Liston College is a school in
Henderson Henderson may refer to:
People
*Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname
* Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan
Places Argentina
*Henderson, Buenos Aires
Australia
*Henderson, Western Australia
Canada
*H ...
,
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, for year seven to 13 boys and offers a
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
education to its students. It was the second
school
A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...
opened by the
Christian Brothers in Auckland. It was named after
Archbishop Liston
James Michael Liston (9 June 1881 – 8 July 1976) was the 7th Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, New Zealand.
Early life
James Michael Liston (registered at birth as Michael James Liston) was born in Dunedin on 9 June 1881, one of a family ...
(1881–1976), the seventh Catholic Bishop of Auckland (1929–1970). The school was founded in 1974 to serve the Catholic families of
West Auckland and to absorb the growing number of boys who travelled daily to
St Peter's College in central Auckland.
[Graeme Donaldson, To All Parts of the Kingdom: Christian Brothers In New Zealand 1876–2001, Christian Brothers New Zealand Province, Christchurch, 2001, p. 17.]
History
Beginnings
Archbishop Liston of Auckland had, for some years, intended to establish a Catholic boys' school in Henderson. At first it was envisioned that it would be staffed by a community of
Oblates of Mary Immaculate
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest later recognized as a Catholic saint. The congregation was ...
. But this did not happen and, eventually, the mission was entrusted to the Christian Brothers. From 1967 until 1974,
St Dominic's Catholic College
St Dominic's College, Henderson is an integrated college for girls in Year 7 to Year 13 located in Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand, 25 kilometres from downtown Auckland City.
The college was founded by the Dominican Sisters in 1952 in Nor ...
, an all-girls school founded in
Northcote in 1952 and relocated to Henderson in 1967, was the only Catholic high school in
West Auckland.
Liston College was established by Liston's successor, the eighth Catholic Bishop of Auckland,
Reginald Delargey
Reginald John Delargey (10 December 1914 – 29 January 1979) was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, and later Cardinal, Archbishop of Wellington and Metropolitan of New Zealand. His title was Cardinal-Priest of '' Immacolata al Tiburtino ...
(1914–1979, Auxiliary Bishop of Auckland 1957–1970 and Bishop of Auckland 1970–1974) in February 1974. The College commenced operations on 7 February 1974 using classrooms at
Holy Cross School, Henderson, with a staff of two Christian Brothers,
Br G J Wellsmore and
Br J P McKean and 72 foundation pupils. The pupils were divided into Form One 'J' and Form One 'M'. These initials stood for
Archbishop Liston
James Michael Liston (9 June 1881 – 8 July 1976) was the 7th Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, New Zealand.
Early life
James Michael Liston (registered at birth as Michael James Liston) was born in Dunedin on 9 June 1881, one of a family ...
's Christian names – James Michael. Classwork began immediately and homework was set on the first day."
"Brother Wellsmore supervised the building programme, the establishment of the curriculum and the development of a unique school spirit. The Christian Brothers tradition and values underpinned Br Wellsmore's vision for the school. As the school roll grew and the building programme was completed, the college spirit became embedded in the Liston community."
[Liston College: 25th Jubilee 1975–2000, p. 1.] During 1973 and 1974, the school was erected on the property at Edwards Avenue, which prior to work commencing was " ... an open paddock with an old house on it." The buildings, gymnasium and grounds were ready for occupation in the first term of 1975. The school was formally opened in November 1975 by
John Mackey, the ninth Catholic Bishop of Auckland (1974–1983), in the presence of
Archbishop Liston
James Michael Liston (9 June 1881 – 8 July 1976) was the 7th Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, New Zealand.
Early life
James Michael Liston (registered at birth as Michael James Liston) was born in Dunedin on 9 June 1881, one of a family ...
(who died the following year, 8 July 1976).
Development
When
Brother R A Sisson became Principal (1980–1985) the roll had grown to 380 boys and 28 staff including five brothers. The deaths of Deputy Principal
Brother Thomas Aquinas Monagle in 1983 and the head of the Intermediate Mr Hemana in 1984 had a profound effect on the whole school community.
Parental and community support
"From its beginning the college had good parental support. A very strong PTFA helped run various activities and it provided the backbone of great fundraising efforts. 'Foremost among these was the Friday night flea market which involved many families. Not only was it profitable but it was a great social event in Henderson. Crowds came along and at its peak $40,000 was made annually for the benefit of the school.' The annual gala was another source of revenue. The funds provided sports equipment, cricket wickets and practice nets, tennis courts, computer room, audiovisual materials and teaching resource material. Many building alterations were funded over the years."
