John Paul College is a Catholic secondary school in Rotorua, New Zealand. The co-educational school enrols students in years 7 to 13. It was opened in 1987 and combined two existing schools, Edmund Rice College (for boys) and MacKillop College (for girls). The school was founded to serve the Catholic families of Rotorua. John Paul College is named for Pope John Paul II. The proprietor of the school is the Bishop of Hamilton.
Enrolment John Paul College has a diverse, multicultural roll. In 2010, its ethnic composition was: NZ European/Pākehā 66%; Māori 14%; Asian 11%; Pacific 4%; Korean 3%; Indian 2%; Filipino 2% and Other 9%
In , John Paul College had a roll of students, of whom (%) identified as Māori.
In , the school had an Equity Index of , placing it amongst schools whose students have socioeconomic barriers to achievement (roughly equivalent to deciles 8 and 9 under the former socio-economic decile system).
Academics The college supports a wide range of cultural and sporting activities and students have gained many successes at regional and national levels. Academically, the school offers for senior years the National Certificate of Educational Achievement assessment system (NCEA).
In 2022, 73.3% per cent of all John Paul College leavers left having obtained NCEA Level 3. The level for Māori leavers from John Paul college was 80.00%. The national average for all leavers of all secondary schools was 52.8 per cent.Derek Cheng and Chris Knox, "How does your school rate? NCEA and UE results at every college ranked", NZ Herald 29 February 2024 (Retrieved 28 March 2024)
College John Paul College considers itself to be a Lasallian School whose mission is to form a Community where teachers and students can live their faith and become the persons that God wants them to be. "We believe that the love of Christ binds us together as children of God, peoples of all races and conditions, rich or poor, bright or otherwise, for all are made in God's Image and are members of His family. On this faith rests the mutual love and respect that is fostered between teacher and student in our Schools. We believe as lay colleagues to the De La Salle Brothers we give testimony to the Providence and Presence of God as we educate the young in the tradition of Saint Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, giving attention to all and especially to pupils whose development is hindered by economics, personal and other problems."
The college sees itself as "a top performing state-integrated Catholic school" and as "the largest co-educational Catholic School in New Zealand". As "a Lasallian school in the Catholic tradition" it is "linked to other faiths through its network of similar schools and universities around the world." It promotes excellence in the academic, sporting and cultural spheres and has comprehensive systems of pastoral care and support to "ensure that each individual student can flourish to his or her fullest potential." Most of the school's classrooms have been rebuilt "over the last seven years." A gymnasium and performing arts centre have been recently built. WiFi is accessible in the classrooms to enable students to use their digital devices for learning. There is also a dedicated music suite with practice rooms and recording studio. The school has a large grass sports field and nine astro-turf courts for tennis, netball and hockey. There are many sporting facilities available in Rotorua for students' use.
On 12 February 2015, the Bishop Denis Browne, Emeritus Bishop of Hamilton, opened the eponymous "Denis Browne Centre" which is a state of the art technology building accommodating Woodwork, Metalwork, Art, Photography and Graphics.
Houses The John Paul College houses, colours and eponyms are:John Paul College houses
+House Description NotesColour Name Kanea Kanea was the daughter of Mita Taupopoki, the distinguished leaders of Tuhourangi. Like her father, who was an astute man, Kanea had outstanding qualities of mind. All her life she practised the virtues of her Catholic faith. She was a role model for the young women of Te Arawa in the exemplary manner in which she lived her life. She was a descendant of Hinemoa and Tutanekai La Salle Saint John Baptist de La Salle (1651–1719) was a prominent Catholic saint in France who made it his life's work to help improve the education of children. He founded an order known as the Brothers of the Christian Schools (now known as the De La Salle Brothers). He is the Patron Saint of Teachers and his feast day is 7 April. "In 1998, at the invitation of the Bishop, the association of the College with the De La Salle Brothers began with the establishment of a Brother's community." McKenna Father Daniel McKenna was a Mill Hill Missionary born in the city of Limerick, Ireland on 6 December 1911. Educated in Ireland he moved to New Zealand after becoming a Priest on 9 July 1939. He was Parish priest of Saint Michael's from December 1951 until the creation of St Mary's Parish in 1954, when he became its first parish priest. He remained priest of this Parish for the next 30 years. He was instrumental in the creation of the Catholic primary schools and in establishing both McKillop College and Edmund Rice College. He died on 14 January 1983 MacKillop Mother Mary Helen MacKillop (15 January 18428 August 1909) also known as Saint Mary of the Cross, an Australian nun, who, together with Father Julian Tenison Woods, founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart who founded Catholic education in Rotorua and who staffed MacKillop College Rice Edmund Ignatius Rice was the founder of the Christian Brothers in 1802. The order arrived in New Zealand in 1876 and they provided staff for Edmund Rice College for the 25 years of its existence and for John Paul College in its early years
Principals The following individuals have served as principals of the College: +Ordinal Officeholder Term start Term end Time in office Notes Jack Griffith 1986 1988 3 years Steve Robb 1989 1995 7 years Bede Roughton 1996 2002 7 years Patrick Walsh 2003 2022 18–19 years Maree Stewart 2022 2022 (acting) 0.25 years Justin Harper 2022 present years
Controversies Allegations of racism In 2021, the board of the college ordered an independent investigation following a complaint alleging "systemic racism", bullying and elitism at the school resulting in Māori whānau either withdrawing or choosing not to enrol at the college. The independent review ordered by the College found that the allegations were inconclusive to say whether their decision was "false or incorrect".
