A Message from the Rector

By Richard Hall | Posted: Thursday May 21, 2026

We can all be our own leaders.

A quick scan of the premier rugby team lists in Dunedin this weekend revealed twenty-six old boys named.

Interestingly, five of the ten team captains selected across the eight teams for Saturday are also old boys. This serves as wonderful evidence that the leadership qualities we nurture inside the archway are successfully carried through to some of Dunedin's elite sporting sides.

For us, every boy is a leader right now. Every boy has the ability to achieve his highest goals when he embraces his role as a leader — first and most importantly, as a leader of himself. As the ancient philosopher Lao Tzu wisely noted, mastering others is strength, but mastering yourself is true power. True leadership of others naturally flourishes when you have first established this inner guidance.

Once that self-leadership is achieved, the school enthusiastically supports the further development of leadership characteristics. We do this through our dedicated adherence to our school values and expectations; through the tuakana-teina, older boy-younger boy modelling in our form classes; through opportunities to captain one or more of our many school teams; and through progression into form class leadership, prefect leadership, and, ultimately, the role of Head Prefect.

Every boy has the opportunity to be a leader of himself first, and that is what creates the most enduring impact. In my experience, those who are selected to be captains are recognised because they are already outstanding leaders of self. They turn up on time, they arrive prepared, and they remain disciplined in their approach both before and during practice. They communicate effectively and frequently, and they are able to support their peers because they are well anchored themselves. Others naturally recognise and respect this quality.

When we look for leaders within the school, we consistently find them in the young men who have always excelled at leading themselves first.