Dilworth School

Dilworth School
The school's buildings from Great South Road Firmiter et Fideliter "Steadfastly and Faithfully"
Location
2 Erin Street, Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand
Coordinates	36°52′50″S 174°46′52″E / 36.8805°S 174.7810°E / -36.8805; 174.7810Coordinates: 36°52′50″S 174°46′52″E / 36.8805°S 174.7810°E / -36.8805; 174.7810 (Senior Campus) 36°52′56″S 174°47′21″E / 36.8822°S 174.7891°E / -36.8822; 174.7891 (Junior Campus)
Information
Type	Private, boys, year 5-13, with boarding facilities
Established	1906
Ministry of Education Institution no.	66
Principal	Donald MacLean
School roll	510
Socio-economic decile	5
Website	dilworth.school.nz

Dilworth School is an independent (private) full boarding school for boys in Auckland, New Zealand. All the boys attending are on full scholarships covering all education and boarding costs, as the school is owned and operated by a charitable trust.

History

Dilworth School was founded under the terms of the will of an Auckland farmer and businessman, Irish born James Dilworth who died in 1894.

He and his wife Isabella had no children of their own and left their wealth to establish a school with a goal of educating sons of people from the top two-thirds of the North Island who had suffered some family misfortune and were unable to afford the education they wanted their children to have.

The school opened in 1906 with eight boys and for the first 21 years offered primary education only. Secondary boys at that time boarded at the school but attended Auckland Grammar School during the day. The original school buildings were Dilworth’s old farm homestead and outbuildings. Classrooms and other buildings were added later.

A secondary department was built in 1931. A major expansion started in 1956, the 50th anniversary, with the foundation stone being laid for St Patrick’s Chapel. The total roll when that phase of the expansion was completed some five years later, was 300.

The next major jump in numbers was in 1993 when the present Junior Campus was built to accommodate 192 boys. This brought the total roll of both campuses to 510 covering Year 5 to Year 13.

Dilworth has four houses representing places and counties in Ireland - Tyrone, Dungannon, Donegal and Armagh.

Campus

Photo of the Dilworth School's gate.

Dilworth is organised on two separate campuses. The Senior campus is situated on Great South Road between Market Road and Erin Street with Mt St John Avenue to the south and Diocesan School for Girls to the west.

The Junior campus is on the eastern side of the motorway between Market Road, the motorway and Omahu Road in Remuera.

A new campus is due to open on the school 'Founders' Day' in 2012 after the Trust Board purchased the liquidated hotel and spa, Hotel du Vin. The campus — on 15ha grounds in Mangatawhiri, south of Auckland — is large enough to accommodate another 100 students with room to grow if needed.^[1]

Trust Board

The Dilworth Trust Board is one of New Zealand's largest charities and provides the funding to support the Dilworth School.

The original endowment of 100,000 pounds left in 1894 by James Dilworth in his will has been invested wisely since then and now has grown to a diversified portfolio of investments. The Board still invests predominantly in property, and in particular, in the locality around the School but does hold a number of other investments including shares and bonds, both in New Zealand and overseas. The trust now holds approximately $400 million in assets and cash.^{[citation needed]}

The beneficiaries of this trust are the boys who attend the School. The Board are precluded from assisting any other cause, however worthy it may be, and so this leads to a very focused Board and staff.

A duty of the Board is the granting and withdrawal of scholarships. Whilst staff provide significant input to the process, the final selection remains with the Trustees.

Curriculum

The school curriculum is to provide an academic education by offering subjects that satisfy the seven learning areas of the New Zealand Framework.

Notable alumni

• Dr Michael Bassett - historian and former Cabinet Minister
• Sir David Beattie - former Governor General of New Zealand
• Mike Moore ONZ - former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former Director-General of the World Trade Organization

Notable sport stars

• James Arlidge- Japanese international rugby union player

References

1. ^ Parker, Tamsyn (30 September 2009). "Dilworth buys Hotel du Vin". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10600368. Retrieved 28 September 2011. 

External links

• Dilworth School official website