King's High School

Props to young Kingsmen, Hunter Ramshaw (Y11), Saxon Tod (Y10), and Aiden Kendall (Y10) for entered the elite Ice Hockey world - chosen for the New Zealand Under-16 Men's Team. While still a way from becoming Ice Blacks, Hunter, Saxon and Aiden have their eye on the prize - representing New Zealand at every age division from here up. Fine young men indeed.

Dunedin and wider Otago has an impressive national reputation in Ice Hockey, with a lot of strong young players in the ranks.

The New Zealand Under-16 Men's Team will compete in the domestic Under-18 league, and from here, a squad of 20 players will be selected to participate in the 2026 Pan-Pacific Tournament between New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong China later this year.

The series is a joint venture initiative between Ice Hockey New Zealand and Ice Hockey Australia, to promote the development of youth players in to future elite athletes for their World Championship teams.

There is more to this Book Week than its cover....

Members of the Book Gang have been prepping for many weeks to put together a great Book Week (Mon 8 - Fri 12 June) in the Library.

As is our way, there's a different theme each lunch time:
Monster Monday - Create your own monster
Trilogy Tuesday -Good things come in 3s
Whenesday - Celebrating literary eras-Lunchtime Kahoot
Theoretical Thursday - There's a theory for everything (+ Interhouse Literary Quiz)
Freedom Friday - a fitting Finale for the Great Escape.

The Library will also be bursting with competitions, puzzles to solve, and prizes to be won, such as:
Prefects' Picks - Can you match the Prefect to the Book?
King's Top Ten Titles - Rank these in the correct order to win a prize

A highlight of Book Week is always the Interhouse Literary Quiz, this year at Thursday lunchtime, with the Quiz Master being the all-knowing, well-read Man Himself, Mr McIvor.

Come along and remember, "There is no friend as loyal as a book." - Ernest Hemingway

Readers Succeed.

Reading fires the imagination – with stories and tales of people sometimes larger than life.

Reading gives you a way to enter the minds of people from long ago; to know their thoughts and opinions from reading what they left behind. This is a kind of time travel. A text – based Tardis - like seeing the thoughts of an ancient Roman leader like Marcus Aurelius or the philosopher Confucius, despite being written many hundreds and hundreds of years ago.

You can live in the present by reading the news or you can visit the past from reading history ... seeing the world as it was.

You can learn new words, and ways of using words, that we can use ourselves. With words, you have the power to share ideas exactly how they form in your head, or to articulate exactly what you mean. A powerful skill, indeed.

You can use reading to relax - good books take you to another world. Maybe it's so funny or exciting, you forgot all your problems for a while. Everyone should read a book with humour woven into its story, at least once a year. For me, that's the books of PG Wodehouse about ‘Jeeves and Wooster’.

You can find good role models from reading biographies. My favourite recently is "Searching for Charlie" by Tom Scott about Sir Charles Upham, the Kiwi who got not one but two Victoria Crosses in WWII. The stories about how he would storm enemy machine gun posts with a flanking movement, carrying only a bag of grenades and a pistol, are legendary. A very courageous man.

Reading boosts memory.
Reading can boost your mood; even build your confidence.

If you’re already enjoying reading, and of different kinds of books, keep it up.
If you’re not - start small and build up. Perhaps just short reading for only a few pages initially then add some more after a while.
Everyone’s capable of reading something and taking something of value from it.

Reading should be on your shortlist of important things to achieve during your time at school. Do this, and you will get so much in return.

Readers succeed.
Mr McIvor, Rector

The Year 9 Excellence Awards are significant; recognising students not just on the promise of their potential and their past performances, but on the realisation of that potential within the King’s environment.

Use this link to view live stream of the Y9 Excellence Awards 12/6/26
https://youtube.com/live/lMGN-CepSeM?feature=share

Chocolate Steam Buns - zero guilt when it's for a good cause (aka funding kit for the 2nd XV Rugby team)

Orders open till Sunday 21 June.
Scan code in the image or if you’re looking at this on your phone, click on the link in the first comment below, to view menu and order.

Qǐng màn yòng

Octacan 2026 begins!!

Octacan is a yearly event run by Presbyterian Support Otago, with the goal of collecting donations in order to stock the food bank and provide food to those in our community in need.

Cans will be collected during Group Time from Monday 8th June until Wednesday 24th June (Weeks 8, 9, 10). Cans will be gathered at the end of each week and counted; the number will be added to each respective House Total.

Each House has been set a target number of cans.
While we highly appreciate those students who go above and beyond, we don’t want Houses relying on individual students. Students who bring over 100 cans will be celebrated individually in Assembly.

