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WELCOME
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
I believe that each child has God-given
talents which as educators we are called
to nurture. Our school’s role is to create
a positive, safe, caring environment
where each child can grow into a well
rounded citizen.
Our commitment is to high standards of
performance, behaviour and appearance.
Our students have a positive attitude.
They want to be here, to participate, to
contribute, to excel and make the most
of their time at school.
As a thinking school, we blend the best
of tradition with innovation.
Steve Robb, Principal
CONTENTS
We are proud of our high achieving, fully
rounded students who leave St Peter’s
and contribute significantly to our society
and world.
I extend to you a warm welcome to
come and experience the St Peter’s Way.
SF Robb
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PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE OF WELCOME
Ten reasons
Style of Education
Facilities
academic Education
Innovation in IT
Boarding
Creative Talent
Prep SCHOOL
Sport
Academies
TEAM SPIRIT
Senior school
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
History
Chapel
ENVIRO FRIENDLY
Enrolment process
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Ten REASONS
WHY YOU WILL ENJOY ST PETER’S CAMBRIDGE
St Peter’s is an Independent, fully co educational, day and boarding school for years
7-13, affiliated with the Anglican Church.
01/ A distinctly rural ambience. Established
in 1936, St Peter’s Cambridge is now one of
New Zealand’s leading co-educational colleges.
Today’s modern campus is truly magnificent - a
forty-hectare domain of mature trees, colourful
gardens and multi-use sports fields, with
original buildings designed in the architectural
style of an English country estate. Several new
complementary buildings, including modern
classrooms and extra-curricular facilities, have
recently been added.
02/ Education with inspiration. At St Peter’s,
every student is respected, challenged and
inspired. Our solid education foundation (Motto:
Structa Saxo - Built on a Rock) and our firstclass
facilities for education, performing arts
and sport combine to ensure that all students
can discover and fully develop their academic
abilities and their individual talents, whether
they are creative, intellectual or athletic.
03/ Body, Mind & Spirit. St Peter’s offers all
students an integrated education based on our
school’s holistic commitment – embedded by our
founder in 1936 - to enhance the whole person,
body, mind and spirit. Emphasis is placed
on the promotion of respect, tolerance and
integrity within a friendly, caring community.
At all times, we encourage inquiry, curiosity
and independence. It is a relaxing environment
that is conducive to good learning. Teachers are
friendly and students find it easy to participate.
04/ An inclusive community. Students at St
Peter’s come from every walk of life - from the
largest cities and smallest towns in New Zealand
and from around the world. They are drawn to
a college with a proud record of high academic
achievement and a worldwide reputation for
excellence in education. Our performing arts
and sporting facilities are among New Zealand’s
finest and most modern.
05/ Home away from home. Our boarding
school is the second largest in New Zealand
with accommodation and amenities of the
highest standard. Of the school’s one thousand
students, approximately forty-five per cent are
boarders, mainly New Zealanders, but we’re also
welcoming a growing number of students from
other countries. At St Peter’s, boarders form
enduring friendships and share experiences that
will be remembered for the rest of their lives.
06/ A school for the world. St Peter’s offers
education on a global scale. We are authorised
to teach the International Baccalaureate
Diploma Programme. The IB Diploma is
recognised by all leading world universities.
We also offer some Cambridge International
exams and New Zealand’s N.C.E.A qualifications,
including Scholarship.
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The picturesque campus at St Peter’s
is located in the heart of the
Waikato province.
07/ Everyone’s a winner. St Peter’s is
accomplished and extremely competitive in a
number of sports, notably equestrian, tennis,
golf, rugby, soccer, hockey, netball and rowing.
The school boasts a first-class golf academy, a
leading gymnasium with excellent facilities, and
several quality sports fields. Being a neighbour
to Waikato’s successful thoroughbred breeding
industry, we have one of the best equestrian
training centres of any college in New Zealand.
08/ On stage - Live! St Peter’s is widely
recognised for its excellence in music and
the performing arts. From our magnificent
auditorium, on any day, strains of music –
whether orchestral, jazz, choir or contemporary
rock and pop - are likely to be heard permeating
the country air. Behind the scenes, preparations
could also be under way for a new production,
a dance performance, theatre sports, Stage
Challenge, an upcoming debate, poetry reading
or chess tournament. The strength of the
curriculum and extra curricular programmes
sees more than half of the students involved in
instrumental tuition.
education. We are just five minutes from the
busy Cambridge town centre; fifteen minutes
from the major city of Hamilton, home to
Waikato University; ten minutes from Hamilton
International Airport; and just over an hour
from Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city.
