Otago Boys' Foundation

A huge thank you to our Auckland-based Old Boys who joined us on Friday evening at Kent Gardner's stunning Boat Shed on the Ōrākei waterfront. And thank you to Kent, for being such a welcoming and generous host.

It was fantastic to see such a strong turnout and to reconnect with Old Boys spanning a number of generations.

We are incredibly grateful for the ongoing support, interest and goodwill shown towards Otago Boys’ High School. Your commitment to staying connected with the school - and one another - is something we greatly value.

Please take a moment to check out what has been happening at Otago Boys' this week.

Newsletter - No 17 - 2026 Big Sing 26

Sometimes it takes a Grandad to gently remind our young fellas what's important - and who they have to thank for it all.

The Last Word

Toby McClean

If I could sum up my Otago Boys' experience in one word, I would use the word "opportunity" - and that's what I'm going to talk to you about today.

Coming to the hostel as a Year 9 in 2022, I was pretty confident I knew what I was getting myself into, as I had spent the previous two years boarding at Waihi School in South Canterbury. I've always liked being out and playing sports, and being at OBHS has been the absolute best for that.

During Year 9, I started the year off by playing cricket and touch rugby, but quickly found out that mixing those two sports doesn't really work when you have training sessions at the exact same time. By the end of Year 9, I had swapped touch for rowing. That did nothing but increase the crossover in my training schedule, but it was an opportunity that came up and something I really enjoyed.

By the end of Year 10, within a 12-month span, I had been to Hamilton five times on sports trips with OBHS, playing rugby, hockey, cricket, and rowing.

Now that I'm in Year 13 and looking back at these trips, I realise how incredible those opportunities were. We were learning from the best - coached by former international rugby players, NPC players, recent Otago Volts cricketers, New Zealand-level rowing coaches, and internationally known hockey players. We got the opportunity to play against the best schools in New Zealand, testing ourselves against players who are now representing their regions or even the country.

As the years have moved on and I've reached my final year, I've really started to appreciate these opportunities, and I've realised they come from everywhere, not just sport. From doing rock climbing and tramps in Outdoor Education, to learning from business owners about how to create a successful enterprise in Business Studies, to the everyday lessons in Maths and English.

Not only do these chances pop up at school, but the hostel has allowed me to meet people and share my hobbies with them, like having mates over for duck shooting, or going to one of the boys' farms to hunt deer. The hostel has created friendships and connections with people I otherwise would have never met, connections that will last a lifetime.

You're probably wondering why I chose to talk about this. I actually came up with the idea when we had our prefect presentation at assembly. My dad sent a photo of myself, Mum, and Dad to our family group chat. My family congratulated me, but it was my grandad's message that really stuck out.

He said, “Well done Toby, just remember you wouldn't have these opportunities without Mum and Dad.”

We get given all these opportunities, handed to us, and it is entirely up to us whether we take them or not. Where I come from, there are no sports teams like this. There are nowhere near as many trips, or the opportunity to have high-quality coaches throughout sports, cultural, or social groups. There aren't as many chances to meet new people. This is why the word opportunity stands out to me so much at Otago Boys'.

In true Otago Boys' fashion, I will end with a quote. Jackson Brown said “Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity."

OBHS v SBHS Winter Interschool Results The annual Winter Interschool between Otago Boys’ High School and Southland Boys’ High School provided a fantastic day of competition, camaraderie, and school spirit across a wide range of sports and activities.

A great chance to celebrate the people who quietly make so much possible.
Our volunteers give their time, energy and support to create opportunities that have a lasting impact on our boys.

Our volunteers are the backbone of our school community.
Their time, energy and generosity make possible so many of the opportunities and experiences that help shape the young men our boys become.

We warmly invite you, our volunteer community, to join us for a special evening of appreciation.

Come and hear directly from our boys as they share their stories - and learn just how much of an impact volunteer support has had on their lives.

Behind every opportunity, every achievement and every memorable moment, there are people quietly giving their time to make it all happen.

We welcome volunteers from every corner of OBHS to join us: sporting, cultural and academic.
Please RSVP by July 17: 👉 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeSfwT4mKWGPSgzvKJwdXWxkEFs5JiNwHJBGIHOPD31IOUC9w/viewform

Also ...

Nominate a Volunteer!
Send us a DM or comment below to nominate an amazing OBHS volunteer who we can profile in July in the lead up to this function.

A massive day ahead tomorrow with teams competing in the Southland Boys' Interschool

Here’s where you can catch the action:

🏉 Rugby
• 1st XV – 1:00pm | Littlebourne
• 2nd XV – 10:30am | Littlebourne
• U15 Blues – 10:30am | Bishopscourt #2

⚽ Football
• 1st XI – 10:30am | Logan Park Turf #1
• 9 Blues – 10:30am | Logan Park Turf #2

🏀 Basketball
• Junior A – 10:00am | OBHS Gym
• Senior A – 11:30am | OBHS Gym

🏑Hockey
• U15 Blues – 10:30am | McMillan Hockey Turf
• 1st XI – Wednesday, 1:15pm | McMillan Hockey Turf

• Clay Target – 11:00am | Waldronville Range
• Smallbore – 11:00am | East Otago Range, 61 Victoria Road
• Squash – 11:00am | Otago Squash Club, KV Road
• Junior Debating – 10:30am | OBHS Library
• Senior Debating – 11:45am | OBHS Library
• Chess Top 4 – 11:00am | OBHS Boardroom

Good luck to all boys competing!

A busy week at Otago Boys'

Newsletter - No 16 - 2026 Strengthening Bonds: Balmacewen Buddy Reading Programme 2026

Exciting to see OBHS has a flash new website! Great to see the Foundation has its own page on the site where we can share stories about our Old Boys and all the great work the Foundation is doing for our boys.
Check it out:
👉 https://www.obhs.school.nz/our-community/obhs-foundation

We have a new website - and what makes it even more special? It was designed by one of our own.

Old Boy of 2025 Liam Elder worked alongside the team developing the new site, bringing fresh ideas and a student perspective to a project that will help shape how future families see OBHS for years to come.

While studying in Mrs Nicole Bennett’s Digital Technology class, Liam showed a strong talent for graphic design and illustration. When we decided build a new website, Liam was brought in as a paid designer to help shape the vision.

Now studying Physics and Computer Science at The University of Otago, Liam says being involved was an awesome opportunity.

"It was a great experience to be part of and to see first-hand how commercial projects like this actually work - the deadlines, the process, everything involved. I really appreciate Mrs Bennett putting my name forward.

"Designing a site for my own school - one I know back to front - was really cool. I thought back to when I was in year 8 and what made OBHS stand out from the rest.”

Take a look through the new website, share it with your friends and family - and most importantly, share it with your boy.

We want him to choose OBHS for his journey ahead.

Check it out:
➡️ obhs.school.nz

We had a fantastic evening on Friday at our Old Boys’ gathering in Christchurch.
It was wonderful to see such a great mix of generations represented - from those who attended in the 1960s right through to Old Boys who finished school just last year.
Thank you to everyone who made the effort to join us.

Catch up on the latest news, achievements, and events from around the school in this week’s newsletter.

Newsletter - No 15 - 2026 A Message from the Deputy Rector