Nelson College Boarding news & events

As New Zealand’s oldest state school, Nelson College offers the very best in boarding. Come and hear about some life-changing opportunities for your son, meet key staff and see all the facilities.

Welcoming family environment
High-level academic & leadership programmes with tutor support
35 different sports options
Outdoor activities across the region
Competitive rates & no school fees

Boarding Newsletters

Director of Boarding Newsletter February 2021

Director of Boarding Newsletter April 2021

Director of Boarding Newsletter July 2021

Events

Open Day – Saturday 7th August, 10.00am – 12.30pm

Experience Nelson College: The school in action for families/ whānau to observe and participate in. This is open to all day and boarding prospective applicants.

Orientation Day and Boarding Sleepover – Friday 19^th November
Year 8 boarding students enrolled for 2022 will be invited to spend the day at Nelson College for testing and activities, then a sleepover in their future boarding houses. Further information will be emailed directly to you after your enrolment is received.

Boarding Open Day Registration

If you are unable to attend the open day and would like information please email boarding@nelsoncollege.school.nz

Monday 15th Feb – Covid Updates for our boarding Community
If New Zealand moves to L3/4 again in the future, then Nelson College Boarding will resume its original boarding bubble. Domestic boarders will not be accommodated at this time and these boys will be required to return home.

Monday 15th February 2021
- Nelson College Boarding Precautionary Measures – Level 2
- Our boarders & staff operate as one boarding community and everyone else who visits boarding is a visitor
- No mass gatherings that include ‘visitors’
- Encouragement of boys to keep out of each other’s breathing and touch space, within in our boarding community & to practise wider physical distancing with those outside of our boarding community
- Parents dropping their boys off are asked to be vigilant in using the visitor’s book and to keep a physical distance from staff & other boarders
- Boarders who visit with friends during the day will be asked to complete additional leave information to assist contact tracing, should it be needed
- Overnight weekend leave for boarders to stay with friends will be closely monitored
- Contact Tracing Registers for visitors at both houses, the san and the dining room
- Heightened hygiene measures, and in particular before eating, after playing sport & when re-entering to the house
- Heightened cleaning in all boarding facilities
- Reduced threshold for determining if a boarder is generally unwell
- Boys who present with COVID-like symptoms will be assessed, isolated, tested and sent home where practical
- Staff who become unwell will stay home & be tested – supervisors, cleaners, nurses & dining room staff
- Discipline consequences for deliberate L2 breaches
- Regular review by staff of boarding COVID practices
- Continuing to follow all MOE/MOH guidelines
It is also a timely reminder to ask you to update Sandra, our Boarding Administrator sc@nelsoncollege.school.nz with any of your changed contact details.

Ngā mihi,
Samme Hippolite

2021 Events Schedule

Monday 1st February: Students arrive
Tuesday 2nd February: School Year begins
Sunday 14th March: Summer Sports Weekend (included parent teacher interviews)
Saturday 8th May: Boarding Open Day
Friday 20th August: Winter Boarding Catchup (included parent teacher interviews)
Wednesday 20th October: Boarding Sports Trip
Tuesday 26th October: Old Man’s Supper
Friday 19th November: Boarding New Entrant Testing and Sleepover

I would like to say thank you for the last one and a half years I could spend in boarding.

But I will start at the beginning.

As a child, I was a bookworm. I read almost every book I could get and sometimes all night through. At this time most of the books I read were written by Enid Blyton. Some of you might know her. She was a British author whose stories were often set in boardinghouses. I was fascinated and imagined about living in such a world. So did I dream about living in Harry Potters world. A school for magicians seemed like the coolest place I could go to.

While I grew up in Germany I began to learn English in year three. I’ve never had a talent for languages, which made me one of the worst students in my class. But I had to change something about it. I knew if I want to become successful someday I would have to be able to speak fluent English. My grandma, who was an English teacher suggested me to do an exchange year. One of my friends went to a boarding school in England for three months and told me about her experience. After that, I was sure about going to a boarding school. My dream of an exchange year combined with the dream of boarding brought me to this little city called Nelson.

Arrived in Nelson, boarding was different than expected. They were no food fights or matt sliding at night. We also didn’t have a dining hall as Harry Potter did. But we got a brotherhood closer than any of the movies ever described. I realised pretty fast that the people and the memories you make in boarding actually count. Yet I would consider these boys as my second family and don’t really want to leave them in a month. Coming to Nelson taught me to adapt to a new culture. The boarding- house also taught me to be tidy, to be independent and that mom is still the best cook. Some of these boys live since almost five years together, see each other every single day and still haven’t killed each other. I think that is pretty impressive. Being loyal to your friends gets a new definition in boarding and I’m sure some of these friendships will stick a lifelong.

When I will leave New Zealand in one and a half months I will remember these boys. I will remember the evenings when we went with Mr Mardon for a swim in the river.

I will remember playing football with 70 people on the field at the same time which didn’t work out at all.

I will remember all the hours we spent on pyramids and house singing to get an acceptable result.

Nelson College and its borders got a place in my heart. I made hundreds or even thousands of great memories at this place and might tell these stories to my grandchildren someday.

I would like to say thank you to the staff of the boarding house who took always care of I would like to say thank you to Mr Mardon who has been working full time to make every single boarder happy. I would like to say thank you to Debbie and especially Georgina who has been my second mom for the past one and a half years. I would like to say thank you to Josh and all the other year 13s who were some of the greatest people I have ever met. And I would like to say thank you to all of you boys who made boarding to the best experience of my life.

Thank you for every moment I could spend in boarding with you.

Thank you

Boarding Head Boy 2018

TV One news – Nelson College Boarding

Boarding Highlights – Day 19

Nelson College

Matt Gunter Memorial Boarding Rugby Tournament 2017