10/ Close to the action. The naturally diverse
landscape of the Waikato region provides
opportunities for a wide range of outdoor
adventures and sports. St Peter’s Cambridge is
just a fifteen-minute drive from Lake Karapiro,
venue for the 2010 World Rowing Cup; twenty
minutes from Maungatautari Eco Mountain, a
natural heritage environment; forty minutes
from Raglan’s west coast beach, so popular
with the under-20s for its beach culture and
especially its world famous, left-hand break for
surfers; one hour to Mount Maunganui, rated
one of New Zealand’s top five beaches; and
two hours to ski fields.
09/ Central Waikato location. The
picturesque campus at St Peter’s is located in
the heart of the Waikato province, where the
main industries are dairy farming, horticulture,
tourism, thoroughbred horse breeding and
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OUR STYLE OF EDUCATION
OPEN SPACES. OPEN MINDS.
The moment you leave state highway one and enter the tree-lined approach to the
impressive main building at St Peter’s, Cambridge, the contrast is immediate and
startling. The pace is remarkably slower with less noise and fewer distractions.
This is what makes St Peter’s a unique learning
environment; it is a campus built around
quiet, open spaces and very distinctive rural
landscapes. Yet, while seemingly apart from
the world, St Peter’s is a place where young
minds and bodies are being exposed to a world
of opportunities. Through both conventional
and innovative teaching methods, an extensive
range of academic subjects and a wide choice
of sporting and cultural activities, students
at St Peter’s are motivated to grasp their
true potential and further develop individual
strengths for future academic, business or
sporting success.
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OUTSTANDING
FACILITIES
Habitat impacts on everyone, especially
large groups of people living together.
At St Peter’s we provide a safe, inspiring
environment removed from city pressures
and offering some of the finest facilities of
any New Zealand school.
40 hectares of school campus, surrounded by a
180 hectare dairy farm.
Landscaped grounds, sports fields, mature trees
and gardens.
Purpose-built faculty blocks for English,
Mathematics, Science, Social Sciences, the Arts,
Technology, Agriculture and Horticulture. These
blocks are equipped with the latest technology
appropriate for the subject area.
St Peter’s Chapel – an historic building.
Equestrian Park - with excellent facilities.
Golf Academy with driving range and short
course area.
Tennis Academy with nine plexipave tennis
courts and three clay courts.
Hockey turf with practice area.
Gymnasium with two international-sized basketball
courts, two squash courts, weights room, rock
climbing wall, viewing area for 400 people.
Auditorium, with seating for 800, separate dance,
drama and music studios.
Outdoor classroom in a significant stand of native
Kahikatea trees.
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A wide range of
subject choice
and different
qualifications are
available to all
students.
EDUCATION
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
All programmes of study at St Peter’s are geared towards fully preparing students for
tertiary education. We have a consistently high percentage of students achieving
qualifications that enable them to enter university.
Through our policy of smaller classes, fair
discipline and individual attention, students
are closely monitored as they follow subjects
that will enhance their abilities and academic
direction.
The School’s Curriculum Plan is seen as a living
document, regularly reviewed and refined for
today’s changing world. The school seeks to
employ the best available staff, those with up
to date teaching practice, skills and excellent
subject knowledge.
The purpose built, modern classrooms are well
resourced and the teachers embrace the use of
modern technology.
St Peter’s has been authorised to offer the
International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma in
2009. This will provide the students in Years 12
and 13 with the option of the IB Diploma or
NCEA, in addition to Cambridge International
exams and NZ Scholarship examinations.
The IB Diploma is a highly regarded two year
pre-university programme which aims to
provide a balanced, rigorous curriculum of study
while fostering international understanding and
responsible citizenship. It is suitable for the
average and above average student who is
planning to go onto tertiary study.
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INNOVATION
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
St Peter’s is at the forefront of computer-based technology, committed to maintaining
the very latest IT hardware and software and to providing continual upskilling for
teachers and students.
St Peter’s is at the forefront of computer-based
technology, committed to maintaining the very
latest IT hardware and software and to providing
continuous upskilling for teachers and students.
High-speed Internet access is available
throughout the campus, including Boarding
Houses, computer laboratories and multimedia
classrooms.
ICT is integrated through all subjects and is
taught across many curriculum areas. Each
student has personalised e mail and computer
account and network storage. All students have
access to a wide range of software applications
including the Microsoft office suite and the Adobe
multimedia applications. Students have the
ability to access the e-learning environment
from home via ‘Moodle’. The school actively
promotes and monitors cyber safety to provide
a secure education environment.
Specialised IT teaching staff, supported by
network engineers, ensure the students have
continual access to the best resources throughout
the school day.
