Today we marked a major milestone in the Chanel Block redevelopment project. College Chaplain, Monsignor Frank Eggleton, joined Māori and senior staff and students and together with Matua Josh Gill blessed the first of our striking new pou, and offered karakia in our new classrooms. We prayed that these new spaces would be filled with the spirit of St John, and we prayed in a way that embraced our Catholic faith and adhered to the tikanga of our College.

We’re excited to see these first three pou erected, which tell the story of St John the Apostle. These pou wil be a precious and defining taonga for the College for many years to come, and we are deeply grateful to artist Sean Hamana (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Korokii-Kahukura) who designed these pou within a Te Ao Māori art context. Please take a closer look when you’re up next term.

Your sons will have use of these new Social Science classrooms on 27 March. They are fresh, bright and equipped with modern technologies, ventilation systems and new furniture. Along with the new toilet block, a new shaded seating area, and upgraded ventilation in the Science labs, this marks the completion of Stage One.

We roll straight into Stage Two, being a redevelopment of the remaining upstairs classrooms, new ventilation systems in the Religious Education classes, and then landscaping of the courtyard with a new artificial surface and the return of our beloved basketball hoops! This work should be comfortably finished by the end of 2023. Acknowledgement and thanks must go to the Diocese for funding this ambitious project and to the Mitchell’s Construction team who’ve been a great partner with us on our site. A reminder that these developments are greatly enhanced via your support when you pay the Building Contribution request –your payment makes a real difference to the facilities your sons enjoy.