St Thomas of Canterbury College, often referred to as STC, is a college for year 9 to 13 boys and offers a Catholic education to its students. It is located in Christchurch, New Zealand. The college is integrated into the state education system under an integration agreement which was first entered into by the Christian Brothers (as the proprietors of the college) and the Government of New Zealand on 11 November 1981 under Section 7 of the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act 1975.St Thomas' Jubilee 1961 – 1986, St Thomas of Canterbury Jubilee Committee, Christchurch, 1986, p. 48. St Thomas of Canterbury College is located in the Christchurch suburb of Sockburn. In 2026 the Catholic Bishop of Christchurch became the proprietor of the college.Jake Kenny "Well-regarded high school saved after deal struck with Catholic church", Stuff News, 21 August 2026 (Retrieved 23 August 2026)
History
Origins A Christian Brothers' school in Christchurch was first proposed in the 1880s. The third Catholic Bishop of Christchurch, Patrick Francis Lyons (Bishop 1944–1950) acquired land on Sockburn in West Christchurch and formally invited the Christian Brothers to provide the staff. There was no progress for several years. Eventually Brother Marlow, the Provincial of the Christian Brothers, and Edward Joyce, the fourth Catholic Bishop of Christchurch (Bishop 1950–1964), agreed, and St Thomas of Canterbury College held its first classes on 6 February 1961 (Waitangi Day – not a public holiday then).Donaldson, p. 12;
Early days The initial roll was 99 students. The foundation staff were Brothers James Ignatius McClintock (Principal), Ian T Mahon and Carroll. Brother Simon Germaine Coughlan joined them in 1962. The school expanded its area when eight acres was acquired on the other side of Middle Park Road to be used as sports fields. Later several smaller areas were acquired to extend the fields, provide better access to them from the school, provide changing sheds and to provide a site for a residence for the Brothers. In 1964 Edward Joyce, the Bishop of Christchurch, transferred the ownership of the school to the Christian Brothers. The college obtained scholastic success very early, especially when three students (J.G. Cleary, P.M. Heffernan and K.F. Hosking (Cleary and Hosking were both in the lower sixth form)) obtained Junior National University Scholarships in 1967.J.C. O'Neill, The History of the Work of the Christian Brothers in New Zealand, unpublished Dip. Ed. thesis, University of Auckland, 1968, pp. 120–126. The New Zealand Herald commented that this was remarkable as St Thomas of Canterbury College was a new school and it was only the third year that it had an upper sixth form)."Auckland Grammar Top Scholarship School", The New Zealand Herald, 24 January 1968, p. 2.
2011 earthquake Except for minor damage, the college was spared by the Christchurch earthquakes. As a result of the 22 February earthquake in 2011, Catholic Cathedral College relocated to St Thomas of Canterbury College and "site shared". The reason for this was that although it was not significantly damaged, parts of Catholic Cathedral College were under the unstable 400-ton dome of the Christchurch Catholic Cathedral. Because the dome was in imminent danger of collapse, the college had to move. St Thomas' restricted its own use of the school to the morning and Catholic Cathedral College took over the school in the afternoon. The dome was removed on 26 July and Catholic Cathedral College moved back to its own site on 1 August 2011."Catholic Cathedral College to go home", Stuff, 11 July 2011. (retrieved 26 January 2012)
Golden jubilee In spite of the threat of earthquakes, the college celebrated its Golden Jubilee or 50th anniversary on 6–9 October 2011.St Thomas of Canterbury Newsletter, 29 September 2011, No 28(retrieved 26 January 2012) "Around three hundred people were present and they revelled in: sports, fire dances, haka, tours, hāngī, dancing, food, drink, rugby and spiritual celebrations.""STC 50 Years on", St Thomas of Canterbury College Newsletter, 27 October 2011, No 30, p. 1. (retrieved 27 January 2012) The events included a "50th Jubilee Celebration Day" to allow Old Boys to meet the pupils and see the school operating during a school day. An assembly included a Pōwhiri, Waiata and other songs, a Samoan fire dance, a PowerPoint presentation of the history of the College, the presentation of a time capsule and the cutting of a Jubilee Cake. John Airey, the first student to arrive at the college on 6 February 1961 was presented to the assembly. This was followed by a Hāngī. There were sporting competitions with St Kevin's College to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of sporting exchanges between the two Colleges (they started in the school's first year). St Thomas's won the Rugby (54–0), but lost the Basketball (59–57) and the Football (4–0). A cricket match had to be cancelled because of rain. The 50th Celebration Dinner was held at the Showgate Room at Riccarton Raceway Function Centre. Former staff members including Christian Brothers were present. All these events were timed not to clash with games of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The Jubilee Mass was celebrated by Bishop Barry Jones of Christchurch on Sunday 9 October in the St Thomas of Canterbury College hall."Thomas Times Newsletter", St Thomas of Canterbury College, April 2012 (Retrieved 26 February 2013).
Christian Brothers (1961-2026) The school’s land and buildings were owned by the Trustees of Christian Brothers of New Zealand, a charitable trust, which is overseen by the Christian Brothers Oceania Province (which is centred in Australia and includes New Zealand).Jake Kenny, "Prestigious school’s future in doubt amid move to sell its land and buildings", Stuff, 1 July 2026 (Retrieved 2 July 2026)
In 2019 it was reported that the Christian Brothers intended to transfer ownership of the college to the Catholic Bishop of Christchurch.Daniel Birchfield, "St Kevin's to change hands", Otago Day Times, 13 June 2019 (Retrieved 21 June 2019)Jeff Dillon, "Southern college changes ownership after 90 years", NZ Catholic 14 July 2019, p. 3. (Retrieved 6 August 2019) The transfer occurred seven years later in 2026 after 65 years of ownership by the Christian Brothers.
