Onslow College
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2012) |
| Onslow College | |
|---|---|
 Onslow College and surrounds | |
| Address | |
 | |
Burma Road 6440 New Zealand | |
| Coordinates | 41°13′51″S 174°47′49″E / 41.2307°S 174.7970°E |
| Information | |
| Type | State co-ed secondary; years 9–13 |
| Motto | Latin: Levavi oculos meos in montes Māori: Ka anga atu aku kanohi ki nga maunga Lift your eyes to the hills |
| Established | 1956; 68 years ago |
| Ministry of Education Institution no. | 269 |
| Principal | Sheena Millar |
| School roll | 1,073[1] (February 2024) |
| Socio-economic decile | 10Z[2] |
| Website | onslow |
Onslow College is a state co-educational secondary school located in Johnsonville, a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. It had a student population in 2020 of 1250 students.[3] The current principal is Sheena Millar.
History
Onslow College opened in 1956 to serve Wellington's rapidly growing northern suburbs.[4][5] It was named after the 4th Earl of Onslow, governor of New Zealand from 1889 to 1892.[4]
The school roll grew from 201 third form pupils in 1956 to 1180 pupils in 1969.[4]
The "Onslow Way" is difficult to define but a former principal Stuart Martin described it as "socially liberal but educationally conservative, decile 10 but physically run down".[4] In 1969, Peggy-Anne Wendelken became New Zealand's first woman chair of a school board of governors; at this time Onslow's board had student representation, twenty years before this became a legal requirement.[4]
The school has not had a school uniform since 1974 when it was abolished following student protest,[6] despite the strong opposition of the Headmaster.[4] In 2016 Onslow was one of the first schools in the region to have gender-neutral toilets for students.[7]
Several staff have received awards for teaching excellence. Terry Burrell, received the prestigious Prime Minister's Science Teacher Prize in 2014,[8] and the same year Esme Danielsen (Maths) received a Woolf Fisher Fellowship.[9]
Onslow students won The Prime Minister's Future Scientist Prize in 2009, 2016 and 2018.[10]
Music – Smokefree Rockquest Wellington regional finalists in 2021 were Obsidian Sun.[11] In 2016 Onslow College bands and individuals took out 5 of the 8 awards the Regional Final: Best Vocalist – Raquel Abolins-Reid, Musicianship Award – Noah Spargo, Best Lyricist – Sarah Mc Bride, 3rd placed band – Bird on a Wire, 1st placed band and overall winners of the Wellington Regional Final – Retrospect.[12][13]
In 2017 Onslow College won the Wellington regional "Festival Cup"[14] for the school best representing the spirit of the Big Sing,[15] a school choral festival organised by the New Zealand Choral Federation.
On 13 February 1997, 18-year-old former student Nicholas Hawker murdered 15-year-old St Mary's College student Vanessa Woodman on the school's grounds. Woodman was strangled, had her throat slit, and was stabbed 32 times. Hawker was sentenced to life imprisonment with a 10-year non-parole period.[16] He was released on parole in 2015, but is not allowed in the North Island.[17]
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School principals
The school has had the following principals:[4]
- 2018–present Sheena Millar
- 2010–2018 Peter Leggat
- 2009–2009 Hamish Davidson (acting)
- 2001–2009 Dr Stuart Martin
- 1998–2000 Peter Smith
- 1994–1998 John Carlyon
- 1987–1993 Neale Pitches
- 1979–1986 Bill Officer
- 1977–1979 Harvey Rees-Thomas
- 1966–1977 Dudley Hughes
- 1956–1965 Colin Watt
Notable alumni
 | This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. (January 2024) |
Academia
- James Belich – Professor of History and writer
- Mary Morgan-Richards – Professor of Wildlife evolution
The Arts
- Jackie van Beek – film and television director, writer and actor[18]
- John McDougall – guitarist-songwriter (The Holidaymakers)[19][20]
- Fazerdaze – singer-songwriter[21]
- Kate Camp – poet and author[22]
- Nick Bollinger – musician (Rough Justice, Windy City Strugglers), music critic and author[23][24]
- Peter Marshall – singer (The Holidaymakers)[19][20]
- Rosemary McLeod – writer
- Sue Wootton – award-winning author
- Taika Waititi – film director and actor. Academy award winner.[25]
- Leon Wadham – actor, writer and director
- Riiki Reid – singer-songwriter
Broadcasting and journalism
- Ian Wishart – editor Investigate magazine
- Rocky Wood – non-fiction author and freelance journalist
- Warwick Slow – radio DJ
Public service
- Catherine Delahunty – Green Party MP
