Our Heritage
Taonga Tuku Iho
St Andrew’s College was founded in 1917 in the Scottish Presbyterian tradition of the Christian faith. The values of our forefathers held dear remain strong and true today. We celebrate our faith, traditions, achievements and individual strengths which bind us together as a caring community, and connect us to our past, our present and our future.
Our Heritage
We take great pride in our long history, firstly as a prestigious independent boys’ school, then since the early 1990s, as the only independent co-educational school in the South Island offering a world class education from Pre-school through to Year 13. During the 1980s girls entered St Andrew’s in the Preparatory School, and in 1991, a decision was made by visionary Rector, Dr John Rentoul, and the Board of Governors to allow girls to enrol in the Secondary School. Today it is both the ‘sons’ and ‘daughters’ of St Andrew’s who bring life and a special spirit to the College campus.
Our Founder
The College’s founder was Rev. Alexander Thompson, an exceptional orator, scholar, fundraiser and visionary, who served the British and Foreign Bible Society in New Zealand and Australia for 20 years and was instrumental in setting up the Flying Doctor Service. His driving ambition was to ‘educate the sons of the Presbyterian and Scottish community of Canterbury’, and – due to his determination – St Andrew’s College opened its doors in Christchurch in 1917, with 19 boys and four teachers.
Our Traditions
Scottish Presbyterian traditions remain at the heart of St Andrew’s, with the skirl of the pipes, twirl of the Highland dancers, the Ferguson tartan, St Andrew’s cross and Scottish thistle intrinsically woven into the fabric of College life. We celebrate our early visionaries at our annual Founders’ Day celebrations, hosting our own version of the Highland Games.
Watch a clip of the 2024 Highland Games >
Watch the Address to a Haggis at the 2025 Founders’ Day Assembly >
The iconic Strowan House
Strowan House is a striking and familiar landmark shared by every single student who has passed through the St Andrew’s College gates. During its long history, the gracious homestead has borne witness to nearly all of the comings and goings at the College and has fulfilled many purposes.
Our Museum
We believe that understanding our past helps us to appreciate our present and shape our future. Our Museum is home to the College’s history and traditions, as well as being a place to engage with College culture, and a source of pride for the College community.
Our Earthquake Story
The earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 changed the face of Canterbury and its people forever. St Andrew's College did not escape the trauma of this experience, but alongside the distress and the pain, we also grew stronger.
Celebrating 100 Years
During 2017, St Andrew’s celebrated its Centenary with a wonderful year of celebrations and events which captured the special spirit and culture of the College. The Spirit of St Andrew’s, a beautiful coffee table book, was written for our Centenary year.
A timeline exhibition showcasing 100 years of StAC history was unveiled as part of the Centenary Launch in 2016. The StAC100 timeline is installed in the Rentoul Senior College atrium and provides a fascinating visual representation of the history of St Andrew’s College alongside major national and international milestones and events that have shaped the course of the last 100 years.
Centenary Film
– Spirit of St Andrew's
Premiering on Saturday 18 March 2017 during our Centenary Gala Weekend, the Centenary film Spirit of St Andrew's was produced by Old Collegian Rick Harvie from Belmont Productions and is a visual time capsule that showcases 100 years of St Andrew's College history.
Helping to tell the story of the College are interviews with a variety of Old Collegians, current staff members and members of the wider St Andrew's College community. While there is a strong focus on the contemporary College, it is important to look back and explore the College's roots, and the men and women who secured the College's legacy.
Centenary Vintage Newsreel
Voiced by then student, Nic Cain, this newsreel takes a look at some of the special moments in the College’s 100-year history, without taking itself too seriously. It was originally shown at the Centenary launch on 16 September 2016.
100 Years of Community Group Support
The Events Committee, Ladies' Circle, Old Collegians Association and PTA are key community groups who have generously supported the College throughout our first 100 years—and continue to do so.
Centenary Sports Wall
The Centenary Sports Wall is located in the spectator gallery of Gym 2.
Created in 2017, the wall is covered with hundreds of team photos from 1917–2017 and students, Old Collegians, and current or former permanent members of staff who were either top level national title holders or represented an open grade/ultimate team; were an athlete or part of the official team at the Commonwealth Games, Open Grade World Championships or Olympic Games; or represented another nation at sport.
Based on the theme ‘from the ordinary comes the extraordinary’ the wall is designed to be ongoing and will be updated as more people qualify for inclusion, or those already named, add to their achievements. The Centenary Sports Wall is complemented by a slideshow expanding on each person’s sporting record.
Pipe Band Centenary
The Pipe Band celebrated its Centenary during Founders' Day weekend on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 March 2019. Due to the tragic Christchurch mosque shootings on the Friday, the planned events were revised accordingly.
Ben Murray (OC 2013), former Pipe Major of the St Andrew’s College Pipe Band, delivered the Founders' Day address at assembly. His message of his experience of what the worldwide Pipe Band community had given him, and the importance and opportunity of 'community' to our own well-being, became even more relevant within a few hours of his speech.
Our Whakataukī
He waka
eke noa
We are all in this together
