Rotorua Boys’ High School Hall of Fame welcomes 15 former students

Detailed summary

The recent ceremony highlighted 15 past students for their achievements. Speaking to the Rotorua Daily Post this week, the school’s archivist Kevin Lyall explained how former te…

The new Hall of Fame inductees outside Rotorua Boys' High School. Photo / Rotorua Boys' High School

Rotorua Boys’ High School has welcomed the newest inductees into Ngā Raukura i te Ao, its Hall of Fame.

The recent ceremony highlighted 15 past students for their achievements.

Speaking to the Rotorua Daily Post this week, the school’s archivist Kevin Lyall explained how former teacher John Raphael wanted to start a school hall of fame.

Raphael was also inducted at the latest ceremony as an honorary member for his work on the Hall of Fame during his time at the school.

Lyall said Raphael had the idea in the late 1980s, the result of a conversation with a former colleague.

The first inductee was Dame Ruia Morrison, the first New Zealand woman and the first Māori person to play at Wimbledon.

She attended the school in the late 1940s and early 1950s when it was co-educational and called Rotorua High School.

Rotorua Boys’ High School principal Matua John Kendal told the Rotorua Daily Post the values of the school were “reflected in capturing the diverse range of students who follow their passions long after leaving school”.

Opening of the article, excerpted from NZ Herald Business. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.