Prefect Interview Series: Benjamin Downing (extract)
By Max Poulter, Dep Head Prefect

Hello, my name is Benjamin Downing. I'm a School and Stuart House Prefect this year. I'm heavily involved with Drama at King's and recently won the Terry McTavish Stage Presence Award (2026) at the Otago Regional Shakespeare Competition. I was also a co-organiser of the recent Cultural Festival. I'm not originally from Dunedin, & started at King's in Y10, after moving down from Palmerston North Boys' High School. I was born in Lower Hutt and have moved a lot throughout my life, meaning I have attended schools such as Elmwood Primary, Heaton Intermediate, and Palmerston North Intermediate before coming to King's.

Subjects you're taking this year?
Biology, Earth and Space Science, Scholarship English, Drama, History. I'm taking Drama to keep pursuing this interest in the future to see if that leads anywhere, while Scholarship English and History are important as I'm planning to start a Law Degree at Otago University next year.

Interests outside of school?
I do Peer Student Support, Peer Reading with Juniors, Shakespeare competitions and other drama events. While competing, I also enjoy mentoring younger students and presenting myself as a role model, as Senior students once were for me. Plus, I'm always searching for musical theatre and acting gigs.

Aspect of the school you'd love to improve?
More engagement in cultural and drama-related activities. What many boys don’t realise, is that skills learnt in drama - like confidence, leadership, communication, and understanding human nature - can be incredibly useful for a range of jobs and career paths.

Something you wish you knew in Yr 9/10 that you'd tell the Juniors?
“Learn how to do a tie”. No, in all seriousness, try new things, be bold. Whatever your interests are and whatever you commit to, don't half-ass it, because if you fail, all you can blame is yourself. If you are willing to try and achieve success, be open to advice and surround yourself with like-minded individuals. This is the way to reach your personal excellence.

Biggest lesson that school has taught you so far?
Be resilient. Don’t get weighed down by others. The truth in life is that not everyone will ever agree with you or what you're doing, and there is always going to be someone hating because they can. However, if you want to be that student walking across the stage, you need to be the student constantly giving 110% effort. Be more than expected, go above and beyond expectations and don’t let them define you.

What makes King's special to you?
The sense of pride and recognition for success between students, their peers and staff - there's no "tall poppy" syndrome here; one person's success is a success for all of us. Here, if you achieve something great in the path of your choice, you will be recognised for it, not have it dismissed or put down. This is rare.

Goals for your last year at school?
First, is to achieve Excellence Endorsed (50+ Level 3 Credits) and Excellence Subject Endorsements in Drama, History and English. Plus, a Scholarship in English and potentially Drama. Secondly, I want to gain entrance into the National Shakespeare School (a select group of 48 students chosen from over 500 across NZ). Finally & thirdly, although general, I want younger students to feel that they have a mentor in me, while also helping make Drama feel more accessible and enjoyable for a wider group of students.

If you had to choose one word to describe King's, what would it be? Character-Building.

What would you say to any Yr 7 or 8 student considering King's?
King's is such an open-minded school, which won’t put you in a box.

Once again, the King's Wall of Fame ceremony dispelled any doubt that each & every one of us has the potential to do great things with a strong foundation, good moral compass, and trusted friends/family by your side.

The advice from each new inductee for the next generation of Kingsmen had a consistent message - interesting given their diversity: esteemed artist, neurosurgeon, NZ Order of Merit recipient, rugby legend & former Deputy Prime Minister - the King's foundation and brotherhood gave them the confidence/focus to go after and achieve the big dream.

The one deviation to this - making Mr McIvor go a little pale - was when Tony Brown said he'd never set a goal in his life!!!! Tony quickly went on to say that he wakes up every morning asking himself, "How do I have competitive edge today?"

One other piece of advice coming through loud & louder ... be conscious of the decisions you make when young, because good or bad, these decision could define the rest of your life.

Here's to the Brotherhood and Good Decisions.

Wall of Fame additions 2026

Tony Brown (1993 Prefect, winner of Salter Trophy) - won Tom French Cup for being the Māori player of the Year (1998), All Black- played 13 test matches 1999 - 2001, played 3 seasons with Japan (2005 - 2008) and Super 14 in South African with the Sharks in 2006 and Stormers in 2008), Highlander Coach, Japan Coach, and currently South African Rugby Assistant Attack Coach.

Hon. Grant Robertson (1985 - 1989, Head Prefect, Proxime to Dux) -former Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance & Minister of Sport (6-years) and currently Otago University Vice-Chancellor. Worked for Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, then in 2001 became Ministerial Advisor to Minister for the Environment and later Prime Minister Helen Clark.

Dr Alan Wright (1973 -1977, Dux, Winner of Old Boys' Prize for All Rounder) - top neurologist and neurosurgeon specialising in brain disorders. In 1994, he was the second New Zealander to become the Australasian Registrar at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London. From 1995 to 1998, he had Neurology Fellowships at the Mayo Clinic prior to returning to Dunedin. During his training, Alan was awarded a Fulbright Travel Scholarship (to USA), Nuffield Travel Scholarship (to UK), & Frances Cotter Scholarship from Otago University.