"The College has been well served by Boards of Governors/trustees who have worked to provide the best in education to the students. The board oversaw the completion of the school buildings, gymnasium, grounds and the Religious Education Centre/Sports Pavilion."
Liston College was fortunate to receive some considerable gifts in its early years. In 1978, John and Betty Rose donated the engineering workshop to the school. "Through their generosity, hundreds of young boys got the opportunity to learn engineering skills – skills that many fine-tuned in later years of life." In 1978, Henry Norcross donated the Liston College main entrance crucifix. Graham and Patricia Glamuzina donated the school chapel in 1979. "The chapel erected in the grounds of Liston College stands forever as a tribute to the thoughtfulness and generosity of the Glamuzina family. With the opening of a Catholic boys' college to service West Auckland, Graham and Patricia
lamuzinadecided that an appropriate addendum to the college would be a separate chapel and so they provided the funding to complete the work. The delightful little chapel with its feature window designed by
Colin McCahon
Colin John McCahon (; 1August 191927May 1987) was a New Zealand artist whose work over 45 years consisted of various styles, including landscape, figuration, abstraction, and the overlay of painted text. Along with Toss Woollaston and Rita Angus ...
will always be a fitting way for us to remember the Glamuzina family."
Integration and character change
"In 1982 Liston College became an
Integrated School and the number of brothers on staff was six."
[Donaldson, p. 18.] That was the largest representation of Christian Brothers in the history of the school. "The sole remaining brother by 1985 was the Principal
Br Sisson. When Mr Francis (Frank) Huckle replaced him, it marked the last official connection of the Christian Brothers with the school".
"Br Sisson completed his years as Principal in 1985 and the Brothers withdrew at the end of 1988"
However
Brother J D O'Neill taught at Liston College 1991–1994 and he was the last Christian Brother to do so. The Christian brother connection with Liston College thus lasted for most of the first twenty years of its existence. "The first lay-Principal, Mr Huckle led the college from 1986 until his
etirement and subsequentdeath in April 1999. This saw a period of consolidation and then growth in terms of enrolments, academic success and sporting achievement and it was a continuation of the self-help spirit, which was at the heart of the College from its foundation. 'Among Mr Huckle's many achievements, one was significant. It was his spiritual leadership of the College and it was consistent and clear during his thirteen years as Principal.'".
[Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975 – 2000, p. 29.] The succeeding principal, Mr Chris Rooney, said that it was appropriate to remember the contributions of Br Wellsmore, Br Sisson, and Mr Huckle, who had shaped the College before him, and he saw it as his task to enhance what they had entrusted to him.
Mr Rooney retired in 2021 after 21 years as principal. He was honoured by being made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to education in 2023. Mr Rooney was succeeded by Mr Steven Dooley, who had been principal of
Sacred Heart College, Auckland
Sacred Heart College is a state-integrated secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand. It is a Catholic, Marist College set on of land in Glen Innes.
History
The college was opened on 21 June 1903, in Ponsonby, by the Marist Brothers. It ...
.
Enrolment
In , Liston College had a roll of students, of which (%) identified as Māori.
In , the school had an
Equity Index
In finance, a stock index, or stock market index, is an index that measures the performance of a stock market, or of a subset of a stock market. It helps investors compare current stock price levels with past prices to calculate market perform ...
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
In the education in New Zealand, New Zealand education system, decile was a key measure of socioeconomic status used to target funding and support schools. In academic contexts the full term "socioeconomic decile" or "socioeconomic decile band" wa ...
system).
Houses
The names and colours of the Liston College Houses are:
*Cook – Red
*Kupe – Yellow
*Pompallier – Blue
*Tasman – Green
The Houses are used for some administrative purposes, such as assigning form classes, but are primarily used for the purpose of holding inter-house competitions in a variety of sports and academic challenges. Winning Houses are allocated points and at the end of the year, the House with the most points wins overall and the leaders of that House receive the "House of the Year" trophy.
Principals
* Brother Gary Joseph Wellsmore cfc (1974–1979) (foundation principal)
[Liston College: 25th Jubilee 1975–2000, p. 3.]
