Westlake Boys High School

Westlake Boys and Girls

Physically a few hundred metres apart, Westlake Girls and Westlake Boys engage in a joint annual theatrical production, participate in several joint musical ensembles (including a joint choir, two orchestras, a concert band and a jazz band), and some social dances, among other things. The two schools share a motto – Virtute Experiamur – "Let Courage Be Thy Test" in Latin.

Enrolment

As of , the school has a roll of students, of which (%) identify as Māori.

As of , the school has an Equity Index of , placing it amongst schools whose students have the socioeconomic barriers to achievement (roughly equivalent to deciles 9 and 10 under the former socio-economic decile system).

Academic pathways

Westlake Boys High School uses the National Certificate of Educational Achievement to assess students. Until 2019, it also offered Cambridge Assessment International Education as an option, but this was phased out from 2016.

Sporting

The school's teams compete in all Auckland and North Harbour inter-secondary school competitions leading to regional, national and international championships.

Music and performing arts

The educational music programme covers performance, composition, analysis, history and aural skills. Along with the option of taking music as a subject, there is also a compulsory Year 9 course, focusing on the appreciation of music and drama in everyday life through theoretical and practical exercises, which runs for multiple weeks throughout the year.

The school has a number of performing groups: a choir ('Voicemale'), 2 Barbershop quartets ('The Lakeside Barbers' and 'Ken and the Men') a Concert Band, Stage Band, and Junior Symphonic band. Orchestral groups include the Westlake Symphony, Chamber Orchestra the junior Taharoto Orchestra and the boys' string groups Conchordia and Camerata. The performing groups have won awards at the annual KBB Music Festival (formerly the Auckland Secondary Schools Band and Orchestra Festival or 'ASSBOF'). Some groups, such as the Choralation Choir, which won the platinum award at the Big Sing Finale in 2009, 2010, and 2011 are combined with Westlake Girls High School.

Notable alumni

Main article: People educated at Westlake Boys High School

The Arts

• David Griffiths (composer)
• Martin Henderson – film, TV and theatre actor
• Don McGlashan – musician, The Mutton Birds and Blam Blam Blam
• Tim Mahon and Mark Bell – founding members of Blam Blam Blam
• Alex Taylor – composer, poet and writer

Business

• A. J. Hackett – popularised bungee jumping
• John Hood – Rhodes Scholar, former CEO of Fletcher Challenge, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Auckland and of Oxford University

Environment

• Winston Cowie
• Stephen King – conservationist

Journalism

• Duncan Garner – television journalist

Politics

• Phil Twyford - politician

Science

• Charles R. Alcock – astronomer, director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Sport

Basketball

• Thomas Abercrombie
• Jarrod Kenny
• Robert Loe
• Sam Mennenga
• Kirk Penney
• Jack Salt
• Corey Webster
• Tai Webster
• Yanni Wetzell

Cricket

• Andre Adams – former Black Cap
• Billy Bowden – ICC cricket umpire
• Paul Hitchcock – former Black Cap
• Bevon Jacobs – New Zealand cricketer
• Justin Vaughan – former Black Cap, CEO New Zealand Cricket
• Lou Vincent – former Black Cap (National Cricket Team)
• Willie Watson – former NZ cricketer

Football

• Robert Ironside – former captain All White
• Neil Jones – former All White
• Tommy Smith – footballer, All Whites

Motorsport

• Nick Cassidy — New Zealand racing driver, current Formula E driver for Jaguar TCS Racing.

Rowing

• Michael Brake – 2021 Olympic Gold medallist
• Andy Hay – 1984 Olympic coxswain
• Barrie Mabbott – Olympic Bronze medallist rower
• Mike Stanley – 1984 Olympic rower
• Eric Verdonk – Olympic Bronze medallist rower

Rugby league

• Frano Botica – former All Black and Kiwi
• Taniela Tuiaki – former Kiwi and West Tigers

Rugby union

• Finlay Brewis - current Crusaders rugby player
• Chandler Cunningham-South - current England rugby player
• Nick Evans – former All Black
• Mike Harris – former Wallaby
• Dillon Hunt – former All Black
• Fine Inisi - current Tonga rugby player
• Lotu Inisi - current Tonga rugby player
• Moses Leo - current Melbourne Storm player
• Luke McAlister – former All Black
• Jock McKenzie - former Blues rugby player, current Auckland Aces cricket player
• Wayne Pivac – former Wales national rugby union team coach
• Inia Tabuavou - current Fiji rugby player
• Caleb Tangitau - current Highlanders rugby player
• Ron Williams – former All Black

Sailing

• Tom Ashley – Olympic Gold medalist board sailor
• Dean Barker – a skipper of Team New Zealand, has participated in America's Cup and Louis Vuitton Cup as well as representing New Zealand at Olympics
• Chris Dickson – former helmsman of BMW Oracle Racing and had participated in Louis Vuitton Cup
• Hamish Pepper – Navigator of Team New Zealand, has participated in America's Cup 2003 as well as representing New Zealand at Olympics in 1996, 2004, 2008 & 2012

Shooting

• Malcolm Cooper – double Olympic Gold Medallist and founder of weapons manufacturing company Accuracy International, makers of the Arctic Warfare Magnum rifle

References

References

1. "Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools". Ministry of Education.
2. "Westlake Girls’ High School".
3. Sparks, Zizi. (17 February 2017). "Former Westlake High School students celebrate 60-year reunion". North Shore Times.
4. "School Equity Index Bands and Groups".
5. "Curriculum Review 2015 {{!}} Westlake Boys High School".
6. Nicoll, Andrew. "Westlake Boys High School 2019 Board of Trustees Annual Report". Westlake Boys High School.
7. [http://www.westlake.school.nz/sports.html] {{webarchive. link. (14 October 2008)
8. "Arts {{!}} Westlake Boys High School".
9. [http://www.westlake.school.nz/docs/Prospectus2013.pdf] {{webarchive. link. (23 February 2014)
10. "Twyford, Phil". New Zealand Parliament.
11. (26 May 2005). "Cullen serves the kids Keynes". NZ Herald.
12. (16 January 2011). "Motorsport: Teen prodigy changes gear for TRS series".
13. "Mike Stanley". Westlake Boys High School.