Cashmere High School Foundation, Past Pupils and Friends

Were you one of Cashmere High School's founding pupils? Are your details registered and up to date?

As part of our inaugural Heritage Day celebrations on 24 July 2026, we are looking to reconnect with students who attended Cashmere High School during its earliest years in 1956 and 1957.

We are planning a special event for you and would love to send you an invitation.

Please register your details here: https://www.cashmerehighfoundation.org.nz/join/

If you aren’t a founding pupil but know someone who was - please share this post and help us spread the word. Let's bring our founding generation back together.

Congratulations to Cashmere High School alumnus Thomas Newsom (Class of 2025) on an incredible victory at IRONMAN 70.3 Hawai'i! 🏆

Thomas stormed to the overall win in a remarkable comeback performance, charging through the field with a half marathon run split of 1:17:27 to claim victory in a time of 4:11:52.

After entering the run around 12 minutes behind the leaders, Thomas produced one of the standout performances of the event, taking the win by nearly four minutes! This is an extraordinary achievement on one of the toughest IRONMAN 70.3 courses in the world.

A fun fact, Thomas’ father, John Newsom, also competed and finished 2nd in his age group; John previously won the event in 2017.

Congratulations Thomas!

Photo credit: sportzhub.com

These images take us back to 1964, featuring the Cashmere High School First XV and a memorable rugby tour to Fiji.

As our current teams begin another winter season, we acknowledge the generations of players who have worn the jersey before them and helped build the proud rugby tradition that exists at Cashmere today.

To our alumni who played rugby during their time at Cashmere, do you recognise anyone in these photos?

Master in Charge: Mr S. I. Roberts
Captained by A. H. Ryde and vice-captained by D. K. McCammon

Full team list for the First XV (1964):

Back Row
G. W. Thomas
W. J. E. Sutherland
J. N. Goodman
P. H. Rendall
A. J. Walsh
S. F. Langley

Middle Row
Mr W. K. Ingham (Coach)
A. J. Adcock
M. R. Gibbons
B. J. Brown
J. R. Dale
G. R. Saggers
G. M. Harper
Mr S. I. Roberts (Master in Charge Rugby)

Front Row
P. N. Verdon
A. G. Clark
R. E. Bell
A. H. Ryde (Captain)
D. K. McCammon (Vice-Captain)
B. K. Foulds
M. T. Eagle

The Cashmere High School Foundation is proud to support this year’s school production, Big Fish.

Cashmere High School has a long and distinguished history in the performing arts, with generations of students developing their talents on our stages before going on to successful careers in theatre, television, film, music and the wider creative industries, both in New Zealand and around the world.

At its heart, Big Fish is a story about family, imagination and the power of storytelling, brought to life by an incredibly talented cast, crew and production team.

🎟️ Book your tickets via Eventfinda today https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2026/cashmere-high-school-presents-big-fish/christchurch/tickets

Congratulations to Cashmere High School alumna Nicole Campbell (Class of 2020) on an outstanding senior rowing season with the University of Tennessee Lady Vols!

The Cashmere High School Foundation is delighted to announce the recipients of the inaugural Ron Smith Rowing Performance Scholarships. These two performance scholarships have been made possible through the generosity of Cashmere alumnus Ron Smith (Class of 1969), a long-time supporter of Cashmere High School and its rowing community.

Ron’s gift provides meaningful, ongoing support for students involved in rowing; recognising excellence and commitment, encouraging potential and ultimately helping to ensure more students can continue their journey in the sport.

Congratulations to Aurelia Lind on being selected as the recipient of the 2026 Ron Smith Rowing Excellence Scholarship, and to Tim Henderson, recipient of the 2026 Ron Smith Emerging Rower Scholarship.

Aurelia has had a truly spectacular season and embodies the pinnacle of performance, dedication and leadership within the rowing programme. Tim has excelled in his novice season, demonstrating exceptional potential, unwavering commitment, and a deep drive to succeed on the water.

Read more about these performance scholarships and our recipients contribution to the sport here: https://www.cashmerehighfoundation.org.nz/ron-smith-rowing-performance-scholarships-2026-recipients/

The Cashmere High School Foundation is extremely grateful for Ron’s generosity, as through initiatives like this, the Foundation continues to strengthen opportunities for students to contribute positively to Cashmere High School.

Cashmere High School Rowing

Throwback to 1973 🎭 As rehearsals ramp up for this year’s production of Big Fish, we’ve been looking back through the archives at some of the incredible productions that have shaped the performing arts tradition at Cashmere High School over the decades.

In 1973, students took to the stage for 'Kaleidoscope 20' an ambitious original production and developed collaboratively across music, drama and visual arts. Rather than following a traditional storyline, the production explored themes ranging from religion and war to peace, technology and modern society, with students heavily involved in shaping the creative direction of the show.

The scale of the production was remarkable. Massed singing, orchestral performances, visual effects, choreography and original compositions created specifically for the show. The programme described it as a production designed “to achieve maximum pupil participation”. Something that still feels deeply reflective of the spirit of performing arts at Cashmere today.

Last week we welcomed back alumnus Greg Draper (Class of 2007) to Cashmere High School!

During his visit, Greg toured the school alongside Blair Johnson (Deputy Principal) and Rachel Eadie (Foundation Advancement Manager) and spent time reconnecting with familiar faces.

A special highlight was Greg catching up with the coaches who supported his football journey during his school years - Shaun Edwards-Brown, Craig Squire, Blair Johnson and Ken Thomson.

Since leaving Cashmere, Greg has gone on to forge an impressive professional football career both in New Zealand and internationally. Over the years he has played for clubs including the Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Knights FC, while also proudly representing NZ with the New Zealand men's national football team the All Whites at both the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games.

Greg later joined The New Saints F.C. in the Welsh Premier League, where he became one of the competition’s standout strikers. In the 2017–18 season he won the league’s Golden Boot after finishing as the top goalscorer with 22 goals, before repeating the achievement the following year with a career-high 27 goals.

Greg is now coaching the The New Saints Under-21 side, continuing to contribute to the game and support the next generation of football talent.

It was fantastic to welcome Greg back to Cashmere and celebrate the incredible journey he has taken since his school days!

Congratulations to alumnus Henry McMecking (Class of 2021) on an incredible performance at the 2026 Oceania Triathlon Cup in Napier.

Competing against some of the best in the region, Henry finished 3rd overall, crossing the line in 51:5, just 11 seconds behind Olympic silver medallist Hayden Wilde, who took the win.

The race saw a clean Kiwi sweep of the podium, putting New Zealand triathlon on the world stage and Henry right in the mix with the very best.

An outstanding achievement and an exciting sign of what’s to come for Hamish!

Photo credit: Triathlon NZ

Throwback to 2001! With so many of our current ākonga out exploring Aotearoa on Geography, Outdoor Education and PE trips over the past few weeks, we took a look back through the 2001 Lymphad to see what adventures students were heading off on 25 years ago.

Do you spot yourself in any of these photos? We’d love to hear your memories from school trips over the years 👇