Principal’s Notes – Sep 2025

We held a very successful reunion of ex-students from the 1970’s year group here at Springs over King’s Birthday weekend.

This got me thinking of all the well-known (even famous) people who have attended the College over the years that many people don’t even realise!

As we watch the papaya orange Formula 1 McLaren racing cars roar to victory in race after race this year, as well as driving past the McLaren cars showroom nearby in Great North Road it is well worth remembering that the founder – Bruce McLaren, attended Seddon Memorial Technical College (SMTC) in the early 1950’s before heading off to study Engineering at Auckland University. He then left, after his first year at university on the Driver to Europe scheme, and well, the rest is history.

Bruce’s sister, Jan McLaren, also attended SMTC and post school became one of New Zealand’s first female bank managers.

At the same time as Bruce was at school at SMTC, so was Jim Anderton the politician who was New Zealand’s 15^th Deputy Prime Minister 1999 to 2002.  Jim is best known and remembered for his work in establishing KiwiBank.

Who knew that Dr Paul Modrich, distinguished professor at Duke University in the United States and winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2015 attended SMTC in the 1950s!

To this list, we can add musicians Che Fu (Che Ness), Nesian Mystik (Polysaturated), and Joel Little (producer of Lorde’s breakout album Pure Heroine).

My research also notes that Viliami Ofahengaue (‘Willie O’ as the Aussie’s called him) attended Seddon High School in the 1980’s.  He played in the World Cup winning Australian Rugby side of 1991!

What other notable names can you add to my list?

Prizegiving season nearly upon us

A wonderful time of the year is coming up where we acknowledge and celebrate both achievement and effort across the fabric of the school. More information will come to you closer to the time of these events but note in your calendars:

• Pasifika Prizegiving                                                                    Wednesday, October 22nd
• Sports Prizegiving                                                                      Thursday, October 23rd
• Year 13 Leavers’ Event and Year 12 + Year 13 Prizegiving         Wednesday, October 29th
• Year 11 Prizegiving                                                                      Thursday, November 6th
• Junior Arts Festival                                                                     Thursday, November 13th
• Ngā Puna O Waiōrea Prizegiving                                              Thursday, December 4th
• Junior (Year 9 + Year 10) Prizegiving                                         Tuesday, December 9th
• Final school day for 2025                                                           Tuesday, December 9th

Ivan Davis
Principal