Introducing Our New Staff
By OBHS | Posted: Wednesday April 1, 2026
We would like to welcome our new staff to the Otago Boys' High School community.
Sam Bradbury-Leather
Kia ora koutou,
My name is Sam Bradbury-Leather and I am excited to be joining OBHS as Head of Department for Geography and Social Studies for the start of Term 2. After a thoroughly enjoyable two years at South Otago High School, I am looking forward to working with the many incredible students and teachers at Otago Boys'.
I arrived in Aotearoa from the UK with my wife Vanessa in February 2024, and we fell in love with the lifestyle and community of Ōtepoti. After spending our time exploring the beaches, mountains, and trails of Otago and beyond, we are looking forward to the life-changing addition of a baby girl to the family in June!
Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome in Week One.
Lance Taylor
Kia ora koutou katoa, ko Lance Taylor tōku ingoa.
I'm excited to be back at the hostel after finishing as a Year 13 student in 2010. My family have been involved at Otago Boys' since 1975, something I'm very proud of. I'm passionate about the hostel and the important part it plays in the boys' education; it provides a safe and solid foundation where the boys are well looked after and supported. They make lifelong friendships and will no doubt look back on their time at the hostel with fondness.
I hail from the mighty South Otago. I was born in Balclutha, with stints in Clinton, Waitahuna, and Lawrence, before completing my secondary and tertiary education in Dunedin. I then shifted to North Canterbury to take up teaching at Ashley Rakahuri School, on the north side of Rangiora, and was there on and off for 10 years. I have been in primary school education since 2015, including a two-year stint in the North of England teaching a mixture of primary and secondary school.
The opportunity to be Director of Boarding here at Otago Boys' is a full-circle moment for me and my family. It's great to give back to the place that I have to thank for 'how I turned out.' Otago Boys' provided me with numerous opportunities to develop into a young man, and I'm forever grateful for that. I like to think I know how the young lads at the hostel are feeling and what they go through on a day-to-day basis, and I look forward to supporting them through this five-year journey.
Outside of education, you can find me on the sports field playing rugby or cricket, perhaps more as a coach these days, but I look forward to supporting the lads from the sidelines. I enjoy running and taking my kids, Ruby and Fletcher, to the park most days. My wife, Krysta, is also a teacher; we've been married eight years after meeting at teachers' college here in Dunedin.
Rachel Walsh
Kia ora,
My name is Rachel Walsh, and I'm thrilled to join you as a specialist Drama teacher. Before making the move from Auckland to be closer to family here in beautiful Dunedin, I taught Drama at St Cuthbert's College, where I also had the joy of directing musicals and productions that brought stories to life on stage. What I absolutely love about Drama is its incredible power to nurture essential life skills—confidence, empathy, collaboration, and celebrating diversity—all while creating a safe haven for emotional expression and creative exploration. There's something magical about watching students discover their voices and step into new roles, both literally and figuratively.
Alongside my teaching adventures, I'm a doctoral candidate in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland. My research focuses on supporting teachers who work with autistic students in Drama classroom environments - a passion project that combines my love for inclusive education with the transformative power of performance. I'm genuinely excited to foster a vibrant Drama culture within the Otago Boys' High School community and can't wait to see what creative magic we'll make together.
When I'm not in the classroom, you'll find me playing ice hockey, nose-deep in a good book, or catching live gigs and theatre performances around town.