Senior students can choose to take Computer
Studies to further their ICT knowledge and these
students follow an individual programme
depending on their skills, abilities and interests.
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Set routines and
supervised prep
times every day
enable students to
develop good study
habits and achieve
academic success.
BOARDING LIFE
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
During term time, up to 450 students make St Peter’s their second home in the eight
Boarding Houses located on the St Peter’s campus.
Boarding students come from all over
New Zealand and from around the world,
immersing themselves fully in this unique
education environment, meeting new friends
and making the most of all that St Peter’s has
to offer.
Although boarding students are part of a
large boarding community, they still receive
personal attention within their own boarding
house. Each House is managed by the House
Director who is supported by a matron and
two or three house assistants. Set routines
and supervised prep times every day enable
students to develop good study habits and
achieve academic success.
after any sporting or cultural commitments.
It is also possible to arrange dinner leave with
close family members. There are two set leave
weekends per term, when all the students go
home for a three-day weekend. All meals are
served in the Dining Hall with a varied menu
of hot and cold food each day. Boxes of fruit
and bread are provided for snacks in the
Boarding Houses.
Sound structures and systems ensure that an
orderly and safe environment is maintained
for all boarders. Boarding offers students
significant opportunities in development of their
leadership skills.
While boarding is on a seven days a week basis,
home leave is available on most weekends
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SHOWCASING
CREATIVE TALENT
With a fine tradition of musical excellence and involvement, St Peter’s has enhanced its
reputation by enc ouraging and showcasing the creative talent displayed by our students.
Specialist teachers provide an extensive
academic programme in music, dance and
drama with individual music and singing lessons
available on rotation through the school week.
Other creative activities are also encouraged,
including art, painting, photography, sculpture,
wearable art and fashion design.
The many and varied talents of our students
are regularly featured on-stage in our modern,
fully-equipped auditorium, including the annual
school production, Stage Challenge, Wearable
Arts, orchestra, bands, the Principal’s variety
show and House Music.
There is also a biennial Prep School production.
Every student is involved in House Music.
St Peter’s commitment to music and the
performing arts includes proposals to develop a
Performing Arts Academy and a new Performing
Arts centre to be built in three stages.
Creative expression also includes a technology
block with well equipped woodwork and
metalwork rooms and graphics and design
suites supported by specialist teachers.
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St Peter’s Prep
School is where great
friendships begin.
PREP SCHOOL
OUR FOUNDING TRADITION
St Peter’s was established in 1936 as a Preparatory boarding school for boys.
The special character and traditions of those times are still maintained with Flag Day,
camps and the development of each student in Body, Mind, and Spirit.
Prep School continues to provide a smooth
transition to the secondary school. Students
have their own space, with home rooms,
communal recreation room and activity areas.
Specialist subjects are taught by secondary
qualified teachers within the purpose-built
facilities of the full school.
Classes are small with modern IT facilities in
each room. Teachers with individual strengths
work as a team to provide a whole learning
environment for all Prep students. A wide
range of options allows students to explore new
subjects, some of which they may then choose
to follow in the secondary school.
The crucial foundations of literacy and numeracy
are addressed, alongside the innovations of the
“Thinking School” approach.
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THE IMPORTANCE
OF SPORT
Physical activity definitely elevates the brain function to a higher level. Sport at
St Peter’s is, therefore, designated as an academic subject and an integral part of the
school’s ‘Body, Mind and Spirit’ education philosophy.
At St Peter’s, we offer every opportunity for
student participation in competitive sporting
activities at all ability levels. Students are
required to participate in at least one chosen
summer and winter sport. We believe that being
involved in sport encourages the competitive
spirit and emphasises the importance of
teamwork. Sport should also be fun and
entered into within a spirit of fair play.
Through our comprehensive sports programme,
with each sport staffed by qualified teachers,
specialist coaches and managers, St Peter’s
caters to athletes who want to challenge their
limits and strive for greater success at training
and during competition.
cricket, soccer and hockey. Some students are
also involved in other more specialised and
individual sports such as squash, clay shooting,
waterskiing, kite-surfing and gliding.
Being involved in sport encour ages
the competitive spirit and emphasises
the importance of teamwork.
A number of popular sports have been elevated
to Academy status, with St Peter’s providing
highly specialised facilities, equipment and
coaching. Academy sports include golf, tennis,
rowing and equestrian.
Each year we field very competitive teams
in core sports such as rugby, netball, tennis,
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ST PETER’S ACADEMIES
EQUESTRIAN GOLF TENNIS
St Peter’s Cambridge is a unique, educational environment where natural talents and
high expectations prevail.