* Brother Rex Anthony Sisson cfc (1980–1985)
* Mr F. D. Huckle (1986–1999) (first non-Christian Brother principal)
* Mr Chris S. Rooney (1999–2021)
MNZM
The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for th ...
(2023)
* Mr Steven Dooley (2022–present)
[Board announcement – new principal, ''Liston College''](_blank)
(Retrieved 23 November 2021)
Notable alumni
*
Darroch Ball –
Member of Parliament (2014–2020); Acting President,
New Zealand First Party
New Zealand First (), commonly abbreviated to NZ First or NZF, is a political party in New Zealand, founded and led by Winston Peters, who has served three times as deputy prime minister. The party has formed coalition governments with both maj ...
(2020–2021); personal assistant to
Rt Hon Winston Peters in
2023 election campaign and acted as chief of staff for the New Zealand First Party in the coalition negotiations with the
National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to:
Active parties
* National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals''
* Bangladesh:
** Bangladesh Nationalist Party
** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)''
* Californ ...
and the
ACT Party
ACT New Zealand (; ), also known as the ACT Party or simply ACT, is a right-wing, classical liberal, right-libertarian, and conservative political party in New Zealand. It is currently led by David Seymour, and is in coalition with the Nationa ...
after the election (attended Liston College 1996–1999)
*
Josh Blackie – New Zealand rugby union footballer
*
Mark Carter – All Black flanker (1991–1998)
*
Adrian Choat
Adrian Choat (born 20 November 1997 in New Zealand) is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays for the in Super Rugby. His playing position is flanker. He was announced in the Blues side for Round 1 of the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa season. ...
– New Zealand Rugby Union player; plays
Flanker
Flanker may refer to:
* Flanker (perfume), a newly created perfume sharing attributes of an existing one
* Flanker (rugby union), a position in rugby union (not found in rugby league)
* ''Su-27 Flanker'' (video game), a 1996 computer game modelin ...
for
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
in New Zealand's domestic
National Provincial Championship The National Provincial Championship may refer to:
* National Provincial Championship (1976–2005), original competition before reform into 14 sides
* National Provincial Championship (2006–present)
The National Provincial Championship (NP ...
and for
Blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
in
Super Rugby
Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the S ...
.
*
Simon Dallow
Simon Dallow (born 18 June 1964) is a New Zealand journalist, former barrister and television personality.
Early years
Simon Dallow, who is the son of Ross Dallow, was educated at Liston College and St Peter's College. He completed his terti ...
– New Zealand television presenter and lawyer
*
Craig Dowd
Craig Dowd born 26 October 1969 in Auckland, New Zealand, is a former rugby union player and ex-coach. He played 60 test matches for New Zealand between 1993 and 2000, spending his entire provincial career with Auckland. He spent his entire Sup ...
– All Black prop (1993–2000)
*
Francisco Hernandez -
Member of Parliament (2024-present);
*
DJ Forbes
Derek Jamie "DJ" Forbes (born 15 December 1982) is a New Zealand former rugby union player and captain of the All Blacks Sevens team. Forbes is part Samoan, and also played rugby fifteens as a loose forward for Counties Manukau.
Forbes was b ...
- professional rugby union player;
*
Alwin Komolong
Alwin Komolong (born 2 November 1994) is a Papua New Guinean footballer who plays for Queensland Lions of the NPL Queensland, and for the Papua New Guinea national football team. Alwin and his brother Felix have been called one of the stronges ...
– Professional international
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
; plays in the
Papua New Guinea national football team
The Papua New Guinea national soccer team is the men's national Association football, soccer team of Papua New Guinea and is controlled by the Papua New Guinea Football Association. Its nickname is the ''Kapuls'', which is Tok Pisin for Cuscus. ...
*
Lomano Lemeki
is a professional rugby union player who plays as a Wing (rugby union), wing for Japan Rugby League One club Green Rockets Tokatsu. Born in New Zealand, he represents Japan national rugby union team, Japan at international level after qualifyin ...
– Rugby Sevens player for Japan and XV's
*
Valentino Mapapalangi – Tongan professional rugby union player; plays for
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...
at international level
*
Sione Ahio (born 2001) –
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
player
*
Julian O'Neill
Brian Julian O'Neill (born 14 October 1972) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. Primarily a goal-kicking or , during his 14-year top-grade career he played with several clubs in both ...
