King's College, Auckland


King's College, often informally referred to simply as Kings, is an independent secondary boarding and day school in New Zealand. It educates over 1000 pupils, aged 13 to 18 years. King's was originally a single sex boys school but has admitted girls in the Sixth and Seventh forms since 1980, and in the Fifth form since 2016. King's was founded in 1896 by Graham Bruce. King's was originally situated in Remuera, Auckland, on the site now occupied by King's School, Remuera, in 1922 the school moved to its present site in the South Auckland suburb of Ōtāhuhu.
The school has strong links to the Anglican church; the Anglican Bishop of Auckland and the Dean of Auckland are permanent members of the school's board of governors. The college is a member of the Round Square group. King's celebrated its 125-year anniversary in 2021, while the 40 year anniversary of girls attending King's was celebrated in 2020.
King's is included in The Schools Index of the world's 150 best private schools and the top 5 Australasian private schools.

Senior leadership

RoleName
Head of King's CollegePatrick Gale
Deputy Head, PedagogyKelly Bigwood
Deputy Head, AcademicGeoff Smith
Deputy Head, Pastoral CareArron Farr

King's is governed by the King's College Board of Governors, which is chaired by Shan Wilson.

Enrolment

As a private school, King's College, Auckland charges tuition fees to cover costs. For the 2025 school year, tuition fees for New Zealand residents are $32,200 per year. Boarding fees are an additional $18,640 per year.
As of, the school has roll of students, of which identify as Māori. As a private school, the school is not assigned an Equity Index.

Sports

King's College competes in the 1A Rugby Competition and has won 16 times, most recently in 2019. The annual King's College v Auckland Grammar School rugby game is one of the oldest rivalries in New Zealand schoolboy rugby. The King's 1st XI Cricket team won the Gillette Cup in consecutive years between 2009 and 2011, producing notable cricketers with the most recent being Tim Southee.

Teaching and community activities

The school, like some others in New Zealand, offers students Cambridge A-Level, and IGCSE courses as well as those from New Zealand's national qualification, the National Certificate of Educational Achievement.
The school co-ordinates a service programme which aids the South Auckland community.

Houses

All students are organised into Houses, which form separate communities within the College.
NameEstablishedGenderBoarding or DayColour
School1922BoysBoardingRed
St John's1922BoysBoardingBlue
Parnell1924BoysDayGold
Selwyn1945BoysBoardingGreen
Marsden1947BoysDayWhite
Peart1947BoysDaySky blue
Major1959BoysDayBlack
Averill1961BoysDayBrown
Middlemore1984GirlsBoardingMaroon
Greenbank1997BoysDayGrey
Taylor2006GirlsDayPurple
Marion Bruce2020GirlsDayTeal

Traditions

School song

The school song of King's College is the Carmen Regale, the melody of which was composed by Dutchman Eduard Kremser and the lyrics were authored by I G G Strachan. The school song is shared, among some other things, with King's School in Remuera.

Heritage listings

Three locations within King's College are included on the Heritage New Zealand List. King's College Chapel, designed by Richard Abbott, is a late Gothic style brick chapel opened in 1925 and is listed as a category 1 historic place. King's College Main Block, and the statue dedicated to former headmaster Charles Thomas Major are both category 2 historic places.

Notable alumni

King's alumni or former pupils are traditionally named Old Boys or Collegians.

Academic

The following individuals have served as headmaster of King's College.
PeriodHeadmaster
1896–1901Graham Bruce
1902–1904G Bigg-Wither
1904–1905L G W Wilkinson
1905–1926C T Major
1926–1935Canon H K Archdall
1936–1939J N Peart
1940–1946H B Lusk
1947–1973G N T Greenbank
1973–1987I P Campbell
1988–2002John Taylor
2003–2009Roy Kelley
2009–2014Bradley Fenner
2014–2016Michael Leach
2016–presentSimon Lamb