A little later than I had intended with this I am sorry. Things have been hectic with record numbers at the school and plenty to do in a hectic Term 1. A record 480 Year 9 students arrived this term, which means the school roll is over 2,000 for the first time. We have also had a change in the running of the school day in 2018, with 30 50 minute lessons a week and all students taking a minimum of 6 subjects. At the senior level there has been a reduction in the number of NCEA credits available in each subject. We look forward to an exciting year with the celebration of 60 years of Tauranga Boys’ College coming up in October ….. it would be great to see you get back to your old school for what should be a great occasion.
60th Jubilee
2018 marks 60 years of Tauranga Boys’ College and we are looking to celebrate the occasion with a major reunion at Labour Weekend – from Friday October 19th to Sunday October 21st. A range of events will take place across the three days and we would like you all to spread this news across all of your contacts as soon as possible so the date is in the diary! Since the 50th in 2008 our database of e-mail details has grown, but there are still many Old Boys that we do not have up to date details for. Anyone not receiving these updates please e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Check this out …
SCHOLARSHIP RESULTS
TBC topped the scholarship results across the Western Bay of Plenty for 2017, with 26 and two outstanding. Scholarships were gained across 11 different subject areas, which shows the breadth of expertise across the whole teaching staff. Of the other local schools Otumoetai College was second best with 15 and one outstanding. 2017 Dux Jack Wade gained all three scholarships that he sat, with an outstanding in Chemistry while Md Shadmin Jahin also gained three scholarships as a Year 12. The other outstanding scholarship was gained by Korban Eades in geography, while he gained two other awards. Matthew Rea was the fourth TBC student to gain three scholarships.
Staffing
Some 480 Year 9 students arrived at the start of the year (about 60 more than in 2017), which meant several new staff members were appointed. One of the new staff is Old Boy Paora Ranui – one of 23 former pupils who are currently teaching at TBC.
Obituary
Dr Morehu Ngatoko Rahipere (1927 – 19/2/2018)
Dr Morehu Ngatoko Rahipere MNZM passed away last month. He has been a strong supporter of the College for over 30 years, being instrumental in the development of the College Whare and Kaumatua to the Board of Trustes for 20 years, providing cultural knowledge on Tauranga Moana tikanga and protocols. Members of our Te Whanau o Aronui were involved in the Tangihanga for Dr Rahipere.
TBC Sport
Summer Tournament Week
This is currently on and we have 14 different teams away from school comprising over 200 students in events all around the country – rowing, cricket, tennis, sailing, softball, waka ama, volleyball, triathlon, mountain biking, basketball 3x3, water polo, rugby 7s, kayaking and motocross. I’ll have a report on how that went next time.
Futsal
Our Arts Director John Page has championed this sport in the school in recent times and it has gained significantly in popularity. Our Senior & Junior teams competed in the BOP Championships last week and convincingly won their respective competitions unbeaten.
Super 8 Sport
Tennis
TBC hosted the tournament this year and fielded 2 teams as a result. Our 1st team defeated New Plymouth BHS 6-0 and then had an impressive 4-2 win over Napier BHS. This set up a semi-final clash against Palmerston North BHS which was another great victory with all 4 of our singles players victorious. Hamilton BHS were our finals opponents and the side clawed their way back from 1-3 down to balance the ledger at 3-3, however the Hamiltonians claimed the title on count back.
Volleyball
TBC retained the Super 8 title in Gisborne, with the final against Napier BHS being a tougher match than the 3-0 pool play victory. Cameron O’Dea was named player of the final while Sam Henderson, Shi Jie Yong and Hoani Lawrence were all named as members of the Tournament Team.
Golf
This tournament was played at the Springfield Golf Course in Rotorua and from early on it was clear that the two Bay of Plenty sides were going to fight it out for the title. In the end it was Rotorua that prevailed by a single shot to win the title for 2018, but with 8 of our 12 rounds being 72 or better there was some exceptional golf played by all of the team members … Minsu Se, Matthew Fairweather, Ethan Larsen & Mitchell Kale.
