St Hilda's Collegiate School


Kia ora parents and whānau,

There has been a lot happening over the last few weeks. St Hilda's Day, where we were able to celebrate St Hilda and all her good work in St Paul's Cathedral was a lovely time to gather together as a full school. The Distinguished Alumni Award recipients, Lesley Rumball (ONZM) and Vanessa van Uden (ONZM), were honoured at the service for their achievements. It was lovely to have them and their families join us for this special occasion.

After St Hilda’s day we had a special evening as we celebrated with the Year 13 Boarding leavers, five years at Tolcarne, and all the wonderful memories and adventures they have shared.

The week was busy with the acknowledgement of our Manu Pounamu recipients, Phoebe Hunter and Mia Wall at the College of Education Auditorium, and the St Hilda’s Blues Awards in the Chapel. It is amazing to be able to acknowledge the range of talent and involvement of our students.

There was a real mix of emotions last Tuesday as we farewelled our Year 13 students. Their final day prank based around Halloween summed them up – fun, thoughtful, clever, inclusive, doing no harm and respectful. We wish them and the Year 12s all the best for their external examinations and look forward to celebrating the year with them at the Leavers' Service and Prize Giving on the 6th December.

We are also pleased to have shared some staffing updates. Mrs Prentice, who stepped down from her Deputy Principal – Pastoral role to undertake some study in 2021, has decided to resign from this role to utilise the study she has been doing while continuing to teach part time. We would also like to acknowledge Mrs McMillan who has taken on responsibilities in the Senior Leadership Team over the last two years and is now stepping back into her Arts teaching and Deaning role with the appointment of Ange Rathbone to the Deputy Principal - Pastoral role. 

NZQA examinations started today and we wish all the students involved good luck as they put their learning to the test in the external examinations.

I am excited for the Year 10s as they head away to Tautuku tomorrow. I am sure they will make the most of this outdoor education opportunity in the beautiful Catlins.

It is a busy term and there is more information on upcoming events in other sections of this newsletter.

Ngā mihi nui

Judy Maw
Acting Principal


  1. Junior Itinerant Music Workshop Day

    On Wednesday 25 October, a keen and eager group of Year 7-10 St Hilda’s music students went to King’s and Queen’s High Schools to be ... Read more…
  2. Important Dates

    - Year 10 Camp - Teacher Only Day - Last day for Year 11 students - Christmas Carol Service - Year 13 Leavers' Service - ... Read more…
  3. Chapel Matters

    See if you can guess what the Year 13 “Top 5” songs are for 2023. The song at #5 was released in 2009 and was written for a Disney ... Read more…
  4. 2023 Sargeson Prize - Secondary Schools Division

    Year 13 student, Tunmise Adebowale, was the winning entry in the Secondary Schools Division of the 2023 Sargeson Prize for her piece, ... Read more…
  5. Tolcarne News

    Kia ora Whānau, On Monday we held our last Tribe Dinner for the year. This was a big night for the hostel as we announced the winning ... Read more…
  6. The Arts

    Last Thursday the Art Department held our annual Senior Art Exhibition. Year 12 and 13 Visual Art students exhibited their ... Read more…
  7. Sports Update

    Congratulations to our students who competed in the Dunedin Intermediate Triathlon Championships on Wednesday in Port ... Read more…