Dilworth School

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

Dilworth School
The Senior Campus buildings from Great South Road
Address
2 Erin Street,
Epsom,
Auckland,
New Zealand
Coordinates36.8805°S 174.7810°E / -36.8805; 174.7810 (Senior Campus)
36.8822°S 174.7891°E / -36.8822; 174.7891 (Junior Campus)
37.187348°S 175.148°E / -37.187348; 175.148 (Rural Campus)
Information
TypePrivate, boys, year 5-13, with boarding facilities
MottoFirmiter et Fideliter
"strength and steadfastness"
Established1906
Ministry of Education Institution no.66
PrincipalDan Reddiex
School roll577[1] (March 2020)
Socio-economic decile4
Websitedilworth.school.nz

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.[2]

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.

In December 2019, Dilworth presented a vision to create a girls' boarding school to open in 2025.[3]

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

The school also maintains a close relationship with the Royal School Dungannon, James Dilworth's alma mater. Each year, four pupils (called 'Kiwis') go to Dungannon as tutors on scholarship. Likewise, four pupils from Dungannon travel to Auckland to work at Dilworth. This is part of a long-standing exchange programme between the two schools.

Operation Beverly

On 14 September 2020, six men were arrested and charged for historic sex and drug offences alleged to have taken place at the school from the 1970s to the early 2000s.[4] These defendants included the school's former chaplain, Ross Douglas Browne, and two teachers.[5] The police investigation was codenamed "Operation Beverly."[6] On 16 September, a seventh man was charged with indecent assault in 1990 at the Auckland District Court.[7]

On 10 October 2020, Stuff reported that the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was looking into historical abuse that had occurred at Dilworth School and other Anglican institutions in New Zealand. Several former students registered to make submissions to the Royal Commission.[5] On 7 December, a former Dilworth pupil testified to the Royal Commission, alleging that students were beaten by staff and senior students and likening the school's environment to the novel Lord of the Flies.[8]

On 11 November 2020, former Assistant Principal Ian Wilson pleaded guilty to two charges involving indecent acts while working at Dilworth. Wilson had earlier been convicted of doing an indecent act with a boy under 12 years in 1996 while serving as Senior School Assistant Principal at MacMurray Boarding House.[9] In late November, it was reported that a former 69-year old Scout Master, whose named was suppressed, facing charges of indecently assaulting a boy in the 1970s had died from cancer.[10]

On 9 December, name suppression for one of the defendants, Rex McIntosh, was lifted. McIntosh faces three charges of indecent assault.[11]

On 22 December, Detective Senior Sergeant Geoff Baber reported that an additional 80 victims had been identified and that 33 charges had been filed against five men aged between 68 and 78 as part of Operation Beverly. Baber confirmed that these new charges included allegations of indecency with boys under 16 years old, inducing a boy under 12 to do an indecent act, unlawful sexual connection, and indecent assault.[6] That same day, Ian Wilson pleaded guilty to five charges of indecent assault including against two boys aged under 16 in the 1970s and a boy under 14 in 1992. Two other men facing charges include Ross Browne and Rex McIntosh.[12]

Campuses
Photo of the Senior Campus entrance.

Dilworth is organised on three separate campuses.

Senior Campus

The Senior Campus is located in Epsom, Auckland and accommodates up to 340 boys from Years 9 - 13. This is the school's flagship campus.

Junior Campus

The Junior Campus was opened in 1993 and is located in Remuera, Auckland. The campus accommodates 192 boys from Years 5 - 8.

Rural Campus - Te Haerenga

The new Rural Campus (sometimes called the 'Rural Campus - Te Haerenga (The Journey)') was officially opened in March 2012 after the Trust Board purchased the liquidated hotel and spa, Hotel du Vin. The campus – on 15 ha grounds in Mangatawhiri, south of Auckland – accommodates another 100 students in Year 9[13]

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 $957 million in assets and cash.[14]

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, and thus offers the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level One, Two & Three.

Sports

The school holds multiple National and Auckland wrestling titles and for a time were the undisputed national powerhouse wrestling school in New Zealand. The school have produced a significant number of New Zealand Junior Representatives and a Junior Olympian since the program's inception in 1997.