Equestrian
The Equestrian Park at St Peter’s prepares
students, at all levels of ability, to ride with
confidence, maintain high standards and to
achieve personal goals. While we encourage
students to enjoy the fun of riding and caring
for their ponies, our coaching programme
is designed to help individuals succeed.
Equestrian skills can be assessed against NZQA
unit standards, which can be credited towards
a National Certificate in Equine or, in some
cases, to NCEA.
Golf
The New Zealand Golf Academy at St Peter’s
is officially sanctioned and supported by the
New Zealand Golf Association. The Golf Academy
offers outstanding training facilities including
a 280-metre driving range and a short-game
practice area. There are three highly qualified
coaches and a Director of Golf, who provide
training to over sixty students, from beginners
to elite golfers. Lessons can be taken in small
groups or as individual sessions. Lessons are
video-recorded and analysed by the coaches
for the benefit of each golfer.
Tennis
The St Peter’s Tennis Academy works on the
same tiered structure as the Golf Academy,
working at all ability levels, from beginners
through to our high performance players.
With over sixty students enrolled, our four
highly skilled and qualified coaches work with
students in groups or individual sessions. St
Peter’s is one of only a few New Zealand schools
to have clay courts - essential to develop a
player’s stroke play.
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Team spirit
sporting and Cultural
As the saying goes, there is no ‘I’ in the word ‘team’. St Peter’s students enthusiastically
embrace the concept of TEAMWORK in all aspects of school life.
The inter-House competitive events are striking
and colourful occasions. Student leaders
encourage their teams of red, yellow, blue and
green uniforms in such events as swimming,
athletics, cross country, debating , speech and
the fiercely-fought music competition.
Their prize is the highly sought-after House
Trophy for the winning House.
Staff are also attached to one of the four
competitive Houses and can be seen at big
events dressed in House colours and supporting
their student leaders; the more daring will even
swim and run relays for their Houses,
encouraged by students on the sidelines!
Prep Flag Day is, for many, the first taste of the
team spirit to be found at St Peter’s. Played
once a year, this historic game was begun in
the time of Arthur Broadhurst. Preppies work
co-operatively within their Houses, racing
around the school farm to bring home the
prized flag.
Whether competing, cheering on from the
sidelines, singing or proudly delivering the
School haka before a 1st XV match, team spirit
and camaraderie are alive and well at
St Peter’s.
Extra-curricular events - such as the School
Production and Stage Challenge - sports teams
and cultural activities all provide students with
the opportunity to work in a team and to
engender a powerful team spirit.
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Senior school life
involves having
both privileges and
responsibilities.
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SENIOR SCHOOL LIFE
YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Our senior students (Year 13s) are the ‘face of the school’. In their distinctive day
uniform, they are often referred to as the ‘Blue Shirts’.
Senior school life involves having both privileges
and responsibilities. Senior students enjoy their
own common room; they are able to drive to
school independently; and they are free to make
their own decisions on how to conduct their
academic life and social interactions. In return,
they are expected to be good role models, to
mentor younger students and to be actively
involved in organising school activities.
Senior students are expected to take ownership
of their own learning and to achieve to their full
potential. They are encouraged to learn how to
balance their school life and social life and the
importance of communicating effectively with
peers and adults.
Leadership for Life
Many Year 13 students are given additional
leadership roles as School and House Prefects.
All Year 13 students are encouraged to be
involved in the leadership portfolio teams.
Development of leadership skills in each student
is enhanced with the successful senior camp
which is held during the final term of Year 12.
We aim to develop them into confident,
independent young adults ready to move into
the next phase of their lives.
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Exchange students
travel to Australia,
Scotland, South
Africa, Japan,
Taiwan and the
USA.
MULTI CULTURAL
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
St Peter’s welcomes students from all countries and cultures with approximately five
per cent of our student body being international students, predominantly from Asia.
International students bring diversity to our school life
and quickly become valued
members of the St Peter’s School community. Most international students are boarders
while some live in home stay accommodation.
GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES
International Exchanges
Each year, up to twenty students from St Peter’s
are involved in our international exchange
programme with schools in Australia, Scotland,
South Africa, Japan, Taiwan and the USA.
GAP Year
A number of students take up GAP year
opportunities abroad, following completion of
Year 13. This exposes students to a range of
overseas experiences before going to university.
Previous students have spent their GAP year
as tutors in schools such as Rugby School and
King’s School in England; others have been
involved in teaching English in countries such
as Hungary and Romania.
