Christchurch Boys' High School

History

Established in 1881, the prime purpose of Christchurch Boys' High School was to prepare students for enrolment into the then newly formed Canterbury College, now known as the University of Canterbury. As quoted in {{citation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013223932/http://rapidshare.com/files/176886582/19408.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-13

The school has produced many All Blacks, with only Auckland Grammar School having produced more. The school can also lay claim to several famous cricketers. There is a unique ANZAC Day service each year that is compulsory for new students of the school to attend to commemorate the hundreds of Old Boys' that fought and died in the two World Wars. The school song 'Altiora Peto' has a third verse that is only heard on this day. In 2004 CBHS provided 2 of New Zealand's 'top scholars', one of only 3 schools to do so with the other two both girls-only schools in the Auckland region.

The school's dramatic and musical productions have collaborated with those of its sister school, Christchurch Girls' High School.

The College Match

The College Match is a yearly rugby union game between Christchurch Boy's Highschool and Christ's College. The match started in 1892, with Christ's College winning 34–0. Since then, the match has become a significant calendar event for both schools. Boys High owns the title of the longest win streak, 2001–2016, and the most matches won, winning 86 times to 43, with only 9 draws.

Enrolment

As of , Christchurch Boys' High School has roll of students, of whom (%) identify as Māori.

As of , the school has an Equity Index of , placing it amongst schools whose students have socioeconomic barriers to achievement (roughly equivalent to deciles 8 and 9 under the former socio-economic decile system).

Notable alumni

Main article: People educated at Christchurch Boys' High School

Arts

• Rewi Alley – writer, social reformer
• Brian Brake – photographer
• Allen Curnow – poet
• Alan Duff – writer
• Jason Gunn – radio and television personality
• Sir David Low – cartoonist
• Bill Sutton (1917–2000) – artist
• Marlon Williams – musician
• Niel Wright – poet and critic
• James Lucas – writer, film director

Science

• Glenn Wilson – psychologist
• David J. Lockwood – physicist
• Robert McLachlan – mathematician
• Robert Pilgrim – entomologist

Military

• James Burrows – army commander (also an All Black)
• Sir Leonard Monk Isitt – air force leader
• Sir Howard Kippenberger – WWII army commander
• Keith Thiele – WWII pilot
• Malcolm Calder – Chief of the Air Staff from 1958–1962
• John Boswell – Current Chief of the New Zealand Army

Public service

• Arthur Dobbs – Director-General of Education 1971–1975

Politics

• Bob Bell – former National MP for the electorate
• Max Bradford – Minister of Defence 1998, former Chief Executive of National Party, Member of Parliament for Tarawera and Rotorua New Zealand Parliament
• Don Brash – Former leader of both the National Party, the ACT Party, and former Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
• George Forbes – Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1930 to 1935, first leader of the National Party
• Bruce Jesson – left-wing activist
• Keith Locke – spokesperson on international affairs, defence and disarmament issues for the last decade (for NewLabour, the Alliance, and now the Green Party)
• Maui Pomare – Māori politician, doctor, reformer
• Tony Steel – former All Black, Headmaster of Hamilton Boys' High School and Member of Parliament
• David Caygill – former Minister of Finance (New Zealand) and Member of Parliament for St. Albans, in Christchurch (New Zealand).
• Christopher Luxon – Prime Minister of New Zealand since 2023 and former CEO of Air New Zealand and Unilever Canada

Business

• Ian Athfield – architect
• Charles Luney – builder and company director
• Michael Mayell – entrepreneur, founder of Cookie Time

Sport

Christchurch Boys' High has one of the richest sporting alumni of any school in New Zealand, having produced the Hadlee brothers (cricket) and numerous All Black rugby footballers (46 in total) who have gone on to represent New Zealand with great distinction.

Athletics

• David Ambler – sprinter

Cricket

• Geoff Allott – New Zealand Cricket Team
• Corey Anderson – New Zealand Cricket Team
• Robert Anderson – New Zealand Cricket Team
• Todd Astle – New Zealand Cricket Team
• Chris Cairns – New Zealand Cricket Team
• Lee Germon – Captain New Zealand Cricket Team
• Dayle Hadlee – New Zealand Cricket Team
• Sir Richard Hadlee – New Zealand Cricket Team
• Walter Hadlee – New Zealand Cricket Team
• Blair Hartland – New Zealand Cricket Team
• Llorne Howell – New Zealand Cricket Team
• Tom Latham – New Zealand Cricket Team
• Chris Martin – New Zealand Cricket Team
• Neil Broom – New Zealand Cricket Team
• Alex Ross (cricketer) – Australian Cricket Team