Surf Lifesaving
Nationals in Gisborne last weekend and a number of our students performed outstandingly. Declan Dempster won gold in the Under 19 Board Race, Daniel Shanahan won gold in the Under 16 Surf Race & the Run Swim Run, Thomas Scott won the Under 16 Board Race & Bronze in the Surf Race, while Flynn Grey won bronze in the Under 16 Beach Flags. Several other boys won medals in various relays and at the conclusion of the event Daniel Shanahan, Declan Dempster and Thomas Scott were named in the New Zealand Youth Squad.
TBC Arts
New Zealand Representative Ties
Arts Captain Fletcher Oxford spoke at our Arts Assembly at which Kale Adair and James Robinson were presented with their New Zealand Representative ties. Kale has represented New Zealand in Debating while James has been a member of the New Zealand Symphonic Band. Fletcher himself has been selected to perform at the Globe Theatre in London later in the year and also aims to release an album of original music before the end of the year.
Old Boys Sport
Athletics
Julian Oakley has shown a rich vein of form in recent times. He ran the 8th best NZ mile time of all time when running 3 minutes 55.1 seconds at an indoor meet in Boston and then qualified for the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham in the 3,000m. He made the final in this event, where he placed 9th.
Sprinter Ethan Holman gained a national title at the weekend winning the Under 20 100m, and then gained the silver medal in the 200m event. He joined another Old Boy Johannes de Koster in winning the 4x 100 m relay for the Waikato/Bay of Plenty centre.
Canoe Slalom
The New Zealand team has been selected for the World Cup and World Championships, with a significant TBC influence.
K1 Mike Dawson & Jack Dangen selected with Callum Gibb as reserve.
C1 Patrick Washer Shaun Higgins & Ben Gibb selected with Callum Gibb as reserve.
Under 23 James Thwaite.
Junior Current students Damian Torwick & Charlie Bell.
Rowing
Mahe Drysdale is back rowing again from a break after the Rio Olympics and is looking to qualify for the World Championships with a view to rowing at the next Olympics in Tokyo.
Cricket
TBC’s cricket success in the last decade or so has seen significant numbers of former students competing at a higher level.
Kane Williamson has led the Black Caps in 3 formats with considerable success against the West Indies and the Pakistanis and then less so against England and Australia. His 112* against England in the ODI earlier this month saw him pass 6,000 runs in that format.
For Northern Districts we have had Daniel Flynn, Bharat Popli & Brett Hampton appearing regularly while the Northern Districts A team has featured Peter Drysdale, Tommy Clout, Tom MacRury & Sean Davey, who had one game for the top side in the ODI competition.
In a recent 1st class match Daniel Flynn (157) combined in a record opening partnership for the Northern Districts Association of 278 runs with Henry Cooper. He played 24 tests & 20 ODIs for New Zealand from 2008-2013 & now has over 7,000 first class runs.
The Bay of Plenty men’s side, which at times has featured as many as 10 of our Old Boys, was beaten in a Hawke Cup challenge by Counties. This team is coached by former pupil and current staff member Charles Williams.
Squash
Josh Oakley has been performing strongly in the USA at Hobart College, where he played #1 in the 2017/18 season and was named in the All-Liberty League First team, with an overall record of 12 wins and 6 losses.
Rugby
The Super Rugby season has begun and there has been a significant TBC influence in the Chiefs pack. All Black hooker Nathan Harris is back, but with a significant injury toll in the side Aden Ross has had a starting roll beside him and there is the prospect of a TBC front row as Jeff Thwaites has been called up to bolster front row stocks and debuted on the bench this weekend against the Sunwolves. Sam Cane continues to lead from the front on the side of the scrum.
Jarrad Hoeata was called into the Crusaders for preseason, but then was picked up by Montpellier in the French Top 14 competition, where his team is leading the standings at present.
Iron Man
Old Boy & now retired staff member Andrew Ferguson has just qualified to be part of the NZ team at the World Championships in Fyn, Denmark in July. This was achieved with his result in the recent Mount Maunganui Half Iron Man. The event at the Worlds is a 3k swim, 120k cycle and then 30k run.
Hope your year has started well. Please pass on any Old Boys news to me for later editions. In the meantime get your mates organised for the Reunion in October.
All the best for now,
Rob Leslie.