Travel
Most years there are sports, cultural or academic
groups travelling overseas to compete or to
experience another culture. In recent years
travel has included geography trips to Vietnam
and Japan, a rugby trip to Italy and France, an
orchestra visit to Australia and a service trip to
our sister school All Saints, in Fiji.
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HISTORY
ONE MAN’S DREAM
In 1924, at the age of 34, Arthur Francis
Broadhurst, a proud young Scotsman,
Oxford scholar and World War veteran,
left his family’s prosperous cotton
business in Manchester, England to follow
his aspirations in education - firstly to
become a teacher and, subsequently and
more ambitiously, to own and administer
his own preparatory school for boys.
Ten years later Broadhurst embarked
upon a worldwide quest to locate a site
for his dream school.
The site he found was in Cambridge,
New Zealand. With mature oak trees, charming
town square and rural environs, he must have
felt confident that his dream would soon become
reality; this very English town – and more
precisely, a ninety-acre farm on the outskirts
of the town - would make an outstanding
location for his modern preparatory school.
The farm surrounding the school has grown
to today’s 550-acre profitable dairy unit.
To design his new school, Arthur Broadhurst
chose an American architect, Roy Alston
Lippincott, who had already gained a reputation
within New Zealand. Lippincott designed the
main building at St Peter’s to resemble a
large English country home. Designs for the
gatehouse, dining hall and chapel soon followed.
The Lippincott style has been maintained in
many of the new buildings on campus.
The opening of St Peter’s School, on 22 February,
1936, was a grand occasion, attended by the
Minister of Education, The Hon. Peter Fraser;
Primate and Archbishop of New Zealand,
Dr Walter Averill; a former prime minister, The
Right Hon. Joseph Coates; and over 800 invited
guests. The architect, Roy Lippincott, presented
the Minister of Education with the gold key
to open the front door of the main building.
The first school term commenced with seven
full-time staff and a roll of thirty-six boy
boarders. The development of the ‘whole
person’, the body, mind and spirit, was the
Broadhurst philosophy; his innovative teaching
practices were later to earn him the OBE for
services to education.
Today’s Prep School students continue to wear
the original uniform colours of light blue/grey.
When secondary pupils were enrolled in 1971,
dark blue was chosen for their formal uniform.
The School crest incorporates Athene’s Owl of
Wisdom holding St Peter’s keys: The key of life
and the key of knowledge, above the motto
‘Structa Saxo’ (St Peter’s, founded on a rock).
In 1939, Arthur Broadhurst generously gifted
the school, built entirely with his own money, to
the St Peter’s School Trust Board. Broadhurst
remained an innovative and much-respected
headmaster until his retirement in 1960 at the
age of 70.
In 1987 the introduction of 25 girls into the
school was another major change. St Peter’s
is now a fully co-educational day and boarding
school for Years 7 -13 with a roll of 1100
students. The School has a reputation for its
beautiful, spacious environment, up-to-date
purpose-built facilities and excellent teachers.
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CHAPEL
CHRISTIAN FAITH
ENVIRO FRIENDLY
SUSTAINABLE LIVING
Christian faith is the rock on
which we build our school. Structa
Saxo, the school motto, means
‘built on a rock’.
All students attend Chapel services
each week and are taught Christian
principles and respect for other faiths.
Emphasis is placed on values and
standards with students expected to
respect themselves, others and their
school environment.
Living within our School community,
our resident chaplain participates fully
in the life of the school. The chaplain
plays an important part as a member of
the Pastoral Care Network.
St Peter’s is one of a few schools in New Zealand to have
a Silver Enviro Schools award and is now working towards
the Green/Gold award. St Peter’s aims to model sustainable
behaviour to its pupils and larger school community, having
recycling, replanting, and energy saving programmes in
place. Awareness of local environmental concerns such
as water quality and biodiversity are highlighted through
Curriculum and the pupil led Enviro group.
ENROLMENT
The first step to enrol a child at St Peter’s is to complete the
application form at the back of this prospectus and return
it to the school with copies of the student’s latest detailed
school report. All applications are reviewed and all suitable
applicants will be interviewed.
Prospective students will be interviewed by the principal,
deputy principal or assistant principal, with parents or
guardians present. A written offer for a place at St Peter’s
may then follow.
St Peter’s recommends that applications be received at
least 12 months prior to entry to avoid disappointment.
Late applications will be considered dependent on availability
of places. Waitlists will be created in some instances.
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ST PETER’S CAMBRIDGE
PRIVATE BAG 884,
CAMBRIDGE,
NEW ZEALAND
P: +64 7 827 9899
F: +64 7 827 9812
W: www.stpeters.school.nz
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