Rugby is the most popular code at Dilworth. The school's 1st XV had been among the strongest teams in the Auckland 1B Championship for years, winning 49 out of their 52 games since 2011 and reaching 7 finals since 2000. They were finally crowned 1B Champions in 2012 and won the title again in 2013. In 2015, Dilworth made history by beating Onehunga High School, 12-10, in a 1A Championship promotion match and entered Auckland's top-flight for the first time in 109 years.[15] In their debut 1A season, Dilworth finished 7th out of 12 teams, winning five of their 11 regular season games. In 2016, Dilworth lost much of their starting line-up, however, managed to win three crucial matches against Otahuhu 43-3, Onehunga 19-7 and Kelston Boys' 26-14 to secure an 8th-place finish and survival in the 1A.

The 2017 season was a promising year for the college's 1st XV, with the team opening their account with a 27-13 away win against Liston College. The following weekend, Dilworth produced one of the biggest upsets in 1A history, beating 2016 National Champions and 2017 World Championship silver medallists, Mount Albert Grammar, 20-15.[15] The win brought national attention to the college and took Dilworth to the top of the 1A table for the first time in the school's history. After respectable 2017 and 2018 campaigns avoiding relegation, a noteworthy feat for the league's smallest school with a roll of just over 300,[16] in 2019, Dilworth finished the season in the drop zone. However, in their relegation match, they won emphatically, downing One Tree Hill 95-0 to secure a sixth consecutive berth in 1A rugby for 2020.[17]

The school's basketball program has also enjoyed success and defeated some of the country's powerhouse programs to be finalists in the Auckland Premier league in 2007 and 2008.[18]

Demographic

As of July 2019, the Ministry of Education reported 68.9% of the school roll was Maori or Pasifika whilst 21.9% of pupils were European and 6.7% of Asian descent.[19]

Headmasters/Principals

The school had their first headmaster in 1908.

  • C.F. Bourne 1908
  • A. Plugge 1909-1914
  • N.M.P. Gibson 1914-1945
  • B.H. Wakelin 1946-1950
  • J. Conolly 1950-1966
  • R.G.P. Parr 1967-1979
  • M.T. Wilton 1979-1997
  • Donald J. MacLean 1997-2018
  • Dan Reddiex 2019-

Notable alumni

References
  1. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  2. Stone, R. C. J. "James Dilworth". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  3. "Our bold dream: a Dilworth School for Girls". Dilworth School. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  4. "Six men arrested and charged in relation to historical offences". Radio New Zealand. 14 September 2020. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  5. Gay, Edward (10 October 2020). "Dilworth School: Former students approach Royal Commission of Abuse". Stuff. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  6. "Dilworth School historical abuse: 80 more victims come forward, 33 new charges laid". The New Zealand Herald. 22 December 2020. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  7. Gay, Edward (16 September 2020). "Seventh man appears in court over alleged Dilworth School sex abuse". Stuff. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  8. Gay, Edward (7 December 2020). "Dilworth School: Former student says school was a 'free-for-all' of violence". Stuff. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  9. Boyle, Chelsea (11 November 2020). "Dilworth School investigation: Ian Wilson admits sex crimes against boys". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 21 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  10. Gay, Edward (27 November 2020). "Dilworth School: Former Auckland Scout master facing sex abuse charge dies". Stuff. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  11. Gray, Edward (9 December 2020). "Dilworth School teacher accused of sex offences named". Stuff. Archived from the original on 9 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  12. Wilson, Kim (22 December 2020). "Former assistant principal pleads guilty to swathe of sex allegations at Auckland's Dilworth School". 1 News. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  13. Parker, Tamsyn (30 September 2009). "Dilworth buys Hotel du Vin". The New Zealand Herald. NZME. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  14. "Dilworth Trust Board Annual Report". Dilworth Trust Board. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  15. Hewat, Sam (17 May 2017). "Dilworth shock MAGS for biggest First XV win in school history". Stuff. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  16. "Basketball: Dilworth nets first place in final". East And Bays Courier. Stuff. 31 January 2009. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  17. "Draws & Results". Auckland Rugby Union. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  18. "Auckland Secondary Schools Basketball Premium League" (PDF). College Sport. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  19. "Dilworth School: Student Population". Education Counts. Ministry of Education. Archived from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  20. "No Plan B for Botany's young gun". The New Zealand Herald. NZME. 5 February 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  21. Harvey, Claire (3 March 2006). "Boys to men at Dilworth". The New Zealand Herald. NZME. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  22. Preston, Nikki (12 September 2011). "Rugby: Kiwi family back Japan's star No 10". The New Zealand Herald. NZME. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
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