St Thomas of Canterbury College

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 of Canterbury College is located in the Christchurch suburb of Sockburn. 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). 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. 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). 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. Golden jubilee In spite of the threat of earthquakes, the college celebrated its Golden Jubilee or 50th anniversary on 6–9 October 2011. "Around three hundred people were present and they revelled in: sports, fire dances, haka, tours, hāngī, dancing, food, drink, rugby and spiritual celebrations." 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. Christian Brothers staff 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. Ownership The school’s land and buildings are 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). In 2019 it was reported that, after 58 years of ownership, the Christian Brothers intended to transfer ownership of the college to the Catholic Bishop of Christchurch. On 1 July 2026, the school board and principal announced that the Christian Brothers had served on the school a court request for permission to sell their assets (the land and buildings of the school) in order to pay sexual abuse victims of the Christian Brothers in Australia. The principal of the school stated that: “Whether this goes ahead is a matter for the courts, but the school board will oppose this request." Roll As of July 1, 2024, the ethnic composition of St Thomas of Canterbury College was *Note ethnicity is a multiple choice question, students may appear twice. The college excels in sporting, cultural, scientific and enterprise 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 Christchurch 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. Principals The following individuals have served as Principal of Saint Thomas of Canterbury College 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. 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. Uwe Helu – (born 1990) rugby union player for the Japan national team. Adam Highfield – (born 1981) professional New Zealand soccer player. The Holy Toledos – 1990s 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. Vincent O'Malley – (born 1967) Historian. Darron Reekers – (born 1973) international cricketer; in Cricket World Cup squad for The Netherlands national cricket team. 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. Shaun Summerfield – (born 1971) Television Host & Journalist; presenter of long-running TV3 Show CRC Motorsport, and multi-award-winning Sports Journalist for 3 News [1] See also List of schools in New Zealand Education in New Zealand Catholic Church in New Zealand References Bibliography External links St Thomas of Canterbury College website Edmund Rice Network Catholic-hierarchy website Catholic Diocese of Christchurch Catholic Church in New Zealand