From the Chair Tim Burfoot

Kia ora Koutou/Greetings to everyone

2022 has been a great year so far - not an easy one, but great nonetheless. Here is why. As New Zealand emerges from the mists of the pandemic, through unprecedented winter illnesses, nationwide teacher shortages and the social impact of this near-perfect storm, our Marlborough Boys College teaching and support staff have soldered on, putting in the hard mahi and going the extra mile to ensure our boys have had all the opportunity to become the best they can be.

As a Board, we feel privileged to be partnered with such a strong and dedicated team and thank them all. We are proud of them and our community can be also.

As we all as a community have struggled through these interesting and challenging times our school has carried on regardless with our boys achieving great academic, cultural and sporting results. Our philosophy has always hinged on school being the best place for our boys to learn and socialize. Our Tumuaki/Principal John Kendal and our senior leadership team have strived to make this possible as best they could within government rules and guidelines. The results are outstanding. While many schools nationwide have struggled with low attendance rates since our school rapidly climbed back up to the low ninetieth percentile we were achieving pre-pandemic.

The Board - there have been some changes after the recent school Board of Trustee elections. There were three parent-elected positions to be filled. It was pleasing to see the number and calibre of parents standing for these positions were extraordinarily high. Congratulations to Steve Wilkes who stood and was re-elected again; to our two new parent-elected trustees Lyndsay McCallum and Miriam Radich; our new Teacher Representative Josh Harrison; and our new Student Representative Joseph Alipia.

We acknowledge and thank our outgoing parent trustees Callum Anderson and Nita Craig; our teacher representative Debbie Cave Higgins; and Student Representative Lachlan McNabb for their mahi and contribution over the years.

New schools - what new schools? many are asking. It is true there is nothing physical to see right now. However, there is a well-advanced Ministry of Education project Te Tātoru o Wairau that is nearing the 90% milestone in the design phase. This means that soon the Ministry will be able to share with our community the blueprint for the new schools. It is an exciting time. Our board is fully engaged with the project and committed to ensuring the new schools fully meet the current and future needs of our community.

Yes, its nearing that time of the year when our boys have exams and assessments. It is a time of opportunity for our boys and their whanau – take those opportunities and good luck.

Nga mihi nui ki a koutou