Presidents Report

My fellow Kingsmen,

The winter months are receding, and there is a definite spring feel in the air. We have survived the financial fallout from the cancelled 90th and have finally managed to get the online banking sorted out with our new Treasurer, AJ Ashton. If you haven’t received your refund by the time you read this, please let us know, and we’ll get it sorted.

The King’s Birthday get-together at the Law Courts was a raging success – so much so that we might look at doing it again next year. The informal format and flexible arrangements for food and beverage have been very popular. Great to acknowledge the King’s legends – Bryan Frost and Neil Andrews – and have a beer with our wall of fame recipients. There is a tinge of sadness attached to all this – it was Kingsmen Life Member, Hugh Kidd’s last real school outing before he passed away on 10th June 2026. Hugh had a great day. After attending the wall of fame assembly, I thought that might have been him for the day, but he was determined to make it to the Law Courts Hotel for the get-together too. You can’t keep a good King’s Man down!

Annual General Meeting

The following people were selected for the committee for 2025-2026:

Chris George (President)

Glenn Dickson (Vice President)

Doug Jackson (Secretary)

AJ Ashton (Treasurer)

John Barr

Mark Scott

Graham Helm

The annual subscription has been set at $50 per year. I can already hear the howls of protest, but your financial support is needed to help us get onto a more secure footing and continue supporting the School and our own functions.

Life in General

Growing our membership is key to our thriving in the future, so please spread the word among your mates and encourage them to sign up.

School Open Night.

The school hosted its Open Night last week, attracting numerous parents and prospective pupils interested in enrolling their sons at King’s next year. I went along, and the efficient organization of the open night impressed me. The feedback from the parents was very positive

; it was apparently better run than the OBS and Johnnies open nights, those two being our obvious competition for next year’s third formers.

Well done to Nick and his team, and we look forward to a healthy intake again next year.

Enjoy the read, and I hope to see you at the Kings Community Clean Up on Sunday 20th September 2026 and the end-of-year Christmas luncheon at the Village Green at noon on Wednesday 16th December 2026.

Chris

Year 13 student Luan Peterle, 16, is the first student from King’s High School to be selected to represent New Zealand at the International Biology Olympiad. The event is an international biology competition held in Vilnius, Lithuania, this July. It has over 300 students from over 80 countries competing for a chance to win medals. There are six exams in total, split between theory and practical skills. Luan has been chosen as one of four students across NZ to represent the country! A truly great achievement for Luan, Vickki Jopson, his biology teacher, and King’s High School. Luan will be part of a team of four from some of the top schools in New Zealand.
Luan had to earn his place on the team and qualify for the New Zealand International Biology Olympics by successfully navigating a rigorous national entry exam. Due to his level of achievement and commitment to the study, he was selected to take part in a competitive 10-day selection camp held at the University of Otago this past April.
This was an amazing experience – giving him the opportunity to work on topics which he is really passionate about, and to meet some amazing people along the way. While the NZ competition exam (and prep work) was certainly extremely challenging, it was also really helpful for his broader studies

The hardest hurdle for Luan to clear is raising the $10,000 to get to Lithuania.
Is there anybody out there in the King’s community who can help Liam get to the Olympics? Your help would be most appreciated.
Donations can be made to Luan’s bank account.
03-1720-0048453-000
Please put “Luan” in the appropriate DETAILS space.

King’s High School Old Boys’ Association, established 1939, believes that every old boy has something to contribute to his school and to others who are sharing the King’s experience.