Westlake Boys High School () is a state

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

for boys in Forrest Hill,

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. The school opened in 1962, when Westlake High School (opened 1958) split into

Westlake Girls High School Westlake Girls High School () is a state girls secondary school, located to the west of Lake Pupuke in Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand. The school was established in 1957 as a coeducational school, changing to girls only in 1962 when Westlake B ...

on the existing site and Westlake Boys High School on a new site. Serving Years 9 to 13, the college has students as of . In 2025, Paul Fordham, an ex pupil of the school, was appointed as the school's eighth headmaster. He replaced David Ferguson who served as Headmaster for 15 years. Westlake-boys-school-louvers

Westlake Boys and Girls

Physically a few hundred metres apart, Westlake Girls and Westlake Boys engage in a joint annual theatrical production, participate in several joint musical ensembles (including a joint choir, two orchestras, a concert band and a jazz band), and some social dances, among other things. The two schools share a motto – ''Virtute Experiamur'' – "''Let Courage Be Thy Test''" in Latin.

Enrolment

As of , the school has a roll of students, of which (%) identify as Māori. As of , the school has an

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of , placing it amongst schools whose students have the socioeconomic barriers to achievement (roughly equivalent to deciles 9 and 10 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).

Academic pathways

Westlake Boys High School uses the

National Certificate of Educational Achievement The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is the official secondary-school qualification in New Zealand. Phased in between 2002 and 2004, it replaced three older secondary-school qualifications. The New Zealand Qualifications A ...

to assess students. Until 2019, it also offered

Cambridge Assessment International Education Cambridge International Education (abbreviated CIE, informally known as Cambridge International or simply Cambridge and formerly known as CAIE, Cambridge Assessment International Education and CIE, Cambridge International Examinations) is a pro ...

as an option, but this was phased out from 2016.

Sporting

The school's teams compete in all Auckland and North Harbour inter-secondary school competitions leading to regional, national and international championships. In 2008/09, Westlake came second in both the

Gillette Gillette is an American brand of safety razors and other personal care products including shaving supplies, owned by the multi-national corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G). Based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it was owned by The Gil ...

and

Maadi Maadi ( ) is a leafy and once suburban district in the Southern Area of Cairo, Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile about upriver from downtown Cairo. The modern extensions north east and east of Maadi, New Maadi and Zahraa al-Maadi are admini ...

Cups in 2009, in both cases, losing to Hamilton Boys'. In 2025 Westlake Boys won the Maadi Cup.

Music and performing arts

The educational music programme covers performance, composition, analysis, history and aural skills. Along with the option of taking music as a subject, there is also a compulsory Year 9 course, focusing on the appreciation of music and drama in everyday life through theoretical and practical exercises, which runs for multiple weeks throughout the year. The school has a number of performing groups: a choir ('Voicemale'), a Barbershop Chorus ('Virtutti'), a Concert Band, Stage Band, and Junior Symphonic band. Orchestral groups include the Westlake Symphony, Chamber Orchestra the junior Taharoto Orchestra and the boys' string groups Conchordia and Camerata. The performing groups have won awards at the annual KBB Music Festival (formerly the Auckland Secondary Schools Band and Orchestra Festival or 'ASSBOF'). Some groups, such as the Choralation Choir, which won the platinum award at the Big Sing Finale in 2009, 2010, and 2011 are combined with

Notable alumni

The Arts

David Griffiths (composer) David Griffiths (born 1950, Auckland, New Zealand) is a composer, baritone and former Senior Lecturer and Convenor of Music at the ''Conservatorium of Music'' at the University of Waikato. Griffiths has gained national and international recognit ...

Martin Henderson Martin Henderson (born 8 October 1974) is a New Zealand actor. He is known for his roles on the American medical drama series '' Off the Map'' as Dr. Ben Keeton (2011), the medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' as Dr. Nathan Riggs (2015–20 ...

– film, TV and theatre actor * Don McGlashan – musician, The Mutton Birds and Blam Blam Blam * Tim Mahon and Mark Bell (New Zealand musician), Mark Bell – founding members of Blam Blam Blam * Alex Taylor (composer), Alex Taylor – composer, poet and writer

Business

* A. J. Hackett – popularised bungee jumping * John Hood (university administrator), John Hood – Rhodes Scholar, former CEO of Fletcher Challenge, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Auckland and of Oxford University

Environment

* Winston Cowie

Journalism

* Duncan Garner – television journalist

Politics

* Phil Twyford - politician

Science

* Charles R. Alcock – astronomer, director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Sport

Basketball

* Thomas Abercrombie (basketball), Thomas Abercrombie * Jarrod Kenny * Robert Loe * Sam Mennenga * Kirk Penney * Jack Salt * Corey Webster (basketball), Corey Webster * Tai Webster * Yanni Wetzell

Cricket

* Andre Adams – former Black Caps, Black Cap * Billy Bowden – ICC cricket umpire * Paul Hitchcock – former Black Cap * Bevon Jacobs – New Zealand cricketer * Justin Vaughan – former Black Cap, CEO New Zealand Cricket * Lou Vincent – former Black Cap (National Cricket Team) * Willie Watson (New Zealand cricketer), Willie Watson – former NZ cricketer

Football

* Robert Ironside (footballer), Robert Ironside – former captain New Zealand national football team, All White * Neil Jones (footballer), Neil Jones – former New Zealand national football team, All White * Tommy Smith (footballer, born 1990), Tommy Smith – footballer, All Whites

Motorsport

*Nick Cassidy — New Zealand racing driver, current Formula E driver for Jaguar TCS Racing.

Rowing

* Michael Brake – 2021 Olympic Gold medallist * Andy Hay (rowing), Andy Hay – 1984 Olympic coxswain * Barrie Mabbott – Olympic Bronze medallist rower * Mike Stanley (rower), Mike Stanley – 1984 Olympic rower * Eric Verdonk – Olympic Bronze medallist rower

Rugby league

* Frano Botica – former All Blacks, All Black and New Zealand national rugby league team, Kiwi * Taniela Tuiaki – former Kiwi and West Tigers

Rugby union

* Chandler Cunningham-South - current England rugby player * Nick Evans (rugby union), Nick Evans – former All Black * Michael Harris (rugby player), Mike Harris – former Wallaby * Dillon Hunt – former All Black * Luke McAlister – former All Black * Wayne Pivac – former Wales national rugby union team coach * Ron Williams (rugby union), Ron Williams – former All Black

Sailing

* Tom Ashley – Olympic Gold medalist board sailor * Dean Barker (yachtsman), Dean Barker – a skipper of Team New Zealand, has participated in America's Cup and Louis Vuitton Cup as well as representing New Zealand at Olympics * Chris Dickson (sailor), Chris Dickson – former helmsman of BMW Oracle Racing and had participated in Louis Vuitton Cup * Hamish Pepper – Navigator of Team New Zealand, has participated in America's Cup 2003 as well as representing New Zealand at Olympics in 1996, 2004, 2008 & 2012

Shooting

* Malcolm Cooper – double Olympic Games, Olympic Gold Medallist and founder of weapons manufacturing company Accuracy International, makers of the Accuracy International AWM, Arctic Warfare Magnum rifle

References

External links

* {{Authority control Boys' schools in New Zealand Educational institutions established in 1962 Secondary schools in Auckland New Zealand secondary schools of Nelson plan construction 1962 establishments in New Zealand Takapuna