Bishop Viard College, also known as Viard College or BVC, is a coeducational, integrated, secondary school (years 7–13) located in

Kenepuru Kenepuru is a primarily industrial suburb of the city of Porirua in New Zealand. It lies immediately southwest of the Porirua city centre. Kenepuru Hospital, the main hospital complex for Porirua, is located here. Education Wellington Seventh-d ...

, Porirua,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

History

The college was founded in 1968 by Cardinal

Peter McKeefry Peter Thomas Bertram ''Cardinal'' McKeefry (3 July 1899 – 18 November 1973) was the third Archbishop of Wellington (1954–73) and Metropolitan of New Zealand and its first Cardinal. Early life and education McKeefry was born in Greymouth, ...

, Archbishop of

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

, and was staffed by the Assumptionist Fathers and the Brigidine Sisters. The school was named after Philippe Viard, the first Catholic Bishop of Wellington. Originally the school consisted of two institutions (for boys and girls) on the same site, however it became a single co-educational unit in 1975. The school celebrated its 50th Jubilee on Labour weekend, 19–21 October 2018.

Notable alumni

Brent Anderson Brent Anderson may refer to: * Brent Anderson (comics) (born 1955), American comics artist * Brent Anderson (singer) Brent Anderson (born in Pascagoula, Mississippi) is an American country music singer. He has charted on Hot Country Songs with t ...

–

All Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ...

rugby union player (1986–1987) *

Izzy Ford Izzy I. Ford (née Gray; born 19 January 1974) is a New Zealand local-body politician and former rugby union player. She served as deputy mayor of Porirua from 2016 to 2022. Early life and family Ford was born in Porirua on 19 January 1974, an ...

– local-body politician and former

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

player * Faifili Levave – rugby union player *

Vince Mellars Vincent "Vinny" Mellars (born 27 January 1984) is a New Zealand rugby league and rugby union footballer who plays in the Centres. He has previously played in the NRL, Super League and Air New Zealand Cup and in the RFL Championship for Feathe ...

–

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

and rugby union player * Anthony Perenise – rugby union player * John Schwalger –

rugby union player (2007–2008)

References

;General * Lillian G. Keys, ''Philip Viard, Bishop of Wellington'', Pegasus Press, Christchurch, 1968. * Ernest Richard Simmons, ''Brief history of the Catholic Church in New Zealand'', Catholic Publications Centre, Auckland, 1978. * Michael King, ''God's farthest outpost : a history of Catholics in New Zealand'', Viking, Auckland 1997. * Michael O'Meeghan S.M., ''Steadfast in hope : the story of the Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington 1850–2000'', Dunmore press, Palmerston North, 2003. *
Te Kete Ipurangi
;Specific

External links

School website
{{Schools in Wellington Educational institutions established in 1968 Catholic secondary schools in the Wellington Region Schools in Porirua 1968 establishments in New Zealand