Cycling

• Anton Cooper – Commonwealth Games gold medallist 2014, silver medallist 2018
• Daniel Whitehouse – road cyclist

Football

• Ben Sigmund – Wellington Phoenix Football Team

Futsal

• Atta Elayyan

Hockey

• Cameron Hayde – Black Sticks
• George Enersen – Black Sticks
• George Connell – Black Sticks
• Willy Davidson – Black Sticks
• Richard Bain – Black Sticks
• Nick Haig – Black Sticks, Olympian
• Andrew Hastie – Black Sticks
• Selwyn Maister – Black Sticks, Olympic gold medallist 1976
• Barry Maister – Black Sticks, Olympic gold medallist 1976
• Chris Maister – Black Sticks, Olympic gold medallist 1976
• John Christensen – Black Sticks, Olympic gold medallist 1976
• Alan Patterson – NZ 3 times Olympian 1964, 1968, 1972. The last two as Captain
• Simon Yorston - Black Sticks, Olympian

Lawn bowls

• Gary Lawson – Black Jacks

Rowing

• Jack Lopas – Men's Double Sculls 2020 Olympics
• Alistair Bond – Men's Eight 2016 Olympics

Rugby union

• Geoff Alley – All Black and National Librarian
• Marty Banks – Highlanders (rugby union) player
• Daniel Carter – All Black
• John Creighton – All Black
• Bob Deans – All Black
• Ash Dixon – Māori All Blacks captain
• Bob Duff – All Black captain, All Black coach and selector
• Ben Franks – All Black
• Owen Franks – All Black
• Daryl Gibson – All Black
• Scott Hamilton – All Black
• Steve Hansen – All Blacks coach, Wales coach
• Sir Graham Henry – All Blacks coach, Wales coach
• David Hewett – All Black
• Fabian Holland - All Black
• Andrew Horrell – Waikato Chiefs
• Howard Joseph – All Black
• Anton Lienert-Brown – All Black
• Richard Loe – All Black
• Aaron Mauger – All Black
• Nathan Mauger – All Black
• Fergie McCormick – All Black
• Andrew Mehrtens – All Black
• James Paterson – USA Eagle
• Brodie Retallick – All Black
• Luke Romano – All Black
• Colin Slade – All Black
• Matt Todd – All Black
• Adam Thomson – All Black
• Patrick Vincent – All Black captain
• Kosei Ono – Japan national rugby union team
• Tony Steel – All Black
• Nasi Manu – Tonga national rugby union team
• Rodney Ah You – Ireland national rugby union team
• Will Jordan – All Black

Rallying

• Jeff Judd – 2009 Pirelli Star Co-Driver, 2011 PWRC Competitor, 2010 Silver Fern Rally Winner

Snowsports

• Jamie Prebble – Ski Cross silver medallist at the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships 2017, competed in Ski Cross at the 2018 Winter Olympics
• Carlos Garcia Knight – Competed in snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air at the 2018 Winter Olympics

Speedway

• Ivan Mauger, OBE, MBE – Six time Speedway World Champion

Squash

• Paul Coll – Current Squash World #1

MMA

• Brad Riddell (fighter) – UFC Lightweight

References

Notes

References

1. (29 November 2013). "Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools". Ministry of Education.
2. CBHS {{usurped
3. {{NZHPT. 3658. Christchurch Boys' High School (Main Block). 29 November 2015
4. CBHS. (October 2010). "Top Scholars Announced".
5. (2002-08-27). "On Chunuk Bair". The Christchurch Press.
6. Bayer, Kurt. (31 May 2023). "Christchurch Boys' High School v Christ's College annual match: Leading NZ actor and old boy blasts sideline behaviour". [[The New Zealand Herald]].
7. "School Equity Index Bands and Groups".
8. "Major General John Boswell".
9. "David Francis Caygill". Christchurch Boys' High School.
10. "Charles Seymour Luney (Chas), QSO, CNZM 1905–2006". [[Christchurch City Libraries]].
11. "Student Achievements – Christchurch Boys High School".
12. "The schools which nurtured the All Blacks heading to the Rugby World Cup in France".
13. "Daniel Whitehouse". ipc-sport.
14. (31 March 2020). "New Zealand Hockey Representatives – Men". Hockey New Zealand.
15. Whitten, Peter. (4 October 2017). "Interview: NZ rally legend Jeff Judd". RallySport Magazine.