Physical violence at the college A former teacher of the college who had a teaching career spanning 60 years was censured in 2017 by the Education Council's Disciplinary Tribunal. It is alleged that this teacher slapped a student in the face and shoved another in two separate outbursts of violence in the same year. Since then, this teacher has engaged in restorative justice with the students and their families. It is cited that the reasoning for these incidents was stress. This teacher later pleaded guilty to serious misconduct.
In another incident, violent attacks had been occurring in the College. Allegations of bullying and extreme violence had been made in the College in 2021 which was spread through social media to the local community. Parents of students who attend the College had made complaints about the violent behaviour of the students. Then principal of the College, Patrick Walsh, made a statement to the public about the College’s dedication to non-violence and its stance against bullying with videos of violent attacks in the school being more widely viewed by the community. Walsh then dismissed one of the surfaced videos as simply a "play fight" saying one of the videos had been recorded in 2019 however, no proof of this claim has been backed up and it believed that the videos had been films within months of each other. These events were happening amidst of an investigation into the college about the allegations of racism present in the school.
Animal abuse at the college In July 2018, two members of John Paul College’s first XV rugby team came under fire for documented abuse of a bird at a party. The pair was seen hitting the bird, kicking it against a wall before promptly stomping its head until the bird is motionless then proceeding to pick the bird up and throwing it at a nearby wall all while being dressed in college uniform. The video was then uploaded to a snapchat story before finding its way to local media and the local SPCA. The Principal of the college at the time, Patrick Walsh, later made a statement saying, “The college is appalled and deeply saddened by their behaviour”.
After the incident occurred and after backlash from the public, the school’s board made the decision to exclude them from the college’s rugby team for three games. Other punishments included being ordered to make a large donation to the SPCA while offering voluntary services for three months.
Antecedents Sisters of St Joseph In 1902, Mother Mary MacKillop, the founder of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, went to Rotorua during the last of her four visits to New Zealand. Her doctors had suggested that she might find in the mineral waters some relief from the rheumatic condition that was progressively limiting her activities and causing her considerable distress. In the course of her treatment, on 11 May 1902, she suffered a severe stroke and she seemed near death. As soon as she was recovered sufficiently to be moved, Bishop Lenihan, the fifth Catholic Bishop of Auckland, arranged for her to be transported by rail to Auckland where she convalesced at the Remuera convent for the best part of a year. "It was evidently during her stay in Rotorua that Mother Mary MacKillop saw the great need for a Catholic school there, and set the arrangements in motion."
Father Kreijmborg, Mill Hill missionary priest, in 1902, built a school near the lake in St Michael's Parish and prepared a convent for the sisters who arrived the following year. By 1922 the School was proving inadequate for the number of children seeking admission. The decision was made to build a new school in Ranolf Street; St Joseph's School opened in 1924. The school included a secondary department. "[I]n 1954 the staffing levels at St Joseph's, Rotorua, had reached chronic levels. Class sizes were 57, 75, 78, 80 and 100. The educational impact was severe and struggling staff were advised by the Diocesan Director of Schools on how to 'ensure at least some people progress until staffing can be improved'." This led to the secondary section being closed in 1957, with the only available options for Rotorua Catholic families being at that time Rotorua Boys' High School, Rotorua Girls' High School or a boarding school outside Rotorua. There was a strong demand for Catholic secondary education in Rotorua in the late 1950s. Population growth had been high in the Bay of Plenty area, starting in 1950. This growth was contributed to by Forestry, farming and tourism developments. The population of Rotorua was under 10,000 in 1945 but reached 20,000 by 1963.
Edmund Rice College In 1959, the seventh Catholic Bishop of Auckland, Archbishop Liston, made a request to the Christian Brothers (already established in the diocese at St Peter's College, Auckland) to establish a secondary school for boys in Rotorua. In 1962 the Christian Brothers decided to go ahead with the Rotorua foundation. The site for the college already existed. In 1946, Catholic land-owner Patrick Keaney had bequeathed 4 acres 27 perches to the Parish of St Mary. In 1958 a further 10 acres 2 roods were purchased. The building of the school commenced in 1962. Edmund Rice College was officially opened in July 1963. On the first day, the college had a roll of 115 boys, of whom 25% were Māori.