– professional
Rugby League
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
player
*
Paul Radisich
Paul Francis Wade Radisich (born 9 October 1962, in Auckland) is a retired New Zealand racing driver and businessman of Croat origin. He has competed in saloon cars for many years — both European-style tourers and the V8 Supercars of Austr ...
– world touring car champion, won the Touring Car World Cup in 1993 and 1994; foundation pupil of Liston College in 1974,
*
Kevin Senio – All Black half back (2005)
*
Anthony Swann
Anthony Gilbert Swann (born 27 March 1975) is a former professional rugby league footballer who represented both New Zealand and Samoa in international rugby league.
Background
He was educated at Liston College, Henderson.
Playing career
Swa ...
– New Zealand representative
Rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
player; member of the New Zealand national Rugby League team, "
the Kiwis" from 1996; played for Samoa in the 2000 world cup.(?).
*
Willie Swann – former
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...
,
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England. They play home games at the Halliwell Jones Stadium and compete in Super League, the top tier of British rugby league system, British rugby league.
Warringto ...
and
Auckland Warriors
The Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as the Aucklan ...
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
player.
*
Leilani Tominiko
Leilani Tominiko (born 30 August 1995) is a Samoan-New Zealander professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Candy Lee. She is the first openly transgender professional wrestler in New Zealand. She is a former IPW NZ Women's Champion ...
– wrestler.
*
Anzelo Tuitavuki (born 1998) –
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
player; plays as a
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...
for in New Zealand's domestic
National Provincial Championship The National Provincial Championship may refer to:
* National Provincial Championship (1976–2005), original competition before reform into 14 sides
* National Provincial Championship (2006–present)
The National Provincial Championship (NP ...
competition
and for in
Super Rugby
Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the S ...
.
*
Paul Urlovic – New Zealand representative soccer player; striker; first selected for the
New Zealand National Football Team
The New Zealand men's national football team () represents New Zealand in men's international Association football, football competitions. The team is governed by the governing body for football in New Zealand, New Zealand Football (NZF), whic ...
, the
All Whites
The New Zealand men's national football team () represents New Zealand in men's international football competitions. The team is governed by the governing body for football in New Zealand, New Zealand Football (NZF), which is currently a memb ...
in 1997; 33 caps.
*
Ivan Vicelich – New Zealand representative soccer player. Most-capped international of all time with 88 caps between 1995 and 2013. (attended between 1988-1992)
Misc. Information
* The School holds a strict no phone policy, active during school hours
* There is Mass in the Chapel every first and third Friday of a month
* Diarys are handed out to students every year to keep track of homework and to allow for communication between teachers and parents
* The ground floor of the F block is currently being rebuilt into laboratories
* A new gymnasium is planned to be built by 2026
The Map Found in the Student Diary
Notes
References/sources
*J.C. O'Neill, ''The History of the Work of the Christian Brothers in New Zealand'', unpublished Dip. Ed. thesis, University of Auckland, 1968.
*Paul Malcolm Robertson, ''Nga Parata Karaitiana The Christian Brothers, A Public Culture in Transition, A Comparative Study of the Indian and New Zealand Provinces'', an unpublished thesis for MA in Anthropology, University of Auckland, 1996.
*''Liston College 25th Jubilee 1975 – 2000'', Liston College, Waitakere City, 2000.
*Graeme Donaldson, ''To All Parts of the Kingdom: Christian Brothers In New Zealand 1876–2001'', Christian Brothers New Zealand Province, Christchurch, 2001.
*Bridget (Anderson) Harrod, ''100 Years Catholic Education in Rotorua 1903–2003'', St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Rotorua, 2003.
*Nicholas Reid, ''James Michael Liston: A Life'', Victoria University Press, Wellington, 2006.
*Nicholas Reid, ''The Life and Work of Reginald John Delargey Cardinal'', Catholic Diocese of Auckland/Pindar, Auckland, 2008.
External links
Liston College websiteAll Blacks website, Liston College All Blacks
{{Authority control
1974 establishments in New Zealand
Boys' schools in New Zealand
Catholic secondary schools in Auckland
Christianity in Auckland
Congregation of Christian Brothers in New Zealand
Congregation of Christian Brothers secondary schools
Educational institutions established in 1974
Henderson-Massey Local Board Area
Schools in West Auckland, New Zealand