John Bezett, NZ Order of Merit (1958 – 1959)-Chairman of NZ Masters Games (1993), Deputy Mayor of Dunedin (1989 - 1992), Chairman of the DCC committee that oversaw the redevelopment of the St Clair Hot Saltwater Pool, and the St Clair Sea Wall Construction, Chairman of the Dunedin City Council Economic Development Committee involved with the upgrades to the Dunedin Town Hall and Dunedin Centre, Council representative on the committee to corporatise the DCC Electricity Department to form three companies.

Adam Douglass (1993 - 1997, Dep House Captain Stuart) -celebrated artist and art lecturer, shortlisted as Obama Fellow for social change and finalist in the 2018 Incinerator Award for Social Change. Plus his films and documentaries have been featured in a variety of film festivals around the world.

Prefect Interview Series: Angus Harrold (extract)
By Max Poulter, Dep Head Prefect

My name is Angus Harrold. I am one of the prefects here at King's for 2026. I am also a Stuart House Prefect, the Captain of the 1st Water Polo team, and one of the Vice-Captains of the 1st XV Rugby Team. I am not from Dunedin and in fact, only arrived in the city just one day out from starting in Year 9, after moving from Dundee, Scotland. Before King's, over in Scotland, I attended Dundee Primary and Intermediate from ages 5 to 13.

Subjects you're taking this year?
Physics, Math's, English, PE, while also extending myself in the Gateway course, working at a heating engineering business. With this wide range of involvements and interests, I’m aiming to keep a wide range of options open.

Interests outside of school?
Outside of school, I play and mentor younger athletes in Rugby and Water Polo. I also enjoy spending time at the gym and out running around Dunedin. Other interests are playing the bagpipes, and every Christmas Day, our family helps make lunches for the South Dunedin community at the St Clair Bowling Club.

One aspect of the school that you'd love to improve?
I would love to enhance the relationships between Year 9s and Year 13s. This is because, as a Year 9, I was lucky enough to play Water Polo with a range of Senior students and, in particular, a great group of Year 13’s. This gave me more opportunities to connect as a nervous new member of the King's community, but also insight into what the future could look like for me, as these role models taught me not only valuable sports advice, but also great insight into how to balance a sporting and academically demanding life. This filled me with more confidence and inspiration, and I am proud to say that I still have good relationships with those ex-students today.

What you wish you knew in Yr 9/10 that you would tell the Juniors?
“It only gets better”. Every year I have spent at King's, I have made new friends and great memories. Also, don't limit yourself to one friend group. Just because you get along really well with one group of people shouldn’t mean you settle for good; seek to learn more about others and build more friendships with various groups of people. For me, I have friends outside of Rugby and Water Polo, with whom I simply became mates through seating plans. So, I urge any Juniors or any King's students, for that matter, to challenge themselves to meet new people and go out of their way to introduce themselves to people they haven't talked to before.

What is the biggest lesson that the school has taught you so far?
Respect goes a long way. If you are respectful, meeting new people becomes so much easier, simply because people have heard good things about you. You then meet on good terms without even knowing it, allowing for easy conversations and more opportunities. For me now, I am a lot different from when I came to King's. Back when I was in Year 9, when I was new to the school, I was unaware of the school culture and scared of people having a dig at me. This was reflected in the classroom with my behaviour as I was less respectful and less confident. However, over time, I have turned this around as I have come to learn the school culture, feeling more welcome by the day, making new friends and feeling a real sense of “home”. With this, I now apply myself more in the classroom and display a greater deal of respect towards my teachers and peers.

What makes King's special to you?
King's is a high school that offers so much diversity. Here, there are so many people from different areas, different countries and different backgrounds. Compared to back in Scotland, where some schools will only have farmers' children and doctors' children and no diversity, King's allows people from all over to blend and connect, building a “haven for learning” in all aspects of life.

Goals you have for the year before you leave school?
I’d like to achieve high Merits/Excellence throughout the year for all of my assessments. In particular, for English and PE, I have my sights set on Excellence subject endorsements; however, in all others, I have still set the benchmark at merit. For my sporting pursuits, I am aiming to qualify for representative teams such as the Highlanders Schools, which would go a long way towards qualifying for an academy in the UK for Rugby next year. Within the school, I want to leave a lasting impression and memory of my character with my fellow peers and teachers.

If you had to choose one word to describe King's, what would it be? HOME

What would you say to any current Yr 7 or 8 student considering King's?
King's is so inviting and open, despite its high standard. Other schools often involve higher costs and require specific credentials to get in, to give the best chance for academic and sporting success. However, at King's, this excellence is both accessible and attainable. For me, King's has transformed me as a person, and I am grateful for the countless opportunities it has provided me, building my character and resilience.