Rotorua Boys' High School is a state school educating boys from Year 9 to Year 13. It is situated just outside the Rotorua CBD at the intersection of Old Taupo Road and Pukuatua Street in Rotorua, New Zealand. The school is governed by an elected School Board, of which the Principal is ex officio a member under guidelines laid down by the New Zealand Ministry of Education.
History
Rotorua Boys' High School had its beginnings as the Rotorua High and Grammar School, founded in 1927 to replace the earlier Rotorua District High School (1914–1926). By 1956 it had a roll in excess of 1200 students. Revenues for the school came from land gifted by the Ngāti Whakaue people for the Town of Rotorua in 1880 under the Fenton Agreement.
The Intermediate Department was closed when Rotorua Intermediate School was established in 1957. The Rotorua High School was further split to make room for a growing population of the district and its educational needs when, in 1959 Rotorua Girls' High School was opened. Rotorua High School was then established as Rotorua Boys' High School and commenced to function as a state secondary school for boys with a roll of 640 pupils in February 1959.
Two memorial honours boards titled Pro Patria 1939-1945 Non Omnis Moriar either side of the stage in the school’s assembly hall commemorate 61 RBHS veterans who died in World War 2 military service. Also listed on the second board are two from the Vietnam War and one for World War 1. A photograph of each is placed next to their name. Another honours board lists War Orders, Decorations and Medals bestowed on 17 veterans from the school.
In the 1980's, the school was an early adopter of computer technology both in its central administration and in delivery of classroom teaching via the government-backed Poly-1. Funds for the purchases came from the Ngāti Whakaue grant.
The boys’ and girls’ high schools have collaborated on debates, plays and musical productions, such as Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2019, and In The Heights in 2022.
In 2019, Rotorua Boys' High School won the Prime Minister of New Zealand Supreme Award for Excellence in Education, at the same time winning Excellence in Leading Award, making it the top school in the country for that year. The school was also named Finalist, Excellence in Teaching & Learning Award.
In the 2022 New Year Honours, the school's principal Chris Grinter was appointed a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit "for services to education and Māori after spending the 'vast majority' of his career dedicated to schools with high Māori populations".
Two books about Rotorua Boys' High School's history by archivist Kevin Lyall have been published, the first in 2003 and the second to mark the school’s 2014 centenary.
Principals
Rotorua District High School
John Warn (1914–1915) Francis Wood (1915–1919) Thomas Tanner (1916-1918) (While Wood was serving in World War I) William Lewins (1920–1926) George Barber (1926) Rotorua High and Grammar School Aby Ryder (1927–1931) Bill Harwood (1932–1959) Rotorua Boys' High School Neville Thornton (1960–1962) Ted Hamill (1963–1979) Geoffrey Cramond (1980–1991) Chris Grinter (1991 – present)
Houses
From 1927 till 2020, Rotorua Boys' High School's four houses were known as Drake, Frobisher, Nelson and Raleigh, after great British explorers and seafarers. At the end of 2020, in a climate influenced by the American Black Lives Matter movement, and supported by evidence that each of the four British namesakes had varying levels of involvement with slavery, the houses were given new names. These new names, which were also felt to be more relevant to the pupils of today, came into effect at the beginning of 2021:
Ngongotaha — red, formerly known as Drake
Te Akitu a Raukura — yellow, formerly known as Frobisher
Te Rotoruanui-a-Kahu — blue, formerly known as Nelson
Utuhina — green, formerly known as Raleigh
Sport
Rotorua Boys' High School is well-known for its sports programme, particularly in Rugby Union, and has its own Rugby Field, Soccer Field, Cricket Ground, Basketball and Tennis Courts, and a Gymnasium, which are sometimes also hired to approved sporting bodies. Five 'sports academies' are offered to students: Basketball Football Golf Hockey Rugby
The school’s own geothermal swimming pool, built in 1954, closed in the early 1990's in compliance with government forced bore closures across Rotorua. The new Science Block now occupies the area where the pool once stood. Following a stint at the Blue Baths, RBHS Swimming Sports moved to the Aquatic Centre in 1994. In November 2022, the Aquatic Centre closed for renovations until early 2024.