facility called VentureLodge on the outskirts of the township of Ohakune in the central North Island which is used by students for camps.
The school's motto, "Per Angusta ad Augusta" (''Through rough ravines to hallowed heights'') is shared by some other schools in Auckland. In recent times Auckland Grammar has used the translation
''Through difficulties to greatness''.

Policies

Enrolment

Historically, the demand for places in the school has outstripped capacity, and entry was selective. Now entry is determined by a state school enrolment scheme. The school argues that zoning increases house prices in the zone, reducing access to the school for students from lower socioeconomic groups.¹
Auckland Grammar's 'voluntary' donation for each student was NZD$700 in 2005 and NZD$740 in 2006—approximately five times higher than the average.^[6] The highest voluntary donations are requested by state integrated schools, reaching up to NZD$4,472,^[7] but Auckland Grammar's request is the highest of any state (as opposed to state integrated) school.⁶
The school also accepts overseas students if they hold a legal student visa, which requires an annual fee of around NZD$20,000. The school in 2007 has about 60 international students, including Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, and German students.

NCEA controversy

The current headmaster, John Morris, is a vocal critic of the NCEA. In response to what it perceived to be a poorly designed system being forced on them, the school introduced Cambridge International Examinations in 2002, offering the IGCSE, AS Level and A2 examinations to their more talented students. Other students sit NCEA exams. Students placed in a IGCSE/AS/A2 class are allowed to switch to NCEA, but this is usually discouraged by the school.
The ongoing introduction of the controversial New Zealand Scholarship has been viewed sceptically by the school, and it encourages only the top students to attempt it. Despite this, the school had the highest number of scholarships of any school in New Zealand in 2006.^[8]

Sister Schools

★ Taisei Junior and Senior High School

★ Epsom Girls' Grammar

Notable alumni

★ Sir Thomas Bavin (1874–1941), 24th Premier of New South Wales

★ Hamish Carter (1971–), 2004 Summer Olympic gold medal (triathlon)

★ Jeff Crowe (1958–), cricketer and ICC referee

★ Martin Crowe (1962–), cricketer

★ Russell Crowe (1964–), actor

★ Sir Roger Douglas (1937–), former Finance Minister

★ Sir Raymond Firth (1901–2002), social anthropologist

★ Grant Fox (1962–), former All Black captain

★ Charles Goldie (1870–1947), artist

★ Sir Doug Graham (1942–), former Justice Minister

★ Air Marshal Sir Kenneth Hayr (1935–2001), former UK Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff

★ Graham Henry (1946–), All Black coach

★ Sir Edmund Hillary (1919–), explorer and mountain climber. First man to climb Everest, 1953.

★ Doug Howlett (1978–), international rugby union player

★ Prof Vaughan Jones (1952–), Fields Medal winner

★ Sir Hugh Kawharu (1927–2006), Māori scholar

★ Sir Kenneth Keith (1937–), Judge on the International Court of Justice

★ Sir George Laking, (1912–), diplomat and Chief Ombudsman

★ Sir Leslie Munro (1901–1974), former President of the General Assembly of the United Nations

★ Sir Wilson Whineray (1935–), former All Black captain and prominent businessman.

★ Sir Graham Liggins (1939–), Medicinal Researcher, Founder of The Liggins Insttute

References

1. Enrolment Auckland Grammar School
2. Programme Catalogue
3. Auckland Grammar School (Main Block)
4. War Memorial, Auckland Grammar School
5. School Campus Auckland Grammar School
6. School fee burdens parents Stuart Dye
7. State schools charge 00 fees Emma Page
8. NCEA Scholarship Results 2006

External links

★ Official school website

★ Regularly updated school intranet

★ Biography of past Headmaster J.W. Tibbs