The last Christian Brother formally employed on the teaching staff of the college left in the early 2000s, but some brothers continued to teach at the college as volunteers including, in particular, Br William "Bill" Dowling who died in 2024.Brother Joe Lauren, "Brother Bill - Memories by Joe Lauren", STC, 10 December 2024(Retrieved 19 January 2025)
Overview
Roll As of July 1, 2024, the ethnic composition of St Thomas of Canterbury College was +Ethnic GroupCountMaori143Pacific128Asian76MELAA14Other1European/Pakeha473International Students14 *Note ethnicity is a multiple choice question, students may appear twice.Education Review Report
The college excels in sporting, cultural, scientific and enterpriseTKI – Education for Enterprise – St Thomas of Canterbury College activities. Academically, the school offers for senior years the National Certificate of Educational Achievement assessment system (NCEA). The College has an enrolment scheme "to avoid overcrowding, or the likelihood of overcrowding" that gives priority of enrolment to students if they meet the defined criteria of connection with the Catholic faith and live within the Catholic Parishes of Sockburn, Hornby and Darfield, Riccarton, Hoon Hay and Halswell, Leeston, Lincoln and Akaroa. These are generally to the west and south of the city of ChristchurchSt Thomas of Canterbury College, website. (Retrieved 10 June 2018)
Houses The names, colours and eponyms of the St Thomas of Canterbury College Houses are: Joyce – Red - Edward Joyce (1904-1964), 4th Bishop of Christchurch; a founder of the college. Marlow – Yellow - Br Christopher Claver Marlow (1892-1965); Provincial of the Christian Brothers in NZ (1959-1965); a founder of the college. McClintock – Green - Br James Ignatius McClintock (1910-1985); first principal of the college. Rice – Black - Edmund Ignatius Rice (1762-1844); the founder of the Christian Brothers. Dowling - Blue - Br William "Bill" Dowling (1939 - 2024); Member of the Christian Brothers and former staff of the college.
Pastoral care
The school specifies its values as being "Brotherhood, Manawa, Compassion and Legacy" which are promoted as the basis of all educational activities."Pastoral Care", St Thomas of Canterbury website (Retrieved 10 September 2026)
On the 8th of September 2026, the College opened the first Te Whare Rama Pod as a pilot, a calming sanctuary where students can access a trained Pod Coach for guidance and calming tools, including guided breathing, grounding audio and tools. It was led by the Lighthouse Trust, a New Zealand trust established in 2024 by Anna and Kent Gibbons following the loss of their son Lucca Gibbons, aged 17 to mental health illness.
Principals The following individuals have served as Principal of Saint Thomas of Canterbury College +PersonTermNotesBr James McClintock1961-1966founding principalBr F. C. Waigth1967-1972Br J. H. Shepherd1979-1981Br Vincent Jury1982-1987Br N. C. Gillies1988-1994Br Richard Walsh1994-2000Bruce Stevenson2001-2006first non-Christian Brother principalChristine O'Neill2007-2017later principal for Christchurch Girls High School Steve HartEmily O'Connell, "New principal for St Thomas of Canterbury College ready to lead", Star, 20 September 2017 (Retrieved 17 December 2017)2018–present
Notable alumni
David Boyle (born 1961) - cricketer John Gerald Cleary(1950-2014) computer science academic, entrepreneur, politician and promoter of transcendental meditation. David Correos(born 1992) comedian and former weightlifter; winner of the Billy T Award in 2016. Sam Dickson(born 1989) New Zealand rugby sevens player; member of the New Zealand national rugby sevens team to the 2016 Summer Olympics."Rugby", St Thomas of Canterbury website (retrieved 19 September 2018) Álvar Gimeno(born 1997) Spanish professional rugby union player at centre for Valladolid and the Spain national team. Mark Garry Hammett(born 1972) rugby union player for the New Zealand All Blacks; assistant coach for the Crusaders; coach for the Hurricanes; and rugby administrator.Mark Hammett named Cardiff Blues director of rugby Uwe Helu(born 1990) rugby union player for the Japan national team. Adam Highfield(born 1981) professional New Zealand soccer player. The Holy Toledos1990s rock-folk group composed of Mick Gregg, Brendan Gregg, Adam Gallagher, Tom Mahon, and Paul McGuigan.
Ryan Nelsen(born 1977) international soccer player; captain of the All Whites, the New Zealand national football team.Hall, Matthew. "Kiwi Captain Learned Premier League Defense in M.L.S.," (The New York Times football blog), Friday, 19 March 2010. Vincent O'Malley(born 1967) Historian. Darron Reekers(born 1973) international cricketer; in Cricket World Cup squad for The Netherlands national cricket team.McCarron, Tony (2010). New Zealand Cricketers 1863/64–2010, p. 111. Cardiff: The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2023-06-05.) Jordan Riki - (born 2000) professional rugby league footballer for the Brisbane Broncos; four-time Māori all star; 2023 NRL Grand Final runner-up, 2025 NRL Grand Final Premiership Winner.Gordan Findlater, "Former Hornby Panthers junior eyes Broncos NRL debut", Star News, 2 March 2020 (Retrieved 16 August 2025) Shaun Summerfield(born 1971) Television Host & Journalist; presenter of long-running TV3 Show CRC Motorsport, and multi-award-winning Sports Journalist for 3 News
See also
List of schools in New Zealand Education in New Zealand Catholic Church in New Zealand
References
Bibliography