- Georgina Beyer – the world's first transgender mayor and later member of parliament.[26][27]
- Tāmati Coffey – Former TVNZ Breakfast weather presenter; Labour Party MP (2017–present)
- Trevor Mallard – former Labour Party MP and Speaker Of The House
- Sandra Lee-Vercoe – first Maori woman to win a general seat in Parliament
Sport
- Alan Isaac – International Cricket Council President[28]
- Gavin Larsen – New Zealand cricket player[29]
- Jeremy Coney – New Zealand cricket player
- Joe Wright – New Zealand Olympic Rower 2015
- Martin Dreyer – New Zealand Chess Champion
- Noah Billingsley – New Zealand football player[30]
- Richard Ussher – New Zealand multisport athlete & World AR champion 2005/2006
Notable staff
- Jeremy Coney – New Zealand cricket player
- Penny Kinsella – New Zealand cricket player
- Tina Manker – German Olympic rower
References
- ^ "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "Decile Change 2014 to 2015 for State & State Integrated Schools". Ministry of Education. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
- ^ "About Us". www.onslow.school.nz. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
Onslow College is a co-ed state high school in Wellington with 1250 students including 50 international students
- ^ a b c d e f g Onslow College, 1956–2006 : a biography. Wellington: Onslow College. 2006. ISBN 0-473-11627-8.
- ^ "View of new building, Onslow College, Johnsonville, Wellington". National Library of New Zealand. 1 January 1956. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ "School uniform debate: Principals argue for and against". Stuff. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ "Wellington High, Onslow College get gender-neutral bathrooms". Stuff. 6 March 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ "Prime Minister's Science Teacher Prize Winner 2014 | The Prime Minister's Science Prizes". Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ "Past Fellowships 2004 – 2019 – Woolf Fisher Trust". Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ "Ngā toa i mua Previous winners | The Prime Minister's Science Prizes". Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ "Rockquest | Aotearoa's only nationwide, live, original music, youth event". www.smokefreerockquest.co.nz. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ "Onslow College band Retrospect eye people's choice in Smokefree Rockquest". Stuff. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ "Onslow College: ONSLOW COLLEGE BULLETIN TERM TWO, WEEK NINE". moodle.onslownet.school.nz. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ "New Zealand Choral Federation – Big Sing Wellington" (PDF). 7 June 2017.
- ^ "The Big Sing". New Zealand Choral Federation Inc. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ Reid, Neil (27 September 2009). "Victim's mum fights killer's freedom bid". Sunday News (via Stuff.co.nz). Retrieved 23 July 2014.
- ^ "Schoolgirl Vanessa Woodman's killer freed on parole". Stuff. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
- ^ Screen, NZ On. "Jackie van Beek NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Peter and The Wolves, by Peter and The Wolves". Peter and The Wolves. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ a b "EELMAN RECORDS NEW ZEALAND Lots Of History". www.eelmanrecords.com. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ FAZERDAZE Interview- growing up in New Zealand, self confidence, music video, retrieved 11 November 2022
- ^ "Writers Festival author tells of mischievous childhood". NZ Herald. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ "Goneville – a memoir of the 70s rock'n'roll music scene". Stuff. 23 December 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ "Goneville – by Nick Bollinger from The Listen Anytime Library". RNZ. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ Catherall, Sarah (10 December 2014). "My secret Wellington: Taika Waititi". Fairfax New Zealand.
- ^ "Georgina Beyer". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
- ^ The Georgina Beyer story ... how a change for the better came about Archived 31 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The Wellingtonian Interview: Alan Isaac". Stuff. 3 November 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ "The Wellingtonian interview: Gavin Larsen". Stuff. 6 January 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ "Noah Billingsley off to US university to further his football career". Stuff. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2020.